Su imner
pleasures

13 oy, that sure is a great
golf hole."
Those words have
been pronounced by
every person who has
taken up the game of
golf, learned to love it,
and continually em-
braces its ethos.
Golfers intuitively understand that the
essence of golf goes well beyond hitting
long drives, accurate irons, exceptional
approach shots and magnetic puts. These
golf enthusiasts are aware that no mat-
ter how well or how not so well they are
swinging the club that particular day, the
game of golf is between themselves and
the course. The invitation to play is ex-
tended from the course.
Golf is a passionate sport to many peo-
ple in our community. And when I asked
about a dozen people if they had favorite
golf holes at the courses where they play,
every one described at least one.
The holes selected were based on a
purely subjective quality: for some, the
hole looks extremely pleasing to the eye;
for others, the layout was a severe chal-
lenge or very makable.
Putting these holes together will not
result in anyone's dream course. The peo-
ple I asked were too variable: some with
very high and others with low handicaps,
women as well as men, club champions,
beginners, long hitters and the not so very
long, younger and less young. Their
choices wouldn't connect well because
they had diverse agendas.
But that's the beauty of golf — it in-
vites players at all levels to dream and to
have good golf holes. A golf course couldn't
care less about diversity or what's not di-
verse: it's simply out there to be played.
Join me then, in walking these holes
that are somebody's most favorite, and
may well be yours.
The par-4 first hole at Tam-0-
Shanter in West Bloomfield is Lynda
Glasser's favorite hole. The elevated tee
box is edged by colorful annuals and
perennials that trigger the senses to the
next 17 scenic vistas. Lynda likes this
378-yard hole from the forward tee be-
cause it's a good driving hole. You can let
the driver out but you've got to be accu-
rate because you're blocked from the
green unless you're well positioned for
the second shot. Anything off the fairway
is a sure bogey impeded by a long rough
and large trees lining the approach to the
green. Deep bunkers line the right side
of the green which slopes right and left
as well as to the front. A pin position on
the right has a lot of second shots finding
the bunkers.
Allen Glasser's favorite hole at Tam

Ruthan Brodsky, of Bloomfield Hills, is an
avid golfer who works hard to keep her
single-digit handicap.

is the par-5 16th. The long-tee box bor-
dered by out-of-bounds on one side and
trees on the other, gives the illusion of
having to thread a precise tee shot for this
469-yard hole from the back tees. Allen
says the view from the sloping fairway to
the downhill green is spectacular whether
or not you can reach the green in 2 for a
birdie. From the fairway, you can see the
lake bordering the 12th hole, the fairways
of 12, 13, 14, and 17, plus the tee boxes of
14 and 17. The panoramic view is ex-
quisite throughout the year but partic-
ularly in the fall when the reds and
oranges meld with the green. The large
green provides an ample landing area for
all levels of golf. It's putting the green
that's difficult because it plays very lev-
el but looks like it's sloping back to front.
The great hole at Tam for Michael
Wayne is number 14 from the champi-
onship tees (426 yds). Michael says this
is the most exacting driving hole because
the landing area is narrow and on any
given day you can play it three different
ways depending on the wind and how
you're swinging. The tee box is the high-
est on the course and gives players a view
of half the holes on the back nine. Longer
hitters can cut the slight dogleg left by
drawing the ball over the woods. The risk
here is going out of bounds on the right
or hooking the ball left and landing un-
der some pine tree. Even if it's on the fair-
way but not in the middle, the second shot

is blocked to the green by trees whose
branches overhang the fairway and a
bunker on the left protecting the green.
The hole is deceptive because the fairway
runs up hill and players usually come up
short. Anything long of the green is an-
other stroke or two to get out of more
woods. The fairly large green undulates
with no real flat area for straight putting.
Several people described par-3s as their
favorite holes. Don Burnstein says his
is the par-3 number 17 at Indianwood
CC, Lake Orion. The first 100 yards of
the 200-yard hole from the back tees is
thick rough and the left side is guarded
by trees. Tight bunkering on the right
and left protect the large green which
slopes severely left to right. If your ball
lands in the rough around the green, it's
not unusual to see your next shot roll past
the flag and off the green again.
Alicia Tisdale selected the third hole
at Warwick Hills, Grand Blanc, for her
most favorite because it's the shortest
hole on the course. A new golfer and a
short hitter, Alicia says she can some-
times reach the green in one or two
strokes on this 94-yard hole from the for-
ward tee. The trees lining the left side
of the fairway outline the green which
slopes back to front.
Paul Tisdale prefers Warwick's num-
ber 13 hole, a long par 5 that plays 500
yards from the back and 544 from the
championship tees. This is the hole that

A natural marsh is at the bottom of a steep slope at Wabeek Country Club in Bloomfield Hills. Opposite
page: Indianwood Golf and Country Club in Lake Orion is another favorite spot.

Fred Couples hit with a driver and 3-
iron to the green from the championship
tees in last year's Buick Open. Paul
doesn't admit to having that kind of ca-
pability but this hole does offer a reward
to the club player willing to take the risk.
If your drive is good and you reach the
tree marked 225 to the semi-island green,
you have to decide to lay up with a mid
iron and wedge or go with a fairway wood
or long iron for the two-tiered green which
slopes back to front. It's all carry; water
borders the green on the right and par-
tially in front. The left side is protected
by bunkers. If you make the green, it's a
birdie. If not, you're in the water for at
least a bogey. The hole is a favorite for
TV cameras.
Wabeek's (Bloomfield Township) par-
3 third hole is Lisa Dishell's favorite.
The 136-yard shot from the women's tee
is 136 yards of carry across a ravine to a
10 to 12-yard area on the green or face
a bogey or double bogey. A natural marsh
area is at the bottom of the big drop bor-
dering the left side and a steep slope blan-
keted with bushes, trees and natural
ground covering lines the right, hiding
the condos from the players' view. Lisa
says it's the best view from the forward
tees and on a sunny day you can see sev-
eral holes of the back nine. The long but
narrow green is built into a hill that slopes
from right to left. A well-placed bunker
on the left keeps balls in play and out of
the ravine.
Pearl Rissman, also a new golfer,
prefers the 338-yard sixth hole at Wabeek.
As a new golfer, Pearl says this par-4 from
the forward tees is challenging and fun
because she can let the shaft out of her
drive without worrying about trouble. Al-
though there's out-of-bounds on both the
right and left, the fairway is one of the
wider ones at Wabeek and lines up fairly
straight to the green, which is well pro-
tected by a bunker in front of the green.
The par-3 eighth hole at Knollwood
(West Bloomfield) is one of Bob Brody's
favorites. As a senior golfer, Bob says it's
sometimes difficult to reach a par-3 with
your drive, but this 205-yard hole from
the back tees isn't too long and has a nar- -
row opening in front of the green so that
your ball has a chance to roll onto the
green. Although the hole is straight and
flat, players are usually hitting into the
winds which makes the hole longer than
it looks. A large bunker lies about 30
yards in front of the green on the right
and another right-sided bunker borders
the green. The green is on the narrow and
long, making the hole at least three clubs
longer when the flag is placed in the back.
Both Roberta and Irwin Madorsky
claim Knollwood's number 12 as their
favorite. It's a long par 4 for men (415 and
407 yards) and a 401-yard par 5 from the
forward tees. The tee box is at the high-
HOLE-IN-ONE page 12

STYLE • SUMMER 1995.11