Course Breakdown: Emerald Vale holes 15-18

After all the indecision on the 14th, the 15th feels like a breath of fresh air. From a strategy standpoint, it’s about as straightforward as it gets. This short-ish par 4 continues the familiar theme: stay out of the trees, and good things will follow.

A slightly elevated tee gives you a clear view of the hole—an uphill climb to the green and a fairway bunker on the right at around 250 yards. That bunker marks the boundary. Stay short of it, and the landing zone opens up as wide as it gets. I usually go with my 230-yard club off the tee to take the trouble out of play.

The green is elevated and slopes from the back-left corner to the front-right. If you're going to miss on your approach, miss left—you’ll have a downhill chip, but it’s much better than missing short or right. The front-right bunker is deep and, in my opinion, one of the toughest on the course to escape from cleanly.

I love being able to see actual numbers behind how I remember a course’s topography. Usually, my memory holds up pretty well at Emerald Vale—but this hole kind of blew my mind. I had to triple-check my math when I saw that this hole ascends 48 feet from tee to green. I always knew it was uphill, but nearly 50 feet? That surprised me.

It does explain a lot, though. Despite this being just over 500 yards—a distance I can cover with two well-struck shots—I honestly don’t remember ever reaching this green in two.

The 16th is dead straight, flanked by long grass on both sides, and plays like an uphill death march. You can’t see the green from the tee thanks to a large hill that begins 225 yards out and climbs 18 feet, peaking around the 150-yard marker. Anything further back than 180 yards and your view of the green is completely blocked.

If your view is obstructed, use the pine trees behind the green to help line up your shot. The left edge of the middle pine tree marks the center of the green.

From both the 150- and 100-yard markers, the green rises another 15 feet, so make sure to add about 5 yards to your approach to compensate. The green slopes steeply from back to front—so you definitely don’t want to go long. But the front bunkers are no joke either; they’re deep and demanding.

A good rule of thumb here: shoot for the back edge of the green and play to that number. Factoring in the uphill, this approach gives you the best odds of actually holding the putting surface.

The downhill 17th is one of those par 3s that shouldn't be too tough—but at this distance, even solid ball-strikers can see some wide shot dispersions.

The front edge of the green is about 175 yards from the blue tees, which is typically the number I try to carry. With nearly 30 feet of downhill elevation, that 175 shot will often carry closer to 185 yards. That puts your landing zone right on the front half of the green, with plenty of room for the ball to release forward.

However, this hole often plays into a hurting wind from the right, which can completely neutralize the effect of the downhill. Club selection here gets tricky, fast.

The green is one of the largest on the course and isn't overly dramatic—there are plenty of subtle breaks, but nothing consistently severe or intimidating.

As for misses, the worst spot is definitely right of the right-side bunker. That area is often beat up from cart traffic, and the long grass slopes down toward the green, leaving you with a downhill lie and a carry over the bunker. It’s a tough spot to recover from—definitely a shot you want to avoid.

The finishing hole at Emerald Vale is a solid test to close out your round. It’s the second-longest par 4 on the course and plays uphill from tee to green, with plenty of visual trouble to get in your head off the tee.

Water begins creeping into the fairway starting about 240 yards from the blue tees. Fortunately, the fairway is at its widest right here—about 70 yards across. But as you move further up, the water keeps pushing in. By the time you're 270 yards out, the fairway narrows to just 42 yards wide.

This visual pressure might tempt you to bail out left, but that’s not a great option either. There are small pot bunkers on the left side of the fairway, sitting between 192 and 248 yards from the tee. A few steps left of those bunkers, and you’re technically out of bounds—but it isn’t a property line, just the driving range.

I say “technically” because, well... let’s just say I’ve “found” my ball over there and played on, though the white stakes didn’t exactly approve. You’ll have a shot at the green—just maybe not a clean conscience.

Personally, I hit driver and aim at the left edge of the water. It's the bold line, but with a confident swing, it sets you up well.

The approach plays slightly uphill and, like 17, usually into a hurting wind. The safe miss here is long—so take plenty of club and commit to the shot. Coming up short can bring nasty bunkers into play.

CONCLUSION:

I don’t play Emerald Vale nearly as much as I used to, but I’m still a big fan of the place. With the most expensive rate topping out at $60 for a weekend round with a cart, it’s one of the more budget-friendly golf experiences out there. Want to get some steps in? You can walk it for just $26. You just don’t find value like that for golf in Northern Michigan anymore.

Is Emerald Vale going to have the best conditions you’ll find? No—but what it does offer is 18 unique, well-designed, and genuinely challenging golf holes. At the time I’m writing this, the course is up for sale. I can only hope the future owners see its potential and invest in it. If they do, I truly believe this could be one of the top tracks in Northern Michigan.

Thanks for following along—and go check out Emerald Vale!

—Your Hat Caddies