Michigan Golf Journal March 2018

Feature: Designer Mike DeVries ĞsƌŝĞƐ ĐƌĞĚŝƚƐ ďŽƚŚ ŵĞŶ͕ ƉůƵƐ ƚŚĞ ƟŵĞ ŚĞ ƐƉĞŶƚ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ clubhouse as a teenager and on ƚŚĞ ŐƌŽƵŶĚƐ ĐƌĞǁ ĂƐ Ă ĐŽůůĞŐĞ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ŝŶ ƐƵŵŵĞƌƐ Ăƚ ƌLJƐƚĂů ŽǁŶƐ͕ ĂƐ ŚŝƐ ďĂƐŝƐ ĨŽƌ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐ͘ &ĂƐƚ ĨŽƌǁĂƌĚ ƚŽ ƚŽĚĂLJ͕ ĞǀƌŝĞƐ ƐƉĞŶƚ ŚŝƐ ƌĞĐĞŶƚ ŵŝĚͲǁŝŶƚĞƌ ďƌĞĂŬ ĐŽŶƐƵůƟŶŐ Ăƚ Ă ŚĂŶĚĨƵů ŽĨ ŐŽůĨ ĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ ŝŶ ƌŐĞŶƟŶĂ ʹ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƌĞ ƉƌŽŵŝŶĞŶƚ ďĞŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ :ŽĐŬĞLJ ůƵď ŝŶ ƵĞŶŽƐ ƌŝĞƐ͘ /ƚ ŚĂƐ ƚǁŽ ϭϴͲŚŽůĞ DĂĐ<ĞŶnjŝĞ ĚĞƐŝŐŶƐ͕ ƚǁŽ ŽĨ Ă ĨĞǁ ĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ ŚĞ ĐƌĞĂƚĞĚ ŝŶ Ă 4-to-5 month visit to the country in 1930. ͞dŚĞƌĞ͛Ɛ ĂĐƚƵĂů ƋƵŝƚĞ Ă ŐŽůĨ ĐƵůƚƵƌĞ ĚŽǁŶ ƚŚĞƌĞ͕͟ ĞsƌŝĞƐ ƐĂŝĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ ďŽƌĚĞƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƚůĂŶƟĐ KĐĞĂŶ͘ ͞tŚĞŶ ƚŚĞ ƌŝƟƐŚ ĐĂŵĞ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ and built all the railroads, they ďƵŝůƚ Ă ďƵŶĐŚ ŽĨ ŐŽůĨ ĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ͘͟ He said the country has about 275 golf courses of varying style, ranging from very humble ƚŽ ƉƌĞƐƟŐŝŽƵƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ĞsƌŝĞƐ ĞƐƟŵĂƚĞĚ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ ĂďŽƵƚ ŚĂůĨ ŽĨ Ăůů ƚŚĞ ŐŽůĨ ĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĞŶƟƌĞ ^ŽƵƚŚ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ ĐŽŶƟŶĞŶƚ͘ ,Ğ said the economic challenges and ĞƋƵŝƉŵĞŶƚ ŝŵƉŽƌƚ ůĂǁƐ ƚŚĞƌĞ ƚŽ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶ͕ ƌĞŶŽǀĂƚĞ Žƌ ďƵŝůĚ ŶĞǁ courses relegates him mostly to a ĐŽŶƐƵůƟŶŐ ƌŽůĞ Ăƚ ƚŚŝƐ ƉŽŝŶƚ͘ ͞/ƚ͛Ɛ ƋƵŝƚĞ ĂŶ ĂŵĂnjŝŶŐ ƉůĂĐĞ and the golf course is really ĐŽŽů͕͟ ĞsƌŝĞƐ ƐĂŝĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ :ŽĐŬĞLJ ůƵď ϯϲͲŚŽůĞ ƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJ ƚŚĂƚ ŚĂƐ ŚŽƐƚĞĚ ƐĞǀĞƌĂů ƌŐĞŶƟŶĞ KƉĞŶƐ͘ Ƶƚ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ǁŚĂƚ ŝƐ ŶŽƚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ŚĂƐ ĞsƌŝĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ĞdžĐŝƚĞĚ – a design called the ‘Lost DĂĐ<ĞŶnjŝĞ͛͘ Finding a New Home? KŶ ƉĂƉĞƌ͕ ƚŚĞ ͚>ŽƐƚ DĂĐ<ĞŶnjŝĞ͛ is a unique design – but not ĞŶƟƌĞůLJ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ĨƌŽŵ ƉŽƌƟŽŶƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ KůĚ ŽƵƌƐĞ Ăƚ ^ƚ͘ ŶĚƌĞǁƐ – made up of 9 double greens ƚŚĂƚ ǁŽƵůĚ ĐŽŵƉƌŝƐĞ ϭϴ ƉůĂLJĂďůĞ holes on a smaller piece of ŐƌŽƵŶĚ͘ /ƚ ǁĂƐ ĐƌĞĂƚĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ doctor during his 1930 visit but ǁĂƐ ŶĞǀĞƌ ďƵŝůƚ͘ ĚŝƐƚĂŶƚ ĨĂŵŝůLJ member of the original requestor ŽĨ DĂĐ<ĞŶnjŝĞ͛Ɛ ĚŽƵďůĞͲŐƌĞĞŶ ŵĂƐƚĞƌǁŽƌŬ ŝƐ Ă ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚ ŵĞŵďĞƌ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ :ŽĐŬĞLJ ůƵď ĂŶĚ ŚĂƐ ƚĂůŬĞĚ Ăƚ ůĞŶŐƚŚ ĨŽƌ ŵĂŶLJ LJĞĂƌƐ ǁŝƚŚ ĞsƌŝĞƐ ĂďŽƵƚ ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ͚>ŽƐƚ DĂĐ<ĞŶnjŝĞ͛ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚǁĞƐƚ h͘^͘ ͞/ƚ ǁĂƐ ŽƌŝŐŝŶĂůůLJ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ĂƐ ĂŶ ĞƐƚĂƚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ƐŽ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ƌĂƚŚĞƌ ĐŽŵƉĂĐƚ͕ ďƵƚ ǁĞ ĐŽƵůĚ ƉƵƐŚ ŝƚ out in a couple of areas to handle ŵŽƌĞ ŐŽůĨĞƌƐ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ Ă ƌĞĂůůLJ ŶĞĂƚ ĐŽŶĐĞƉƚ͕͟ ĞsƌŝĞƐ ƐĂŝĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ŝŶƚĞŶĚĞĚ ůŽĐĂƟŽŶ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ ϭϬϬ ŵŝůĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƵĞŶŽƐ ƌŝĞƐ͘ ͞tĞ ŚŽƉĞ ƚŽ ĮŶĚ Ă ƉŝĞĐĞ ŽĨ land that has the same sort of ĨĞĞů͖ ƚŚĞƌĞ͛Ɛ ŬŝŶĚ ŽĨ Ă ŚŝůůƐŝĚĞ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞŶ ƚŚĞƌĞ͛Ɛ Ă ůŝƩůĞ ĐƌĞĂƐĞ ŝŶ Ă ǀĂůůĞLJ͕ ǁŝƚŚ ƐŽŵĞ ůŽŶŐ ĚŝƐƚĂŶƚ ǀŝĞǁƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJ͘͟ Down Under: ĞsƌŝĞƐ ŝƐ ŶŽƚ ĨĂƌ ƌĞŵŽǀĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ǁŚĂƚ ƐŽŵĞ ĂƌĞ ĐĂůůŝŶŐ ŚŝƐ <ŝŶŐƐůĞLJ ůƵď EŽ͘ ϭ