Oxford Hills Golf Course Review
Oxford Hills Golf Course
Oxford, Michigan
Grade: C-
Teacher’s Comments: Needed work
Oxford Hills is an inexpensive daily fee course located just off busy M-24 in Oxford, Michigan. A parklands style course, Oxford Hills has a tight — even cramped — front nine that contrasts with a spacious back.
The course has an interesting story. Oxford Hills was built between 1960 and 1970 by an engineer for Fisher Body at General Motors. With no formal golf training, John Morris Hubbard designed the course, and then built it himself, moving dirt after work at Fisher. Hubbard bought the property in 1960. The first nine holes were completed by 1965. Oxford Hills opened for play in 1970.
Oxford Hills, then, is a labor of love.
Oxford Hills has three sets of tees. From the tips, it measures 6, 528 yards and plays at a 71.5/125. A little closer in, the tees are at 6, 262 and 70.2/121. The forward tees are at 5, 315 and a 70.4/114
The overall yardage is a little deceptive, though. On the back nine there is a 644 yard par 5 to go with a 535 yard par 5. Half of the par 4s are 350 yards or less. As I played, I had the sense that it was generally a short course, even though the overall yardage indicated otherwise.
The primary challenges at Oxford Hills are water and elevation changes. Water comes into play on ten of the eighteen holes. Elevation changes add interest to sixteen holes. On the front nine, a golfer can get into trouble with trees encroaching on the fairways.
The eleventh at Oxford Hills is a 477 yard par 4. A view from the fairway on Oxford Hills’ eleventh
My favorite hole at Oxford Hills was the 474 yard par 4 11th. Beginning on the crown of a hill, it runs straight out for some two hundred yards. At this point, the fairway is enormous, and hard to miss. From there, it narrows, diving downward through a wood then — just before the green — slightly up again. There’s nothing fancy here — just a rollercoaster of a finish.
The seventeenth at Oxford Hills is a 644 yard par 5 A view of the green on Oxford Hills’ seventeenth.
As one of the longest holes I’ve played in recent years, the 644 yard par 5 seventeenth also is of note. From the tee, the fairway arcs slightly right, with the interior guarded by a swamp and the exterior curve set rising to a hill. For a hole of its length, the fairway is narrow. Slicers will quickly lose their ball; hookers will get a sidehill lie.
Conditions on the day I played were not very good. I often had a hard time distinguishing the fairways from the rough. As you can see from the photo above, the fairways were more than a little long. I thought the greens also needed some TLC
At the end of the day there simply was not enough at Oxford hills to entice me to return. If it were my neighborhood course, it would be good enough, though, especially considering the reasonable prices.
The Oxford Hills Golf Course review was first published February 11, 2020 from notes and photos taken in the summer of 2019. See all of GolfBlogger’s Michigan Golf Course Reviews
A photo tour of Oxford Hills follows:
The first at Oxford Hills is a 354 yard par 4. The second at Oxford Hills is a 341 yard par 4. The fairways at Oxford Hills needed cutting. Oxford Hills’ third is a 327 yard par 4. The fourth at Oxford Hills is a 327 yard par 4. Oxford Hills’ fifth is a 208 yard par 3. The sixth at Oxford Hills is a 498 yard par 5. Oxford Hills’ seventh is a 439 yard par 4. A view from the fairway on Oxford Hills’ seventh. The eighth at Oxford Hills is a 289 yard par 4. The ninth at Oxford Hills is a 163 yard par 3. The tenth at Oxford Hills is a 363 yard par 3. A view from the Fairway on Oxford Hills’ tenth The eleventh at Oxford Hills is a 477 yard par 4. A view from the fairway on Oxford Hills’ eleventh The twelfth at Oxford Hills is a 362 yard par 4. Thirteen at Oxford Hills is a 169 yard par 3. Fourteen at Oxford Hills is a 535 yard par 5. The fifteenth at Oxford Hills is a 196 yard par 3 Sixteen at Oxford Hills is a 437 yard par 4. The seventeenth at Oxford Hills is a 644 yard par 5 A view of the green on Oxford Hills’ seventeenth. The eighteenth at Oxford Hills is a 399 yard par 4.
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