The Quest Golf Club (989-422-4516)
Michigan Golf Course Review
It is hard to believe that a golf course with a 4-star Golf Digest rating, and one that has been selected in Michigan's top ten, as well one of the top 100 in the country for pace of play
, can be considered as one of Michigan's best kept secrets - but it is true! With very reasonable rates (click here to visit rate page) the Quest, in Houghton Lake, is also one of the
state's best values. The new owners of the course are committed to "Championship Golf at Neighborhood Rates".
This is an extremely player friendly golf facility, with a layout and slope rating challenging enough for an interesting and enjoyable round for all levels of players. With 5 sets of tee
boxes, you can choose your own medicine here. The gold tees measure nearly 6800 yards, the middles 6059 and the fronts 5020, with the slopes varying between 136 and 117.
We found the middle tees to be very playable and a fair challenge, while affording us the opportunity to use every club in our bag. The Blues, at 6546, are definitely a step up.
The course itself is aesthetically beautiful, with well-sculpted tee boxes and fairways, and wonderfully conditioned greens. There are no residential housing developments, which
allows the design to blend into the natural surroundings, that feature abundant wildlife. Hazards of some form - water, bunkers and trees lurk on nearly every hole, and mild
elevation changes add to the environment without making the course play too difficult. You should be able to score your handicap here. The course is well marked, with hole
diagrams and yardages posted on the middle tee boxes, yardage stakes at 100, 150 and 200 yards on the fairways, and indicators on all the flagsticks for pin placement. Useful
information on each hole is also provided for on the scorecards, with accurate yardage to various hazards posted. A spacious grass driving range and two putting greens, along
with a short game area with practice bunker are on property. There is plenty of room for outings and special events in their expansive dining area and lounge. Good food, great views!
The front nine plays a bit shorter than the back, but opens with a very challenging par four. It is tight off the tee and plays even more narrow on the approach. Trees immediately left
of the green will persuade many to aim for the bunker complex on the right. This is not a bad play... The tee shot on number two plays over water to a fairway that features a grass
bunker in the middle of the fairway. Avoid the bunker left of the green and land on the correct portion of the double-tiered putting surface and birdie is a good possibility here. Three
is a gorgeous par three, with a water hazard guarding the right side of the green - buts considerable room short left. This is followed by a dogleg left par five, that cannot be cut.
Land short of the fairway bunkers on the right side, and stay to the right side on the approach. There is a pond left and behind the green, that cannot readily be seen until you are
within 200 yards. Bunkers left and trees right, plus a narrow fairway provide the challenge on the long par four 5th. Those on the fairway off the tee should find an easy approach
awaiting. Number 6 is a tough par three, with water short right and mounding featuring extremely strong rough (really grabs the club) on the left side. Playing it safe to the left is no
bargain here. Heather on both sides of the fairway increases the necessity for an accurate tee shot on the seventh. A lay up on the second shot is the prudent move, as a water
hazard crosses the fairway some 50 yards out. The approach is all carry to a two-tiered green. Five bunkers guard the right side and mounding left of the fairway on the short par 4
eighth indicate a lay up off the tee. The approach plays uphill with lots of room. The ninth is a pretty hole, that plays over a fairway bunker running through the middle and all along
the left side. Long drivers may clear the trap - but the safe play is a long iron or fairway wood, leaving a 100 yard uphill approach.
The backside opens with a dogleg left par four. The tee shot must be long enough to clear the tree line left, but short enough to pull up before the bunkers deep of the fairway.
There is lots of room on the uphill approach. The eleventh plays tight all the way, but is a very reasonable par five, at 525 from the tips. The water hazard on the left side of the
fairway about 170 yards out on number 12 make this one of the tightest driving holes of the layout. This precedes a beautiful par three, featuring a deep bunker left and bail out
room right. The green noticeably slopes right to left. The fourteenth is another tight hole off the tee. It opens on the approach, but you will need to take into consideration the
extremely tough rough in the swells that guard the right side of the green. Clear the bunkers on the par three 15th and this is the easiest hole on the course. The short par four
16th demands a tee shot over a water hazard to a wide landing area, and an uphill approach to an undulating green. Seventeen is a beautiful and challenging par four that
demands accuracy off the tee and on the approach. There is a pond along the right side of the fairway near the 150 yard marker. A drive to the 100 yard stick on the left side will
leave a clear approach to a large, undulating green. Pay attention to the pin placement here. The finishing hole is a long par five with lots of room on the first 2 shots. The third
demands an accurate approach, with a bunker short left and long right of the putting surface. Even long hitters will have trouble reaching in two.
The Quest is a top quality golfing experience. There is a nice variety in the design, which features doglegs bending both ways, with a mix of open and tree lined fairways. Water
comes into play on 8 holes, though there are but a few forced carries. The greens are consistent and the entire course is wonderfully conditioned. Located near the south portion
of Houghton Lake, and just a few minutes from US 127, The Quest is a great course to play on your way up north - and is good enough to be a destination round in itself. Great
rates for a high quality golf club. Highly recommended!
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.
Photos in this review were provided by The Quest Golf Club.
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