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Hole 1

Hole Name

From The Tee You would be hard pressed to find a more welcoming first hole in golf than the one that greets you here.

From The Fairway The fairway is wide, wider, widest. Of course, you still have to hit it, but it’s there, just waiting for you. Years ago I played a course that had a first hole with a slight dog leg right that climbed to an elevated green sitting atop a rise that dove to the right like a black diamond ski run.

On The Green There were large majestic maples on the left of the green waiting to stand in front of any errant shot hit to that side. Anything less than a triple bogy was a relief—not the best way to start your walk.

Hole 2

Hole Name

From The Tee As a young lad just learning the game, hole number two, with it’s small, postage stamp tee area set slightly separate and askew from the fairway, presented a mentally stressful challenge. Today, as both my game and I have matured (well, okay, I’m older anyway) I take that challenge in stride and hit away.

From The Fairway The fairway opens slightly along the left side as you approach the green, giving you plenty of room to land a grand tee shot. As is the case with shorter par four holes, a good drive and a wedge shot are all you might need to make the green—provided, as we say in golf, you “stay in the short grass.” Nowhere is that axiom more important than here on Beaver Island, as the knee-high, links-styled rou

On The Green With wedge in hand, the two deepest bunkers on the course straddle the slightly slanting green, pressing the case for a soft landing on the well-groomed bent grass.

Hole 3

Hole Name

From The Tee

From The Fairway Augusta has it’s Eisenhower tree; Beaver Island has it’s %&#@! maple that guards the entrance to this short fairway.

On The Green Don’t miss it too far right or the line of cedars marching down the rough will invite your ball to join them. Miss the tree yet stay left and your view of the green is diminished by an outcrop of thick rough anchored by a ball-eating apple tree. Keep it straight, keep it true, and I’ve seen players land their drive on the putting surface, and (yikes!) beyond.

Hole 4

Hole Name

From The Tee The first of the two par threes on the course. Club selection is at a premium here. Check the distance marker at the tee box against the number on the scorecard. Hmm. I wonder which one is closest to reality? The huge beech tree on the left looks inviting. So does the deep hole on the right.

From The Fairway

On The Green The green slants back towards the tee box, so don’t over play into the guarding row of cedars behind. And you thought this game was easy. Hey, it is. You’re up. Hit away.

Hole 5

Hole Name

From The Tee This par four should be as easy as either number one or two. Should be. It’s straight. It’s not that long.

From The Fairway The fairway is fairly wide. Why is it then that the group of trees on the right seems too often to draw my ball into it? Or avoiding that fate, I seem to go left into the rough? And let’s not even talk about the classic northern hardwoods forest that lines the entire right side of the fairway. Yet par is doable here.

On The Green

Hole 6

Hole Name

From The Tee Our second par three. Short and easy. The tee is over here.

From The Fairway The green is over there. Except there’s nothing in between but air as the fairway dips gradually into a deep gully, then rises abruptly with a lovely, heart-shaped bunker planted in the side of the hill below the ever-so-small green. A stand of large maples sits to the left. Another to the right. It’s an easy shot, right? After all, it’s not the 17th at Sawgrass. How hard can it be? This may be an

On The Green

Hole 7

Hole Name

From The Tee

From The Fairway At last, the course’s lone par five. Grip it and rip it. Just please, please, please, let me land past the pond that flicks its hungry tongue across the fairway. Over the past couple years our trusty course manager has managed to clear away the bottom branches of the large cedars gracing the left rough. He must have been low on used balls. Now if you land over there you can usually find your ball.

On The Green

Hole 8

Hole Name

From The Tee The numbers say the previous hole is the most difficult on the course. But the regular players give the nod to this par four ‘mystery spot’ of weird angles and slopes. The fairway bends to the right, yet the lay of the land slides off to the left. And if you hit the perfect drive, you know the one—

From The Fairway straight and down the middle, chances are you’ll wind up just behind the mid-fairway lilac bush, cursing your aromatic good fortune.

On The Green

Hole 9

Hole Name

From The Tee What are the chances of a drive hitting the lone large rock that lies in play on this course, then ricocheting back towards you? Very slim indeed. Yet I’ve seen it done. But that’s not the challenge here. While not as severe as number eight, this hole also bends one way while the land tends to fall the other. And don’t forget the rock. Or land behind it.

From The Fairway he final green is a dandy, elevated in the rear as it slants back into the fairway. Again, bunkers line the perimeter, but the large, tightly mowed surface offers a truly inviting landing area. And if you’re buying that I have a deal for you on some great swamp land off Hannigan’s Road.

On The Green Sure, the fairways could be smoother, the greens could be larger, the grass in the rough could be shorter, and, yes, your score could be lower. But let’s review: you’re on Beaver Island and you’re golfing. It really doesn’t get much better.