Hills of Lenawee Golf Course Review

Hills of Lenawee Golf Course Review Pictured: Golf Hole
The fifteenth at Hills of Lenawee is a 541-yard par 5

Hills of Lenawee Golf Course Review

Hills of Lenawee
Adrian, Michigan
Grade: B+
Teachers’ Comments: A fine classic course.

For all of GolfBlogger’s Michigan Golf Course Reviews, follow the link:

The Hills of Lenawee is a fine private classic course that thankfully offers public tee times (albeit limited).

Dating to 1919, the course was designed by Ernest Way, brother of Washtenaw Golf Club and Firestone architect Bert Way. Initial construction consisted of nine holes; the remaining opened in 1927.

A parklands style course, The Hills of Lenawee is routed over surprisingly hilly terrain. By my count, every hole but one has a meaningful elevation change. It was a more challenging walk than I expected.

Fairways are comfortably wide, but nearly all are lined by mature trees. Big hitters who also miss big risk running up the score here.

The greens struck me as being on the smaller side, and are round and flattish.

Hills of Lenawee Golf Course Review Pictured: Golf Hole
Hills of Lenawee’s fourth is a 475 yard par 5

My favorite hole was the par 5 fourth. This dogleg right begins from an elevated tee, carrying down into a valley. Bunkers set in a slight rise on the left side threaten shots on that line; the right has some bunkers obscured by trees.

Hills of Lenawee Golf Course Review Pictured: Golf Hole
A view of the greens complex on Hills of Lenawee’s par 5 fourth

The approach shot is uphill, to a green well protected by bunkers. The final shot will need to be a lob, because unlike a lot of older designs, there’s no runway from the fairway to green.

This hole is all about the next shot.

Hills of Lenawee Golf Course Review Pictured: Golf Hole
The eighteenth at Hills of Lenawee is a 368 yard par 4.

I also really liked the par 4 eighteenth. It starts on a hilltop and doglegs left at the bottom. From there, it rises slightly to a green set in a small hollow in a hill below the clubhouse. As with all good doglegs, the big question is how much do you challenge the inside line.

Hills of Lenawee Golf Course Review Pictured: Golf Hole
A view of the 18th Green at Hills of Lenawee

Hills of Lenawee is a not a long course, with back tees extending to 6, 312 and the whites at just over 6,000. It did not, however, feel short. I think that if you were to pick a tee to play without consulting the overall yardage, you might conclude it is longer than it is. Some of that is in the numerous elevation changes. The other factor is in the tree lined doglegs and snaking fairways that often prevent a straight line to the green. Most will need to dial it back on those doglegs to avoid ending up with a tree blocking an advancing shot.

TeesYardageRatingSlope
Black6, 31270.2124
White6, 08269.1121
White/Gold573167.6118
Gold5, 40965.7117
Red5, 22570.5118
Hills of Lenawee Golf Course Review Pictured: Aerial shot
An aerial view of the Hills of Lenawee

Conditions on the day I played were quite good. The grounds crew takes good care of the course.

I really enjoyed my round at The Hills of Lenawee. If you are a fan of old school golf courses (as I very much am), or if you just want to play somewhere different, take advantage of one of the Hills of Lenawee’s open tee times. I don’t think you’ll regret it. I plan on returning as soon as I can. I ant another crack at some of those holes.

A shoutout to my acquaintance Matthew Lake who was named Director of Golf at Hills of Lenawee a few months after I played there.

The Hills of Lenawee Golf Course Review was first published on GolfBlogger.Com on March 6, 2023 from notes and photos taken on a round played in the summer of 2022. For all of GolfBlogger’s Michigan Golf Course Reviews, follow the link.

A photo tour of The Hills of Lenawee follows:

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from GolfBlogger Golf Blog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading