Rattle Run Golf Course Review
Rattle Run
East China, Michigan
Grade: C
Teacher’s Comments: An “Up North” vibe; Feels tight.
Rattle Run, in St. Clair County, has a palpable “Up North” feel. While the first and tenth holes play through an open field just below the clubhouse, the remainder are routed through a mix of woodlands, hills and marsh. With nary a house to be seen, it all feels quite peaceable.
Unlike an “Up North” course, however, Rattle Run also felt a bit claustrophobic. Fairways felt narrow; overhanging branches and trees made holes feel like a canyon. Hazards on the approaches felt constraining.
I don’t know how wide the average fairway is at Rattle Run (the first and tenth will distort that statistic, though). I do know that spent much of the day thinking I was going to lose a dozen balls. In the end, I lost only two, but it wasn’t a good feeling.
Built in 1977, Rattle Run was designed by Lou Powers. The course has a nice mix of holes. Half have water in play, often on the approach. While there are just four actual doglegs, most of the holes require some thought about the angle off the tee.
From the tips, Rattle Run stretches to 6, 928 yards, where it plays to a 74.8/138. The middle tees come in at 6, 091 yards, playing to a 71.0/126. In all, there are five sets of tees, with the shortest playing to 4, 506 yards and a 68.3/111.
My favorite hole was the par 4 seventh. Coming in at 428 yards, the seventh has a tee box on a hill set at a 45 degree angle to the fairway below. The angle poses several interesting options depending on club and ability. The green is set on a small rise at the end of the fairway.
It was fun, because after a series of tight holes, I felt as though I could let the clubs rip.
Conditions on the day I played were a mixed bag. Most of the greens were in good shape, as were the fairways. The course had some soggy areas in the fairways. Overall, the course looked a bit shaggy. Branches could be trimmed. Brush along hazards and the edges could be cut back.
I cannot recommend making a special trip to play Rattle Run. If it is in your neighborhood, however, by all means make it a regular stop. I think that as you learn the layout, it might seem much less confining.
The Rattle Run Golf Course review was first published June 30, 2020 from notes and photos take on a round played in May 2020. Read all of GolfBlogger’s Michigan Golf Course Reviews.
A Rattle Run Course photo tour follows:
The first at Rattle Run is a 495 yard par 5 
Rattle Run’s second is a 397 yard par 4. The third at Rattle Run is a 520 yard par 5. 
Rattle Run’s Fourth is a 410 yard par 4. 
The fifth at Rattle Run is a 145 yard par 3. 
The sixth at Rattle Run is a 501 yard par 5. The seventh at Rattle Run is a 428 yard par 4. 
Eight at Rattle Run is a 360 yard par 4. 
The ninth at Rattle Run is a 207 yard par 3. 
Ten at Rattle Run is a 409 yard par 4. 
The eleventh at Rattle Run is a 505 yard par 5. 
The twelfth at Rattle Run is a 173 yard par 3. 
Thirteen at Rattle Run is a 424 yard par 4. Fourteen at Rattle Run is a 238 yard par 3. 
The fifteenth at Rattle Run is a 518 yard par 5. 
Sixteen at Rattle Run is a 414 yard par 4. 
The seventeenth at Rattle Run is a 384 yard par 4. 
The eighteenth at Rattle Run is a 400 yard par 4.
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