Lakewood Shores Resort, The Gailes Course, Oscoda, Michigan - The Look and Feel of the Famous Seaside Golf Courses of Scotland

The Gailes Course at Lakewood Shores Resort in Northeastern Michigan is one of three distinctly different courses found at the resort. The Gailes Course, which opened in 1992, was designed by Kevin Aldridge and features rolling fairways, pot bunkers, tall, fescue-covered mounds and heather roughs, which create the look and feel of the famous seaside courses of Scotland.

The Gailes is said be to an "old-world'' golf experience - a true Scottish Links design with meandering berms, sod-faced bunkers and occasionally strong winds blowing in off Lake Huron. The fairways at The Gailes are generous and nicely sculpted and, because the grass is cut so short, particularly close to the greens, golfers will find their putters the club of choice even many yards from the actual putting surfaces. The greens themselves tend to be huge, but are fast and undulating. Encountering a crown or swale on the putting surface is not uncommon.

The 18-hole, par-72 course plays to 6,954 yards from the longest tees, with a USGA rating of 75.0 and a slope rating of 138. Even the much shorter Blue (6,393 yards) and White tees (6,073 yards) can prove a challenge for first-time visitors to the Gailes. That's because Lakewood Shores has chosen not to make use of a pin-placement system - an intentional design feature that forces golfers to adhere to the time-honored tradition of calculating distance for themselves.

Some of the more noteworthy holes include No. 5, the #1-handicap hole. The par-4 plays to 498 yards from the back tees, but a more manageable 408 from the Blues. Difficulties can be encountered with the creek that crosses the fairway about 180 yards from the tee, as well as the fescue-covered mounds on both sides of the fairway. The green is designed for a bump-and-run approach, but golfers must be wary of the pot bunker on the right and a grassy swale on the left.

Hole No. 10, "Over the Hill,'' is a short par-4 that captures the essence of links golf. Hidden hazards abound and the hole demands one of the best tees shots of the round. There's a forced carry off the tee that requires a long iron to a landing area surrounded by a quagmire of mounding, deep sod-faced bunkers and knee-high fescue. The approach shot that follows plays to a slightly hidden green guarded by bunkers on the left.

The Gailes has received a number of awards and accolades since opening, including being named the #1 Resort Course in Michigan by the Detroit News Golf Guide, 1997, and being ranked the #1 Public Resort Course in Michigan by Golf Digest in 1996.

Practice facilities at The Gailes include a driving range with 15 tees, two putting greens and the Wee Links, a pitch-and-putt course with holes ranging from 50 to 105 yards. The course also features a full-service clubhouse with both casual and fine dining at the Scotland Cove restaurant.

Lodging is also available in the resort's 152 rooms, and other activities include a private beach on Cedar Lake for swimming, jet skiing, canoeing and fishing. The resort is also just minutes away from Lake Huron.