The course is hosting, over four days, the UPGA Men’s Championship tournament for the first time since 1975, when Mike Augustine served as the course manager.

Being able to host the UPGA Championship is very proud moment to showcase the PLGC to golfers from around the U.P.

“It’s phenomenal,” PLGC general manager Erik Crowley said. “I’m very excited to do it. This was an event that I inherited. It was important to Mark Maroste, when he was in the seat, that we got this on the calendar. It’s something that he lobbied for for a number of years before we actually were able to get it.

“So for me, it’s a wonderful opportunity for the best golfers from around the U.P. to come here and experience our course, and see how we run a tournament. The course is in fantastic shape, as it always is, but it’s just an awesome tournament to get people from all over the U.P. in one spot to see who’s the best golfer in the U.P.”

Portage Lake Golf Course golfer Jackson Sinkowski watches his opening drive of the UPGA Men’s Championship tournament Wednesday morning in Houghton. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

A field of 88 men from around the U.P. were excited to see the changes that PLGC has made over the course of the last 48 years. Of that total, 22 are local players, such as Maroste, Marino Pisani, Caleb Acciacca, and even this year’s club champion, Robert Rangus.

“We have 22 of our Portage Lake Golf Course members playing in the event, which is about a quarter of the field,” said Crowley. “So, our members absolutely support our club. This is a tournament that they were really looking forward to having here, too.

“It’s wonderful to see them come out and support the event and participate.”

Players like Eric and Mark Rivord from Wanonowin Country Club, Jimmer and John Koskinen from L’Anse Golf Club, Kyle Monroe and Joseph and Robert Luke from Marquette Golf Club, and more made the trek to compete as well.

PLGC was the host of the original UPGA Championship in the early years of the course’s existence.

Portage Lake Golf Course golfer Marino Pisani watches his opening drive of the UPGA Men’s Championship tournament Wednesday morning in Houghton. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

“Portage Lake was actually the host of their very first U.P. championship back in 1912,” Crowley said. “So, at that time, a little bit smaller field and only a couple of courses involved. But it’s wonderful to bring it back here.”

Of course, having the support of the club members helps as well.

“The membership has been very supportive of having the event here, and (they) understand that it is a prestigious event that you don’t get the opportunity to have all the time,” said Crowley.

The tournament is also serving as an opportunity for the course to show off the new-look first hole, thanks to a new tee box, which adds some 30 yards to the opening tee shot.

“For me, it’s very exciting,” Crowley said. “I feel very fortunate that we’ve been able to make some of the changes and course improvements that we’ve been able to get done. (On) hole No. 1, when you play from that new back tee, it looks entirely different.

“It’s only 30 yards, but that area has opened way up. Before, it was a yardage where you might see a lot of guys take an iron off the tee, some of the longer hitters. Now it’s backed up 30 yards, and because it’s really open around the teeing area, with the new rocks around the parking lot, and being just a hair elevated, provides a very different view of that first hole where it starts wide and then it looks like it really narrows up.”

That perception of narrowing the opening hole changes players’ strategies off that initial tee.

“So we’ve added 30 yards, but also made the hole feel like you’re hitting into a much more confined space landing zone, because a lot of guys can’t carry that big tree on the right with a driver,” said Crowley. “So, it becomes much more of a choice now where, if you’re going to hit driver, you’ve got to be over on that left side or you might get caught behind that tree. If you take a fairway wood or a long iron off the tee, you’re going to have a much, much longer shot in.

“So, I think it just created a much more challenging opening hole, but also it’s still a very fair hole to open the course with.”

Rain on Tuesday night softened the course up for Wednesday morning, but also forced the decision to allow players to “lift, clean and place,” as opposed to playing the ball as it lies. Crowley admits that could lead to some lower scores, but hopes that course conditions remain dry for the rest of the weekend.

“As we look to Friday, we may get a little more rain,” he said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Hopefully it misses us.”

On Thursday, golfers have the choice of joining a special event called a horse race. Teams of two will compete in an alternate shot format. Teams will be eliminated on each hole until one team is left standing.

“The horse race is a format that was very popular when I was out at Rancho La Quinta Golf Course,” said Crowley. “It is a straight alternate shot where Player A tees off, Player B plays the next shot. If Player A holes out, then Player B is teeing off on the next hole.

“What makes it fun is that you might start this competition with 10 teams, so 20 guys might be teeing off on the first hole, and then you eliminate down to six teams when you go to that next tee box. So, it is an auto-elimination, based on score, hole-by-hole. It just reduces the field continuously.”

The losing players become the gallery at that point, making the competition that much more challenging.

“Everybody is out there all at once, and nobody leaves, because we want to see the result” Crowley said. “So, what ends up happening is that it sort of self-produces big crowds to see high-level golf in tournament-like conditions where there is a lot of pressure on the shots coming down the stretch.”

Crowley is excited to see how the whole event plays out on Saturday afternoon.

“I just want four days of good golf, and, hopefully, some good weather,” he said. “It would be wonderful to see some low scores out there and see some excitement.”