Garland Swampfire Golf Course Evaluation

Garland Swampfire Golf Course Evaluation

Garland Swampfire
Grade: A-
Trainer’s Feedback: Water, water, all over the place. A considerate design.

Garland’s Swampfire has extra water in play than any course I can keep in mind.

Swampfire was in-built 1987 from a design by Ron Otto. Certainly, every of Garland’s 4 programs was designed by Otto.

Ron Otto is an attention-grabbing story. Whereas Garland was his guardian’s enterprise, Ron struck out on his personal and made a fortune within the storage door trade (he reportedly invented the insulated storage door).

Following the loss of life of his father (Herman) in 1983 and a pure fuel explosion that destroyed the unique lodge in 1985, Ron took over administration of Garland. As a part of the rebuild, Ron Otto reworked the resort’s authentic thirty six holes into 4 new programs: Swampfire, Monarch, Reflections and Fountains.

If I didn’t know this story, I’d have assumed that Swampfire (and Fountains – assessment on the hyperlink) had been designed by one of many Matthews clan. The routings take full benefit of the terrain, and the person gap designs are strong, and infrequently intelligent.

Because the identify suggests, Swampfire is routed via a principally flat, marshy space of lowlands that’s prettier than the “swamp” monicker suggests. The wetlands, with their borders of cattails and native grasses distinction properly with the pine and hardwood forest on the perimeters.

Swampfire is a strategic course. Assuming one performs from the proper tees, a well-placed ball is much extra invaluable than distance. Otto fortunately usually averted the temptation of forcing gamers to hold giant stretches of water. As a substitute, the hazards sometimes run down one facet of the outlet, cross the golf green at no nice depth (however forcing a choice about laying up) or guard the perimeters of greens.

I loved the method selecting my strains and golf equipment at swampfire. There have been various situations that required examine of my Garmin S70. How far to clear that finger of marsh coming in from one facet of the golf green? How a lot room do I’ve to the proper of the inexperienced? What’s the worst potential final result and the way do I keep away from it?

From the information, Swampfire performs at 6, 854 yards. Given the accuracy demanded on so many photographs, that performs longer than the scorecard signifies.

My favourite gap at Swampfire was the par 4 fourth. Starting from a raised tee, it asks for an tee shot over a sliver of water. There’s nothing there to be involved about, however as with all water hazard, it might probably get right into a golfer’s thoughts.

The fourth at Swampfire is the dogleg left at prime with the 2 bunkers. The fifth is just under, with a horseshoe teeing floor.

From the touchdown zone, the outlet doglegs to the left, with two bunkers on the surface. An inlet of a pond pinches the golf green from the left, in order that — relying on the place your first shot lands — the method will both have a straight shot up the golf green, or must clear a part of the pond.

So as to add one other layer, the inexperienced is elevated, with mounding throughout. You don’t need to miss this inexperienced. Ask me how I do know.

The fifth is a really intelligent par three, with a horseshoe teeing floor that extends from 170 to only a hundred yards. With the inexperienced in the course of the arc, it presents a virtually infinite variety of angles for teeing grounds. Simply as neat is that because the yardages lower, so to does the quantity of water {that a} ball wants to hold. From the proper leg of the shoe, there’s no carry in any respect.

Circumstances on the day I performed had been fairly good. A number of the tee packing containers had been a bit beat up, however nothing to compain about.

My solely criticism, in actual fact, was that they wouldn’t let me stroll. It struck me as an ideal strolling course. I’d actually like to return and play it “on the hoof.”

The Swampfire golf course assessment was first printed March 1, 2025 from notes and photographs taken on a spherical performed in the course of the 2024 season. For a listing of all of GolfBlogger’s Michigan golf course opinions, comply with the hyperlink.

A course tour of Swampfire follows: