SCHUSS MOUNTAIN GOLF COURSE at Shanty Creek Resorts
Michigan Golf Course Review
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 Reader's Survey, and Best Golf Resort in Michigan by The Detroit News Reader's Poll. Five18-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, Hawk's Eye - one of the top 25 layouts
in the country, 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 the Shanty Creek Resorts website by clicking here.
SCHUSS MOUNTAIN
Schuss Mountain is located in one of the most beautiful sections of the resort property, adjacent to the main downhill ski area. This beautiful layout is like two courses in one, with
the front nine playing along a mostly level terrain, providing tight but ample fairways that are defined by dense forests. Bunkering is understated, and many of the green complexes
are open in front - allowing for good recovery opportunities from approaches that are slightly off the mark. Those that can manage a draw off the tee (or left handers hitting a power
fade) will benefit from the 4 doglegs that encourage a right to left shot shape. The back side, beginning with hole number 11, presents a much more rolling terrain, with frequent
and sometimes dramatic elevation changes. The eleventh is a long, snaking par five lined by hillsides saturated with tall native grasses, and precedes a series of holes that
begin from elevated tee areas. The views from high atop these hillside tee stations are outstanding - a shot maker's delight in more ways than one.
Careful thought must be placed into choosing the correct club off the tee and on the approach on the front side, to reach the preferred landing zones in the doglegs - and on the
back to adjust for the uphill and downhill shots. The red (100), white (150) and blue (200) yardage stakes will help here, as will the color coded blocks in the center of the fairways.
On par threes, yardage blocks are also provided. Small flags indicate front, middle, and back pin placement on the putting surfaces that are medium to large in size and only
mildly undulating. Hit the greens and you should be able to score here! Three sets of tees play to 6922 yards/130 slope, 6394 yards/126 slope and 5383 yards with a 124 slope
rating for women players.
The clubhouse on property is gorgeous, and includes a pro shop with an outdoor deck that affords wonderful views of the golf course. There is also a restaurant that is open for
breakfast, lunch and dinner. The chalets of this village are nearby, with many of the holes winding through the resort property from green to tee. As you can see by the images in
this review - this course is quite photogenic, with the area near the 18th green and clubhouse quite memorable. The 18th hole, with water hazards in play early along the right and
greenside left - plus a canopy of wood framed buildings in front of the Schuss Mountain ski hill - is one of Northern Michigan's best finishing holes. With non-parallel fairways, this
layout covers a lot of territory and allows players to enjoy the serenity of the wetlands, hills and abundant wildlife (I swear I saw an alligator). Highly recommended! For more info,
visit our page for Schuss Mountain on our web catalog of courses to play in Michigan by clicking here.
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