Emerald Hills Golf Course Review

Emerald Hills Golf Course Review

Emerald Hills Golf Course (Alwyn Downs)
Marshall, Michigan
Grade: C
Teacher’s Comments: A pleasant, tidy old school course. May not be challenging enough for better players.

Emerald Hills is a new name for an old course. Originally called Alwyn Downs, it opened in Marshall in 1933. The Alwyn Downs name cames from the two original owners: Albert and Win Schuler (Al – Win). The two are much better known for the famous (at least in Michigan) Schuler Restaurants and Hotel, which are based in Marshall. If you’re outside Michigan, you may still run across Win Schuler branded cheese spread in your local grocery.

The name change comes after the course was sold, closed for a year and then reopened.

As one would expect from a course of this vintage, Emerald Hills has parallel, tree-lined fairways and compact footprint. I suspect, however that at least two of the holes — eight and nine — are not original. Those two, in the upper left corner of the aerial photo are a meaningful distance from the other holes on the course. I wonder if land was sold for the neighborhood that protrudes into the course from the north.

The routing at Emerald Hills takes full advantage of the series of small hills and ridges that run through the property. It begins with a flat par four, but from there it’s a bit of a roller coaster. Aside from the first and the alarmingly short (100 yards) par 3 sixth, every hole has elevation changes that require club adjustments.

Emerald Hills also has more than few blind shots. The course left me guessing a lot on my first play through; regulars won’t be bothered by it.

Holes are for the most part straightaway shots. I counted just three dog legs. The hills, however, maintain interest. A few of the holes have fairway bunkers, but traps around the greens themselves were minimal.

If there’s a downside to the course, it is that it might be considered short for some players. From the tips, it measures 5, 674 and plays to a 69.1/115. The course is a par 70.

My favorite hole was the par four thirteenth. From a slightly elevated tee, it plays straight out over a slight dip to a ridge line.

From there, it bends slightly right, with the fairway taking a jog around a fairway bunker on the left. The green is perched on a shelf a few feet below the fairway.

Another hole I liked was the par four third, which plays downward and has a bit of a canyon feel from the fairway. Two fairway bunkers there threaten the left and right sides.

Conditions on the day I played were good. There were scattered dry and bare spots, but nothing that interfered with my ball striking. Off the fairways and greens, Emerald Hills was more sparse, but still playable. The tee boxes were a bit beat up, but the greens were nicely kept.

In all, conditions were better than one might expect for a course where you can walk on weekdays for $27.

The Emerald Hills golf course review was first published on GolfBlogger.Com on July 20, 2025 from a round played in the 2024 season. Why so late? I wrote it and then forgot to schedule it. So here it is a year later.

You can read all of GolfBlogger’s 400+ golf course reviews at the link.

A photo tour of Emerald Hills Golf Course follows: