Otsego Club`s Tribute course a dramatic addition to northern Michigan golf
Released on = May 3, 2007, 11:31 am
Press Release Author = GolfPublisher Syndications
Industry = Media
Press Release Summary = Otsego Club\'s Tribute in enters northern Michigan\'s first rank. Course reviews at WorldGolf.com
Press Release Body = By Brandon Tucker, Staff Writer, Golf Publisher Syndications
One of Northern Michigan\'s oldest golf resorts has gotten a new lease on life with the addition of the Tribute course, a dramatic, roller-coaster 18 holes of golf that returns the Otsego Club to Michigan golf\'s first rank.
GAYLORD, Mich. - One of northern Michigan\'s first resorts, the complex now known as the Otsego Club, has long been a favorite getaway for harried urbanites from Detroit and Chicago.
Opened in 1939 as Hidden Valley Resort a mile from downtown Gaylord, the club perches atop a slope, offering skiing, 20-mile views down the Sturgeon Valley and one of Michigan\'s most acclaimed restaurants, Pontresina.
There\'s also been golf here since 1955, but Otsego\'s Classic course is indeed the product of a different era, a time before courses were built up mountainsides to provide the most dramatic shots and scenery.
The Classic plays through 14 holes of gently rolling terrain to a good but not spectacular final four. In the 21st century, it isn\'t the kind of golf course people drive several hours to play.
Enter the Tribute. Built in 2002 by architect Rick Robbins and PGA Tour pro Gary Koch, the new track has returned Otsego to the first rank of northern Michigan golf resorts.
The Tribute is big, bold and built on property completely unlike that of the Classic, which plays just off Gaylord\'s main drag. (It\'s about a 10-minute cart ride just to get from the clubhouse to Tribute\'s first tee.) Few of the 18 holes laid out on 1,100 acres of mountainous, densely wooded terrain are parallel, and a handful of them are jaw-dropping.
The first two holes, both par-4s, are solid but not much more. It\'s No. 3 that first smacks you in the eyes, with one of Michigan\'s steepest downhill tee shots.
For more details visit - : http://www.worldgolf.com/course-reviews/michigan/otsego-club-tribute-course-review-5216.htm
May 2, 2007 Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
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