Monday, May 17, 2010

Boulder Pointe a tasty treat in metro Detroit

It’s been years since I’d tee it up at Boulder Pointe Golf Club & Banquet Center in Oxford.

And unfortunately, by getting older, I can’t always visualize golf courses hole by hole like I used to when I was a young buck with a memory as sharp as a tack.

I knew there were some solid holes at the 27-hole facility off of Telegraph Road 10 miles north of The Palace of Auburn Hills, but I just couldn’t get a grip on how much I liked it. I’d written stories in the past ranking the Conroy/Dewling design among the top 10 public courses in metro Detroit, but just how good is it? That’s what I set out to prove.

Last week’s round rekindled my love affair with the place. It plays firm and fast, just like I love. It has some sweeping terrain and some dynamic elevated tee shots, another favorite of mine. Several of the par-3s are down-right knee-knockers, another thumbs up from me. The water-laced the 197-yard third and the 141-yard fourth, both on the Peaks nine, come to mind.

The Peaks-Dunes combination provides the best 18 holes. The Peaks is my favorite with a unique mix of challenges. The first hole demands a blind wedge shot to a green protected by water in back. A peninsula green on the par-5 third juts out into the water. The short par-4 ninth provides an opportunity at birdie, provided you don’t choke on the wedge shot over a marsh pond like I did. The Dunes has some nice land, but the killer stretch of five par-4s over 400 yards in a row is too repetitive for me. The last of them, the 453-yard seventh, is one of the toughest holes in metro Detroit with a monumental carry over water to approach the green.

An A-list clubhouse completes the amenities of Boulder Pointe, tucked inside a huge residential subdivision. Nowhere on the course, though, did I feel crowded or intimidated about tight quarters. At the spring rate of $40-$50, playing Boulder Pointe is a steal.

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