Muskegon Country Club Review

Muskegon Country Club Review

Muskegon Country Club
Grade: A+
Teachers’ Comments: I could play Muskegon CC every day for the rest of my life.

I don’t often get the chance to play private clubs, but thanks to the Golf Association of Michigan’s “Golf Days” program and the generosity of Muskegon CC in hosting the event, I was able to take in this beautiful classic course.

A classic parklands course, Muskegon CC is routed over gently rolling hills — ancient sand dunes, really — within a stone’s throw of Lake Michigan. You can’t see the lake from any point, but on the clubhouse hill, you can see Lake Muskegon, which is just off Lake Michigan.

Muskegon CC’s original designer was Tom Bendelow in 1908. Donald Ross subsequently began a redesign in 1920. Then, as often happens, the course was tweaked over the years, most notably by Michigan’s “First Family” of golf architects, The Matthews.

Still, I think it likely that much of Ross’ design remains. It certainly “feels” like a classic course.

The routing takes full advantage of the natural terrain. The two nines head out from – and return to — a hill on the north side on which the Clubhouse is perched. Ross described it as a “fan” with the clubhouse as the axis and the holes as the spines.

Holes for the most part run parallel, separated by ridges and stands of trees. As close as the holes are, with the embankments, woods and tall fescue, they often feel isolated.

I suspect that the ridges are natural extensions of the main hill that Bendelow and Ross used advantageously. I doubt they had the sort of earth moving capacity used by far too many architects in later years.

You can see some of the hole separation in the slideshow below.

One of my favorite things about classic designs are open green fronts that invite a variety of approach shots. Given the equipment of the day, I think it unlikely that people in the 1920s were using a wedge to lob a ball in from 150 yards and spinning it back. A more likely scenario is that most club golfers were hitting lower, runnng shots that would roll up and on. Muskegon CC’s open fronts accomodate that, but often increase the difficulty with openings pinched by bunkers, or with greens that turn at an angle to a straight line down the fairway.

There are just two real doglegs, but with the rolling terrain, I didn’t realize it until I looked at a satellite photo. It seemed to me that on nearly every hole, I was asked to try to angle a shot to one side or the other to avoid — or take advantage of — a slope, a constriction, or a fairway bunker.

It’s the kind of course where there is a lot to learn. Even as straight as the holes appear from above, on the ground it’s much more complex.

With so many brilliant choices, I find it hard to identify just one favorite hole. If pressed, however, I would say it was the par five fourteenth.

From a slightly elevated tee, the fairway is initially framed by a slight knoll of fescue on the right, and pinched by bunkers on either side. Left seems to be the play here, for a stand of trees in the distance can limit forward progress from the right (ask me how I know).

Once past the trees, the fairway dips down, right and to the green, tilting slightly up and down on the edges as it goes. The opening to the green is pinched slightly by three bunkers.

It’s a wake board ride of a hole.

The eighth also was notable. On this relatively short par four, the fairway kicks slightly downward from the tee shot landing zone, then rises again to the green.

That green is evil. It sits perched on a slight rise, falls off on all sides and has a bunker on the left. Choose your approach iron wisely.

The most spectacular view on the course, though, is from the back tees on the fourth. The whole course turns out to be in a bit of a bowl between two high dune-hills.

I can personally attest that Muskegon CC is a tough championship course. I can usually make my way efficiently, if not spectacularly, around a course. Muskegon beat me up and took my lunch money.

I would do much better, I think, on a return play. If they had caddies, I’d take one. It’s the kind of course where I think you could save a half dozen shots with experience or guidance.

From the back tees, Muskegon plays to a 6, 697 with a Rating of 73 and a Slope of 139.

Tee	Yardage	Rating	Slope
Black	6, 697	73.0	139
Blue (M/W)	6, 366	71.0/ 77.8	136/ 145
White (M/W)	6, 117	70.1/ 76.1	132/ 141
Silver (M/W)	5, 388	66.7/ 71.8	125/ 127
Gold (W)	5, 349	71.7	126

Conditions on the day I played were proverbial country club quality. Everything was in tip top shape. Of note, I thought, were the large expanses of tall fescue that contrasted beautifuly with the prim and proper fairways and greens.

If you get a chance to play Muskegon Country Club, don’t pass it by. I am grateful to the club and to GAM for the chance to play but would love to return to walk a round (we had to ride on the GAM day).

The Muskegon Country Club golf course review was first published February 15, 2025 from notes and photos taken on a round played during the 2024 season. For a list of all of GolfBlogger’s Michigan golf course reviews, follow the link.

A course tour of Muskegon Country Club follows: