The Legacy by Arthur Hills is the Free Press' Top Public Golf Course in Monroe County
The best part of The Legacy by Arthur Hills is that it doesn't try to be something it's not. You won't find gimmicky rock walls, out-of-place water features or elevation changes that appear out of nowhere.
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No, the Legacy knows what it is: A farmland course in Ottawa Lake that takes its pastoral cues from surrounding pastures and imbues it with some of that same unadorned, windswept beauty.
There's an earthy charm to all of it, but mostly The Legacy earns its spot as the Free Press' Top Public Course in Monroe County by virtue of its challenge, variety of design and playability from five sets of tees that top out at just over 6,800 yards.
The 10th hole, a short par-4, at The Legacy By Arthur Hills Golf Club in Ottawa Lake.
AROUND THE STATE: Best Michigan private golf courses ranked: Alister MacKenzie gem still No. 1
Credit Hills, the late architect who used to live by the course, for putting a lot of thought into creating a straightforward but fun course with enough challenge to test even the most skilled player.
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OK, I said there weren't any gimmicks but there is one: the island green on the 155-yard eighth hole. It isn't quite the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, but it's a large green that plays into a prevailing stout wind, so make sure you take plenty of club and even more mental fortitude on your way to the tee box.
Hills' designs often reflected a straightforward, practical approach to the game. The first hole, with its dogleg right and generous bailout to the left, was an example of this, catering to right-handers who mostly slice the ball but also not penalizing those who draw the ball. Just about everyone can get off the first tee and keep the traffic moving right away.
A couple of years after I first played The Legacy, I played the Grasslands Golf and Country Club in Lakeland, Florida — where the Tigers often golf during spring training. After a while, it dawned on me that the typical, flat-land, open-vista course surprisingly reminded me of The Legacy.
The openness of both courses was similar, and the five lakes at The Legacy might make you think you're in the Sunshine State for just a moment. But there are also enough trees on the course to never let you forget you're still in the Midwest.
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Also, because the design trend has shifted toward open courses with fewer trees, this nearly 30-year-old course seems as hip right now as a middle-aged dad who knows all the words to 'Pink Pony Club.'
Even if that design trend shifts, The Legacy will never go out of style with its mix of challenge, playability and unadorned beauty.
The rest of the series
MACOMB COUNTY: The Orchards
WAYNE COUNTY: The Cardinal at St. John's
OAKLAND COUNTY: Shepherd's Hollow
LIVINGSTON COUNTY: Moose Ridge
WASHTENAW COUNTY: U-M Golf Course
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on X @cmonarrez.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The Legacy is the Free Press' Top Public Golf Course in Monroe County
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