Arcadia Hills Golf Course Review

Arcadia Hills
Attica, Michigan
Grade: C-
Teacher’s Comments: A basic course, but it might be all that you need.

Arcadia Hills gets a lot of credit for self-awareness. It is not a premium course; nor does it pretend to be. You can walk its nine holes for $10, and ride for $19. Seniors play for $7 and $15.

What do you get for that price? Nine holes; fairways with mowed green ground cover (even if it is not always grass); decent bunkers; and puttable greens.

You also get some interesting hole designs that take full advantage of the property’s small hills. Five of the nine holes bring water into play. All but one have elevation changes — and that one requires a carry over water.

Golf needs more courses like Arcadia Hills. A beginner can learn to play here without breaking the bank. Foursomes can have a great time, spending more money on booze than on greens fees. It was casual and friendly.

I saw a father with his sons; a duo of seniors that were just out to have a chat and hit some balls; and a group of eight that included three kids, a middle-aged couple and two senior women and a senior man.

They waved me through as soon as I caught up to them.

Arcadia Hills Golf Course Review The seventh at Arcadia Hills — The seventh at Arcadia Hills is a 300 yard par 4.

Arcadia Hills has five par fours, two par fives and a pair of par threes. The longest of the fives is just 407 yards, but the threes are beefy at 227 and 212 yards. There are just two sets of tees, at 2, 731 and 2, 541 yards.

The fourth at Arcadia Hills is a 407 yard par 5.

My favorite hole was the par 5 fourth. It is short at just 407 yards, but not a cakewalk. The tee shot drives directly over a pond at a significant hill. That makes it play much longer than the straight-line measurement. I cleared it, but just barely, finding myself with a downhill lie for my second. That, I chunked, leaving me with a long shot to the green. I missed left, pitched on, two putted. Bogey.

Bogey. On a 407-yard par 5.

It is tougher than the yardage indicates, particularly for folk like me who are not long hitters.

Conditions on the day I played were better than what I would expect for a $9 round (yes, I walked). If there was one thing I would do to immediately improve the place, it would be to trim some of the trees and branches that overhang and obscure.

Arcadia Hills opened in 1966. It was designed by David Wemp.

I ran across Arcadia Hills as I was returning home from my round at Castle Creek. Spotting a small sign, I made a sharp right turn and followed a narrow country road to its entrance. I intended only to take a look, but when I discovered it was a nine-hole course, I decided to give it a go. Walking twenty-seven holes in a day is no big deal for the GolfBlogger.

In the end, I’m glad I stopped in at Arcadia Hills.

A photo tour of Arcadia Hills follows.

The Arcadia Hills golf course review was first published December 22, 2021 from notes and photos taken on a round played on July 9, 2021. For all of GolfBlogger’s Michigan Golf Course Reviews, follow the link.