Taylor Meadows Golf Course Review

Taylor Meadows Golf Course
Taylor, Michigan
Grade: C+
Teacher’s Comments: Short and tidy.

Located off I-94 just minutes from Metro Airport, Taylor Meadows is a relatively short course (par 71) that is perfect for higher handicappers and shorter hitters. Better players may also enjoy it as a place to hone their game with mid and short irons.

Measuring 6033 from the back tees, Taylor Meadows plays to a 67.8/124. At this range, one par four plays to 419 yards; the next longest is 367. The par fives are very reachable in regulation at 555, 499 and 559.

From the middle tees, Taylor Meadows measures 5,596 yards and plays to a 66.1/117. It is even more friendly from the most forward tees: 4,988 at 68.8/115. I played with a lady from Canada on the day I visited, and she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely.

With the short distances, it is fortunate that Taylor Meadows provides has plenty of holes that make you think. The very short par 4 eleventh (above) at 267 yards from the tips would be a heroic par three but for the fact that it wraps around a pond/marsh and has trees blocking a line to the green. A thinking golfer will enjoy deciding how to divide the hole into two shots to maximize chances at birdie.

There are actually a lot of holes like that at Taylor Meadows. If you hit the ball 240 plus off the tee, park your driver and do a little more strategic thinking. I think you’ll enjoy the change from the automatic “bang the driver hit an iron” strategy.

My favorite hole at Taylor Meadows was the par four ninth (top of page). At 301 yards, it is a dogleg right around a pond. You can aim straight down the fairway for a longer approach, or try to clip off the inside corner for a pitch with a wedge into the green. That brings water into play, however. A direct line to the green is blocked by trees.

The ninth is also a very picturesque setting, with the very nice clubhouse in the background.

The par 5 sixteenth also was nice. The longest hole on the course at 559, it starts from an elevated tee and runs in a big curve left through a tunnel of trees. Play to the right side the length of the hole for the best results.

On the other hand, two holes—the thirteenth and fourteenth were pretty much ruined for me by the colossal net keeping balls from the course off the highway. I understand the necessity, but they are an eyesore.

And speaking of the highway … the course is relentlessly noisy.

Conditions on the day I played were completely acceptable.  Greens showed only a few spots of damage, and the fairways were mostly grown in. The rough could actually be hardpan in many places, but that’s not unusual on a course of this level. No one is going to mistake Taylor Meadows for a premium course, but it is kept tidy. Tidy counts for a lot.

Taylor Meadows is fairly priced. I paid $24 to walk; riding is $34. Residents have cheaper fees.

I would happily go back to Taylor Meadows if a friend wanted to play there. It is a perfect course for higher handicappers and/or shorter hitters.

The Taylor Meadows Golf Course Review originally was published August 6, 2014

More photos of Taylor Meadows follow: