The Emerald Golf Course in Saint Johns: the gem of Mid-Michigan golf
SAINT JOHNS, Mich. -- It seems like you can't swing a dead opossum in mid-Michigan without hitting a course designed by Jerry Matthews. His courses appear where you least expect to see verdant, rolling links. And, true to form, in the wide open swath of Michigan countryside between Lansing and Mt. Pleasant, just north of Saint Johns, The Emerald Golf Course materializes invitingly along the side of the highway.
The hallmark of Jerry Matthews' designs is their "naturalness," or the way they adapt to the natural lay of the land, and The Emerald is no exception.
The only substantive alterations made here are in the turf, which is bentgrass from tee to green, and in the ever-present mounding that lines most of the fairways (especially along the opening and closing holes).
The greens fees at The Emerald are in the medium to high range for the area. But then again, it may well be worth it for many intermediate-level golfers who want to play a Matthews design and do not want to mess with the crowds, and even higher greens fees, at Matthews-designed courses closer to Lansing.
This is not to say that scratch golfers won't be challenged by The Emerald, because they will be on several holes. But on the whole, the course is less resistant to scoring than might be expected at the two or three legitimate top-flight mid-Michigan courses.
At only 6,654 yards from the back tees (the "emerald" tees, of course), length isn't an issue, and aside from a few tight holes, one is able to miss fairways with regularity and not pay too heavy a scoring price.
The Emerald suffers from two small weaknesses. First, at the time of my visit, the bentgrass fairways were pretty patchy, especially on the front nine. A goodly portion of several landing areas were as much brown as green. Second, you notice a certain amount of redundancy in the holes.
For example, Nos. 14, 15, and 16 are quite similar in shape and distance to Nos. 6, 7, and 12, respectively. This may be good if you screwed up the 6, 7, and 12 and want another crack at them (as did I--but sadly I screwed up 14, 15, and 16 as well), and it may be an unavoidable consequence of the "natural design." However, it does make for a somewhat less memorable round.
On the positive side, such a design allows you to feel and appreciate what the land was like before it was a golf course, and most of the natural beauty is retained.
If you doubt this, just ask the fawn that we saw rambling across two separate fairways during our round. She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. Of course, she wasn't chunking her approach shots like I was, so naturally she was having a good time.
Before moving on to the course itself, I need to mention that the clubhouse offers a well stocked pro shop, a bar and grill, and an extremely personable staff. The driving range and practice green are well-maintained, and the gas-powered carts have plenty of giddy-up to get you around the course (unlike some electric carts I've recently driven).
To the first tee, the 400-yard, par-4 1st is a great hole for a Mulligan. If you are not warmed-up before you tee off, you might be quite intimidated by the driving range bordering the fairway on the right and the O.B. stakes all along the left. At least you don't need to take your driver out here, as a creek runs across the fairway 260 or so yards off the tips.
No. 2 is a 382-yard par 4 with water guarding the right side of the green. This water is very intimidating to duffers like me on the second shot; do not, I repeat do not, hang your approach out to the right or it will roll straight down the bank into the pond. God bless the inventor of the ball-dipper.
The Emerald Golf Course's 222-yard, par-3 4th was voted by the writers of Lansing City Limits magazine as one of the best eighteen holes in the Lansing area. Now, I'm not fond of holes lined with crops, so the soybean field all along the left of No. 4 is not visually appealing in my opinion. But the field (and the associated O.B.) is intimidating, as is the very blue pond lurking from tee to green on the right. From the tee you can't really tell that the pond is there by the green, but trust me, it is, and all of us long-iron slicers will find it.
No. 5 is a short par 4, but the green practically a mesa, with very steep sides. So don't miss right, left, or long. And don't drive your cart anywhere but on the path, or else risk a nasty rollover.
No. 6 is 432 yards and plays over a swale all uphill to the green. It is a very tough par 4 under most conditions, and into the wind, it is an absolute killer. My photographer and I were playing from the tips, but after two respectable drives into the teeth of the wind that didn't even make it to the fairway, we gave up and hit our Mulligans from the whites (diamonds).
The 551-yard, par-5 No. 7 is a very pretty hole that takes you from a realtively open tee box around a big dogleg right and into the pines. The green is truly lovely, tucked to the left behind pines, mounds, and bunkers.
The 340-yard 11th was also chosen by Lansing City Limits as one of the eighteen best holes in the area. While not long, it does offer a picturesque tee shot over a pond and a creek. The fairway is a dogleg right, so a drive just off the left side of the large maple towering over the righthand side of the fairway will end up perfectly.
The green here is rather small and shaped like a T-bone steak. This, like all the greens at The Emerald, contains enough subtle breaks to annoy and confuse those of us who are not skilled at reading greens.
Although the 18th is not the most memorable finishing hole, it does have a pretty second shot to the green. In my opinion, the 17th (451 yards, par 5) is more attractive. The second shot, if you're tying to go for the green in two, is over a wide swale and threatens with trouble on both sides. The green is slightly elevated and surrounded on 3 sides with sizable mounds, like an amphitheater.
The Emerald Golf Course: The verdict
The Emerald Golf Course calls itself "the gem of mid-Michigan golf," but in comparison to some other notable Matthews designs, it is somewhat lacking in "signature" holes that will stand out in your memory.
Nevertheless, The Emerald Golf Course offers an extremely pleasant round on a classic Jerry Matthews design, and is certainly in the top tier of Lansing-area courses, just not quite at the top of that tier.
Considering also that The Emerald just opened in 1996, there is a good chance that when it matures a bit more, the course may develop into a true "gem" from the "semi-precious" category that it now occupies.
August 13, 2001
Kiel Christianson, Senior Writer
Kiel Christianson has lived, worked, traveled and golfed extensively on three continents. As senior writer and equipment editor for WorldGolf.com, he has reviewed courses, resorts, and golf academies from California to Ireland, including his home course, Lake of the Woods G.C. in Mahomet, Ill. Read his golf blog here and follow him on Twitter @GolfWriterKiel.