THE LEGEND GOLF COURSE at Shanty Creek Resorts
Review 7/04/04
General information
Shanty Creek Resorts in Bellaire just NE of Traverse City is a four season resort that has been has been ranked
Silver Medal Resort by Golf Digest, Top 25 Golf Resort by Travel & Leisure 2003 Reader's Survey and Best Golf
Resort in Michigan by The Detroit News Reader's Poll. Four 18-hole championship layouts include the upscale 4
-1/2 star Arnold Palmer designed Legend, the spectacular Tom Weiskopf designed Cedar River, one of
Michigan's long time top public courses Schuss Mountain, and the player friendly and original design at Shanty
Creek, the Summit. Three distinctive villages at the Summit, Schuss and Cedar River offer a variety of
accommodations ranging from standard rooms and suites to condominiums, chalets and fully equipped homes.
A great variety of dining and recreational opportunities are available. For more info on the resort visit our Shanty Creek page in our Michigan Golf Resorts section by clicking here.
LEGEND GOLF CLUB
The Legend is a revered Arnold Palmer design that has been named as one of the top four resort courses in the
United States and the # 1 resort course in the Midwest by Golf Magazine readers. Golf Digest has awarded the
Legend 4-1/2 stars out of five! This is a challenging layout that also provides some generous fairways and mildly
undulating but true rolling greens which make it possible to play to one's handicap. As Mr. Palmer declared when
he designed the course, "if a golfer is a 12 in Detroit, he should not be a 20 here". Some stunning landscape
defines the terrain in this section of the state, and the Legend fits right into it. Pictured below are two memorable
images from this time honored layout - the green on # 3 with a view of Lake Bellaire, and a tree lined fairway dotted with sand bunkers strategically placed in landing areas off the tee.
There is a great variety and rhythm to this design, which features many elevated tee areas, doglegs that bend
pretty equally to the left and right, and slightly raised, well bunker putting complexes. There are 57 sand traps
total, and water comes into play on 5 holes. The first six holes play up and down along manicured fairways that
present some good scoring opportunities. The uphill par four 2nd features two carries over ravines, with the last
one coming into play along the right side about 100 yards out. This may surprise some folks that are playing this
course for the first time. On the course's number one handicap - the par five 7th, there is a pond on the right and
a creek cuts directly across about 190 away. The second shot must fly this hazard, to set up a reasonable
approach that must land softly on a thin green fronted by another creek, with a beautiful rock retaining wall
providing the aesthetics. The eighth also features a babbling brook immediately in front of the raised putting complex - two gorgeous holes in a row.
Elevated tee areas and doglegs dominate the landscape on the back, as the terrain becomes even more
undulating. The par three 12th is outrageously beautiful - and is pretty challenging as the 18th handicap. Water is
situated immediately to the left and a sand bunker awaits shots that attempt to approach safely to the right (hole
is pictured below). The # 2 handicapped 13th is extremely rolling, and plays longer as the second shot (and third
for many golfers) is noticeably uphill. Bunkers play a role in defining the doglegs on the three finishing holes, and the approaches to these holes are some of the tightest on the course.
From the championship tees the Legend is quite a test, as it measures 6764 yards and warrants a slope of 137.
The blue tees measure 6269/130 slope and the whites play to 5801/121 slope for men and 129 for women. The
forward tees provide ample breaks on the forced carries and doglegs, as they measure 4953 yards with a slope
of 124. 100, 150 and 200 yard stakes are visible on the fairways, and some sprinkler heads are also measured
to the center of the green. As with the other courses at Shanty Creek, small indicators on the flag sticks are
positioned high (back of green), middle, and low (front of green) for pin placements. The canvas/vinyl covers on the back of the carts are a much appreciated feature during inclement weather.
The Legend shares a clubhouse and practice facilities (range, putting greens and short game area) with the
Summit course. On property is a pro shop and Arnie's Grill for breakfast sandwiches, lunch and dinner. This
facility and both golf courses are located in the Summit Village, making it very convenient for folks staying in this
section of the resort. The Schuss and Cedar River courses have separate clubhouses and practice facilities,
and are situated a few miles away. Great packages are available to stay and play at any of the four courses, and
at any of the three villages. For more info on the Legend, visit out page for them on our web catalog of Michigan courses to play by clicking here.
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