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| They do weddings as well |
Mystic Creek located in Milford at Camp Dearborn, has 27 holes of immaculate golf where holes alternate between being tight, very long or very reachable. Built on a spectacular property near the GM Proving Grounds on S. Hickory Ridge Road in Milford was deftly designed by Mike Dewling (Shepherd's Hollow- Pinetrace) and thankfully left most of the mature trees, creeks and lakes stay in their natural state. The golf holes show plenty of variety and golfers will be forced to alternate between pulling irons off some tees to bombing away on others. Increasingly, many courses are offering their customers 27 holes of golf from Boulder Pointe in Oxford, Tanglewood and Links of Novi in Novi and each course shows different highlights as you play your round. With four different tee boxes to give golfers every bit of a challenge as they want, and you could change your tee box if you decide the one you playing is not to your liking.
The Meadows hole number one is very different for one major reason.
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| Tee box over one Meadows |
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| There is a large landing area in front of the green. |
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This nine starts out as a par three. For me, I really like to start my rounds off with a par four or five and this is especially true if I do not have the time to properly warm up. Playing between 103 and 151 yards, the trouble is to the right and just in front of the tee box. The tee box is elevated and from the back you will not see that if your ball is short, there is a fairway collection area to chip your ball to the hole. A huge bunker sits in front of the green and little area exists behind the green as a fence will take any balls hit too far which shouldn't be a problem. The green is large and the putting is true. Most golfers will start off with a par here but birdies are for the taking. Properly warm up and put one on the green and hit it stiff.
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| Be smart with your drive on 3 |
The Meadows number three is a long bombers paradise if you drill it off the tee. At 408 to 585 yards, you had better be prepared to hit it along way. Elevated and wide open, only two fairway bunkers that look like ponds can trip you up. Even if you hit it into the rough on these holes, the modest grass will allow you to advance the ball and perhaps send your second shot flying.Your second shot has a side degree of latitude of error but those that want the best chance to birdie this hole should angle it left side where you will have a great angle to the slight dog leg at the finish. Pushing your second shot right could double the distance and turn a 70 yard shot to 140 yards and a pond comes into play around 140 yards out.
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| You will most likely have some work to finish this hole |
A series of bunkers will test you around the green and do not be surprised if one of them gets friendly with you as they are short side left and right. Both days I did everything right and still parred the hole. I can only imagine what would happen if you shank either of your first two shots. This is why it is the number one handicapped hole on this side.
Just like the Woods and Lakes course, you could talk in detail about many more holes such as four and five on the Meadows side.
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| You will most likely have some work to finish this hole |
Moving ahead to the Meadows number seven is one hole where you have to decide if driver is cutting it too close to the hazard. At first glimpse, you look at the fairway and say bombs away but you had better study your scorecard on the tee box where five different ponds with fescues make you feel boxed in off the tee. This review has given you a parameter where 250 yards off the tee is where you will land to play your shot into the green. Teeing off at 383 yards will make you think of several targets including the fairway bunkers looking to collect errant shots and a mean slope that funnels nutted tee shots toward Mystic Creek.
Your best bet is to not hit it down the slope as you will have have un-mowed grass passed the river running to the green which sits on a mound. The green demands on a well placed second shot and is two tiered from right to left. I actually started hitting my irons a little fat and clubbed up one and hit my iron shot into the grass just beyond the green with a delicate chip needed for my birdie. Hitting your second shot short will leave you with an uphill shot where your ball could nestle in the thick stuff and while uphill is good for most, a buried lie is not where you want to be. Par is a very good score on this number two handicapped hole on this nine.
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| Breaking Bad will tear up your scorecard. |
The finishing hole on this nine ranging from (501 to 378 yards) is another one where the scorecard is deceiving.
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| Aim for the trap left side |
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| The trap to the left. You have room on the fairway. |
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Your tee box does not give you a real good vantage point of where to hit it but the sand trap that sits with an overhanging tree to the right of the box, but a sand trap to the left side rough is a good place to aim. With trees doting both sides of the fairway, your tee shot could come in contact with the fairway sand bunker but a slight fade or a shot down center to left center will put you in good shape. That is the easy part. The hard part has to do with the finish. Could you get home on two well struck shots. Sure. Unfortunately, this hole has plenty of trouble. Bunkers are everywhere in front of the green and with the green being elevated above the downward sloping fairway, the small green will not hole second shots.
Your best bet will be to leave yourself with a high iron or wedge and take a look at the flag. If you walk, you most likely will not see where the flag is. My advice is to take your cart and see where the flag is on your third shot for your best bet at a birdie.
With the bar open, get yourself a beverage as both the Woods and Lakes are very tough tests of golf.
