Forest Akers Golf Courses facts for kids
The Forest Akers Golf Courses are two awesome golf courses located right on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Both the East and West courses are open for everyone to play, and they each have 18 holes, just like the courses where professional golfers play. The golf teams from Michigan State Spartans practice and play here.
The West course was updated by a famous golf course designer named Arthur Hills, who also went to Michigan State. The East course was also updated in 1997. Besides the courses, there's a special golf center where you can practice your swings.
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What Makes Forest Akers Special?
The Forest Akers Golf Courses got a great rating of four stars from Golf Digest magazine in 1999. The courses are named after a person named Forest Akers. He was a former student of Michigan State University and he gave the land for the courses.
A Golf Course and a Garden
When Forest Akers donated the land, he had a special request. He wanted the golf course to also be an arboretum. An arboretum is like a special garden where many different kinds of trees and plants are grown and studied. Because of this, the Forest Akers Golf Courses have lots of different plants that grow naturally in Michigan. It's the only golf course in the world that is also an arboretum!
Course Design and Challenge
The very first design for the courses was made by W. Bruce Matthews. The West course first opened in 1958. Out of the two, the West Course is known for being the most challenging. The East course is a "par-72" course, which means a good golfer should be able to finish it in 72 strokes. This was set after its redesign in 1997.
Big Events Held Here
Because the courses are so good, they have hosted many important college golf tournaments. These include the NCAA regionals, the Big Ten Conference Championships, and the Western Junior Championships.
More Than Just Golf
In the past, the courses were also used for another big sports event: the NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championships. Cross country is a running sport where athletes run long distances over natural terrain. For the first 25 years this championship was held, the Forest Akers Golf Courses were the only place it took place!
