Rustic Clubhouse and Finishing Hole

Pohlcat Golf Course:

Built by a Michigan Golf Legend.

We all know the names of those famous PGA champions who have also created a brand for themselves as course architects. Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Norman, Crenshaw, Couples and more recently, Woods and Mickleson have all dived into the course building world with varying degrees of acclaim. Mt. Pleasant Michigan is home to another example of a player-to-architect design, built by one of her native sons, Dan Pohl.

Pohl grew up in this central Michigan town set along the banks of the Chippewa River. A high school prodigy, Pohl ascended his golf career to the PGA Tour in 1978 and just missed a life-changing victory, losing the 1982 Master’s in a playoff to Craig Stadler. He did win twice in 1986, including a plaid jacket for a Colonial victory. The following year he was awarded the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average and selected to the U.S. Ryder Cup team. His career continued to the Champions Tour and into the world of broadcasting. Coming home to Mt. Pleasant, he created a fun, playable test of golf.

Pohlcat is located just north of the airport, about a mile from the E. Pickard Road exit on U.S. 127. The routing is set atop a relatively flat parcel of land thickly wooded in sections, open and windswept in others. A collection of strategic ponds adds to the challenge offered by the gently bending fairways and generously sized green sites. The routing is such that the round does not bring you back to the clubhouse, instead the opening holes lead you in and out of the wooded banks of the river to an open parkland canvas. The finishing nine cycles back to take advantage of the thick forest and culminates with a pair of superb holes carved to use the river for the ultimate challenge.  

The Daunting Finishing Hole

The Chippewa River is the most prominent feature at Pohlcat. The routing puts this beautiful meandering watercourse in full prominence on three of our shotmakers highlight holes. The second hole is a mid length par 4 that has a pond on the left off the tee. The character of the hole is found on the approach which plunges down dramatically across the river to a secluded green tucked amongst the trees. The final three holes are all beauties. The par 5 16th features a tight tree-lined corridor, an interrupted fairway and a sentinel pine guarding the way to the long narrow and heavily sloped green. The 17th is an all-world short hole. The tee deck is perched high above the swirling currents at a hairpin bend in the river. The target is cut into the bank requiring a forced carry over the the water to a wide yet shallow green ringed with bunkers. The grand finish is a brute of a par 4 testing everything you have. The river crosses in front of the tees and short of the fairway. The downhill drive must contend with a right to left canting landing area lined with tall trees and a bunker on the right. The near blind uphill approach is tough enough, but made even more challenging by the gazes of those sitting on the deck of the rustic clubhouse.

Playable and fair are words that jump to mind when thinking of the round at Pohlcat. Generous off the fairway and with a few heavily guarded greens, there is enough challenge offered by the thick corridors and plentiful ponds. The greens are larger than average and have considerable slope on many to make a par seem like a proud accomplishment. The finishing stretch will certainly leave you wanting another crack at the Pohlcat.

Post-round we decided to sample one of Mt. Pleasant’s “Local Tastes” at Mountain Town Station. Located at the western end of the town and along the banks of the Chippewa River, the converted train station is home to a restaurant, gift shop and craft brewery. An extensive food menu offered a range of favorites, but the one that caught my eye was the pulled-pork mac & cheese. A flight of their six hand crafted beers washed down the double bogey finish at Pohlcat, featuring a roster of railway branded brews: Gambler’s Golden Ale, Cow Catcher Red Ale, Iron Horse IPA, Railyard Raspberry Wheat, Steam Engine Stout and what turned out to be my favorite, the Hobo’s Breath Brown Ale. Charming and quaint, the food and brews fit nicely with ambience of a bygone era where trains were king. Visit Moutain Town Station