Course Review: Iyopawa Island Golf Club
Coldwater Lake
By Tom Lang
What I like about golf in Michigan is that we have so many different golf courses that cater to all kinds of golfer skills, price ranges, land features and golf challenges.
Per Google, I recently happened upon a course I never heard of before while hoping to get the winter rust off the clubs by taking advantage of one nice day near the end of April before another rain/sleet/snow cold snap came along. Anything within a one-hour drive, that seemed different than others, and might not be crowded would do.
I found such criteria in Iyopawa Island Golf Club, situated on an island in the middle of Coldwater Lake, 3 miles north of the Indiana border.
The course opened 91 years ago in 1932 and has always been 9 holes and will stay that way – since the golf course already takes up about 80 percent of the island and family cabins and homes take up the remainder along the shoreline rim.
It’s not a breathtaking golf course – but it is perfect for families, beginners and intermediates to the game – without boring the accomplished golfer who might be joining them. To last for over nine decades and still be going strong proves this out as a needed option for summer vacationers.
The layout has three each of par 3’s, par 4’s and par 5’s. Forward tees are at 2154 yards with the backs at 2781. Only one sand trap, on the par 3 5th hole, requires a golfer to hit over it, and there’s only four bunkers on the entire course. The only water is what you can see between the homes of Coldwater Lake.
Due to being on an island in a shallow lake, the only elevation challenges come on holes 1 and 9. A deep valley runs across both fairways, and when you are in it on 9, you’ll have a totally blind shot to the closing green.
All greens are void of any major undulations, but the 7th and 8th are heavily slanted from back to front, and depending on the pin placement could easily become three-putt or worse.
Verbal lore claims that the location of the golf course used to be a sunflower farm, but now trees rim the property and line many fairways, but are not intrusive.
All in all, Iyopawa Island Golf Club is a great location for families to recreate and for long hitters to leave the driver in the bag but still have a nice time. It’s very affordable and is in a remote, soothing location. Would I suggest driving more than an hour to try it; no. But with its location not too far from Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Jackson, and right off the I-69 freeway on the way to Indianapolis and points south, it could be a nice break from the car for vacationers to fit in a quick nine.
