  A Hidden Treasure Brian Hilko, PGA Professional Hinsdale Golf Club My favorite perk of being a golf professional is having the opportunity to play some incredible courses. I have played a large portion of the courses found on most top 100 lists. While they are amazing, the problem is that many of these courses are inaccessible for the average golfer. The majority of them are private, and the ones that are public usually carry a hefty green fee. Fortunately, this is not the case for one of my favorite golf courses, Greywalls at Marquette Golf Club. A couple of years ago, I was having a conversation with a fellow golf enthusiast when the topic of ‘best course in Michigan’ came up. After mentioning a few of the usual suspects, my friend brought up Greywalls. I looked at him with curiosity. “Greywalls” I asked, “where the heck is that?” He responded, “Greywalls is in the U.P., it’s the best public course in Michigan.” No way, I thought. I thought I had played everything worthwhile in Michigan. How did I miss this place? I knew I had to experience it for myself. Your day begins with a long, dramatic cart ride from the clubhouse to the first tee. The cart ride brings you from civilization to the heart of Greywalls. When you arrive at 1 you are greeted with incredible views of Lake Superior and the golf course. Talk about setting the tone for the day! The front nine is a roller coaster. The course winds through some of the lower ground in the first 4 holes. Those first 4 holes set the tone for what you will experience throughout the round. The conditions are usually firm and fast and the course offers many options on every shot. Number 4 is where the course gives you the first taste of those beautiful gray walls. It's a split fairway par 4. You will find exposed rock right in the middle of the fairway. I love all the options at Greywalls. The bold golfer can bomb it down the left side and try to drive it over the hill. The more timid golfer can play safe to the right and get a good view of the green. At 4 we find the first exposed, greenside, rock wall.  If you haven’t realized by this point you’re at a special place, the next 3 holes will make sure you know. Number 5 is a fantastic, short par 4 blasted right out of the side of a giant ridge. Number 7 is a beast of a par 4: in the winter, this hole would make a great ski run. The hole tips out at almost 500 yards but doesn’t play it. If you bomb your drive your ball will traverse a 30 foot cliff in the middle of the hole! It is tough to follow such dramatic holes but Mike DeVries, the course architect, does it skillfully. Hole number 8 and 9 are fantastic mid-length par 4s. Both require real and the views behind the 9th green are spectacular. The back 9 traverses land less severe then as the front. This is were DeVries really shines. The course makes the transition at number 11 with another dramatic tee shot. Five of the next seven holes are on flatter land but Devries incorporates more strategy and bunkering on these holes. Never once did I feel the course let up on the back 9. The course ends like it starts with a dramatic down hill par 5, it's fun because you feel like you can hit it 400 yards. Greywalls is such a unique golf course. The fact that it even exists is a testament to it's incredible design. The land the course was built on is better suited for hiking or skiing. Mike DeVries deserves a round of applause for being able to find 18 playable holes on this extreme piece of property. If you walked me through that swath of land I would have said you're crazy to build a course here. The land is too extreme for golf. DeVries didn’t look at it that way. He crafted a masterpiece in the Upper Peninsula.  Greywalls has it all. The combination of such a well designed golf course and the natural beauty of the Upper Peninsula is inspiring. If you ever make it to the U.P. stop by the Marquette Country Club to play this incredible course and to learn about deals to play all over. { "If you walked me through that swath of land I would have said you are crazy to build a course here. The land is too extreme for golf." }  Back | |  |