Birchwood Golf and Country Club Hosting 19th GAM Women’s Senior Championship

Birchwood Golf and Country Club Hosting 19th GAM Women’s Senior Championship

HARBOR SPRINGS – The 19th Golf Association of Michigan’s Women’s Senior Championship will be contested today and tuesday at Birchwood Golf and Country Club.

The GAM Senior Women’s Championship will be decided over 36 holes of stroke play featuring a championship flight, but also other flights with net and gross winners determined.

The starting field of 82 golfers includes the state’s top senior golfers, including eight former champions.

Terry Delcamp of Grand Blanc is the defending champion and leads the field. She won last year at Boyne Mountain Resort’s Alpine course.

Donna Benford of Linden, the 2012 and ’13 champion as well as the Michigan Senior Women’s Amateur champion from earlier this summer, is in the field, as are three-time champions Joan Garety of Ada (2006, ’09, ’10) and Susan Campbell of Kalamazoo (2004, ’07, ’08), two-time champion Barb Schmid of Grand Rapids (2005, ’11), 2003 champion Maureen Whitehead of Charlevoix, 2000 champion Dottie Blue of Mason and 1997 winner Jean Murray of Mount Pleasant.

The centerpiece of the Birchwood Golf and Country Club, a private community on the shores of Lake Michigan, is 27 holes of golf that roll across the natural landscape and offer picturesque views of water, hills and hardwoods.

Birchwood features three nine-hole layouts, all of which will be utilized at some point in the championship for the flighted state championship for Golf Association of Michigan member women over age 50.

The original 18 holes (The Birches/The Woods) was designed by Bruce Matthews, and Jerry Matthews of the same grand Michigan family of golf architecture designed the third nine (The Farms). The original 18 winds through scenic woodlands, and The Farms nine offers up stunning views from elevated tee boxes overlooking holes that fit the natural topography. Multiple tee positions make the course playable for any and all golfers, including a championship field.

In addition to golf, property owners at Birchwood enjoy clay tennis courts, a fitness center, heated pools, skiing, hiking and snowshoeing in addition to casual and fine dining options.

Part of the golf offerings for the owners are weekly events, clinics, various member tournaments and instruction from staff professionals. The practice areas and training center are groomed in the same meticulous manner as the golf course.