Oaks At Kincheloe

Kincheloe, Michigan sits in the Upper Peninsula's Chippewa County, a region where the forests run deep and the seasons are unambiguous — winters are long and hard, and when summer finally arrives, golfers tend to make the most of it. The course takes its name from Kincheloe Memorial Airport, the former Kinross Air Force Base that once anchored this community, giving the area an identity distinct from the small towns scattered across the eastern U.P.

The "Oaks" in the name signals what you'd expect from this part of Michigan: a tree-lined layout where the forest is very much part of the architecture, putting shape and consequence on errant shots. The Upper Peninsula's sandy soils and mixed hardwood-conifer landscape tend to produce courses that are walkable and honest, rewarding straightforward ball-striking over power.

Par 73 layouts are a relative rarity, and that extra par suggests at least one long par 5 (or an additional one compared to a standard card) that gives higher handicappers a breather and rewards longer hitters looking to go for greens in 2.