Tullymore Golf Club in Michigan - The best golf course in America you`ve never heard of
Released on = August 4, 2007, 10:47 am
Press Release Author = GolfPublisher Syndications
Industry = Media
Press Release Summary = Golf Digest\'s Top 20 Public Golf Courses lists household names: Pebble Beach, Whistling Straits, the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. But, just ahead of Harbor Town in Hilton Head, lies one gem you probably haven\'t seen much press on: Tullymore Golf Club, in the central portion of the golf-saturated state of Michigan.
Press Release Body = By Brandon Tucker, Staff Writer, Golf Publisher Syndications
STANWOOD, Mich. - Look at Golf Digest\'s Top 20 public golf courses and you\'ll see all the household names: Pebble Beach, Whistling Straits, the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, to name a few. But just past them, at 14th, just ahead of Harbor Town in Hilton Head, lies one gem you probably haven\'t seen much press on: Tullymore Golf Club, in the central portion of Michigan.
Beyond the accolades, which have been received from just about every national publication, Tullymore is a course even some Michiganders might not even know is in their back yard. Its location is further north of central Michigan\'s major hubs like Grand Rapids and Mt. Pleasant - but well south of Gaylord and Traverse City.
You\'re not going to stumble onto Tullymore by accident, but those who do keep coming back.
The course is red-hot architect Jim Engh\'s first design in Michigan (he\'s since built the private True North in Harbor Springs as well). Engh is most known for his Rocky Mountain designs featuring dramatic elevation and panoramic views (including The Club at Black Rock and Fossil Trace Golf Club).
But Tullymore is considered by many as his best design to date, and it doesn\'t rely on either elevation or view. It\'s mostly flat, set on 800 acres of densely wooded wetlands.
But the way the land has been manipulated is a work of art and has been described as an \"Art Deco\" style of golf design, featuring symmetrical mounding and greens and fairways that zigzag through the heavy trees and swamp. What strikes your eye first is the unusual bunkering here: long, snaking bunkers that look like they\'ve been on Weight Watchers a bit too long. They\'re almost disturbingly skinny.
Tullymore\'s routing is also unique in that it features three each of par-5s and par-3s. The par-3s are knee-knocking, like the fourth hole, which plays 207 yards almost entirely over wetlands to a small green heavily guarded all around.
There\'s the even longer par-3 12th hole - nicknamed \"Dell on Steroids\" for its partial blind shot to a shallow bowled green. The difference between this hole and the original \"Dell\" at Lahinch in Ireland is everything but on a much larger scale. Of course, the original \"Dell\" hole plays under 160 yards, while Tullymore\'s requires 220-255 yards from the back tee boxes. It\'s long enough to demand driver for most players, but the shot isn\'t as hard as it seems to the trained eye, due to the very large green.
\"You can hit a driver over the left side of the bank, and it won\'t go over,\" Tullymore Director of Golf Kevin O\'Brien says. \"The slope is steep enough it will roll right back to the center.\"
On the five par-5s, you\'re encouraged to be aggressive, as each offers wide landing zones for drives and greens begging to be reached in two shots.
For more details visit - : http://www.worldgolf.com/course-reviews/michigan/tullymore-golf-club-in-michigan-jim-engh-5751.htm
August 2, 2007 Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
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