Green Oaks Is Back
One of my favorite courses over the last thirty years has been Green Oaks in Ypsilanti Township. It is a hidden gem of a course, and I hope that the township appreciates what a treasure it has. It is probably the best value for golf in the area.
Unfortunately, during the 2022 season, Green Oaks was hit by a malevolent troll who secretly poured many hundreds of golf balls into the irrigation lines. The golf balls prevented watering the course, and as a result, much of the grass died.
There has been a rash of golf course vandalism over the last couple of years. The Detroit Golf Club, host of the Rocket Morgage Classic, had one of its greens sprayed with some sort of weed killer earlier this year. Lake Doster golf club suffered $75k in damages when two people drove four wheeled recreational vehicles over their greens. Wesburn Golf and Country Club had greens damaged just a week ago (read GolfBlogger’s Wesburn Golf Course review at the link.)
In the case of Green Oaks, over the course of the last season, the superintendent and his crew spent uncountable hours (and much money) digging up lines until the balls finally were removed and irrigation restored.
I visited Green Oaks this past week, and the conditions are night and day compared to last year. The greens once again are in good shape, and most of the fairways are grown back. Areas between the fairways were dry, but a golfer should not be in those places anyway.
The course also has put much effort into trimming trees (including the notorious branch on the big tree at the bend on sixteen) and improving bunkers.
I had a fun round at Green Oaks and plan to return in a couple of weeks to see how it improves.
If you’re in the area and haven’t played the Ypsi Township muni, you should. If you stayed away last year because of conditions, you should return. Green Oaks truly is one of the best values in a golf course in Southeast Michigan. The staff is friendly, the course can be challenging and the price is right.
Green Oaks Website: http://golfgreenoaks.com
Discover more from GolfBlogger Golf Blog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I like Green Oaks. It can be a challenging layout, especially if one is not accurate off the tee. Their Senior Weekday walking rates ($24) are okay but several courses in the area are significantly lower (Huron Meadows – $16, Leslie Park – $18).
I need to make a visit soon.
People on the coasts would be astonished at the quality of golf we get here at basically a buck a hole.