TimberStone at Pine Mountain - UP Michigan

TimberStone at Pine Mountain may be the best golf course in the midwest that too few golfers have played. Located in Iron Mountain, in the UP, it is a shot-makers cornucopia with thorns. Playing 6,937 yards from the tips, TS traverses up, down and around Pine Mountain with a grace that finesses and negotiates topography that is severe enough to accommodate a world-class ski hill right next door. It's not hard to imagine flying Finns and nerveless Norwegians soaring off the terminus of the ski hill and landing just a few steps away from the spectators at the bottom. The ski jump was completed in 1939 and has seen many international competitions over the years. Years ago, jumpers would shout "Sagola" as they flew off the hill, hoping to reach a sufficient height to see the little town of Sagola, 30 miles to the north.

Many years ago, this writer was told that climbing the ski hill was a "yooper" rite of passage which included the consumption of a number of adult beverages before, during and after the ascent. This was long before TS had been built but to walk the course could be likened to that long-ago hike up Pine Mountain. It's a trek!

TimberStone is a course which is comprised of memorable golf holes with great shot values. The fairways are challenging without feeling constricted. While TS is not comparable to a Pete Dye target golf course, attention must be paid to where the narrowing occurs as one approaches green complexes. Holes #5 and # 6 , for example, play around a lake which reduces the landing areas from every set of tees. Pars 5 and 4, respectively, the second shot on each of these holes requires pin-point accuracy. Walking away with pars is gratifying and the short, dogleg left par 4 7th, Double Vision, presents the first of two double-green complexes on the golf course; sharing a large green with #12. Holes 9 and 18 also share a green and both play down the mountain and toward the clubhouse.

TS's signature hole is # 17, a par 3 which plays eleven stories down the mountain. At 215 yards from the back tee, the vista on 17 faces due north, beyond the previously mentioned town of Sagola. The 18th is a stepped descent of 200' to the double green. At 625 yards, what might seem a very long par 5 is actually quite accessible, given the steep drop.

What cannot be conveyed in words is the profound physical beauty at TimberStone. The spelling and capitalization of the name hints at what exists here: in fact nails it. Stands of conifers and hardwoods envelop the golfer in a majestic, 250 acre paean to the game. Boulders as big as VWs create context at green complexes which enunciate the scale of what is here. It is the north woods and more. If this place were situated nearer to a metropolitan area, the $69 green fee (w/cart) would be doubled; and they would come. Built by a successful businessman who wanted to give something back to his community, TS and Iron Mountain struggle to achieve traction as the "Gateway to the Upper Peninsula". The presence of the ski hill and the UP Sports Hall of Fame adds some cachet to the area and the offerings and service at Famers, the bar/restaurant which houses the UPSHF, is excellent. Local heroes Steve Mariucci and Tom Izzo aren't the only UPrs who jump out as identifiable celebrities. George Gipp of Notre Dame is enshrined here as well. One for the Gipper was our mantra.

The lodge offers 55 rooms and condos year-round. Additional information can be found at www.timberstonegolf.com or by calling 906-776-0111