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By Randy
Prichard / Photography by Michael Buck
Have You Hearn?
Golf course
architect Raymond Hearn isn’t letting
any grass grow under his feet.
The
Hemlock Golf Club in Ludington, one of
only two 18-hole public courses
in Mason County, has been grabbing
headlines since its 2002 debut.
The hemlocks,
from which the course derives its name, “are
the biggest I’ve seen in Michigan,” said
Hearn. They are but one accent to this
peerless parcel of land.
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The entire development sits on a bygone sand
dune now carved into18 incomparable golf holes.
The northern half of the property is gently undulating
with intermittent wetlands. The southern portion
accentuates the natural dunes.
Hemlock’s essence is aptly captured at
the “Rolling Dunes.” The distance
from tee to green on No. 3 is an almost drivable
306 yards over a forced carry of 225 yards from
the tips. The hallmark is the surrounding dunes,
which make for a no-apologies waste bunker that’s
nearly half the length of the hole.
Unique? Holes 11 and 12 are back-to-back par
5s and par is to be prized on both.
No. 12 may well be Hemlock’s most memorable
hole for any number of reasons: the demanding
tee-shot, the dune that splits the fairway, the
mammoth sand box that blocks a left-side approach
to the green — and need we warn you of
the natural dunes that surround a putting surface
that slopes from front to back?
Hearn has been busy the past couple of years.
His Grande Golf Club in Jackson, which opened
for play in late 2001, was just named sixth “Best
New Affordable Public Course” by Golf Digest.
Moose Ridge near South Lyon also opened in the
past year.
For
reservations call (231) 845-1300 or visit The
Hemlock on the Web at www.hemlockgolfclub.com.
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