Golf Course Photo, Whiteford Valley Golf Club, East Course, Ottawa Lake, 49267
Whiteford Valley Golf Club, East Course
Played on March 2023
7980 Beck Rd, Ottawa Lake, Michigan, 49267
1 Ranking
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Off the Fringe, “Golf’s best short read.” The award winning newsletter, sent twice monthly, that provides an unconventional perspective on the golf world.
Brian Clark
Ottawa Lake
2023-03-02

Guest (cart not included), played on Wednesday, March 2023 at 8:30 AM

With the weather in the upper 40's today, I'm heading South (1hr) as the Ice Storm in the Jackson area hit the trees hard and leaving golf courses here a real mess. The Whiteford East Course (9 holes now) was the only one open here because of flooding on the West/North eighteen (18) hole layouts. The East course score card (4-tees) has it playing 3,108yds / 35.4 / 120 from the Blues down to Reds @ 2,409yds / 34.2 / 108 on this Par 36 rolling treelined layout. The #1 at 341yds has this generous fairway leading straightaway to a large flat green. The #2 Par 4 at 357yds is a nice downhill, treelined and straightaway narrow fairway. The short fairway grass has good cover but with the very wet conditions you get no roll and hitting it clean is almost impossible. On #3 a uphill, dogleg right Hcp 5 Par 5 at 470yds has the corner at 200yds and trees framing you all the way to the narrow elevated green. The #4 at 398yd Par 4 has you playing between the trees on this narrow dogleg right Hcp 3 hole. The #5 plays a tricky long 179yds to a small green with missing short right a nice area to chip from. The Hcp 1 #6 hole is a 390yd downhill/uphill, dogleg left with LH/RH ponds framing the corner 200-230yds out and a sand-trap in front of the green. The #7 Par 5 Hcp 2 has you going straightaway uphill 491yds with 180yd forced carry off the tee with well placed sand traps (3) on the LH side of this narrow fairway. The #8 is a all carry Par 3 across the water 135yds to a narrow tipped forward green into the West wind can shut you down 1-2 clubs. Those trees behind the green are high enough so you and the flag are clueless to the wind vortex up above. The #9 is a very straight, flat and narrow 336yd Par 4 that has a tough tipped right green guarded by over hanging branches so stay near the fairway middle to get a open shot. I believe with drier conditions things hitting/scoring would have been easier, but it is still winter here. Ended up walking the nine (9) holes in 1hr 40minutes shooting 41 w/17putts on this 38-42 degree morning. I believe the South Course is no longer being used as there are some houses where that course used to be on the other side of Beck Road.

Would travel: 10-20 Miles, Not Vacation Worthy
Bottom line: I would play again, Bargain priced based on quality and competitive area pricing, Fair priced based on quality and competitive area pricing
 
Price, Pace of Play, Layout, No Houses on Course
None worth mentioning
Layout/ Challenge
Fairway conditions
Greens conditions
Course ambiance
Pace to play
Overall rating
Value
Rank ID # : 030214