Michigan Golf Journal January 2023

Editor’s Letter

This begins the sixth year of Michigan Golf Journal after a ‘rebranding’ last spring of a new logo and new web address: www.MIGolfJournal.com. It’s been a complete thrill bringing Michigan only news to the golf base in the Great Lakes State.

The purpose from Day One has been to bring you Michigan news, and only Michigan news. Let the national and regional pubs tell you about national news; we cover what’s important to the people here at home.

Such items include what you’ll find here in the January edition:

College stories featuring MSU and Grand Valley State

A complete rebuild at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth and a restoration at Washtenaw in Ypsilanti Boyne Golf’s attraction at home as a national destination Our unique series of Freeways and Fairways

The Junior Golfers of the Year Michigan golf business

We also feature the 2023 pro Tour players from Michigan, about a dozen overall, making for lots of golf action to follow. Thank you for joining us on these adventures and more.

Like Mother, Like Daughter Like Mother, Like Daughter

“She was 11, and then 12, and she reached 13 and you start to think, well maybe volleyball is going to be it,” Stacy said about Olivia’s sports path. Then Olivia stopped growing at 5-foot-8 and Stacy pointed out it’s pretty hard to play D1 volleyball at that height.

“But low and behold, when Olivia was 15, she flat out said, ‘I’m going to play golf now.’ Then she said, ‘I’m going to

ByTomLang ByTomLang

MSU Hall of Fame women’s golf coach, Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, kept waiting – and waiting. She wondered for years when her only child, Olivia, would maybe one day follow in her footsteps and take up the game of golf, for which her and husband, Jim, are so passionate about.

You see, volleyball was Olivia’s game growing up in Haslett under the gigantic MSU shadow. Golf to her was taking a few swings when following her parents around the course or even chipping and putting outside the MSU Golf Facility.

play in college,’ and I looked at her and said ‘Olivia, I’ve already got kids committed to scholarships at MSU who are 15,” Stacy said. “We have a long, long, long way to go.’”

It was a path which would never be easy, but Olivia did very well for herself. By her senior year at Haslett High, she took 3rd in the Covidshortened 2020 Div. 2 state finals and made first team All-State.

Fast forward on that short but very challenging road and Olivia was named GLIAC Freshman of the Year playing for Grand Valley State University in 2021-22, then won her first ever college golf tournament this past fall, as a sophomore, at a 54-hole event hosted by Findley.

She shot 71-71 the first day. Going into the final round the following day, Olivia was playing with the leader, also a new experience for her in college. What’s more, she had a chance to win. Going head-to-head, Olivia made 8 birdies and scored a 66 to win.

The golfing revelation for Olivia came the summer of 2018. The family had just returned from playing in California, and Olivia enjoyed the atmosphere of some really fine layouts, including the chance to walk Cypress Point. Soon after came a high school team volleyball camp.

“I remember texting my dad and telling him I didn’t want to be here, I’d rather be on the golf course,” Olivia said. “There’s people doing that and getting better than me, and I need to be on the golf course. I’m not exactly sure why that all happened but I remember wanting volleyball camp to be over, and it just dragged on.”

Like most any parent who has tried, in any sport, Stacy admits trying to guide her own child would not be an easy task. She first experienced it from the child perspective when her dad was doing the same thing many decades ago in Grand Rapids. Stacy admits crying many times on the driving range then, despite her love for the game.

Now when it came her turn, would Olivia listen? Would it turn her off to golf?

Thankfully, the answers were ‘yes’ and ‘no.’

“I realized in my head that if I seriously want to play at a good college, I’m going to have to listen to my parents; I don’t have an option or I won’t get to the point where I want to be,” Olivia said about the high school years. “But I will say there were definitely times where … they were telling me stuff and I would not listen. But as I got older, I realized they know what they are talking about, and I need to listen because they just want to help me.”

Jim Stoll spent more than a year as a caddy for MSU grad Sarah Burnham on the LPGA Tour, so he had great access to worldwide golf talent. “Olivia seeing that firsthand, that gave Jim so much more credibility with Olivia, him being

inside the ropes with a Tour player,” Stacy said. “A little, small part of Jim doing that was to give Olivia exposure to the Tour, to see what the best players in the world do and how they act.”

Having a mom that coaches some of the best women’s players in the country at multi-Big Ten Champion Michigan State – and who as a player has won a record 15 Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) tournaments, plus 6 women’s titles at the Michigan Tournament of Champions – doesn’t hurt either.

Stacy said it’s hard to stop being a coach and only wear a mom hat.

“When your kids says she wants’ to do this, okay, now it’s peddle to the metal, and if this is what she wants, and it’s my kid, now my

competitive nature is coming out of me,” Stacy said. “If she wants to do this, we’re going to give her every chance under the sun to be successful.”

A chance that so far has paid off, likely with more to come.

While the college golf schedules do overlap a lot – which will include the springtime Mary Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West which Grand Valley will play in – both parents attend Grand Valley golf tournaments as much as possible.

“It’s just fun to watch, and I think the most fun for me is … she hasn’t hit a plateau yet,” Stacy said. “How much better she can get will be exciting to watch.”

Charles DeLong Charles DeLong and Nick Krueger and Nick Krueger lead a powerful lead a powerful Division II team Division II team

ByTomLang

One is ranked No. 1, the other was just named Player of the Year in Michigan.

Together they make quite the dynamic pair for Grand Valley State University’s men’s golf team.

