The Loop
Invest in a piece of a top teacher's Michigan childhood
Golf Digest Best Young Teacher Jason Guss has moved on to bigger things from his hometown of Morenci, Michigan -- a city of 2,200 on the Ohio border, 40 miles west of Toledo. Formerly Rick Smith's top assistant at Treetops Resort in the northern part of the state, Guss now runs his own academy at Hawk Hollow, in Bath, Michigan.
But before any of that, Guss grew up playing the game at DeMor Hills, Morenci's public course. Now, the 6,035-yard track is going up for auction Oct. 10. Guss went back this week for a nostalgia round, and shot 69 at the place where he won the Regional Championship in 1995.
According to the auction listing, DeMor is the quintessential Midwestern public course. Opened in 1962, it travels over a relatively flat piece of land, relying on small greens, mature trees, bunkers and swampy water hazards to provide a fair test. The clubhouse has been freshly painted, and the property is listed as "turn-key" -- complete with yearly memberships and leagues in place, and all carts and maintenance equipment. It also comes with an adjacent three-bedroom home, which could either house a course superintendent or redefine the concept of "retirement community."
Guss' best memory of the course? Waiting three hours in the clubhouse with his dad for a thunderstorm to pass, so he could go out and finish a career-low 66. "Miss a green by three yards at DeMor and you could have a tough chip. I learned a lot there," Guss said. "I hope somebody realizes what great place this is."