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| A tough tee shot demands accuracy |
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| Where you want to be |
The Woods first hole is one where you come to confront the mature trees that dot the property and must have been a challenge when carving out the holes that became part of Mystic Creek. This hole is very challenging as the elevated tee box will block your vision of all the trouble that runs on both sides of the fairway. The hole plays from (281 to 427) yards and a tee shot down the middle is almost demanded by the designer. With trees and moguls running left side and two fairway bunkers to the right, errant shots will leave you playing almost certainly for bogey. With water and fescues surrounding the green to the right and behind, any hiccups on your approach will leave you with a possible big number. If you do drive your ball into the path of one of the trees, you could either have a clear shot to the green (which is doubtful) to a punch shot forward to a chip back to the fairway. I do enjoy the greens at Mystic as they range from the hit it firm and you will be rewarded to the very undulated and you had better study your shot like a scientist studies a strain of a flu shot virus.
One of the best holes in Oakland County plays as the third hole at Mystic's Woods course. This dandy plays as a 446 to 532 par five and demands that you bomb your tee shot to a fairway that slopes downward toward a valley where long hitters will be pleased at what they have done. The problem is the entire hole is tree lined and any shot that catches one of the trees and you are playing for bogey. Mystic Creek dissects the hole before the valley goes to a green that is elevated over the fairway. Going right and you will go into a dense portion of the woods. Left and not a much better fate awaits you. The elevated green seems to sit high in the air and long hitters that think they can reach the green in two will most likely have a difficult putt for eagle. Realistically, you will have between a wedge to mid-iron depending on your first two shots go. A birdie here on this number one handicapped hole and you have really accomplished a chance to wet your whistle or collect skin money at the end of the round.
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| This picture does not do justice to how narrow and uphill the green is from the fairway |
Mystic Creek seems to alternate from the really strong holes to occasionally a short and should I say a very unusual experience. Such is the experience with the par four sixth. The hole plays as a par four ranging from 303 to 228 yards and this experience makes golfers pulling anything out instead of a fairway wood, hybrid or iron a mistake. With trees making this hole seem like you are driving through a crack in the sidewalk, any ball that hits the woods either side is a penalty shot as balls become a future golfers treasure find. One thing is that this subtle par four has a sand trap that helps golfers that hang a tee shot left from going into the woods if your ball is short. If you have a high and long fade ala' Jack Nicklaus, go for the green. If you do, you will most likely blow it and make a big score. Two irons is your best play. Going over the green and you will once again donate your golf ball.
There are so many suburb golf holes on this nine, that it is tough to skip over holes like the par three seventh and par five ninth which are very tough.
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| Take a drive to see what this hole demands |
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| Much further than this and you will hit the unseen rough in the fairway |
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| Between Mystic Creek and the bunkers, good luck! |
When the computer in the golf cart said Jim Dewling considered the 396 to 308 yard 8th to be a 'great hole' I couldn't resist seeing if I agreed with his assessment.
With the view from the tee box being much different depending on whether you played it back to the front, it seems like you might want to leave driver in your bag as the woods are on top of you left and reachable on the right. Dewling said driver would be rewarded. To an extent he is correct. If you have a draw in your bag or nut it down the middle perhaps. The thing that gets me is that the hole runs down hill in the landing area and if your ball has a downhill slope for an approach shot at a steep angle, that makes you wonder if you truly are being rewarded. Saying that, if you are between 140 to 200 yards out, you will have a great view of the green before the slope starts. It is surrounded by four bunkers and Mystic Creek in front. The green is seriously undulated and any iron shot will need to be shaped. One thing I can tell you is I drove my cart by the creek and an otter was playing in the creek. That is the first time I have seen one on the course in a long time. It is an enjoyable hole and you should be good on your tee shot unless you snap it right or left. Par is a well earned score.
PGA Professional and General Manager Rod Duffe told me that the Lakes was probably the hardest and most scenic nine holes of golf and without a doubt, his opinion turned to reality. More than once he said wait until you play the number one Lakes hole and you will understand. After playing number one and the other eight holes, this is one spectacular nine holes of golf.
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| The ninth hole at about 230 yards from the tee box |
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| The 9th hole on the woods from behind the green |
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| Whatever gets you down the middle short of the lake that divides the fairway from the finish |
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| The bunker in front of the green demands a high soft shot for best results |
The first hole is one that will trick your eyes the first time you see it. From the tee box, it looks like you must try and take the water which runs the entire length of the hole and squeezes between two tracks of land out of play. The only problem is you have an up sloping portion of woods and weeds left side and where are you going to go. With the par four being only (273 to 362) yards, can you hit the ball with a draw to an area you cannot fully see? I had no idea what to do and even seeing the score card, where are you going to hit the ball? What club are you going to use?
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| Yes, you just hit over the corner of the lake |
Most golfers will have to play a fairway wood to mid-iron down the center of the fairway. The landing area way down the fairway left side is not really meant to play although you could hit it there. Your best bet is to hit your most reliable club from the fairway over the pond. The wind is whipping up and a huge sand bunker is guarding fat approach shots hit short. The green slopes and the number one handicapped hole on this side does not want to give up pars let alone birdies. Club up one or two if the wind is slightly swirling in your direction. Take everything out of play but your trampoline style putt and par is a great score. I had bogey as my approach landed in the thick stuff next to the sand. A truly great golf hole.
Have you ever been to a concert and the artist belts out greatest hits one after another. That's what you get on this nine.
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| Really pretty unless you hit in the middle of it |
The second hole was just as spectacular as the first for different reasons. Like every hole on this side, each has water to contend with although a couple of holes its just window dressing. The second plays as a par five ranging from 455 to 605 yards. With water on both sides, sand conveniently located in landing areas, you will have your hands full. What I really liked was the double row of trees right side. The trees are planted in two rows that run along the beach and make for a beautiful site along the water. The other thing I liked about the design of this hole is the very wide fairway. Perhaps its just me but it seemed like nearly a double portion from every other hole on the course. Feel free to blast it as only a duck hook or a severely pulled shot will get you in real trouble. The hole does slightly dog leg right and as it does narrow up just a tad, Jim Dewling was smart to keep a really long hole wide. Few players will get to the green in two at 605 yards and I was just over 100 yards out starting at 581. There is nothing wrong with playing wedge to a high iron depending on how you hit them.
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| Its tricky around the green as well |
Once again, the greens rolled slow but with the heavy rain, I am sure they play much faster on a hot humid day which we have not had many in 2013. My 20 -22' birdie putt sat just two inches left of the cup and the tap in par made me feel good and the eye candy of a beautiful lake with trees was awesome.
While hole numbers 3-7 were all excellent, I will focus on the two finishing up this nine.
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| The par three sixth demands a tough iron shot |
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| The seventh has a small landing area |
I will admit that the seventh was not my favorite as the lake left side running along the hole with a skinny fairway and a lot of wind in my face got on my nerves but the eighth made up for it.
Shooting through a chute cut 30-40' over a grassy knoll and Mystic Creek draining into the lake, this shot can be intimidating for most golfers. With the wind blowing in my face, I had no idea how far it was to carry Mystic Creek. On this hole its go through the chute, play the forward tees or make it on the fairway of this 195 to 371 yard experience. You notice I did say experience.
One thing I really wish I had was something that told me the distance from the tee to the creek. With no app to look at, I just fired away and made it past the 150 marker and only a nine iron to take me home. Looking back at the chute, I really wonder how many golf balls and ripped up scorecards there are from golfers who couldn't make it to the forward tees at the bottom of the ravine in front of the creek. From the fairway past the creek, looking at a grassy knoll right side, the lake running down the left and two sand bunkers in front, par is really a great score of this large green.
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| The ninth has a little room to drive but not much |
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| Your view from your likely tee shot landing gives little clue |
The ninth is another spectacular hole and will take your eyesight a few minutes to figure out what to do on this finish on the Lakes nine. Playing as an uphill 400 to 522 yard par five, you will have to negotiate trees to the left with the lake acting as a magnet and to the right a wide landing area where golfers should try to aim. You tee shot is actually driven downward before you climb your way uphill to the finish. A well struck shot will most likely leave you in good shape but you will still not be able to see the flag stick. The fairway is wide on number nine but the trouble is on both sides with a dividing jungle from the first hole left side and grass moguls right side. My tee shot went left into the rough and I had to fire over some of the junk and nailed my second into the moguls. I saw my ball kick back toward the fairway but that is the last I ever saw of my second shot. The grass was very long right side and while staying 90 degrees most of the day, I drove around and around and around and never found a ball that was in play. There was no way I was going to walk up and down the hills. I dropped in the rough and my approach was short and a two putt closed out my round. The dog leg left once again had the signature sand bunkers to either side of the green. This closing hole once again is a super test of golf.
The skinny...
In my opinion, if they could condense the 27 holes into a 18 hole greatest hits, this would be one of the top 10 courses of Michigan and certainly is a must-play destination in Southeastern Michigan.
The service, those I met were very friendly.
The golf- I think you figured out this is a super track. The variety of holes is excellent. The Meadows is the best to score on then Woods and then the Lakes.
Overall, the golf property is well taken care of. Plenty of workers have plenty to do after it rains and they do a very good job.
