Other Thoughts:
This one feels the most like a northern Lake Michigan course, more so than the BBG combo at the Mason County Campgrounds. Everything here had an aged feel to it, which gave it a ton of character. Mismatched baskets are littered throughout, and sand is underfoot almost the entire time. The amenities are decent, and the signage is superb. Everything about this rustic, rugged course lived up to the mystique and has a charm that is unmatched in the area, right down the tilted, rusted practice basket.
Leviathan offers three sets of tees for the am, pros, and legally insane. I'm kidding, although the longest tees are truly some epic blasts. Concrete is only offered on these (black) tees, while the blues and reds are left to porous, rubber mats. And that's OK. Leviathan laughs at your puny arm. If you aren't man enough to play the blacks, then you don't deserve a concrete tee! The whole course really plays this way, and I felt like I didn't get the full experience by playing from the blues. The reds are for children/newbies, honestly, but it is nice that they have a tee the designers put them in so everyone can play. The best part about the multi-tee set up is that each one offers a drastically different look at the pin (for the most part). I dislike courses that have two sets of tees, where one sits 100 feet closer but in the same line of sight. I would say this three-tee layout is present on 90% of the holes, something that is very rare indeed.
The course layout is fine, offering 27 holes (18+6 bonus) that have exit lanes if you can't play the whole thing in one outing. (The course begins and ends at the parking lot; always a plus.) But the real treat here is the design of the holes themselves. I have never played a course that demands such precise and constant control. While there are some lengthy holes here, I found out about midway through that quality of placement far outweighs raw power here. You need to be on your "A-game" all the way through. There is just great risk-reward potential, but one false move will surely damn your round. While you might be able to come back from one hole playing like this, if you string a few together you might as well pack it in, because Leviathan offers no sympathies whatsoever. It is hole after hole of tough going and not for the casual player.
The course starts innocently enough, with some wide open fairways lined sparsely by wooded lines. My favorite series is Hole #5 through tight woods, #6 tunnel shot out into a big clearing that contains the pin, and then #7 back into the woods with a blind approach to the basket. Around #10 it begins to get hairy in a hurry. Tight fairways flanked by towering trees and brush make you feel that everything is closing in on you. It becomes tougher and tougher to hold the lines as you throw, as this optical illusion truly messes with how you gauge the shot. This really doesn't let up until the last two or three holes, and overall Leviathan left me with a feeling of unworthiness. It certainly didn't help that this was the last course I played on a three-day binge of Mason County, but I have a feeling my score would've been just as bad if we had played it first.
Leviathan may not be the "best" course in the Ludington area, but it is definitely the most professional. Serious golfers only, please.