Upper Deck Golf At The Big House

Upper Deck Golf At The Big House

I had a fun afternoon playing golf at The Big House — Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Yes. At the stadium, not at the Alister Mackenzie golf course across the street.

This weekend’s special event is one of twenty-five held by Upper Deck Golf in stadiums around the country this summer.

At Michigan Stadium, nine sets of six tees are located along the upper deck. On the field below are nine differently colored flags, each inside marked areas representing the greens.

The round consists of eighteen shots at the greens — two for each hole. Players can purchase additional balls when buying tickets or on site at the registation desk.

Per the scorecard, a “Hole In One” is scored when the ball hits the smallest area around the flag; a birdie is scored when the ball lands on the inside circle; a bogey is when the ball lands on the green, and a bogey is scored when the ball lands off the green.

Each player records their best score out of two on each hole.

The perimeter of the holes lit up with a hole in one.

So it’s basically a pitch-and-putt course without the putt.

Distances on the holes ranged from 60 to 120 yards, with a sign on each tee specifying which flag to aim at. In some cases, there also was an alternate flag with a shorter distance.

Players can bring their own irons (but no bags), but Upper Deck has a deal with PXG to supply clubs for each hole. A bag at each tee had a couple of wedges. A bag behind each teeing area had clubs for lefties and seniors, plus a nine iron.

I left my sticks in the car and used the opportunity to check out some of PXG’s new offerings. I liked the Black Ops models. I should check them out at my local PXG store.

It was actually quite fun hitting wedges down to the field. With the “downhill,” balls just hung in the air forever.

Music was playing from the stadium’s speakers; thankfully, it was at a pleasant level — loud enough to be enjoyed, but not so loud that it precluded conversations.

Just as with a regular round of golf, there was a halfway house — a food and bar in one of the stadium’s suites after the fifth tee. Before or after the round, there was food, beverages, simulator competitions and some merch sales in a large suite area.

I had a good time at Upper Deck Golf; the foursomes I saw playing, drinks in hand, were having an absolute blast.

If Upper Deck Golf comes to your town, see if your regular foursome can get tickers. At Michigan Stadium, they were $109; upgrades to VIP and Premium packages were $40 to $50 more. The upgrades included extra balls, a meal ticket and entry to the simulator contests.

Thanks to PXG for the comped VIP tickets.

A few more photos below: