Black Lake Golf Club Hole #5

Getting To Know: Black Lake Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With Nick Aune, General Manager

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Nick Aune who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Black Lake Golf Club is a golfer's paradise. Enjoy pristine course conditions and abundant wildlife amid a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Course artichtect, Rees Jones utilized every feature on the property, from cranberry bogs to a small sand quarry to produce what may be his most charming design yet. Black Lake's practice facilities include a double-sided driving range, four chipping and putting greens, and several practice bunkers. Certified PGA professional offers private instruction, playing lessons and clinics.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Black Lake Golf Club is always in pristine condition. There is no development on the golf course as it is carved out of nature. Rees Jones known as the "Open Doctor" designed a spectacular golf course with many natural features and an abundance of wildlife.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Stay straight off the tee and always select enough club on your approach shot. If you leave it short, you could be in one of the bunkers that protect the green complex.

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
No changes to the golf course.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
2019 Golf Now & Golf Advisor
*#15 Course Conditions in US
*#2 Golf Course in Michigan
*#6 Golf Course in US

Ranked #20 by Golfweek in Michigan

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Black Lake Golf Club's 5th Hole is the most talked about hole. It was featured with the "Pure Michigan 18" golf campaign. It is a 236 yard par 3 from the tips and is nick named the "Sahara". A 200 yard bunker runs the length of the hole. Accuracy and length are at a premium on this hole.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
Black Lake Golf Club's 15th Hole is a par 5 with a risk reward option that few holes actually feature.
If you can place a long drive down the left side of the fairway, you have the option of playing in a long second shot which must carry the water feature on this hole. However, the layout of the hole gives options for shot accuracy playing around the water feature to still have an option of a birdie putt.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
The BBQ ribs and Broasted chicken are outstanding. The clubhouse is enhanced by an outside patio and you can dine and drink outside while other groups are finishing up on the 18th hole. The patio also features two outside gas fireplaces.

For the traveling golfer, do you have lodging onsite or partner with any area hotels?
Lodging is available at the UAW Black Lake Conference Center. It features over 200 rooms with standard hotel accommodations to 3 bedroom condominiums. We also have a 51 site campground available with full hookup.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7035
Slope: 143
Rating: 74.8

More Information
Black Lake Golf Club
2000 Maxon Road
Onaway, MI, 49765
989-733-4653

www.blacklakegolf.com

Revised: 07/06/2019 - Article Viewed 17,659 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.