The End of an Era

2023 was the end of the Green Ash tree at Midland era. Planted en masse in the 1950s, they became the vast majority of the diversity that made up the property’s hardwood tree inventory. They also became a large part of the identity of the property and how this golf course played on a daily […]

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Weeds

A plant out of place is a weed. We commonly think of dandelions, thistle, or crabgrass, when someone talks about weeds. They are fairly easy to identify, as well as controlling, without giving much thought. But the very definition of a weed is subjective. Sometimes those weeds are in the correct place if they’re contributing […]

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Fairway Expansions

Midland Members, As part of the golf course Master Plan, the new fairway expansions on 3, 8, 11, 12, 14, and 17 were seeded and topdressed on Monday. It is imperative that we keep electric carts off these areas. Bentgrass seedlings are extremely fragile and will not survive under cart traffic. All seeded areas are […]

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Continual Progress

As there continues to be questions regarding this Fall’s Master Plan work, I am putting the same information that was physically mailed to all members in March, on the blog, as it should be a helpful reminder of the scope of work, and to eliminate any misinformation. Please feel free to reach out with questions […]

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Home

The closing hole at Midland, which is not an original Raynor hole, is called Home. Remember, that when the clubhouse was relocated, and the driving range was built in its current location, the original 16th hole played down the corner of 18, and the back of the range, while the original 7th hole played across […]

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Long

The 17th at Midland is the Long Template. A straight away par 5 that has not changed much in the past 100 years. A hole in which Raynor designed with a massive corridor, yet there was never a side of the hole that created a large advantage, until your approach. But by hitting three quality […]

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Redan

The 16th at Midland, Redan, is one of the most unique renditions of the most commonly copied Template hole you might ever see. If you’ve ever played a Raynor-designed Redan, then you know Midland’s has a different take. This doesn’t make it bad. Actually, as Jim Urbina put it, it makes it wonderfully unique, and […]

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Pond

The 15th at Midland, named Pond, by Jim Urbina, is a fantastic short par four. But studying Raynor’s drawing (and according to Urbina), it was originally, and arguably, an all-world, short par 4. The first thing to notice in the drawing below, is how the pond came out into the players eye off the tee, […]

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Alps

The original 12th, now the 14th, at Midland is an original Raynor Alps. A rare Template, mainly because the correct topography was needed to find the hole, in its natural state, without having to move a lot of earth as part of the design process. Raynor, undoubtedly, was more than pleased when he found the […]

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