Ohio Golf Journal September 2017

Treetops Resort The original owner of Treetops Resort, Harry Melling began the golf migration to the Gaylord, Michigan area with the construction of the Jones Masterpiece Course. Primarily a ski resort back in the 1980’s, Melling found golf to be the perfect remedy to fill his empty hotel rooms in the summer months. Golf quickly caught on and he added three more courses. Tom Fazio designed the Premier, Rick Smith added the Smith Signature, the Tradition, as well as the iconic par-3, Threetops. Upon viewing the par-3 course at Augusta National, Smith convinced Melling to add a par-3 course to the golf menu. Threetops, with its extreme elevation changes and challenging design, has become one of the must-play courses for Golfaholics. Over the years many tour professionals have ventured to the Gaylord Golf Mecca. In fact, Golf Channel launched its popular “Big Break” series here in 2003. The original 10 golfers competed in various events and after the other nine competitors were eliminated, Justin Peters from Florida was crowned the winner. Because of Rick Smith’s coaching relationshipwith Phil Mickelson, ESPN filmed the par-3 “Shootout” at Treetops. In 2001, Lee Trevino made a hole-in-one on the 7 th hole, during the event, featuring Trevino, Mickelson, Paul Azinger and Raymond Floyd, to earn $1.09 million, the richest prize ever awarded for a single shot. A plaque bears the exact location of the Merry Mex’s famous shot yet today. In addition to the four championship courses and the par-3 at Treetops, Black Lake Golf Club, Gaylord Country Club, Indian River Golf Club, Loon Golf Resort, Michaywe’- The Pines, Otsego Club and The Natural at Beaver Creek offer a total of 14 golf courses to please any golfer’s appetite. Black Lake Golf Club BlackLakeGolfClub is an18- hole public course designed by nationally acclaimed architect Rees Jones. To produce this charming design, Jones utilized every feature found on the property including, cranberry bogs and a small sand quarry. Black Lake has rec eived many national awards. Golf Digest ranked Black Lake one of its top-10 “Best Values.” Always in pristine condition, Black Lake is a championship design that offers golfers of all abilities an enjoyable round of golf. Gaylord Country Club Gaylord Country Club opened in 1924.The classic routingmeanders through hills and hardwoods and is a well-maintained beauty. Four sets of tee options, plus the design forces players to use of every club in the bag. Gaylord Country Club provides a Private Country Club feel for every golfer. Ohio Golf Journal