Charles DeLong of DeWitt is the No. 1 ranked player nationally in Division II golf, after winning three of four D-II events this past fall. He also earned first-team All-America last spring, along with GLIAC Player of the Year and his third NCAA All-Region team.

Teammate Nick Krueger of Spring Lake recently earned the title of GAM Player of the Year – with a big boost coming from winning the Michigan Amateur over the summer.

Grand Valley Grand Valley State’s State’s Dynamic Duo Dynamic Duo

Both players are in their junior years with the Lakers, with plans to play just one more season after this spring’s league and NCAA schedules conclude.

Krueger has already announced he will turn pro after his amateur career at GVSU concludes.

“Playing the way I did and winning (the 2022 Michigan Amateur) helped get rid of any doubts and the questions like should I try this,” Krueger said about his goals to turn professional. “The list of names on that trophy includes so many golfers who had pretty successful professional careers. That reinforced for me that I was headed in the right direction, and it is something I want to pursue.”

Krueger has earned 2-time all-conference first

team so far and has been NCAA All-Region twice as well.

“Nick’s biggest strength is mental toughness,” said GVSU 10-year coach Gary Bissell. “The old cliché of ‘take one shot at a time, stay in the moment.’ That is Nick. You truly cannot tell if he’s at 5-under par, or 5-over. He does a really good job of taking one shot at a time, and not worrying about what just happened and what’s coming up. And he’s got a phenomenal short game on top of it.

“We’ll miss his steadiness,” Bissell added about when Kruger turns professional. “Nick is always there, he’s not a guy you worry about. You know whatever he posts that day is the best he had that day. We see a lot of consistency from him, and his bad rounds are not as bad as a lot of other guys. He doesn’t let things blow up on him.”

DeLong was somewhat under the radar in high school, despite an average score of 70.8 during senior season. But that changed when he grew three inches, from 5-11 to 6-2 his freshman season at Grand Valley and added weight to provide a more powerful punch. Now he dominates D-II in college. “He looks like a totally different person,” Bissell said. “He’s more emotionally under control than he used to be. And physically he’s matured so much. He hit the

weight room very seriously. He went from a boy to a man, quite simply.

“Charles brings the ultimate level of competitiveness, skill; and you hate to say it, but Charles has kind of reached the point that if he doesn’t win, it’s a little bit of a disappointment. But that’s a testament to how good he is. He was so solid for us last year too; I thought he was No. 1 then. I think he is the best player, without question, in Division-II.”

Bissell is hoping for the best this season and next, before each player graduates in spring of 2024.

“Both of these guys are completely irreplaceable,” he said about looking down the road. “We will do the best we can to fill their shoes, and that’s going to take a group effort.

“They’re just two really special players.”

Charles DeLong

BOYNE Golf: BOYNE Golf:

Nationally Recognized Courses in Our Backyard Nationally Recognized Courses in Our Backyard

As a golf writer, I get to play at a lot of great golf resorts, far and wide. The one I keep coming back to almost annually happens to be one in our own back yard – BOYNE Golf.

Over the past 57 years, this renowned Northern Michigan golf destination has grown to become one of the largest golf destinations in North America, encompassing 10 courses and three resort properties: Bay Harbor, The Highlands, and Boyne Mountain. The combination of highclass amenities with multiple levels of affordability, and award-winning golf mixed with the feeling of home, make it a great way to enjoy time off from the rest of the world.

The lakeside resort towns of Petoskey, Harbor

Springs, Charlevoix, Boyne City and Traverse City have long been summertime playgrounds attracting people from all over the world, including golfers. It’s no wonder, as the area offers outstanding golf and is the perfect summer trip destination.

Few places in America can you find so many world-class resort destinations, with first-rate golf and amenities within such close proximity to each other. With its 10 golf courses, BOYNE Golf is one of the most dominant players in the Midwest with a growing fan base nationwide. Last year golfers came from every state in the Union.

At BOYNE Golf’s flagship property, located

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along the shores of Lake Michigan west of Petoskey, the nationally esteemed Inn at Bay Harbor and Bay Harbor Golf Club are high-end luxurious properties situated on the site of an old limestone quarry and cement factory.

The Bay Harbor Golf Club, designed by Arthur Hills, offers 27 holes with the award-winning

Links, Quarry and Preserve courses. It features a unique combination of open links along the Lake Michigan bluffs, holes flowing in and out of a rock quarry, and through the area ' s hardwoods. Within five minutes lies BOYNE's

Crooked Tree Golf Club that is carved through stands of centuriesold hardwoods, while perched on bluffs overlooking Little Traverse Bay.

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BOYNE GOLF

Across that same bay, in the historic and charming waterfront community of Harbor Springs, The Highlands has undergone an elegant transformation fitting to its Scottish Highlands appeal. The second of four phases of this reimagination includes remodeling and significantly upgrading 87 guest rooms into superb luxury accommodations fitting for golfing couples and women’s buddy trips. And don’t worry gentlemen, The Highlands still offers plenty of townhouse and condominium options for the traditional men’s buddy trips.

The Highlands’ 72 holes of championship golf collectively offer a golf experience where groups can check into the lodge and never get back into their car during their stay. The courses are led by the Robert Trent Jones Sr. classic, the Heather course, which started BOYNE Golf’s boom back in 1966.

As the National Course of the Year in 2019, the Heather is a timeless parkland experience that is a pleasant walk in the park if one chooses to. Then there’s the popular Arthur Hills course,

taking golfers through a variety of landscapes including the hills of Northern Michigan reaching a pinnacle on the 13th tee with an elevated view of thousands of acres.

In recent years, BOYNE Golf began renovation work on its Donald Ross Memorial course, a classic rendition of great golf holes designed by the Hall of Fame architect. Renovations on three holes (#1, #13, #15) have been completed and will be ready to play in the spring of 2023. The fourth course, The Moor, is has recently undergone renovations that include widening fairways, expanding collection areas around the greens with tree removal – all to create a variety of more fun and playable shot options for all.

Complementing the world-class golf, The Highlands is also home to the BOYNE Golf Academy featuring nationally recognized professional instructors who have developed a variety of game-improvement programs for all levels of skill. Technology is the highlight for golfers who can experience the GEARS Golf

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system that can analyze your golf swing and fit you into the best-possible equipment for your game through BOYNE’s Fitting Center.

At the new and massive Trackman driving range, which marries incredible state-of-theart technology with a classic practice facility, golfers can instantly see swing data on literally every shot they hit, as well as play many of the world’s top courses virtually while hitting golf balls.

The third BOYNE Golf property, Boyne Mountain Resort, is located 35 minutes south of The Highlands. The Mountain Grand Lodge & Spa at “the Mountain” features two 18-hole layouts, the Monument and Alpine courses, which collectively offer outstanding golf that appeals to golfers of all skill levels, and some of the most spectacular panoramas in the state.

Chalet Edelweiss recently reopened after 2 years of construction offering golfing couples a luxury experience with a European flair.

Golfers can choose from a variety of additional lodging options, including the Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa or condominiums and townhouses. It features the perfect-for-families Avalanche Bay indoor waterpark (one of the largest in the Midwest) – as well as the Solace Spa, an 18,000 square foot luxury spa that offers the best seasonal treatments. It was a few years ago, but while I golfed my wife took in the spa at Boyne Mountain and said to me afterwards, ‘the best one yet.’

While you’re there, check out Skybridge Michigan, the world’s longest timber

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suspension bridge that opened last fall to rave reviews. It’s the kind of rare experience only a few places like Boyne cares to invest in for the sake of giving their guests the unique experiences Northern Michigan has to offer with the incredible vistas and landscapes.

It’s no wonder that the accolades keep coming in on BOYNE Golf. Publications like Forbes, Links, Golf Digest and Golfweek continuously rank BOYNE and its courses among the best in America. The variety of golf here is collectively refreshing, the scenery amazing, and the staff is always welcoming. When you visit in the summer the long Northern Michigan days mean you can play all day, whether that means 36 holes every day or 18 holes and plenty of time

to enjoy playing off the course after your round.

It’s a four-hour drive or less from most every point in Michigan, and your friends from all over the U.S. can now join you with direct service from 17 cities in the summer right into Traverse City’s Cherry Capital Airport or Pellston Airport. Yet for private jets Boyne Mountain recently invested $4 million of improvements on their 5,200-foot airport near the resort village.

To score a great golf package – or to find out more information – visit www.boynegolf.com or call to have a Guest Experience Agent assist you in planning your trip!

Highlands,TheHeatherHole4

UpgradestotheDonaldRossMemorial EnhancetheBoyneGolfExperience

The Donald Ross Memorial Golf Course has recently undergone updates to several holes by Michigan-based course designer Ray Hearn that has made it even more “Ross-like” than ever before. It furthers the mission of Boyne Resorts founder Everett Kircher, who wanted to pay homage to Ross by building a course that included some of his finest holes from his courses across the country.

“Accurately representing each hole on the Donald Ross Memorial course has always been a priority for us,” said Bernie Friedrich, Director of Golf Course Renovations and Development. “Today through technology, CAD and Google Earth, we are able to gather photos and dimensions to create an even more accurate reproduction of any updates.”

The first hole in the renovation is No. 1, a replica of the 6th hole at Seminole. In the Fall of 2020, trees were removed, and large sand waste areas were added down the left and right sides of the fairway to more closely mimic the original. In the fall of 2021, the green was completely reconstructed, increasing in size by 40 percent and all the greenside bunkers were reshaped, as well as the fairway cut around the green being extended. The angle of the green was changed by approximately 35 degrees to make it more approachable. The hole reopened in May 2022.

The 15th hole (below) – a replica of No. 11 at Aronimink – was restored to Ross’

original plans that predated what that club’s members changed a couple decades ago.

Now Boyne matched it. A new set of tee boxes was added, the fairway was widened, fairway bunkers were added but reduced in size, and the entire green complex was expanded and reshaped to match the original design. The new upgraded hole will open this coming May.

Work on the 13th hole, a replica of No. 15 at Seminole, began in September 2022 and is expected to open later this spring. The green complex there was raised three feet with new bunkers placement and shapes to restore the hole to the original design of the green.

It’s just another way that BOYNE Golf is honoring the man considered the father of golf course architecture – and bring to all golfers the gems that are often found at private clubs you cannot access.

Oakland Hills Clubhouse Rebuild Progressing Forward

In a bit of reversal, what came down must go back up – eventually – and plans are now underway for the construction of a new clubhouse at Oakland Hills Country Club. It has been almost one year since a massive fire destroyed the century-old Oakland Hills colonial-style clubhouse in February 2022, taking so much history along with it. The loss of the legendary building itself was a source of great sadness to everyone, but the angst of losing scores of irreplaceable artifacts, photos, trophies and other memorabilia left the golf world even more devastated. That is, until it was discovered that due to the heroic actions of local firefighters and dedicated club staff members, more golf history had been saved than originally thought.

For months, restoration crews and multiple insurance companies sifted through blackened wreckage to determine the cause of the fire

while also trying to estimate financial damages and insurance claims that would be forthcoming. Ironically, the hundred-year-old construction techniques which made the clubhouse so unique were also the very culprits causing its destruction.

Oakland Hills’ membership never doubted the clubhouse would be rebuilt – it was simply a matter of when. Restoration plans have been ongoing and the process member-driven with many talented members, including two who build high-end homes in the area, comprising the committee which is moving efforts forward.

In a vote taken last month, Stock Members accepted a proposal for an $83 million rebuild, keeping the style of the clubhouse intact. Plans also include an expanded maintenance building, extended driving range, exercise facilities with pickleball courts, and other upgrades, allowing year-round enjoyment. The first $55 million will come from insurance

ByJaninaParrottJacobs

ByJaninaParrottJacobs

OaklnadHillsFormerClubhouse

increase by approximately $165.

The new clubhouse is architecturally similar to the original C. Howard Crane design and will maintain the iconic look the world of golf has come to associate with Oakland Hills. One of Detroit's celebrated architects, Crane designed Orchestra Hall and Detroit Opera House, among other notable Detroit treasures.

Actual costs still have not been determined, but according to club officials, the re-opening is expected in 2024 or 2025. The USGA Junior Amateur is scheduled to be held at Oakland Hills in 2024, followed by the 2029 U.S. Women’s Amateur.

More women’s golf will come in 2031 and 2042 with the U.S. Women’s Open, followed by the U.S. Open in 2034 and 2051. Oakland Hills has previously hosted 11 USGA Championships in its storied history.

settlements but the remaining $28 million will be raised by increasing membership dues. To avoid a huge one-time assessment, each member’s monthly dues will

JJunior unior Player Player of the of the Year: East Year: East Lansing’s Lansing’s Drew Drew Miller Miller

Drew Miller of East Lansing said his best golf of the summer was during the Michigan Junior State Amateur Stroke Play Championship on the Sundance course at A-Ga-Ming Resort.

“My game was really in good shape then,” he said. “I was 11-under and didn’t feel like I did anything special. I just had great control.”

Miller, a junior at East Lansing High School, had control of his game most of the summer, finished on top of the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) Points List and has been named the GAM Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.

“It feels awesome to be Player of the Year, it was a goal for sure,” Miller said. “I saw friends win it the last few years and it gave me the drive to represent Michigan. Being on the top is great.”

Miller qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur over the summer and had top finishes in AJGA tournaments as part of a busy schedule. He

topped the points list with 1,018 points.

The Junior Boys’ Player of the Year the last two years, PJ Maybank III of Cheboygan, was second with 983 points. Max VanderMolen of Richland and Gull Lake Country Club, the winner of the Michigan Junior State Amateur, finished third with 773 points.

Miller has verbally committed to play collegiate golf at Michigan State University. He was introduced to the game at an early age by his father Kevin, an accomplished player who played collegiate golf at the University of Toledo.

“I want to top this year; I want to win the Michigan Amateur next summer,” Miller said. “I like to set high goals and go after them.”

He said it wasn’t hard to commit to MSU’s golf program and end the recruiting process. “I felt it was the best place for my game to develop,” he said. “I liked the coaches, the atmosphere and really loved everything about it.”

StoriesByGregJohnson

GAM Junior GAM Junior Girls Player Girls Player of the Year: of the

Year: Highland’s Highland’s Sophie Sophie Stevens Stevens

Sophie Stevens of Highland is already looking forward to next summer’s golf schedule, her last as a junior golfer before heading off to the University of Florida.

“I have little goals, big goals and all kinds in between before I go to college,” she said. “I want to play in as many tournaments as I can. I love to play and travel and I want to make the most of my last summer as a junior.”

Stevens, who recently turned 17, accomplished a lot in the 2022 golf season and topped the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) junior girls’ points list – earning GAM Junior Girls’ Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Stevens, who is home-schooled, said she had a more consistent golf season in 2022 compared to 2021.

“I got comfortable shooting low numbers this year (2022),” she said. “I made a lot of birdies, a lot more than I have in the past and that was a big factor in having a more consistent year, too.

I played better week to week as the year went along. I’m definitely better than I was at the end of last year.”

Stevens, a GAM member through Prestwick Village Golf Club, qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur, won the GAM Women’s Championship, won the Michigan Junior Girls’ State Amateur Stroke Play title and won an AJGA tournament in Florida in the fall. She totaled 1,825 points. Kate Brody of Grand Blanc and Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, who has signed with the University of Wisconsin and was named Michigan’s Miss Golf this fall, was second with 1,250 points.

Stevens, who also won the GAM Women’s Tournament of Champions at the close of the golf season, said she spent last winter making changes in her golf swing. This winter she plans to play in at least one Florida tournament and continue to work on her complete game. She called it an honor to win Player of the Year honors for a second consecutive year.

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

GAM Junior Girls GAM Junior Girls Player of the Year Player of the Year (15 and Under): (15 and Under):

“My dad had to kind of force me to give it a try,” she said. “I didn’t want to practice or have anything to do with it.”

GAM Junior Boys Player GAM Junior Boys Player of the Year (15 and Under): of the Year (15 and Under):

Ada’s Cooper Reitsma Ada’s Cooper Reitsma

Cooper Reitsma of Ada finished second in the 15and-under division of three significant junior golf tournaments over the summer – the GAM 14-andunder Match Play Championship, the GAM Junior Stroke Play Championship and the GAM Junior Invitational – but he said he was only marginally frustrated.

“I wasn’t fully frustrated because being second made me realize I was capable of winning,” he said. “It means I have to wait another year for that, but it’s coming.”

Reitsma, who was the 15-and-under Michigan Junior State Amateur Stroke Play winner, has been named the GAM 15-and-under Junior Boys’ Player of the Year. He earned 1,325 points, which made him a runaway leader in the points standings for 15-and-under boys.

“It means a lot to win this,” Reitsma said. “It shows my hard work. I put a lot into it and even though I didn’t pull off (wins), I have all those top finishes and I played well in all those events.”

Two years later at age 10 she realized she was surprisingly good at the game. O’Grady, whose family lives near Watermark Country Club, parlayed several top finishes across the summer schedule and has been named the 15and-under Junior Girls’ Player of the Year.

“I feel really excited I won this,” O’Grady said. “This kind of reward makes me feel like I’m getting closer to my goal of playing Division I college golf.”

O’Grady keyed her summer season as the 15and-under Michigan Junior Girls’ State Amateur Stroke Play winner. She topped the points standings with 958. Grace Slocum of Traverse City, the Michigan Junior Girls’ State Amateur Champion, was second with 831 points.

Saint John’s Resort Cardinal Golf Club Saint John’s Resort Cardinal Golf Club Reflects the Changing Needs in Golf Reflects the Changing Needs in Golf

Will soon open as metro Detroit’s only golf resort

ByTomLang

The massive remodel going on in Plymouth –turning the former quaint 27-hole Inn at St. John’s Golf Course property into a championship level 18-hole course, with a 7-hole par 3 short course and a 1.5 acre 18-hole putting course – will totally transform the former Detroit Archdiocese property at Five Mile and Sheldon Roads.

And in the process, resort golf will become a realty in metro Detroit.

The new championship course at Saint John’s Resort will be called The Cardinal – with plans for opening in August 2023.

Award-winning designer Ray Hearn is heading up the project design and believes all the elements

are there to attract golfers of all skill levels –people who are just getting into the game, as well as families and friends of wedding parties or corporate outings who just want to have a little fun on the large putting course while they visit the resort for socializing or business.

“The growth of par 3 short courses and putting courses nationwide make great sense, especially with a hotel on property,” Hearn said. “You’ve got a lot of new people entering the game of golf. People want to have some quick fun, and then there’s Carl’s Golfland right there with a driving range and all the equipment. With a set up of 5-tees you can do what you want based on your skill

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level. Pick the right tees and you’ll have a good time. You’ve got it all there with the longer 18, to play nine – or go to the 7-hole short course or 1.5 acre putting course.

“It’s Southeast Michigan,” he added. “This site is surrounded by buildings and residential and commercial sites to the north and west, yet this property is a beautiful oasis.”

And that’s exactly how I have felt about the property for years. The region’s hustle and bustle surrounding the Saint John’s property is filled with housing and commercial buildings –right off highway M-14 near I-96 and I-275. But once you step on the course, virtually all of those distractions go away. I recall writing a course review for the former 27-holes and referring to it being the perfect place for the then Catholic Monastery because the grounds were ‘surely God’s country.’

Building this soon-to-be-great golfers’ paradise is not just your average construction team.

Hearn said that once the project was announced in 2021 the top three building companies in the country all put in bids – which is highly unusual for a public course. Ultimately the Pulte family, owners of Saint John’s since buying the property back from the Detroit Archdiocese after gifting the Catholic group the 118-room Inn years ago, hired LaBar Golf out of New Jersey.

LaBar Golf constructed the recent Oakland Hills South Course renovation and did Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield remodel last year. Merion, Shinnecock Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Pinehurst No. 4, and Winged Foot are also LaBar creations.

“Having the chance to transform Saint Johns from its prior state to what it is now was very exciting for us,” said Rich LaBar, adding that his deep Catholic roots has made the experience even more meaningful. “The property has excellent landforms that really contribute to the overall layout and quality of the golf holes. Ultimately it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful dynamic between nature and golf.”

The new course also integrated a lot of characteristics of Oakland Hills South into the Saint John’s build, such as porous ceramics

that went into the greens mix and state-of-the-art bunker sand, has all the same specs.

Saint John’s also laid 42 acres of sod to speed the grass grow in but also add special features to the playability and look of the course. The name of the sod is Turf Type tall fescue grass – not to be confused with the kind that grows tall and turns brown, which is called fine fescue grass.

“It is the greatest breakthrough in grasses in the last 20 years,” Hearn said. “It’s often used as primary rough outside the fairways, greens and tees and bunkers. It’s disease resistant, drought resistant, it takes less water and less (chemicals). It’s a super-durable grass and overall it’s better for the environment because it doesn’t need as much fungicides, fertilizers nor irrigation.

“This grass really never goes brown, ever.”

WeddingsandEvents:

The property’s transformation includes changes to the buildings. A huge outdoor covered area (5,000 square feet) and an even bigger interior ballroom (15,000 sq. feet) is under construction. Those additions will amp up the already indemand wedding venue, made popular with the incredible and meticulous European-style Saints Mary and Joseph Chapel, and will drastically increase the opportunities for large outings and corporate celebrations.

Even the Putting Course will get a large pavilion for entertaining.

“Truly when you visit here, you don’t have to leave the resort, whether a golf outing, a wedding, a business meeting. We are offering everything in one place,” in addition to the luxury hotel, said Fadi Sibani, VP of Hotel Sales and Marketing. “But the beauty of it is they’ll all be in separate spaces that you will still have your own unique experience.”

Sibani explained how all proceeds of the resort operations are going into The Pulte Family Foundation, as an honor to the legacy of their father and family patriarch, William, who passed away in recent years.

So, when golfers come play the new course –whether the par 3 short course, a putting event, a wedding or a corporate outing – they can leave with a smile caused by the great experience, and knowing that it doesn’t line anyone’s pocket, but rather it all supports charities.

What’s Old is New Again: Stepping Back in Time

The Historical Transformation of Washtenaw

ByTomLang

The folks at Washtenaw Golf Club, the formerly private club for more than 120 years that became a public venue in 2020, think it’s pretty darn cool they are the current keepers of one of Michigan’s most historic golf courses, dating back to 1899, that’s still in operation today.

We do too.

And the ownership group, led by Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member and golf instructor Dave Kendall, thinks golfers will agree that the transformation they are giving it – to make it look and feel a little more like golf was over a century ago – is cool.

The most visually noticeable cues will be restoringgreens of some original nine holes to their squared-offcorners, which was a way of life for early golf in Britain and Scotland. The original Washtenaw holes were designed by Englishman Herbert ‘Bert’ Way, who laid it out the same year he tied for runner up in the 1899 U.S. Open at Baltimore Country Club at age 26.

Masterplan leader Ray Hearn said the squared greens were just ‘in vogue’ in golf’s early years overseas and it translated to America. Washtenaw’s green complexes fully support its original square edges.

More tee boxes have been added as well – a handful of longer tees that extend the course roughly 300 yards from the tips to about 6,900 yards, and several new forward tees to shorten

the course about 700 yards for those who want to play forward. And about 250 trees have been removed where their canopies had overgrown into the fairways over the decades.

“I think that broadens our appeal,” Kendall said of the adjusted 6-tee color options. “We want the shorter tees for those who want them. If it expands the appeal and makes people want to play here more because they feel like they can get around, then that’s great. Who does it bring any harm to? It helps everybody.”

Another Michigan Golf Hall of Famer, Brian Cairns, a former national PGA Senior Player of the Year, mentioned that just a month after Kendall and partners acquired the property, Covid-19 shutdowns hit.

“But, Dave rolled up his sleeves and began his

work, slowly but surely he is rolling back time and helping to restore the golf course,” Cairns said. “With his vision, along with (designer) Ray Hearn, some of the old characteristics are coming back, making it an old, cool, playable golf course. Some tee additions are stiffening the length but keeping all the original concepts intact. Thanks to Dave and his partners a classic has been saved.”

Cairns’ main student, 2021 U.S. Amateur winner James Piot, shows up regularly at Washtenaw when preparing between pro tournaments.

“Washtenaw is one of my favorite spots in the state of Michigan,” Piot wrote in an email. “What really makes it a great course for me to

play and practice at is the fact that it has some of the best greens in the state of Michigan. Not only are the conditions always great, but the design and layout of them is what really makes the place special. Even though it may be what's considered a shorter golf course, the greens make it my favorite spot to practice and play at. Going back toward the original design has been a really cool thing to watch unfold in person… it allows the course to be more playable for any skill level golfer out there.

“For me, it's my favorite place to go out for wedge work, and work around the greens, since it's the most identical to a Tour style set up and speed.”

Hearn said old aerial photos from 1930 were used as a guide. Then they did soil probes “like an old archeology dig, and found cinder ash that helped locate the old green corners to match against the aerial photos.

“We are able to bring back more cup areas that have been lost over the decades, many of them on the original nine holes. That just gives Dave, and I, tingles,” Hearn added. “We are slowly but surely bringing back what many would call the golden age look and feel of the course… It has been an absolute blast.”

The changes at Washtenaw began in late 2021 and will take place one step at a time for potentially the rest of this decade, in a pay-asthey-go methodology instead of one huge splash.

“We just want to fund it as we go along and keep making it better than it was before, without shutting down,” Kendall said. “If you only visit once a year, we’d like you to be able

tell that we’re doing something here and it looks better – the subtle things that make you think this place matters to them and we take pride in it.

“I don’t think it’s harder to maintain the course the way they did (a century ago). I think it looks cool and it’s consistent with its history. Why wouldn’t we celebrate that? I’ve never had more fun in my life.”

And if you are a golfer who visits, you might say the same thing.

Editor’snote:BertWayisalsocreditedby GolfPassasdesigningthe‘RegulationCourse’at CountryClubofDetroittwoyearsearlier,in1897, butitwasseveralmilesawayfromthecurrent daylocation.Wayalsodidfivemorecoursesinthe greaterClevelandarea.

TOUR PLAYERS

FROM MICHIGAN

Michiganders on the Professional Tours Michiganders on the Professional Tours

So local fans can follow along, we provide a synopsis of golfers from Michigan who are eligible for playing on the main professional tours in 2023:

The Jackson native has been Michigan’s ongoing rep on the PGA Tour for several years, having won the 2016 Zurich Classic and earning a trip to the 2017 Masters, where he made the cut. He’s been a regular on the PGA Tour since the 2013 season – and while the 2022 season was a tough one (highest finish was T12) he retained his full-time PGA Tour status for 2023 with a high finish in the Korn Ferry Tour finals.

He is a product of Napoleon High School and Oakland University, where he was Horizon League Player of the Year in 2005. He has eclipsed $12.5 million in PGA Tour career earnings.

The Mt. Pleasant native and MSU grad, who led the Spartans to three Big Ten titles, won the Puerto Rico Open in April, 2022 on the PGA Tour to earn his full-time card through the end of the 2024 season. He has two additional career wins on the Korn Ferry Tour, and he won three Michigan Open titles from 2009-14. Here early in the 2022-23 season, Brehm averages 303.4 yards off the tee.

In high school he won three Div. 2 state championships and was voted Mr. Golf in 2003. At MSU he won five individual titles and was Big Ten Championship individual runner up three times.

JoeyGarber,KornFerryTour

The Petosky native, who grew up skiing and playing golf daily at Boyne Resort, spent the 2019-20 season full time on the PGA Tour, but has

BrianStuard,PGATour

RyanBrehm,PGATour

since dropped back to the Korn Ferry Tour where his history includes winning the Rex Hospital Open in 2018. Last season he finished No. 26 on the Korn Ferry Tour Finals Points List, missing the last PGA TOUR card available for 2023 by just 4.5 points.

Garber’s Michigan history includes winning both the Michigan Amateur and the Junior Amateur in 2010, the summer after high school. He was also Michigan high school’s Mr. Golf his junior and senior seasons.

AlexScott,KornFerryTour

The Traverse City native who played at Grand Valley State University has been elevated from the PGA Tour Latinoamerica (where he still maintains playing privileges) thanks to a great showing in the end of season Korn Ferry’s additional qualifying tournament, has qualified for the 2023 season.

As an amateur he won the GAM Championship in 2017 and added the Michigan PGA’s 2018 Tournament of Champions at Boyne Mountain title. At Grand Valley he earned GLIAC Player of the Year, twice.

WillieMack,KornFerryTour

In 2011 at Boyne Highlands, Mack, a Flint native, became the first African-American to win the Michigan Amateur. He has since gone on to win more than 70 mini tour events as he built a pro tour resume. This will be his first opportunity to play fulltime on the top development tour. He has five PGA Tour starts, and in July 2021 made his first PGA Tour cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, followed by making another weekend in his next start at the John Deere Classic.

BrettWhite,KornFerryTour

Mack has been a staple and winner on the Advocates Pro Golf Association (APGA), a circuit formed to give minorities better opportunities to play at the professional level.

BrettWhite,KornFerryTour

White won the 2020 Michigan Open wire-to-wire after taking the 2019 Open title in Nevada. Both victories came after he made headlines from getting a debilitating brain infection a couple years earlier that left him in a wheelchair and learning how to walk again.

This is the Eastern Michigan grad’s second year on the Korn Ferry Tour. He has also played on the PGA Tour’s of Canada and Latinoamerica.

JamesPiot,LIVGolf

All indications are that Canton native James Piot, alongside Escanaba’s Dan Ellis as caddy, will play for a second season with LIV Golf. Piot made huge headlines by becoming the first Michigan native ever to win the U.S. Amateur with a solid victory in 2021. It got him into The Masters in 2022, plus The Memorial and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He had several more PGA Tour exemption invitations, including the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic, but he chose to join LIV instead.

ValeryPlata(MSU),LPGATour

Plata is a native of the country of Colombia and became one of the best players in MSU Women’s golf history. She would have been college eligible for this coming spring’s

season but gave up her amateur status when playing in the LPGA Q-School 8-round tournament. She tied for third place to earn her full time 2023 LPGA Tour card. Seven of her eight rounds were in the 60s, with a low of 66 on the second day. She finished at 25-under par. Plata reached the semifinals of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur and has played in the Meijer LPGA Classic twice as an amateur, plus the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

SarahWhite,EPSONTour

White, a Grand Rapids native, won her first professional tournament as an amateur, taking

the title of the EPSON Tour 2020 Founders Tribute at Longbow. There she went head-to-head at the end with Germany’s Sophia Popov, the week preceding Popov shocking the golf world by winning the 2020 Women’s British Open.

White is the younger sister of Brett White, and she created a toughness reputation by playing high school hockey for East Kentwood – where she won the 2014 high school golf state title her senior year. She began her college golf career at WMU but finished it at Texas State University.

Li

The DeWitt native and MSU grad will split her time in 2023 on the LPGA Tour and EPSON Tour with partial status on both. In 2022 she received from the LPGA Tour the Heather Farr Perseverance Award, which honors an LPGA player who through her hard work and efforts, has demonstrated determination, perseverance and spirit in fulfilling her goals as a player. Her survival of cancer during her time at MSU has made her a national leading advocate for research and awareness.

Nagel won the Michigan Women’s Open in 2018 and has been a stalwart on the LPGA Tour for many years. In her rookie year on Tour, she made the cut at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open. In high school she was Michigan’s Miss Golf twice and won two state championships.

AshleyLau(U-M),EPSONTour

Lau, who ended her college career to turn pro one semester early of her final spring eligibility, as born in Malaysia and attended high school in Australia. She started every event for the Wolverines of her 4.5 year career, and was last year’s Big Ten Golfer of the Year. She played in the Augusta Women’s National Amateur. Her U-M records include: single season scoring average (71.84; 2021-22), career average scoring and four individual titles.

The front nine holes are all pretty straight, with the only slight turns in the fairway on holes 1, 2 and 9 – and I do mean slight. There’s a good mix of elevation changes all the way around but, on the front, they are in the form of elevated tees. On the back nine there are significant elevation climbs on the 12th and 17th holes. In fact, the latter is such a long par three that goes so much uphill I would lobby that it be changed to a short par 4, even if they did not move the tees back a little. Those were the two toughest holes on the course for me, a 17-handicap.

Unlike the front nine, the back has three consecutive hard dogleg turning holes, Nos. 1416 that bend and wrap alongside each other in parallel formation – like three boomerangs side-by-side. The first and last of the trio are par fours, while the No. 15 is a longer par 5 creating the outside border.

You feel like you’re playing a parkland course until reaching holes 5, 7 and 8 – where it seems obvious it’s where the most recent updates to

the course have occurred. No. 5 is a par 4 with a valley dipping in the fairway, and a green complex that used to be surrounded by trees. But those have been cleared out for the most part and replaced with sand dunes and tall native grasses. It’s one of the areas that comes in closest contact with the freeway.

The 7th hole green was made a double shared green with the 10th hole, and when playing the 7th that doesn’t seem to come into play. But when you play the latter hole the visuals of that double green should make you double check which flag you are hitting to.

No. 8 is a par three that underwent the same transformation as No. 5 – I almost felt transported to Arizona for a hole, until coming back to reality of a Michigan tree-lined course on No. 9.

In 2023, Lake Michigan Hills is scheduled to have an all-new fleet of GPR carts, but GPS probably won’t tell you that when in doubt, all putts break slightly toward Lake Michigan, about 10 miles away.

More info found here.

Sultan'sRunHole1

Upstart MichiganBased Golf Lifestyle Brand Capturing the Soul of the Game and the Spirit of Up North Adventures

ByJasonManshum

Up North.

For many in the Mitten, that means ‘above the knuckles’ – particularly when showing someone where you live or pointing out one of our state’s destinations by holding up your right hand as a guide.

Yet, Up North isn’t a singular location. Rather, it’s a lifestyle.

It’s that feeling you get when you’re done working for the week and the compass points north on your vehicle. It’s having your tee time as the only thing on your schedule. It’s the scent of northern pines. It’s lake life. It’s conversations and camaraderie around a firepit. It’s opening the cottage – or setting up camp. It’s breathing in crisp, pure oxygen deep into your lungs. It’s meditative, offering time to unwind and unplug – relaxing, reflecting,

and reconnecting. And it’s home to some of the best golf destinations in the Midwest.

This is the core and essence of North Coast Golf Co., a golf lifestyle brand based in Port Huron, Mich. The company, founded in 2019 by entrepreneur and Michigan State University alumnus, Matt Fernandez, was born on Michigan’s north coast.

“We’ve got the west coast and the east coast in the U.S.,” said Fernandez. “But here in Michigan, we have some of the best coasts in the country. It’s our north coast.”

North Coast Golf Co. was birthed from many summer golf adventures in northern Michigan. The company, with a small team of employees, freelancers, family, and friends, creates highquality golf gloves and accessories. Their origins are golf gloves, but North Coast

continues to release other gear such as headcovers, headwear, apparel, and other golf accessories. Their gear is curated to capture the Up North vibe while paying homage to the epitome of golf in the state.

“We’re on a mission to create the best gear in golf that inspires golfers to adventure more, both on and off the course,” Fernandez said with pride.

The company has been growing exponentially since its founding. Their products can be purchased at https://northcoastgolfco.com, Amazon, and at select Golf Galaxy and Dick’s Sporting Goods locations. Several golf course pro shops now stock their shelves with North Coast gear as well. As the calendar turns to 2023, North Coast hopes to open its first brick and mortar retail store in the heart of northern Michigan. The store would sell not only North Coast gear, but other artisan golf products from likeminded companies that share in the love of the game.

North Coast products are being sold at select golf courses outside the state as well. This accelerated growth has the company poised to become a major player in the golf retail space yet separated from others by its roots.

“When you purchase a North Coast product, you’re not only getting the highest quality glove and accessories, but the spirit of a lifestyle for a community of adventureloving golfers,” Fernandez added. “Whether you’re on the coast of Maine, in the redwoods of Oregon, or in the pines of northern Michigan.”

When golfers buy these products, they are supporting one of North Coast’s key pillars of investing in communities. After launching their Bogey the Bear product line, in summer 2021 North Coast began an initiative that with every Bogeythe Bear product they sell, a tree will be planted in an area of need through OneTreePlanted. Over the past year and a half, North Coast planted more than 2,500 trees through the program.

While their primary efforts have been around planting trees, North Coast gives back to other organizations such as First Tee Detroit, Midnight Golf Program, Feeding America, No Kid Hungry, and various other non-profits in and out of the golf industry.

Editor’snote:IhavetriedapairoftheNorthCoast Golfglovesandtheyaresomeofthesoftestand highestqualityleatherproductsIhavetouched.