Treetops Now on Full Display
By Tom Lang
With a name like Treetops, it’s clear from the start that northern Michigan trees are a major component to any golfer’s expectations and experience at the Gaylord-area golf and ski resort.
The staff at Treetops took that fact very seriously in its most recent tree removal program at the Rick Smith Signature Course.
General Manager Barry Owens told me that for the last 30 years since the Signature opened to rave reviews, trees were now becoming intrusive in several ways. They were causing too much shade for having healthy turf, expansive root systems were sucking up too much water at the peril of other foliage health – and most of all, trees were blocking the great views and vistas of the surrounding countryside that a golf experience at Treetops offers.
There was no choice but to cut back some trees and remove many more altogether. The vast majority he said were outside the boundaries of the holes themselves.
“When the course was originally built you could see several other holes,” Owens said of the elevated views on the Signature. “Now golfers will be able to do that again and that’s what this is all about. We’ve done it with a couple of our courses already including the Rick Smith Tradition and Tom Fazio Premiere.”
Owens said that 95 percent of the trees they removed are 30 years old. “Some of the bigger ones we are taking down were saplings, or 15 footers that didn’t do much, and before you know it, now they’re 40 footers that cause too much shade with big root systems that are sucking water out of the ground.”
“When the Signature first opened, we were fortunate to get all the national awards and such, and a lot of this effort is to bring the course and the experience back to that time.”
One example Owens gave was hole No. 6, a par 5. He said the smaller trees had grown so much that when driving down the cart path on the left side, golfers couldn’t see the hole they’re playing on the right.
“We’re very excited because it’s going to open things up, improve turf conditions, it will improve shot values and you’re going to see other holes on the course,” Owen said. “On 16 and 18 we’ve really opened up the beautiful long views.
“When we did the Tradition (tree removal almost three years ago) people just loved it. We did the Fazio course last winter and it also received rave reviews. Now, the Signature will probably be the most dramatic of all because we had a lot of overgrowth that needed to be addressed.
“Rick Smith did a really good job on the bunkering when the course was built,” he added, “but lately a lot of it you couldn’t see anymore. The trees had overgrown so much.”
Some of the tree removal wasn’t avoidable anyway due to some Beech trees dying off. Owens said those are suffering from diseases not that much different than the Emerald Ash Bore disaster that killed so many Ash trees in Michigan about 10-15 years ago.
Golfweek’s list of the top 200 golf resort courses in the country that came out recently showed that the Signature jumped up several places to No. 162. Owens said he feels this tree improvement project will take it even higher on future ranking lists.
Well respected Michigan-based course designer Paul Albanese has been guiding Treetops with modifications and ideas.
“Taking out those trees will provide tremendous views across that wonderful piece of property,” Albanese said. “I think Rick Smith meant to take out more trees in the original design, so this is fitting with his vision in the first place.
“What you get is a double win when you take trees out. Not only do you get these great vistas, the sunshine and the air movement that is allowed now makes turf quality that much better. We’ve increased the ability for (the superintendents) to keep the turf in the condition they want it, so that’s a real plus. I think golfers will appreciate it all.”
The Tradition and the Fazio:
“It’s similar to what we did at the (Tom) Fazio course last year,” Albanese continued. “We took out a whole bunch of trees and I don’t think most golfers would even recognize we did that. There were just more trees behind the ones we took out. And taking out that layer we’re able to increase turf quality at the Fazio course and open up some great views there too, especially 18.”
Owens said removing most trees at the Tradition (also designed by Smith) allowed for an inland links style course that gives golfers a totally different look. These changes highlights the terrain variation and brings wind into club selection.
“Since the tree removal took place (in 2022) the course has shot up in popularity, brings a completely different golf experience than the rest of our courses and it’s accomplishing exactly what we were hoping for,” Owens said. “We did some updates in the irrigation systems in addition to the tree removal, so the Tradition probably has arguably the best greens on the property right now.”
Owens said keeping the initial designs are paramount in the latest master plan.
“It was important to us to keep the integrity of all the original designs, and we know Paul honors that position,” he said. “We want people to know we haven’t moved any dirt. We haven’t added bunkers or removed any. We have kept that all intact because we love the quality of the designs from when they were done. But there might be in the future some things done; because bunkers do change over time.”
The original course, the Robert Trent Jones Masterpiece in which the resort name Treetops was first established, opened in 1987 and Golf Digest named it the No. 2 new resort course in the United States. Today, Golfweek notes this ‘bucket list’ course as a Top 200 Resort Golf Course at No. 147, having moved up in the rankings by 44 spots.
Other Investments and Improvements:
Starting last year, Treetops put more emphasis on communicating their Pace of Play expectations, and the reviews were positive. The current goal for 18-hole rounds is 4.5 hours.
“We made big strides in that last year,” Owens said. “While most people when asked if they play slow will say ‘no,’ we really do have a problem with it in the golf industry overall if we’re honest about it. So, we’re out there publicly talking about it, putting emphasis on it – because it’s so important for a good experience. People don’t want to be out there for an extended period but would rather play in an appropriate amount of time. Last year we publicized it to our guests before coming, and we had great feedback and great results.
“We think it starts with awareness and knowledge of expectations and communicating them.”
But he also said Treetops does not go to the point of using GPS to police anything: “We feel you’re out there to get away from screens. But people can choose to use their own screens, from watches to apps. We had great feedback and participation last year (regarding pace of play) … and we are looking forward to big leaps this year.”
There’s also evidence that the popularity of the reinvigorated Jones Cottages has swelled. Treetops now has 6 cottages, with 4 bedrooms 4 baths each with large gathering areas upstairs and down – that are all walking distance to the Jones Masterpiece pro shop and driving range.
The Chalets were also updated. There are six 3-bedroom units and six 2-bedrooms – again, with open areas for eating, playing cards, etc., with a fully-lit putting green outside them all and bonfire pits as well.
“Lots of activity there every evening, people outside putting, networking and meeting new people, and maintaining old friendships,” Owens added.
Treetops has invested over $5 million the past few years on lodging options and upgrades, so if you haven’t had a Treetops overnight experience in a while, perhaps it’s time to return. More information is at: www.treetops.com/summer/golfing
