CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN GOLF CLUB
Betsie Valley Course (231-378-2000) x 4000
Michigan Golf Course Review
General information
Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville just SW of the Traverse City resort area, is a full service golf resort featuring 36 holes of 4-star golf with a variety of lodging options that rank with the finest in the Midwest. The golf school and junior golf academy have been honored as tops in Michigan and rank with some of the finest facilities in the country. Crystal
Mountain Resort & Spa features upscale amenities including casual and formal dining, fitness and spa facilities, banquet/outing rooms, outdoor pool and water playground, plus
recreational opportunities that include hiking, biking, tennis, charter boat fishing and more. For info on the resort and stay and play packages, visit the properties' website by clicking here.
The Mountain Ridge and Betsie Valley courses are serviced by the same clubhouse, which features a well stocked pro shop, grill and lounge, plus locker rooms with showers.
Practice facilities (on ten acres) are very comprehensive and include a targeted grass range, short game area with sand bunkers plus putting greens. Both courses are well
marked with 150 yard stakes in the fairways, 100, 150 and 200 yardage plaques, plus color coded flags that indicate front, middle and back pin placements.
BETSIE VALLEY COURSE
Betsie Valley is the original design at Crystal Mountain, and features ample contoured fairways with narrow approaches to a variety of green complexes. Most of the greens are
quite accessible, with open fronts and mild bunkering. These traditional putting surfaces are usually small in size, making accurate approach shots especially vital. It is important
to note, that golfers who have played Betsie Valley in past years, will find the two nines reversed. This means players will begin their round with a short but challenging par five with
water in play on both sides of the winding fairway.
The back side begins with the original opening hole – also a short par five that plays probably 75 yards longer due to the severe uphill nature of the tee shot. Water hazards come
into play on 8 holes, and sand bunkering is understated with just 22 traps strategically located near the landing zones and putting complexes. Landscaped waste areas also are
present on par four 3rd and 6th holes. Similar to the Mountain Ridge course, the partial cart paths allow golfers to drive directly to their ball. In Contrast to the Mountain Ridge,
Betsie Valley is a shorter course and demands that golfers maneuver there way about the layout.
Four sets of tee boxes play to distances and slopes measuring 6553 yards/127 slope, 5889 yards/120 slope for men and 125 slope for women,5076 yards/121 slope for ladies
plus a junior/beginner tee area that plays to 2655 yards This is a fun and playable layout and a good course for resort golfers. For more info, visit our page for the course with
direct link to their website by clicking here.
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