THE ORCHARDS GOLF CLUB (586-786-7200)
Michigan Golf Course Review - June, 2003 - Updated June, 2007
The Orchards Golf Club in Washington, Michigan (20 miles north of Detroit) is unique in that it presents an
opportunity to play one of the only Robert Trent Jones designs in the area. Winner of numerous prestigious
awards (including Top Ten New Courses - Golf Magazine 1994 and Golf Digest 1995; America's 100 Best
Modern Courses - Golf Week 1997; and #1 Public Course in Michigan - Detroit News 1997 - Detroit News and Number One Public Course in the Detroit Metro Area in 2005 by the Detroit Free Press
), Orchards played host to the US Publinx Links Championship in 2002, won by Ryan Moore (details in this review). The
Orchards will be greeted at the bag drop by professional employees who are obviously content and proud of the
quality of golf experience they offer. After checking in, we headed first to the expansive putting green - larger than
anything we encountered all year, and then to their beautiful grass driving range. A short game practice area is
also on property, though we did not get a chance to take advantage of it. What's more, the iced tea and soda we
ordered at the golf shop snack bar was just $3 for both. Not getting "beat up" at the snack bar was a portent of things to come on the golf course.
Though most Robert Trent Jones courses are known for their tremendous challenge (see Treetops), we found
the Orchards to be infinitely playable. We played a combination of the whites and blues (some of the par 4's on
the whites were very short), and were able to score reasonably well. Most of the holes have ample landing areas
and a good tee shot will generally be rewarded with fairly flat lie. There are tons of bunkers, expanses of high
grasses and marshlands, and subtle elevation changes to challenge your shot making ability. Consistently large
greens that put fast and true demand accurate approaches as there are some pretty tricky pin placements
utilized. Doglegs, both left and right, are also abundant. The variety of directions and lengths require you to use every club in your bag. We certainly enjoyed that aspect of our round.
The opening hole is a good starter - a playable par 4 with a rather undulating green. The pin placement we
encountered was the toughest on the course. A signature par 3 over wetlands on the second is followed by a
reachable par 5. If you cut it a bit to the left side, you might be putting for eagle. You must avoid the 5 green-side
bunkers to the left and the single one to the right to have that opportunity. The next hole, a short par 4, also is well
bunkered with 6 sandtraps to the right and 1 to the left, most of them bordering the fairway. The par 3 5th is
almost all carry over a marsh but is one of the lowest handicapped holes. The sixth is an interesting par 5,
demanding a short carry over marshlands off the tee, followed by another carry over a narrow expanse of marsh
on your fairway shot. Navigate these two and you will have a good opportunity for birdie. Reasonable doglegs left
and right on the next two par fours prepare you for the toughest hole on the course - an uphill par 4 which usually
plays into the wind. Your uphill approach to the green must avoid the cluster of bunkers to the left of the green.
The right side of the fairway is also protected by a group of bunkers (there are 11 bunkers total on this hole) - so hopefully you are confident in your sand game!
The back opens with a challenging uphill par 4 followed by a beautiful par 5. Play it safe and hope for pars or
bogeys on these two holes, which are the #6 and #2 handicaps. The next three holes provide some relief and a
chance to bring your numbers down. Two short par threes sandwich a par 4 with trees guarding both sides of the
green. This sequence of holes is beautiful - the par 3 twelfth in particular. Fifteen is another reachable par 5 -
and another good birdie possibility. The next hole is of postcard quality, requiring an accurate lay-up and an
approach over a deep marsh with a small pond. The dogleg right 17th requires a long accurate tee shot,
followed by an iron to the correct portion of the green, as the subtle decks of this putting surface will result in a
number of three putts. The finishing hole - It does not look like much from the tee, but gets more interesting as
you approach the green. In fact, the view from the green back to the tee area is awesome. This hole has
probably the greatest degree of elevation change on the course. Your tee shot will carry well. The water on the
right comes perilously close, and will swallow anything long in that direction. There is more room to the left than it appears. Hit it straight or left, and you may be looking at a birdie finish.
You will pay good money to play the Orchards during prime season ($65 weekdays and $80 weekends during
prime season - cart included) - but you get what you pay for. This is upscale all around - with excellent yardage
and pin placement systems to boot. It is a most enjoyable and memorable golfing experience. Spring and fall
rates are great deals and a good way to introduce yourself to one of the top golf properties in the Metro Detroit
area. Visit the Orchards page on the Two Guys Who Golf web catalog of courses in Michigan for more info
The Orchards Golf Club played host to the 77th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, from July 15th to July
20th. This exceptionally groomed course was an excellent venue for this championship, which is the fourth oldest
tournament in the country. The starting field of 156 players consisted of Amateurs that are public golf course
players with a handicap of 8.4 or less, that do not hold privileges at private clubs not open for play o the general
public. 36 holes of play, scheduled at approximately 68 sites between June 15-23, determined the qualifying
field. After two days and 36 holes of play, the field was cut to 64 players, who entered a match play format. After
5 rounds, the two finalists were scheduled for 36 holes of match play on Saturday, July 29th, to determine the Champion.
The team championship for this event (Harding Trophy) was awarded to Sacramento. Some local excitement
was generated when two Michigan State players reached the final 8.Eric Jorgensen (of Grandville) and Casey
Lubahn (from East Lansing) were eliminated on Thursday however, despite excellent play from both. The finalists
, Ryan Moore (Puyallup, Washington) and Lee Williamson (Crawfordsville, Indiana) played 18 holes on Saturday
morning, with Moore establishing a huge lead going onto the afternoon round. Ryan continued his hot putting,
draining birdie and par putts from varying distances to take the championship in the afternoon before the turn was made. The final tally was Ryan Moore over Lee Williamson 10 and 9.
Pictured here are Ryan Moore (left) and Lee Williamson (right) at the awards presentation. The main prize for the
champion at this tournament is, of course, an invitation to play as an amateur at next years MASTERS. Congratulations to Ryan and to all the other participants!
Check out the Two Guys Who Golf detailed information page on this course (which includes a link to the course's website if available) - click here.
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