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Business & Tech

Hidden Challenges Make Rustic Glen Golf Club Entertaining

Rustic Glen seems open, but it plays harder than it initially seems.

Six miles west of Saline on Michigan Avenue sits , an 18-hole course open to the public. While it looks simple enough, be careful; Rustic Glen offers a challenge to players of all skill levels.

“We’re a little bit out in the country, so you get a nice, quiet setting. It’s just a fun place to play golf,” said owner and PGA Professional Greg Hodges.

Opened in 1963 as a nine-hole course, Rustic Glen was expanded to its present 18-hole layout in 1999. A 350-yard driving range has greens scattered along the distances to allow for approach practice from natural grass, and the clubhouse holds a large dining area for enjoying a quick drink on the turn or a meal after a day on the course as well as a well-stocked pro shop for needed equipment. The course offers wide fairways and open greens, but challenges players with hidden traps and deceiving distances.

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The front nine is the longer set of holes, but it will not necessarily seem that way at first. Hills make holes seem closer than it would originally appear. The sixth hole, a long par five, exemplifies this. A solid drive will place you within striking range of the green in two, but the hole looks closer than it really is; be sure to bring enough club to get to the green.

The back nine will also play with distances, although in more appreciable ways. The tenth and seventeenth holes seem innocent enough, but make sure you do not fly the greens. Both holes share a pond behind their respective holes that will gladly take your ball in sacrifice to a long iron shot. Probably the most interesting hole on the course is fifteen, a par five that has reasonable length. Standing at a well-placed drive, a player can see the hole and assume it is well within range, and it is. However, what the player will not see is the pond, hidden by a late hill, that almost entirely surrounds the green, making the landing a tricky endeavor.

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“There are a couple challenging holes and there are a lot friendly holes. For the really good golfer, he can find a challenge to play it while beginning golfers can learn to play without a lot of stress. You won’t lose a dozen golf balls golfing here,” said Hodges.

If you are looking for a good challenge while still being accessible to all levels of play, Rustic Glen is an excellent choice.  You should not lose too many golf balls on the course, but you will spend some time wishing they had travelled a bit further.

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