The Fountains Golf Course Review
The Fountains
Clarkston, Michigan
Grade: C+
Teacher’s Comments: A tight, shortish parklands style course.
The Fountains is a popular Clarkston banquet facility with a golf course attached. The course is a parklands style layout that is a little on the short side, but which offers some interesting challenges.
Water comes in to play on eight of the holes. Seven of the holes have significant elevation changes thanks to a routing that takes advantage of a slope that rises from a low point near Spring Lake and its stream and the plateau on which the remainder of the holes run.
It is a tight course, with tree-lined fairways and a classic back and forth routing. Fortunately, balls are unlikely to get lost in the stands of trees between the holes. It is likely, however, that a missed fairway will penalize a shot.
The Fountains golf course opened in 1968 and was designed by Gordon Booker.
The Fountains is a par 70 and as such is not a long course, coming in at just 6, 159 yards from the tips.
| Tee | Rating | Slope | Yardage |
| Black | 69.8 | 130 | 6, 159 |
| Blue | 76.7 | 122 | 5, 857 |
| Silver | 66.2 | 116 | 5, 337 |
| Silver (L) | 71.3 | 130 | 5, 337 |
| Golf (L) | 68.9 | 116 | 4, 559 |
My favorite hole was the par 4 eighth. It begins on a slightly raised tee, then midway down doglegs sharply to the left. It ends on a large tilting green guarded left, right and rear by sand.
A little draw gets the ball around the corner, and the open front of the green is receptive to a shot that bounces up and on — my favorite kind of approach.
For pure fun, I enjoyed the par five fourth. From the plateau at the back of the property, it heads straight out and then dives down and right toward Spring Lake. The green is broad, and angled slightly away from the fairway.
It’s a fun hole in that a well-stuck second has the possibility of catching the downslope and rolling quite near — if not on — to the green.
Conditions on the day I played were just ok. There were a few spots with serious drainage issues; in other places, the ground was bare. Overall, it gave me the impression of a course that in need of some TLC.
The course also unfortunately has the sight I least like to see on a golf course: overhanging high tension wires. A random wire or two from a telephone pole? Fine. Full on 345,000 volt wires not so much.
I thought The Fountains was enjoyable and understand why it is popular among the locals. I cannot, however, recommend making a special trip.
The Fountains Golf Course Review was first published December 7, 2021 from notes and photos taken on a round played in the summer of 2021.
A photo tour of The Fountains follows
The first at The Fountains is a 520 yard par 5. 
A view from the fairway on The Fountains’ first 
The second at The Fountains is a 179 yard par 3. 
The third at the Fountains is a 340 yard par 4. 
The fourth at The Fountains is a 507 yard par 5 
Six at The Fountains is a 370 yard par 4 
The seventh at The Fountains is a 394 yard par 4 
Eight at The Fountains is a 370 yard par 4 
A view of the green from the fairway on The Fountains’ eighth 
The ninth at The Fountains is a 400 yard par 4 
The eleventh at The Fountains is a 206 yard par 3 
Thirteen at The Fountains is a 371 yard par 4 
The twelfth at The Fountains is a 358 yard par 4 
Fifteen at The Fountains is a 361 yard par 4 
Sixteen at The Fountains is a 201 yard par 3 
The seventeenth at The Fountains is a 303 yard par 4 
Eighteen at The Fountains is a 356 yard par 4
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