Golf Macomb: Bello Woods

Family-owned since 1956, is a 27-hole facility located on 23 Mile Road just east of North Avenue.

The three nine-hole courses (the Red, White and Gold) that comprise Bello Woods are a bit of throwback to days when golf courses weren't endless rolling fairways and huge, undulating greens. It beckons a time when the greens were smaller, the fairways more open, and the layout more conducive to players of all skill levels.

In short, Bello Woods is a great place for a golfer to spend an afternoon just enjoying the game.

On the Red and White courses, there's room to spray the ball off the tee on most of the holes–the Gold course weaves its way through mature pines and oaks and requires more precision from tee to green. 

That said, don't overlook what the Red and White have to offer–the greens are small by today's standards and hitting them, and holding them, is a lot tougher than it looks. 

Still, this track isn't the most challenging in the area.

A group who recently gathered at Bello Woods might have said it best, "It's a great course if you really love the game."

It is. 

Don't expect to be blown away by the difficulty of any of the three courses, although each can present a challenge or two along the way, and don't come there expecting perfectly manicured bent-grass fairways and greens. 

Bello Woods isn't about any of these things. 

What they are about is giving golfers a place to play nine holes, or 18, with their grandson, or wife, or girlfriend, or grandfather or even a couple of friends. 

It's a place where people can share their love of the game without the frustration and pressure that comes with having to carry a 220-yard ravine on a tee shot, or having to hit over a vast lake to a rolling green (although Bello Woods has plenty of holes where water is in play). 

I think this is a big part of the reason why the course is so popular with players in the area–it's a fun place to play.

I have to admit, on more than one occasion over the years, I've packed up my clubs and teed off at Bello Woods on a Sunday evening in July when the course was wide open and I could hit several balls on each hole.

And like many courses from this era, it's a wonderful place to walk and play, too.

My preference, for what it's worth, is the Gold Course. 

Something about the tree-lined fairways makes a round on the Gold Course even more relaxing.

For more information about Bello Woods log on to www.bellowoodsgolf.com.

Read about Macomb Patch's visit to Sycamore Hills Golf Course .