Frankfort, Michigan, United States of America
Perched on a hilly bluff with views of Lake Michigan and Crystal Lake which surround it, Crystal Downs is constantly rated in most lists of the top golf courses in the world. The course is laid out on hilly terrain with many trees and thick forest to encourage you to stay on the fairways. Alistair Mackenzie was the architect of the course and seeing as his passion was for the strokes played on the green, you would be well-advised to bring your best putter with you on this round. Greens are contoured and lush, but deceptively fast and a downhill putt ending off of the green will not be unique experience for your four ball.
The amazing views and rich beauty of the vegetation of the area are starkly offset by the demanding nature of the course. In keeping with many of the top courses, blind shots are an integral part of the course layout and experience, luck or advice from a local is needed to have your shot end up where it should be. The 7th, a short par 4, has a unique hazard. A good tee shot in the middle of the fairway leaves you with a sizeable tree between your lie and the front of the green. A short iron makes it an uncomplicated shot, but this is an unusual surprise for a good position. Crystal Downs is likely to surprise you with more than just an oddly placed tree – there are 18 good reasons why it is consistently rated as one of the top courses in the world.
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