Playing Charlevoix Golf and Fitness, The Torch and The Loon

Playing Charlevoix Golf and Fitness, The Torch and The Loon

Charlevoix G&F, The Torch and The Loon are three courses I recently added to my “collection” of courses in Michigan.

I am, frankly a little behind my target number of twenty new courses this season. I have three to add to get to that number for the season. Ideally, I’d like to get to 25, which would get me to 300 courses played in Michigan.

Below are some initial thoughts on the courses I played. I’ll have full reviews later.

Charlevoix Golf and Fitness

I don’t believe that I have seen a more awkwardly named course than “Charlevoix Golf and Fitness.” Perhaps its old name — “Charlevoix Country Club” — had too many thinking that it was a private course. Charlevoix Golf Club was already taken.

It is at any rate now part of a consortium of Charlevoix – Ellsworth – Kewadin area courses that includes Antrim Dells, Sundance, Torch and the aforementioned Charlevoix Golf and Fitness.

Charlevoix G&F is a Jerry Matthews design that is a bit all over the place in terms of theme. It’s got wooded holes, parklands holes, marshy holes and wooded holes. I thought the linksy and parklands holes were quite good. I was less enthusiastic about the marsh and woodlands. Still, Matthews did what he did best, which is route a course over and around Michigan’s varied terrain.

It was fun enough, but I don’t feel an urge to go back.

The Torch

The Torch at A-Ga-Ming Resort is a Chick Harbert / Jerry Matthews design dating to 1974 that in recent years has been re-rounted. It’s a mostly parklands design with some woodlands and marsh holes thrown in. There are some significant elevation changes, particularly on the holes overlooking Torch Lake.

It was an enjoyable round between brief spells of rain. For the $39 I paid with the First Tee Players’ Card, I thought it was a great value.

The Loon

The Loon is the signature course of three owned by The Loon Resort in Gaylord: The Loon, The Ridge and The Lakes. I played all three this summer and will have reviews in due course.

A Butch Harmon design, the Loon is a mostly park and woodlands layout that I thought was quite interesting and player friendly. It is also very walkable, but the guy in the pro shop just couldn’t fathom that someone would want to do so.

Me: Can I walk?
Guy: The cart is included in the price
Me: That’s fine. I’ll pay the fee and skip the cart
Guy: But it’s part of the package
Me: I get that. But I’m more than happy to skip the cart.
Guy: The package says it includes a cart.
Me: A hotel package includes a pool, but I don’t have to swim.
Guy: You don’t pay extra for the cart
Me: Ok. I give up.

If they would let me walk, I would go back to the Loon. If not, there are other courses that require a cart that I would put above it on my Northern Michigan priority list.