Faulkwood Shores Golf Course Review

Faulkwood Shores Golf Course Review
Howell, Michigan
Grade: D-
Teacher’s Comments: Avoid

Here’s all you really need to know about Faulkwood Shores: smack dab in the middle of the front nine is a football field sized open pit waste cesspool, protected by a wire fence and signs warning against swimming. We played on a relatively mild day, and the smell was also relatively mild. My playing partner, a regular, said that on hot days, however, it’s pretty offensive.

Yuck.

There wasn’t much in the rest of the course to redeem it, either. Conditions were poor throughout. Fairways and greens showed stress and damage. On several occasions, without the markers, I would not have been able to find the tee box. It looked like the groundskeepers had forgotten to mow for several days.

It has been quite some time since I have seen a course this poorly kept. It was positively … seedy.

From the tips, Faulkwood Shores measures 6,828 yards and plays to a 74.6/136. The white tees are at 6,604 and play to a 73.5/134.

The course’s layout is flat and generally straight. The front nine is wide open and slightly hilly. The back nine, on the other hand, is relatively tight, with tree lined fairways.

The eighteenth hole (top of page) was the highlight of the round, and was the one minor gem in a course of silt. Measuring 445 yards, it starts from an elevated tee and turns gently right. The left side of the fairway is set against a hill. The second shot needs to carry a pond to a green set on top of another hill, so a golfer’s decisions are dictated by the tee shot. A long tee to the left side will offer a pretty good view of the green. A shot to the right side, however, could potentially be blocked by a tree near the pond. A shorter tee shot on either side leaves the golfer with a decision: lay up, or take a risky shot with a longer club that isn’t likely to find the green.

I really liked the eighteenth, but it in no way makes up for the rest of the course.

Avoid this one.