The Fountains course at Garland Resort is the newest and greatest addition to the stable of courses at this venerable Northern Michigan resort. True to its name, the course features numerous fountains in the many water hazards that highlight the rolling terrain. Ron Otto – architect and owner of Garland – clearly utilized his experience designing the other three courses, and for an architect lacking an apprentice and formal training, he has constructed one of the must-see courses in Michigan. Renowned for its scenic beauty, the Fountains Course at Garland also challenges the better player with a mix of holes that place an emphasis on strategy around the greens.

While the course is not the most difficult at the resort (that credential is held by the demanding Monarch Course), Fountains does require a variety of shots to ensure good scores, and most important is the ability to play wisely and conservatively. With water coming into play on nine holes, the golfer that can keep their ball dry will stand the best chance at success.

After an easy opening hole, the golf course hits its stride on the 517-yard second hole, which the golfer arrives at following an extended trip across a beautiful bridge that bisects a naturalized area, and can claim the title of largest single span bridge in the world. Built in the same log style as the Garland Lodge, it feels like a passage from the cozy confines of the resort atmosphere into a wilderness golf experience. Playing downhill, the reachable par five demands that the approach, whether it be a fairway wood or wedge third, carry a water hazard short, and be fit between two bunkers that narrow the green. Great execution and club selection is imperative, as the green is 46 yards deep, making an accurate mis-club as dangerous as a blatant miss.

Like its predecessor, the 176-yard third demands the approach come in from above, and with plenty of legs. With a marsh obstructing the path from tee to green, and a false front upon arrival, the third plays to its full yardage, and the bank will cruelly hold few shots from trickling back into the hazard. An extra club to the back portion of the green complex brings bunkers into play, but ensures a better chance at staying dry and saving par.

The middle holes at the Fountains Course provide the best opportunity for low scoring, and it begins at the seventh, the first of four par fives in a six-hole stretch. Seven measures 580 yards, which might dry up the nervous energy of the longer hitter, but a drive along the inside edge of the dogleg left can marginally shorten the hole, providing the bunkers are carried. Either way, the wise second shot is to before the 100-yard mark, where three bunkers and a pond pinch the fairway lead-in to the green. 

If the seventh has the most brawn, the eighth is surely the most beautiful. Another par five measuring a more manageable 526 yards, this hole is known for its green complex, where a pair of ponds divided by a sliver of fairway lap up to the edge of this small, angled green. The sliver of land looks like an oasis and plays like one as well, so the player must commit decisively to either a lay-up or a play at the green. Fountains frame the target on either shot.

After another short par five opens up the inward half, the golfer comes to the 184-yard 11th, the only hole  at Fountains without a conventional hazard. The undulations on the green, and the terrain that frames the shot, belie the need for any bunkers or water hazards, as a shot missing left will carom down a tightly-cropped slope leaving an impossible recovery. Plays to the right will feed down onto a large green defined by several swales, which makes putting an adventure. 

Plenty of options are what the Fountains course is all about, and the 15th exemplifies the indecision that the course can brood in players. While only 485 yards, this par five offers a good birdie chance on the final stretch if both water hazards can be avoided. The green is a peninsula, which is open only from the front, allowing running shots into the narrow entrance. With two par threes in the final holes, this is the last good birdie chance on the Fountains Course.

Since the 1999 opening, the Fountains course has entrenched itself as the favourite of many resort guests for its combination of fun and strategic golf. Between the unique bridge that extends from the first green to the second tee, and the fountains that adorn each pond, the aesthetic experience on the Fountains Course can often undermine the quality of the golf. To the impassioned resort golfer, the overall experience is not to be missed.