Written By: Greg Johnson
HOLLAND – Macatawa Golf Club and its golf course designed by award-winning local architect Raymond Hearn will host many of the state’s top amateur senior golfers in the 17th GAM Senior Four-Ball Championship presented by Sullivan Golf Travel.
Macatawa, which last year hosted the GAM Women’s Four-Ball Championship, is sharing its course with 44 two-golfer teams playing four-ball or best-ball stroke play over 36 holes with rounds Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 7-8. Winning teams will be crowned in the overall senior division (age 55-plus) and a super senior division (age 65-plus). The overall winners have their names inscribed on the Gus Cosmos Trophy.
Hearn, a Detroit native who bases his international golf course design and renovation business out of Holland, created a challenging championship layout near the shores of Lake Michigan in 2005.
Weather elements have an impact on play each day, especially wind off the big lake. The course features five sets of tees ranging from 5,000 yards to over 7,000 yards, large, fast undulating greens, strategically placed bunkers and some unique water features.
Hearn fit the golf course to the natural characteristics of the land it is built upon and created holes with multiple angles and strategic options for the golfer to take on.
The course, built before the surrounding Eastbrook community was developed, is part of the RedWater-owned group of courses in West Michigan and the semiprivate club has various membership options while offering public play, too.
John Kuenzli is the director of golf and Kevin Haack is the golf course superintendent.
Last year at Apple Mountain Golf Club in Freeland, Kevin Klemet of White Lake and Leo Daigle of Wixom teamed up to win the overall title for the second time. Dan Hughes of Saginaw and Roy Schultheiss of Bay City won the super senior title.