This course is now a municipal owned by the City of Dearborn and rivals Fieldstone as a tough test of golf.
This nine starts out as a par three. For me, I really like to start my rounds off with a par four or five and this is especially true if I do not have the time to properly warm up. Playing between 103 and 151 yards, the trouble is to the right and just in front of the tee box. The tee box is elevated and from the back you will not see that if your ball is short, there is a fairway collection area to chip your ball to the hole. A huge bunker sits in front of the green and little area exists behind the green as a fence will take any balls hit too far which shouldn't be a problem. The green is large and the putting is true. Most golfers will start off with a par here but birdies are for the taking. Properly warm up and put one on the green and hit it stiff. 
The Meadows number three is a long bombers paradise if you drill it off the tee. At 408 to 585 yards, you had better be prepared to hit it along way. Elevated and wide open, only two fairway bunkers that look like ponds can trip you up. Even if you hit it into the rough on these holes, the modest grass will allow you to advance the ball and perhaps send your second shot flying.Your second shot has a side degree of latitude of error but those that want the best chance to birdie this hole should angle it left side where you will have a great angle to the slight dog leg at the finish. Pushing your second shot right could double the distance and turn a 70 yard shot to 140 yards and a pond comes into play around 140 yards out. 
Moving ahead to the Meadows number seven is one hole where you have to decide if driver is cutting it too close to the hazard. At first glimpse, you look at the fairway and say bombs away but you had better study your scorecard on the tee box where five different ponds with fescues make you feel boxed in off the tee. This review has given you a parameter where 250 yards off the tee is where you will land to play your shot into the green. Teeing off at 383 yards will make you think of several targets including the fairway bunkers looking to collect errant shots and a mean slope that funnels nutted tee shots toward Mystic Creek. 
Your best bet is to not hit it down the slope as you will have have un-mowed grass passed the river running to the green which sits on a mound. The green demands on a well placed second shot and is two tiered from right to left. I actually started hitting my irons a little fat and clubbed up one and hit my iron shot into the grass just beyond the green with a delicate chip needed for my birdie. Hitting your second shot short will leave you with an uphill shot where your ball could nestle in the thick stuff and while uphill is good for most, a buried lie is not where you want to be. Par is a very good score on this number two handicapped hole on this nine. 
The finishing hole on this nine ranging from (501 to 378 yards) is another one where the scorecard is deceiving.
The second hole was just as spectacular as the first for different reasons. Like every hole on this side, each has water to contend with although a couple of holes its just window dressing. The second plays as a par five ranging from 455 to 605 yards. With water on both sides, sand conveniently located in landing areas, you will have your hands full. What I really liked was the double row of trees right side. The trees are planted in two rows that run along the beach and make for a beautiful site along the water. The other thing I liked about the design of this hole is the very wide fairway. Perhaps its just me but it seemed like nearly a double portion from every other hole on the course. Feel free to blast it as only a duck hook or a severely pulled shot will get you in real trouble. The hole does slightly dog leg right and as it does narrow up just a tad, Jim Dewling was smart to keep a really long hole wide. Few players will get to the green in two at 605 yards and I was just over 100 yards out starting at 581. There is nothing wrong with playing wedge to a high iron depending on how you hit them.
One thing I really wish I had was something that told me the distance from the tee to the creek. With no app to look at, I just fired away and made it past the 150 marker and only a nine iron to take me home. Looking back at the chute, I really wonder how many golf balls and ripped up scorecards there are from golfers who couldn't make it to the forward tees at the bottom of the ravine in front of the creek. From the fairway past the creek, looking at a grassy knoll right side, the lake running down the left and two sand bunkers in front, par is really a great score of this large green.
The ninth is another spectacular hole and will take your eyesight a few minutes to figure out what to do on this finish on the Lakes nine. Playing as an uphill 400 to 522 yard par five, you will have to negotiate trees to the left with the lake acting as a magnet and to the right a wide landing area where golfers should try to aim. You tee shot is actually driven downward before you climb your way uphill to the finish. A well struck shot will most likely leave you in good shape but you will still not be able to see the flag stick. The fairway is wide on number nine but the trouble is on both sides with a dividing jungle from the first hole left side and grass moguls right side. My tee shot went left into the rough and I had to fire over some of the junk and nailed my second into the moguls. I saw my ball kick back toward the fairway but that is the last I ever saw of my second shot. The grass was very long right side and while staying 90 degrees most of the day, I drove around and around and around and never found a ball that was in play. There was no way I was going to walk up and down the hills. I dropped in the rough and my approach was short and a two putt closed out my round. The dog leg left once again had the signature sand bunkers to either side of the green. This closing hole once again is a super test of golf. 
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