Shepherd's Hollow Golf Course (2nd & 3rd Courses), Clarkston, Michigan An Upscale Northern Michigan Golf Experience Just North of Detroit

Shepherd's Hollow Golf Course is located just 30 miles north of Detroit, yet provides the layout and terrain that will have golfers thinking they're playing an upscale course in Northern Michigan. The course plays through 350 acres of wooded, rolling land that's been called by renowned golf course architect Arthur Hills "as good a piece of inland property as one has ever seen for a golf course.''

The course opened with 18 holes in 2000, and has since expanded to 27 holes, with the 2nd and 3rd nines considered the best combination. There was actually enough land available to build 36 holes, but developers wanted to keep the holes far enough apart to provide some privacy and add to the feeling of seclusion often found on courses far to the north.

The course also features wide, undulating fairways that play through a mix of hardwood trees, ridges, and valleys, with 160 feet of elevation change throughout. Four ponds also come into play, but don't dominate the course. The course also features a unique bunker style, with sand higher on the faces, that's different from any other Arthur Hills course and provides a distinctive look amid all the trees.

Each of the nines plays to at least 3,585 yards, with the par-72 Shepherd's Hollow 2 and 3 combination playing to 7,235 yards from the longest tees, with a USGA rating of 76.1 and a slope rating of 144. There are five sets of tees from which to choose, and the course plays to only 6,116 yards from the Whites.

It's been said that no two holes are alike on this course, and some of the more noteworthy holes include Hole No. 13. This hole is both scenic and challenging, a par-5 that plays to 565 yards from the back tees and is the #2-handicap hole. The tee shot must carry the large pond just beyond the tee box, then contend with four bunkers that guard the right side of the fairway. Ideally, second shots should reach a plateau 100 yards short of the green, while approach shots will have to be wary of more bunkers along the way.

Hole No. 18 is similar, another par-5 that plays to 564 yards from the tips and ranks as the #1-handicap hole. From the tee box, golfers will see a long fairway that slopes left-to-right toward seven bunkers that guard the right side. Second shots will then have to contend with a large pond as the fairway wraps around it, while approach shots will take aim at a multi-tiered green tucked right behind the water hazard and guarded by four more bunkers at the back.

Since opening, Shepherd's Hollow has received raves from golf critics and players, and is now considered the "King of Metro Detroit golf courses.'' Golf Digest also recently ranked it as the 37th best public golf course in the country.

Practice facilities at Shepherd's Hollow include a full-service driving range and short-game practice area. Lessons are also available and there's a fully stocked golf shop.

The course also features an elegant clubhouse, and the dining experience has been called "second-to-none''.