Alker Shoots 63 to Win Alfred S. Bourne Trophy

The first hole at the Golf Club at Harbor Shores starts off with a slight dogleg right with a large landing area from the tee. Tee shots should be placed to the left side of the fairway to stay away from a fairway bunker that is 289 yards to clear. The left side of the fairway also gives you the best angle on your approach shot to a green that is guarded by a bunker on the left.

The second hole requires a long, mandatory carry over an environmentally protected area and extensive bunkering. Accuracy is a must as you’ll be hitting into a narrow green with multiple tiers. The key is to keep your shot on the correct tier to stay away from 3-putts. The hole is generally played into prevailing winds, which makes the hole play long and shot trajectory important.

With the Paw Paw River aligning the left side of the fairway, this short par 4 is dangerous. The hole provides multiple options off the tee including a layup shot short of the center fairway bunker to a drive over the bunker to attack the green with a short wedge on your approach. Club selection is vital as this three-tiered green is situated between the river on the left and bunkers along the right side.

The most demanding par 3 on the entire course is usually played into prevailing wind. Make sure that you take enough club to clear the water hazard that sits in front of the green. The large, deep green is the flattest on the course.

This long par 5 demands a solid tee shot to clear a large bunker that sits 232 yards away. A legitimate 3-shot hole that asks for a well-placed layup shot has a water hazard that extends 150 yards from the green along the right side. The extremely large green (7,224 sq. ft.) is protected by bunkers in the front-right and back-left.

From the tee, you’ll see that this requires a precise and long tee shot to a narrow fairway with scattered bunkers and a blind landing zone. You’ll shorten your second shot by playing your drive to the right side of the fairway before hitting your approach over a ravine. With a solid tee shot, you’ll leave yourself a mid-iron into a well-guarded green with hazards and bunkers.

The most difficult par 4 on the course, No. 7 is a test of length and precision. From an island tee box over wetlands, play your tee shot to the center or left of the fairway to avoid bunkers and a lake on the right. Your second shot is played to an elevated green 25 ft. to the top of the dune. The green is surrounded by dune grass. Go long . . . and you’re on the beach. Stay short . . . and your approach will roll to the bottom of the hill. Enjoy the views of Lake Michigan from the top of the dune as you putt out on this small green (3,800 sq. ft.).

Hit your drive over the circular dune grass bunkers in the middle of the fairway. A good drive will give you a short, yet treacherous approach shot to a green that is guarded by five bunkers around the front three sides of the green. Place your approach shot on the same tier as the pin as the green slopes severely from back to front.

With the tee perched 60 ft. above the fairway, enjoy the views of Lake Michigan behind you as you look down on this par 5. With bunkers on both sides and wetlands in play for long hitters, an accurate and long tee shot is key to scoring on this hole. A correctly placed layup down the right side of the fairway and short of the cross bunkers will leave you with the best approach to a large, undulating green.

With wind usually pushing from left to right, this par 5 forces you to hit your drive along the left side of the fairway to avoid bunkers and hazards in the landing area. Play your layup shot to the left side of the fairway to give yourself the best shot at this treacherous four-tiered green. Known as one of Nicklaus’ most famous greens at nearly 10,500 sq. ft., players must hit the correct tier to avoid long and difficult lag putts.

Don’t let this short yardage fool you on this 144-yard, par 3. Although short, the hole becomes challenging around the green. Avoid a large crest that cuts across the center of the green by hitting to the correct tier.

This sharp dogleg left calls for an accurate tee shot to a landing area that is larger than it appears from the tee box. Don’t cut the dogleg too much as hitting over the left bunker asks for more than 265 yards. A solid tee shot will leave you with a short-to-mid iron into a large undulated green with a bunker on the front-left corner and a grass collection area to the right.

A wealth of bunkers covers much of the hole leading up to a 7,000-sq.-ft. green on this 197-yard, par 3. The smart play is to the center of the green that will give you a reasonable shot at a 2-putt.

With the wind most likely at your back, the longest par 4 on the course, bordering the Paw Paw River to its right, becomes a reasonable task. Hit your drive to the left side of the fairway to stay a good distance from the hazard and provide the best angle into the green. You’ll want to hit your long iron approach shot into the left side of the green that slopes from left to right.

A true risk-reward shot is in your hands on this par 5. The hole provides players with numerous options after avoiding the strategically placed fairway bunkers that sit 275 yards from the tee box. Hit your drive well enough and you may have the option to go for the green in two. The safe play is to lay up and take the Paw Paw River crossing in front of the green out of play. If you do lay up, play it to the left-hand side for the best approach into this wide, but not deep, two-tiered green.

Another tough hole is in front of you . . . especially if the wind is in your face. With water along the left-handed side, the farther you hit to the right . . . the farther your approach shot will be. The kidney-shaped green complex has a bunker guarding the right side and a hazard on the left.

Players must negotiate the front-left bunker, while avoiding the right edge of the green, which will cause your ball to fall off to a deep collection area. The large green has considerable mounding through the middle.

A truly strong finishing hole that often plays into the prevailing wind off Lake Michigan. The Paw Paw River runs along the right side and wetlands align to the left. After a well-placed drive, you’ll have a medium-to-short iron approach to a relatively large green with undulations and bunkers guarding the front.