Friday, July 12, 2013

Tanglewood CC in Novi/South Lyon is a Challenging Course


Finally, I had the opportunity to play Tanglewood this 27 hole layout is breathtaking and a lot of fun to play. Interview with Brad Stedry of Tanglewood @ http://www.michigangolfscene.co/course-reviews.html

Tanglewood is one of two courses located near each other on Ten Mile near the South Lyon East High School. The experience is largely a very positive one at this club. Tanglewood, due to its service and proximity to 96/696/275 draws a lot of play and outings but does leave plenty of tee times for daily fee play. 


Here is a map to the course.

     I started out golfing the West course. (3487 yards from the tips). I had time to chip and putt before the round but not enough time to hit driver. The first hole on the west course is long (558 yards) and you will need the biggest clubs in you bag. It is also the number 1 handicap hole on this nine. This hole is a great turn hole if you play the South or North courses before this one. If the first hole you play after you get out of your car is this one, you better bomb your ball and drive it right side. Two bunkers guard the left in the landing areas of a well hit drive and out of bounds stakes line the left side as an errant drive will make you friendly with the neighbors. The green is pretty straight forward as it plays slow and true. (Most of the greens) are fairly easy to read as compared to other courses.

Number two is a 201 yard par three with trouble everywhere. Hit it left and you will be in a picturesque marsh and hit it right and you will be in a sizable pond. Oh yeah, do not go over the green as sand awaits you. I like the hole but take a hybrid or long iron here. Shorter hitters might need a five wood as it depends on how you hit your clubs.

The third hole is my favorite so far. It is only 358 yards and there is trouble for an errant drive. The left side features a sizable bunker and along the right side is a marshy type area. The green is large so you have a good opportunity for birdie or par if you stay out of the trouble I just described.
http://www.tanglewoodlion.com/images/North_Course_Gallery/_0003_n4.jpg
The fourth hole ranges from 325 yards from the silver tees to 449 from the gold tees and it plays much different depending on which tees you decide to play on this par four. A drive from the gold will still give you a look at the pin but a shank will possibly make you unable to see the green and you may get on in three. Trees guard the left side and I hit it there. I could not find my golf ball and this leads to a suggestion. I saw my ball come down from the tree in the rough. I never saw it again. and this happened 3-4 times during the round. I suggest taking the cut in the fairway down a notch as I either just missed the fairway or hit it in the fairway and the slope took me just off and I had to go back and forth in my cart to find the ball. Add the morning glare and I spent 20 minutes on this hole when it should have taken 10. Just a suggestion on an otherwise splendid course.

Number five is a dandy! This 189 yard par three has bunkers guarding it left right and center. The unusual sand trap in front made me get my camera and I enjoyed this hole tremendously. I did hit it in the rough right side and missed my chip and achieved a four here. Hit the green and with these true rolling greens, a birdie or par awaits you.

Click to open image!
Brad Stedry of  Tanglewood said this about the 6th hole pictured above. "Ours signature hole is West 6 which has the green in the shape of the lower peninsula and a replica of the mackinac bridge connects to the next tee which is in the shape of the upper peninsula."

Number seven on the West side is a 434 yard par four from the gold and 345 for the ladies. You can really bomb the ball here. There is plenty of sand on the left side in the landing area of your drives. So what do you do? Go left side. There is not much there and you can see the green and can shape your shot.

Number eight is a 548 yard par five and can you say man up? This hole is really something. A pond guards this hole all the way down the right side from your landing area of your driver to the front side of the green. Big hitters will go for it but the smart play is to lay up. There are two bunkers right side and the pond. A short chip of 50-70 yards (take the pond out of play) and you will see the green as the pond is on the down side of a sloping hill. "The toughest par 5 is West 8.  OB down the entire left hand side and water all the way down the right as well as a creek in front of the green.  Very difficult to get home in 2 for most players," said Stedry.

 
I played the North course next.

Tanglewood is a  heavily played course and Mother's Day is no exception. Plenty of families play outings on this day. As it is Mother's Day I am not sure if this was a special occasion but play is very slow and I jumped around to get this round in.

Number two on the North course is a really fun par 4. The tees range from 429 to 350 and to get your money's worth, play the gold. A well-hit driver (Yes, I did that) gives you a good look at the green. Do not hit it short though. It is well-guarded green and anything short and left will leave you in the beach. The green rolls true so once you are on the green, do not be afraid to hit the ball.




 Chipping before No. 1 West

Isabella discovered the ball washer.
No. 6 Green. Taken by Isabella

 Unknown location-
 Unknown location

 No. 1 North


 This pond guards the left side with geese to the left and a Martin House to the right.
I really enjoyed the nature on the third hole. Turtles were all over the pond that surround the  524 yard par five. A group I joined had trouble on the hole so I had time to look in the water. I bombed my drive (as this hole was really my 18th of the day) and hit a poor second before recovering for a 4-hybrid that I put to within 10 feet of the pin from 185 yards. I lipped my putt here for par. The hole lays out very well. It slopes downhill here and is a good test of golf. There is plenty of  trouble with sand guarding the left side of the hole, around the green and two ponds collect balls left side. I waited to putt and noticed the dozen or so turtles that hopped into the water as I surveyed the green To me, that is the sign of a healthy golf course. Besides the turtles, geese, and plenty of birds and bird houses were around and the real birdies were a great sign of nature and a healthy course.

A really fun hole is the 192 yard par 3 sixth. This hole has water down the left side, in front of the tee boxes with sand to the left. Their is heather to the right of the hole and I hit it there. It is a tough up and down and I spent some time looking for my ball. I did find it. When you hit it here, it is on you as you hit a block or a shank. The first cut of rough just outside of the fairway is another matter. I hit a good chip but 25 feet from the pin and two-putted from there. The pond is awesome and bring you golf ball retriever because missed shots will more than likely end up there.

The par five 9th is a 532 yard  hole that slopes downhill. I hit less than my best drive and it went left side hitting the fairway and rolled off. I never saw my ball after that even though the ball was not hit hot and there was plenty of room to look for a ball. I took a drop in the rough and got caught up in some trees and chipped on the green. I had an eight on the hole including the lost ball. This hole is a good finishing hole. Sand guards the landing areas left and a pond does the same on the right. A series of sand traps awaits those going for the green in two. Can you imagine finishing on this hole and then going to hole one on the West course? That is two back to back tests of golf.

Tanglewood is really a treat to play. The staff is professional and friendly and they have an outside gazebo for those looking to have a wedding or an elegant party. The greens largely roll true and this course makes you think as many of the obstacles are left and right of the fairway in the landing areas. Average players will not have to think of them as much unless you dub your second shots into them.

The South just might be the prettiest nine of the three and with water on six of the holes, you had better be careful where you hit it. For me, a truly enjoyable hole from the beauty side of things is the second. With five sets of tees playing from 112 yards to 207, your tee shot will be over the water all all five locations. Not only do you need to hit it over the water but there is water to the left and a large green that is not an easy ride when putting. The back tees will make you shoot over a weeping willow to the right side of the tee box so many people will adjust for that tree. This is a parable hole if you stay out of the hazards and the lone sand bunker to the right.  

The third hole is deceiving for first time players for what you do not see. Besides this hole being an elongated par five that bends to the right and plays from 427 yards to 520, you do not have a true idea where to hit the ball. You can see two trees a long ways down the fairway and being a dog leg right, you want to go down the center or left center to work your second shot toward the green. For me, this was mission accomplished on the tee shot. The second will make you pull your metal wood out of the bag and you will try to go left of the two fairway trees. The funny thing is, there are woods to the right but more room than you
realize is for golfers that slice it to the right of the tree.  Long hitters can make it in two and for those that come in short, the chipping area in front of the green is more than fair. Putting is tight so watch out as bogey will await those that go above the hole and putt down toward the flag. 

http://www.tanglewoodlion.com/images/South_Course/_0012_s4.jpg   The very next hole with character is the par four fourth. Once again, you cannot appreciate enough that this hole is not only a dog leg left, but snaps left with golfers left with some playable strategies.  You can cut the corner of this 333-456 par four and if you can, great. For those that want to hit driver down the center of the fairway, you have a good chance to go in the water that separates the fourth from the seventh. With fairway bunkers dotting the left side of the bend for those looking to cut the corner and water in the opposite side, you really need to feather the ball in the fairway. The green is brutal with undulations everywhere and putting it on the wrong side of the undulation is an opportunity to three or four-putt. This is one tough hole. Playing as a par five ranging from 408 yards to 540, the fairway is ample and wide with water in two different places. You can miss the fairway and have a fair second shot but going left will bring you in potential contact with the driving range and fairway moguls that separate the two. You want to go left as the approach to the green narrows due to a pond that most golfers will have to fly a third shot over. Long hitters can try to go over the water but it is not a high percentage play unless you are having a great golfing day. Par is a good score but birdies can be had. 

A final hole that will test your meddle and give you eye candy and a tough finish, is the ninth.
Stedry also wanted you to know this about Tanglewood.
-We do have  a Junior Program and we also host Northville V & JV as well as CC JV.
-The toughest par 4 is probably South 1.  A very tough long starting hole with a fairway bunker that is in play and a green that is pretty narrow so if you miss right you have no real chance to get up and down. We are different because we have 27 quality well manicured holes with 5 sets of tees that can give a golfer all the challenge that they can handle.


Call ahead to book a tee time at 248-486-3355

http://www.twoodonline.com/

Map
http://www.twoodonline.com/map

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