Located right here in Midland, Michigan is a gem that gets over looked by most golfers living in or traveling through the area. Most of the locals know about the newly designed Midland Country Club golf course and the beauty and difficulty of it, but many overlook the West Golf Course at Currie Municipal. Known as “The West”, this course provides an up north feeling that can be matched by almost no other in the local area.
From the very first hole, one can notice that they are truly in nature. The first hole is a fairly simple par four with no trouble at all except for one fairway bunker to look out for and a green side bunker on the right. However, completely surrounding the hole is woods on both side. This is a common theme of the front nine. Each hole is fairly isolated from each other with a good amount of forestry separating them. This gives golfers privacy from other groups and really makes for a more personal golf experience within the foursome. Senior Derek Striker finds this a good change from most courses.
“Most courses the holes are right next to each other and you can see all the groups on the other holes, but with the front nine all you can see is just the hole you’re on and its just the you and the people your playing with so it’s nice,” Striker said.
However the front nine of the west is as challenging as it is beautiful and filled with nature. An example of this is the fifth hole, a difficult par five that is 535 yards from the tips. Missing left off the tee will land the ball in long wild growing grass that is marked as a lateral hazard and missing to far the right will land a player searching for their ball in the woods. However, this is just beginning of the torture this hole can provide, along the right side of the fairway are bunkers that try to attract golfers who hit the ball an average distance and right up next to the green is a bunker that makes the long hitters really think twice about trying to hit this green in two. It is not recommended that one misses the green long either because of the substantial drop off and a ditch at the bottom. Senior Davis Milholland finds this hole to be one of the hardest on the course.
“Hole number five has given me trouble in the past,” Milholland said. “From tee to green you have to have a game plan of what you’re doing or else you’re just going to get destroyed.”
The back nine of the west gives a different feeling but is equally as challenging. The back is more traditional, with lest forestry and more open, making it so golfers can see the other holes around them. However, the back nine usually plays considerably longer than the front and offers some very challenging holes.
Hole fourteen on the west is arguably one of the hardest ones. Playing at 458 yards from the back tees, this long par four makes it easy for a golfer to put a big number on the scorecard. This hole demands a percise tee shot because of the two fairway bunkers that sit on next to each side of the fairway. However putting the ball on the fairway isn’t good enough, most golfers find themselves with a long 180 to 200 yard second shot into a green that has slightly elevated and contains two greenside bunkers. One must also hit it on the correct tear of this two teared green or they can find themselves three putting easily.
Another legendary hole on this nine is the par three seventeenth. The tees on this hole are elevated and caused the golfer to be hitting down towards the green. This makes club choice difficult because one must not look into just the raw distance from tee to green but how the elevation change factors into that and also the higher amount of wind that is caused from hitting on an elevated tee-box. Then to add onto the difficulty, there is the only thing in between the tee and green is a lake that takes all balls hit short, but it is not advised to take too much club either or else ones ball will land into the deep bunkers that wait behind the green. Making par on this hole is a very good score and should not be taken for granted. This hole is Senior Austin Deiters’ favorite hole to play.
“Seventeen is my favorite hole on the course, club selection use to be a big problem and it still isn’t an easy decision, but after playing it so many times I have a good idea of what to do,” Deiters said.
These are just a few examples of the many holes of the West Course Currie Municipal has to offer. The prices are fairly reasonable for walking and riding for people of all ages. This course definitely gets over looked by all the glamor of other big name courses in the area, but it should be put on the list of must play courses for all golfers in the area.
