By Barry Cronin, Editor Chicago District Golfer
Part 1 of a 3-part series on Michigan Golf Resorts.
Michigan is the land of Ford, GM, Chrysler, the UAW, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Eminen, the Lions, Tigers, Red Wings and the hapless Pistons. Michigan is also known for its pleasant summer weather that is paired perfectly with 20 of the “Best Courses You Can Play” as rated by Golfweek. The Mitten State finished tied for runner-up with California, behind only Wisconsin, in a recent Golf Digest ranking of the “Best States For Public Golf Courses.”
This entire Michigan Golf Odyssey took eight days, covered more than 800 miles with 153 holes of some of the finest golf imaginable and did not require schlepping golf clubs through an airport.
The first stop was Gull Lake View Resort, a fourth-generation family-owned resort located near Kalamazoo. Gull Lake View has a total of six courses, with the most intriguing being, Stoatin Brae, Gaelic for ‘Grand Hill.’ Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design team crafted this ‘American Links’ style course in 2017 and course raters for the national golf magazines swooned.
As its name suggests, the course sits on one of the highest points in Kalamazoo County. It’s a rugged, mostly tree-free landscape with roller coaster greens and plenty of wind. The other five courses are no slouches either, but a bit more traditional, parkland-style, perfect for outings and golfers of various skills. If the word “resort” conjures visions of valet parking, turn-down service, pillow mints and “welcome” goodie bags, be forewarned: Gull Lake View is not that, catering to mostly the “guys trip” demographic with everything-you-need-and-nothing-you-don’t lodging, comfortable beds, refrigerators, microwaves, big screens and indestructible furniture. Go to dinner in bustling Kalamazoo, home of Western Michigan University, as well breweries, such as Bell’s, which has its own restaurant.
Gull Lake View Resort might not be the ideal honeymoon getaway, but if moderately priced golf within a reasonable driving distance of Chicago is what you crave, it’s perfect.
About an hour north of Gull Lake View lies Tullymore Golf Resort, which features two fine courses, Tullymore and St. Ives. The former was named Best New Upscale Course in 2002 thanks to architect Jim Engh’s innovative bunkering and unique green design, plus the accommodations were first-rate.
The single golfer never knows where his next partners will be coming from, which adds interest. At world-class Forest Dunes Resort in Roscommon, deep in central Michigan’s Huron National Forest and two hours north of Tullymore, I joined a threesome that was making its way through Michigan playing elite private and public courses. Naturally, Forest Dunes, with two courses included among Golfweek’s Top 100 You Can Play, was on their list. They’d come to play Tom Weiskopf’s parkland-style Forest Dunes course (2002) and Tom Doak’s reversible The Loop (2017), a mind boggling two courses in one.
Weiskopf’s traditional course features bentgrass tees, greens and fairways. It plays through gorgeous Michigan pines on the front nine and opens up on the back nine that features Weiskopf’s signature short par 4 No. 17 and a 560-yard par-5 finishing hole along a lake. Challenging, beautiful and deserving of its ranking.
The Loop makes one understand why Doak’s fertile imagination has made him one of this generation’s more important course architects. I mean, who thinks this way? Standing on a green at The Loop and looking back to the tee box, you inevitably see a gaping moon-surface bunker facing you. Why? It’s tomorrow’s fairway bunker, the one you’ll be trying to avoid off the tee when you play the hole in the opposite direction.
The Loop features fescue grass fairways that’ll have your ball running in the determined Scottish manner it’s designed to mimic. Hopefully, your ball will stop short of the native plant areas that tightly border the fairways (lost ball alert!). Large undulating greens await with many hole location options to confound the would-be two-putter. Wrap up the day at the 10-hole Bootlegger course, a dynamic pitch-and-putt designed by Riley Jahns and Keith Rebb.
By the way, my other three players at the Loop Black course were a member of Augusta National, a former U.S. Open contestant and a third dude who was more of an average golfer, like yours truly. He and I helped one another find our occasional errant shots while the other cart sped to the green.
Because The Loop is an every-other-day experience, you have to spend at least one night. The good news is the accommodations and dining are first class, but there are only 131rooms currently available. New owners of Forest Dunes have committed to add more lodging and are also planning another golf course, possibly a Gil Hanse design.
Although it is somewhat remote, Forest Dunes is a treasure. It is a pure golf resort without a swimming pool, spa or other resort amenities. Just golf, golf and more golf. Sublime golf at that.
