After receiving degrees from Michigan State, Hearn was offered a six-year teaching position in Europe. He taught turf management and design in Scotland, Ireland and England, which allowed him to study the great masters up close and personal. When he returned to America, he worked for Jerry Matthews and gained additional knowledge from Pete Dye, Michael Hurzdan and others. He has worked on over 150 courses around the world and received the “Award of Excellence” on five occasions from the American Society of Golf Course Architects. He recently completed a new design at St. John’s Resort in Northville, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Working closely with ownership, he turned three older nine-hole tracks into a wonderful championship 18-hole course, The Cardinal and added a seven-hole short course, stateof-the-art driving range and putting course. Ray has been working closely with BOYNE Resort in developing a Master Plan and renovating all the courses at the popular Northern Michigan Resort. A new short course is set to open next year near the Highlands’ Lodge and will courses more sustainable. See the full interview HERE. offer BOYNE visitors one more golfing option. An extensive renovation was completed to BOYNE’s Moor Course which vastly improved the green surrounds and grass lines. Hearn used modern technology and GPS mapping to update several of the holes on the Donald Ross Memorial Course, to more accurately resemble the original Ross design. Back 9 Report talked with Ray Hearn about his recent endeavors and ideas to make Michigan Golf Journal
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