Crystal Downs Golf Club
The Crystal Downs golf course at the Crystal Downs Golf Club in Frankfort, Michigan has 18 holes and has an area of 6,518 yards.
History of the course
The Crystal Downs golf course was designed by Alister MacKenzie and Perry Maxwell, both renowned golf architects, and was opened in 1929. It was renovated extensively by Geoffrey Cornish and Brian Silva in 1985. The course has both the characteristics of a links course and a non-links course, thus making it unique. The course has lush greens on one hand whereas on the other hand the improvised bunkers highlight the terrain and the bumpy nature of the fairways.
The course overlooks Lake Michigan as well as the Crystal Lake. The fairways are lined with trees and are extremely hilly putting the golfers to the test on every hole. Hole No. 8 is a little tricky as a small pond comes into play.
The front and back nine holes are of opposite characters in keeping with its unique design. The front is on open, tumbling land and the back is amongst the trees.
Course Trivia
- The Crystal Downs golf course is an example of first class architecture.
- The Crystal Downs Golf Club was the venue for the Senior Amateur Event Tournament in 1991.
The Crystal Downs golf course holds the 11 th spot in Golf Digest magazine's list of 100 top golf courses in the US in 2005. As we continue on this tour we will learn about the other top-100 golf courses in the world.
