Written By: Greg Johnson
FRANKENMUTH – The Fortress Golf Course, part of the Zehnder’s popular family resort destination, will host what has become two tournaments when the 4th GAM Net Two-Person Scramble is played on Monday and the 4th GAM Two-Person Scramble with gross scoring is played on Tuesday.
The Fortress is consistently ranked among Michigan’s top public and resort destination courses. Dick Nugent designed it in 1992 inspired by Scottish golf design, which is evident in the natural fescue areas and the 75 bunkers on the course. It plays to just over 6,800 yards with multiple tee position options.
The facility includes a putting green, chipping green with a practice bunker, and a target-oriented driving range.
State high school championships and qualifiers and tournaments for the GAM, Michigan Section PGA and other golf associations are regularly hosted by the Fortress.
Kyle Martin is the head golf professional, Scott Sabgash is the superintendent and Nick Shelton is the director of golf operations.
The GAM Net Two-Person Scramble on Monday has 42 two-person teams entered, and the gross scoring GAM Two-Person Scramble on Tuesday has 40 two-person teams entered. Men’s teams, women’s teams and mixed gender teams are part of the same competitions playing from tees for men, women and senior men.
Those GAM members playing in the Net Scramble on Monday have a percentage of their GAM/USGA Handicap Indexes figured into the scoring. The Scramble on Tuesday is gross scoring but is limited to players with a 10.4 GAM/USGA Handicap Index or less.
In Scramble format, two competitors play as partners. Each partner plays from the teeing ground. After each player completes a stroke, partners select the ball from which they wish to play their next stroke from. This process is repeated until the ball is holed.
Last year at Timber Trace Golf Club in Pinckney it was a family affair. Brothers Bill and Chuck Christie of Beverly Hills won the gross scoring title, and the father-son combination of Brighton’s Don and Ypsilanti’s Anthony Provenzola won the net title.
