TPC of Michigan still one of the state's best

The Tournament Players Club of Michigan has unfortunately fallen off the radar a bit after losing its signature Ford Senior Players Championship in 2006.

But as I found out recently, the host of 16 Champions Tour majors is just as dramatic and thrilling to play these days as it was during its heyday. The private course was purchased by The Heritage Golf Group of San Diego in 2007, joining four other TPCs under the Heritage umbrella – TPC Eagle Ridge, TPC Prestancia, TPC Tampa Bay and TPC Piper Glen. All five are excellent facilities that continue to earn status as Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries.

The service you come to expect from a TPC property trickles from the top down, led by General Manager Lee Woodruff, who has had stints working at Garland Resort and the Detroit Golf Club. Assistant head professional Nate Matejek recently earned his Class A membership from the PGA of America.

Woodruff says the TPC is unique because most of its memberships are corporate in nature. Traditionally, the course is busier during the week with corporate events and small outings, he said, than it is on the weekend.

Thanks to two corporate partnerships, the Jack Nicklaus course is accessible as a stay-and-play package with the MGM Grand Detroit, downtown’s most luxurious casino resort.

The “Tee” golf package at the MGM, costing $399, includes two rounds, transportation to and from the course and one night to experience all the wonders of MGM. If only one person in the room is a golfer, the other round can be converted into a 50-minute massage at MGM’s stunning Immerse Spa and Salon, a two-story urban loft inspired by the world’s most calming element: water.

How ironic … considering that water tortures almost every golfer at the TPC. If you get the chance to tee it up here – either by joining as a member or as a member-for-a-day during a corporate outing or with a stay-and-play package – don’t turn it down. This is one of Michigan’s most prestigious tee times.

The TPC of Michigan has always had a reputation for being too tough for many high-handicappers but that caught my fancy about the place. The narrow fairways twist through mounds and around intimidating water hazards. You have to be precise or be wet.

It’s easy to pucker up anywhere on the sixth hole, a short par 4 that requires a steady 3-wood and short iron to avoid the water. The approach shots on the par-4 14th, requiring at least a 160-yard blast over wetland to the green, and the par-5 17th, guarded by water up the entire left side, are equally intimidating.

After the round, golfers can enjoy the spoils of a 28,000-square-foot clubhouse that serves great food. Or just a short distance away is Andiamo Ristorante, a casually elegant haunt on Michigan Avenue serving succulent prime rib, steak, seafood and pasta.

Visit www.tpcmichigan.com for more.

Dan Pohl at home in Michigan this summer

One of Michigan’s golf legends has been hanging around this summer, probably under the radar a bit more than he’d like.

Dan Pohl, a Mount Pleasant native who is probably most famous for losing in a playoff to Craig Stadler at the 1982 Masters, has been a regular at The Huntmore Golf Club in Brighton Township, giving lessons and playing golf with friends. He’d love to be back on the Champions Tour, where he won $786,093 the past four years before injuries halted his career. Pohl, 54, is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour in 1986, earning roughly $3 million in his career.

But he’s endured 11 surgeries, including elbow, knee, neck and back operations. Pohl, who played in five Champions Tour events in 2008, said doctors told him he might need another back surgery if he didn't quit the grind of professional golf.

"Golf is demanding on the body," he said. "If you play professionally, you can't play halfway."

The July day I met Pohl for the first time, he was in rare form, jovial and friendly in recalling his playing days. He took me out to the range at The Huntmore and demonstrated his shot-making by working with a young golfer who had never even picked up a club before. Pohl told his pupil to swing hard – “We can teach control later, but you can’t teach distance” – and demonstrated a drill or two about balance. Pohl even hit shots standing on one leg, then on the other, to showcase his balance and rhythm in the swing.

"It's been exciting to have Dan," said Ron Cortese, the club's general manager. "To have a PGA Tour pro of Dan's caliber in Brighton is unheard of. Everybody loves him. His personality makes people drawn to him."

Pohl has experience in all areas of golf. He’s been popular at corporate outings in the Phoenix area where he lives and he’s even designed a few courses, notably the Pohlcat in his hometown. He’s having to reinvent himself in this down economy, but if anything, he’s shown he’s resilient.

He might beat himself up once in a while about that Masters loss – he admits wondering how different his life would have been had he won – but he’s content with a solid career that was longer than most players could ever dream. For information on lessons with Pohl, contact the club at 810-225-2498 or visit thehuntmoregolfclub.com.