Back
The Fortress Golf Course
Rating Snapshot
About
The Fortress was inspired by classic Scottish golf courses, incorporating fescue-covered mounds and a liberal smattering of bunkers, 75 to be exact, around the large, sectioned greens. The expansive greens average 7,500 feet, providing golfers with some challenging putts. Patches of rough that are several inches thick and strategic mounding separate the winding fairways. The back nine holes are where the course really shines. It becomes especially interesting by the time you reach the par-4 13th hole, a dogleg left that is bordered by two large ponds. It is hard to decide which is worse: landing in one of the four bunkers or the deep gorse on the mounds behind the green, but both are better than losing your ball to the water. The signature hole of the golf course though is the 17th, known for its challenging island green. There is little room for error on the long, narrow green.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 72 | 6813 yards | 73.8 | 140 |
| Maroon | 72 | 6271 yards | 71.3 | 135 |
| Gold | 72 | 4837 yards | 69.2 | 128 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black M: 74.2/142 W: 80.3/150 | 522 | 167 | 456 | 149 | 353 | 501 | 437 | 409 | 453 | 3447 | 369 | 391 | 209 | 443 | 523 | 350 | 380 | 172 | 529 | 3366 | 6813 |
| Maroon M: 71.4/139 W: 77.4/145 | 494 | 140 | 431 | 119 | 324 | 467 | 390 | 378 | 437 | 3180 | 336 | 363 | 181 | 410 | 496 | 309 | 333 | 153 | 510 | 3091 | 6271 |
| Combo M: 67.1/127 W: 72.7/137 | 415 | 140 | 342 | 119 | 324 | 390 | 288 | 278 | 325 | 2621 | 336 | 363 | 181 | 315 | 398 | 309 | 333 | 153 | 436 | 2824 | 5445 |
| Gold M: 64.3/115 W: 69.4/129 | 415 | 82 | 342 | 83 | 275 | 390 | 288 | 278 | 325 | 2478 | 272 | 254 | 109 | 315 | 398 | 239 | 247 | 89 | 436 | 2359 | 4837 |
| Handicap | 6 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 3 | |||
| Par | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
Hot Deals at The Fortress Golf Course
1-4
No Hot Deals for this date.
No Hot Deals for this date.
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
RestaurantAccolades
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
-
Photo submitted by Blake5355960 on 10/13/2024
-
17th hole an absolute beautiful hole Photo submitted by Michael6064109 on 10/15/2021
-
Photo submitted by thomaskvincent1 on 09/27/2021
-
Photo submitted by Simpson85 on 06/19/2021
-
Photo submitted by Kathy6050012 on 10/04/2020
-
#17 Photo submitted by RG2341 on 06/09/2020
-
Photo submitted by u314160118166 on 06/01/2020
-
Photo submitted by jasonhoy on 08/19/2019
This course is worth every dollar
Greens are fast and the fairways are always beautiful! If you’re Looking for a challenging course this is the course to play. Even if you don’t want a challenging course you can always play forward vs back.
Great Public Course
Came back to play here again because the course is always in great shape. Fairways are like carpet and greens are true (could be a little faster). I do find the regular rate a little high but you get what you pay for.
Gorgeous
My mom and I got this on a Hot Deal so we only paid $26 each for 18. This is the best manicured course I've ever played on. The holes are long and hilly. It's a beautiful course and I look forward to bringing my husband back to play so he can see it for himself!
Beautiful golf course
Could not ask for a better fall day to play this beautiful course. Blue skies and sunshine really accentuated the colors of the trees, adding to the beauty of this course! Very nice layout and conditions! Only one drawback, we were not aware that the greens were aerated. I guess we were not surprised being that it’s October in Michigan
Tracy Pruitt
The Fortress is absolutely one of the best manicured, as well as challenging courses in Michigan. The staff are gracious and hospitable. The club pro may be the best at what he does. No cookie cutter lessons. Everything about the Fortress makes it worth every penny.
First time...will return!
Best Public Course greens I have ever seen! Truly enjoyed my round and will certainly drive an hour to return.
Great shape as always
Greens were immaculate. We’re aerating two fairways but had them done really fast. No issues. Course is immaculate.
Great place
Quickly has become my favorite course in mid Michigan. Not only for value but also for course condition there are not many that can compete with the fortress.
Great Value
Nice price for this very well maintained course.
Had rained earlier -- cart path only, but worked out ok.
Good course to play.
Course was alright, management of the course could for sure be improved
Purchased thru Golfnow at a discounted rate ($39/round instead of the usual $60/round). Followed a pair out (appeared to be a pro and a student). Pair in front of us quickjly caught the group in front of them, and instead of playing thru after prompted by the group in front of them continued to lag behind. Pro/student did coaching at nearly every shot, incl on the greens, repeating shots on the greens. Caused a big backup behind us and several other groups. Complained to the pro shop and ranger at the turn. Nothing was done. Made it very difficult to get into a rhythm when every shot you had to wait for the pro/student in front of us.
Course was very tore up starting at about 100 yards to the pin. No one seemed to take an effort to fix divots or ball marks so the course and the greens were pretty rough.
I had previously heard pretty good things about this course, but I'd have to say I was a little disappointed and will not return even at a discounted rate again. Definitely not a $60/round course.
Magnificent!
If you live within an hour or two of this course, or have been to Frankenmuth and not played, you are missing out, this is an AWESOME golf course. The layout is tough but not ridiculous, it’s long from the tips, yet still challenging from the middle tees. The Bunkering around the greens makes approach shots at the Fortress really tough, especially on 13, the approach shot is very hard. The staff was VERY friendly and even offered me some tips on certain holes. The greens, fairways, and Tees are all in pristine condition, and it has some really natural long grass that just looks like it belongs on a golf course. I WILL be returning to this course in the near future.
Stellar Course
The course was in exceptional shape. Played mid week mid morning and finished in 3.5 hrs. Greens in terrific playing condition....fast and true. Well worth a drive up to Frankenmuth.
Hidden Gem
Yes it’s worth the trip!! What an amazingly conditioned golf course l, best greens on a public course in Michigan (including Arcadia and forest dunes). Big shout out to the Agronomy team, greens rolling about a 12, and almost not an imperfection to be found. Drive an hour and a half and would do it again. I’m sure most people in the area think it’s too much to pay (per the complaints I read). If this course was in Detroit it would be $100 easy
Very nice
This course is real gem. Position golf is more important that bomb and chase. Course is a mix of links style and tree lined holes, if you keep it in the fairway it is really enjoyable. Staff was great and they treated us to a great day all around.
Shanty Creek Stay & Play Package
Destination Kohler - Champions' Trail Golf Package
I agree with other commenter, your review couldn't have been further from my experiences at the fortress, always in great shape and the employees are to notch.
This is a terribly unfair review. I don't care about your personal experiences on the course, burnsleah21. The crime here is that you gave The Fortress a "Fair" rating for Course Conditions. Wow. Really? Your words hold no weight and I feel bad for anyone that gets into a debate with you - they should be prepared for a childish, maddening interaction that is driven by emotional bias and unrealistic substance. It's unfortunate that your experience at the Fortress was unpleasant. In my opinion, it is a great golf course with excellent conditions. I recommend you a different course; have you ever played Augusta National? You may find it to be better suitable by your standards...