Written By: Emily Sherman
JACKSON – Historic Arbor Hills Golf Club will host a Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) tournament for the first time in several years when the 25th Michigan Net Amateur Championship presented by Michigan Golf Live is played there on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 10-11.
The field will compete in 36 holes of net stroke play over two days to determine a champion.
The Arbor Hills Course dates to 1925 and was designed by renowned architect Arthur Ham. It originally opened as a private course and hosted a historic golf exhibition in 1947 featuring golf legends Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Jimmy Demaret.
The classic layout of the course winds through trees opening to beautifully maintained greens. It can be played from 4,961 yards to 6,432 yards with four sets of tee positions.
The club is currently operated and maintained by Chris Cummings, who since 2006 has worn multiple hats. He started off as superintendent, later became the general manager and in 2020 an owner.
He maintains a dedication to preserving the course’s historic character while providing exceptional playing conditions.
“We are excited to showcase some of our signature holes; our team has put in a lot of hard work during this dry season, and we are excited to show them off to players who wouldn’t typically play here,” Cummings said.
Notable holes include No. 10, a 170-yard par 3 with a two-tiered green, and No. 12, a long par 5 on the edge of the property. Learn more by visiting arborhillsgolfclub.com.
Familiar GAM net tournament faces will be part of the field, including Andrew Lang, Gary Yee, Joesph Shaffer, Bill Dietz and others. Last year, at Atlas Valley Golf Club in Grand Blanc, Dennis Guerriero, a sometimes summer resident of Brightton, was champion. He did not register for this year’s championship.
The last time Arbor Hills hosted a GAM championship was in 2008 when Susan Campbell of Portage won the GAM Women’s Senior Amateur Championship.
“We are excited to host another GAM event,” Cummings said. “We used to host a lot of Michigan Am Qualifiers but haven’t in a while since there were ownership changes over the last couple of years. It will be nice to have new golfers back in the area.”
