Point O' Woods - Michigan - USA

Allow me to share the details behind where the name of this club came from. This club is in the town of Benton Harbor, MI and the property has hundreds of very mature trees. The club logo is that of the original clubhouse which had a remarkably pointy roof. In the logo, you’ll see a pointed roof surrounded by trees. This clubhouse was referred to as “the point of the woods”, and hence the creation of the club’s current name ‘Point O’Woods’. Locals just say “The Point”. The ironic thing today is that the original clubhouse was torn down 4 years ago and the new clubhouse is of much different dimensions. Although the current roof has a few points to it in memory of the original house, it has a completely different look. The conclusion is that the club’s logo represents a clubhouse that doesn’t exist anymore, but of course the name of the club is primarily only understood by the members. It’ll be a fun exercise for a local artist if they ever have a competition to design a new club logo.

The golf course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr. and true to his design philosophies; it is long and very demanding. As the name of the club implies, there are plenty of trees lining the fairways and it feels like hundreds more trees can come down without affecting how challenging the layout is. I hit twelve 4 irons during my round, and this is the first and only time I can ever say this walking off a golf course. The course was set up such that every par 4 was between 190 and 205 yards, resulting in no variety on the short holes. The Western Amateur was played here for 35 straight years, last played in 2008. It will return to Point O’Woods in 2019, which is a wonderful homecoming to a mighty venue.