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Arcadia Bluffs

Picture
Arcadia Bluffs: South Course
Architect: Fry / Straka
Year: 2018


14710 Northwood Hwy,
Arcadia, MI 49613


Phone: (231) 889-3001
Course Access: Public Resort
https://arcadiabluffs.com/​

Arcadia Bluffs: South Course

The inspiration for the South Course was born out of a desire to present the guests at Arcadia Bluffs with a golfing experience unlike that of any other golf destination in America. To present players with the opportunity to play a golf course that would stand as a testament to the challenges and emotions experienced only at a few select classic private courses from golf’s earliest days. The objective for the South Course would be to design a golf course by strategically positioning a collection of elements, serene in their appearance, ultimately creating a veil of simplicity over the complexity of the challenges that await. It is this aspect of enduring classic design that both confounds and excites golfers, leaving them with an elevated anticipation to return.
The 311-acre parcel was assembled just one mile south of the existing Arcadia Bluffs course that has enough topographic relief to allow for varying lies, contains sandy soils for firm and fast conditioning, is square in configuration to allow for a well-mixed variety of hole directions, and is walkable. The routing of the South Course is two distinct nine hole loops, each containing a balanced mix of north, south, east and west facing holes. Golfers will notice the distinct lack of trees on the course, making the ever present wind a consideration and affording long range views across the property.
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Prominent features of the South Course include:
  • Rectangular tees with 90-degree corners
  • Large greens, averaging over 9,400 square feet, and quite often squared off in their shape in one or more of their corners and separated into different sections using swales, ridges, slopes and isolated bumps
  • A bold bunkering style defined by strong grass faces and ribbons of flat sand
  • Wide fairways and approaches offering optional lines of play
  • Firm and fast conditioning promoting the ground game option

The South Course at Arcadia Bluffs is a tribute to a bygone era in golf course design that few golfers today have ever experienced. With a focus on strategy, and the thought provoking use of angles, the goal is to capture the simplistic nature of the courses from the early days of golf in America. Therefore, we invite everyone to come and experience the challenges, the emotions and the beauty of the South Course – Complexity Veiled by Simplicity.

Course Photos


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