May 29, 2007

JACKSON, MI — The Grande Golf will host the 2007 Carl Spackler Open Championship in just days from southern Michigan. There are 64 golfers awaiting the challenges the course will offer. The tournament course brings incredible unique character to a major championship with historical stops at Thunder Hill and Mountain Valley.

Kyle Marti, Brian Long, Jason Ridgeway, Mike Trojanowski, Greg Long, Jason Watson, and Chad Long were asked to provide some interesting facts about the Michigan venue.

The Grande will not only challenge any golfer who plays it, but it can astonish them with breathtaking scenery unmatched by most courses in the region. Nationally acclaimed golf course architect Raymond Hearn crafted the course directly into its natural features, blending lush fairways and expansive greens into sprawling wetlands and forests.

"Everyone can judge the course for themselves," says Mike Trojanowski. "This is the total package in so many ways. It is the complete opposite of back and forth design."

The Grande Golf Club facility and design includes several facts. First, the course boasts the largest greens of any past Carl Spackler Open venue averaging 9,000 square feet per green, which results in depths and widths of 135-162 feet.

The Hole 6 photograph provided is one of the many signature holes. The green, which sits on rocks and a large pond provides the most depth and 3 sharp contours. The 162-foot depth will include a Thursday pin approximately 8 feet from the back fringe and Saturday pin approximately 8 feet from the front fringe.

"Club selection is going to be critical in comparison," says Jason Ridgeway. "The back pin from memory is going to be very unaccessible."

The golf course provides the widest fairways of any past venue (62 acres) including a handful of fairways wider than 100 yards. "There are many holes have fairway behind and adjacent to the greens," says Jason Watson of his visit in July 2005. "The first hole is a good example with ample fairway behind the green collecting balls with too much club. It is very weird to see 25 yards of fairway behind the greens."

The Grande has multi-level greens including double-tiers and single-tiers as high as 3 1/2 feet. Kyle Marti says of the greens, "There is going to be some 4-putting this year. I am sure the putter will be the most thrown club this year."

There are 61 sand bunkers cut with unique ragged edges. The bunkers can be very deep and a significant hazard to many golfers unable to play a bunker shot. "The 61 bunkers is the most underrated factor behind the tournament," says Chad Long of his July 2006 practice round. "There might be 61 bunkers, but there is enough sand for 120 normal size bunkers."

The golf course also includes the smallest clubhouse of any past venue, which sells food & drink. It seats 20 golfers inside, 10 golfers outside on the covered porch and 10 golfers on the patio. "The clubhouse is very very small," says Captains Club Chairman Greg Long. "It is better than a trailer, but golfers should expect the starter clubhouse. By no means is the clubhouse a great decision for breakfast, lunch, or dinner."

The Grande Golf Club will host the largest range, chipping green, putting green and range bunkers of any past venue. One of the two putting greens is approximately 200 feet from front to back. "The chipping green is more plush and more true than any golf course green since Tanglewood Park," says Jason Ridgeway.

The Raymond Hearn design includes zero creeks, streams or rivers. It does have 3 ponds on 2 holes. There are 7 holes with marsh areas (like Maple #3 at Mountain Valley), which is expected to collect many golf balls.

"We do have some shot length requirements this year," says Brian Long, Vice President of Online Scoring. "There is a required carry of 177 yards off the tee on 2 holes. The seniors, who are 50 years old or older, need 137 yards maximum.

The tournament will be played from 6,443 yards. Our seniors will play from 5,911 yards. The shortest total yardage in Spackler History since Thunder Hill, which was 6 yards shorter.

There are elevation changes as high as 115 feet at Grande Golf Club. "The  most underrated part of the design are the wide generous fairways," says Greg Long, Chairman of the Captains Club. "The second is clearly the elevated tees. Holes 4 and 5 plus the final 7 holes on the back nine drop 50-115 feet in elevation showing participants each hole layout. I play great designs on paper all the time, but can you feel them while you are playing. The Grande provides just that."

The Grande Golf Club is located a couple of miles south of downtown Jackson, MI on Floyd Avenue. Construction continues on homes throughout the golf course property, however houses can only be seen on Hole 2.