Crooked Creek Golf Course Review
Crooked Creek Golf Course / Sand Wedge Golf Course
Ottawa Lake, Michigan
Grade: C-
Teacher’s Comments: Short and very tight
Crooked Creek is the course many Michigan golfers have known as Sand Wedge since 1994. Under new ownership as of 2019, the course was renamed Crooked Creek.
Built on flat southeastern Michigan farmland, Crooked Creek makes the most out of its small patch of land. Holes are packed tightly with thin treelines, creative mounding and in one case, an ivy covered baseball style backstop separating fairways, greens and tees.
It is not a course for the claustrophobic.
As a result of its space constraints, Crooked Creek is notably short: just 5, 773 yards from the back tees. Bombers likely will hit iron-wedge on many, if not most of the course’s holes. Indeed, this is a course where longer hitters could find themselves putting for Eagle on par fours.
For the bogey golfer, however, Crooked Creek could come as a welcome respite from the unrelenting pressure of longer courses. Even shorter hitters can expect to get to greens in regulation. Crooked Creek is a place where the bogey golfer can have a career round.
The tight quarters also created some confusion for this first time player as to which hole followed. There was also an instance in which I was entirely unsure which fairway was which.
As noted before, from the back tees, Crooked Creek only manages to eke out 5, 773 yards. From there, it plays at a 67.2/113. The middle tees are in at 5, 222 and a 64.1/107.
My favorite hole was the par four sixteenth. It is a tight shot off the tee, threading between trees left and a mound with trees on the right. It opens up after that, and a good tee shot offers a nice view of a green flanked left and right by traps.
Conditions on the day I played were mixed. Some holes were well conditioned. Others were pretty rough. But the course was trying. Crews were out on that day pruning trees, shoveling dirt and generally working hard. I had a talk with one of the groundskeepers, who turned out to be the new owner’s son. He didn’t know me from Adam, but impressed upon me their determination to make the best of the course. If his enthusiasm is any measure, I think the course should be much better in the ensuing years.
Crooked Creek is not a course that I would seek out for regular play. I think, however, that it would be perfect for golf outings and fundraisers. For shotgun-start, best-ball play, it would not overstay its welcome and should produce some fun low scores. They’ve also got an accommodating clubhouse/bar.
The other reason I might return is if I needed some live practice on my mid- to short-game.
The Crooked Creek golf course review was published March 26, 2020 from notes and photos taken on a round during the summer of 2019. For more Michigan Golf Course reviews, visit the link.
The first at Crooked Creek is a 375 yard par 4. 
Crooked Creek’s second is a 300 yard par 4. 
The third at Crooked Creek is a 380 yard par 4. 
The fourth at Crooked Creek is a 410 yard par 4. 
The fifth at Crooked Creek is a 412 yard par 4. 
Crooked Creek’s sixth is a 280 yard par 4. 
The seventh at Crooked Creek is a 225 yard par 3. 
The eighth at Crooked Creek is a 195 yard par 3. 
Crooked Creek’s ninth is a 560 yard par 5. The tenth at Crooked Creek is a 430 yard par 4. 
Eleven at Crooked Creek is a 165 yard par 3. 
The twelfth at Crooked Creek is a 163 yard par 3. The thirteenth at Crooked Creek is a 265 yard par 4. 
Fourteen at Crooked Creek is a 198 yard par 3. 
Crooked Creek’s fifteenth is a 265 yard par 4. The sixteenth at Crooked Creek is a 365 yard par 4. 
Seventeen at Crooked Creek is a 355 yard par 4. The eighteenth at Crooked Creek is a 430 yard par 5. 
A view of the green on Crooked Creek’s 18th
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