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By Randy
Prichard
When you combine
the reputation and wizardry of golf course
architect Arthur Hills with Furness Golf
Course Construction, “Small Builder
of the Year,” you get what you would
expect … an outstanding, player-friendly
course that gets rave reviews by players
of all abilities.
What you don’t
expect is that Fieldstone Golf Club of
Auburn Hills is a municipal golf course
that the owners sought to downplay with
it’s early marketing.
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Fact is, if there’s a rating out there
for Top Municipal Courses, Fieldstone could make
the Top Ten.
“This is a very good golf
course,” said
General Manager and PGA Golf Professional Gordon
Marmion, “made all the better by the
service we are able to provide and the attention
we pay
to keeping the course in top condition.”
Fieldstone opened in 1998. “We keep increasing
our number of rounds, but I bet 80% of the
Detroit market hasn’t even heard of us,” said Marmion. That’s a shame, for the
rate and level of play, they’re missing
one of the great facilities of southeast Michigan.
If you’re familiar with Arthur Hills work—Shepherd’s
Hollow, Bay Harbor, Red Hawk, Thoroughbred, The
Legacy—you get an idea of what awaits at
Fieldstone. Hills’ reputation is why he
was chosen to design Fieldstone.
“We wanted a signature name;
a reputable designer to build a distinctive,
championship style
facility,” said Marmion. Fieldstone is all that, encompassing
everything from wind-swept meadows, to hearty
carries over wetlands, to challenging corridors
through mature wooded areas.
“Most golfers play the gold
tees here,” said Marmion. The length, 6,386 yards,
makes the course enjoyable. If you wish, however,
Fieldstone
can give you all you want to tackle from
the black championship tees: 7,002 yards.
Manage your game and shot selection and
Fieldstone will have you grabbing every
club in your
bag.
“I’ve learned to hit a three-iron off the
tee at the par 4 No. 3 hole,” said Marmion. You can pound driver off
most of the par four
and five tees, but No. 11 and No. 16
are not two of those holes, measuring
377 and 326 yards,
respectively. And that’s from the
tips.
“Fieldstone is a shot-makers
course. Not target golf, per se, but you need
to be accurate.
The greens are medium to small, mounded and
well
protected,” said Marmion.
It’s easy to find Fieldstone Golf Club.
It lies just west of I-75, east of Giddings,
south of Taylor. |
