Grand Golf
Michigan’s second largest city has golfer choices galore
By Tom Lang
Beer City.
Annual host of the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Nationally ranked golf at a lower cost.
All three describe what golfers will find visiting Grand Rapids – that and more.
Just last month, our MI Golf Journal reported that GOLF Magazine put out its list of top courses from across the country which cost under $100, at peak weekend rates for walking. Three locations from the small sliver of west Michigan made the list ranging from Texas to the Canadian border: Diamond Springs in Hamilton; Pilgrim’s Run in Pierson; and the Mines Golf Club that sits near the edge of downtown.
Greg Johnson, a long-time resident and recent inductee into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame as a media representative, mentioned two of them directly.
“Diamond Springs is out there, but it’s country roads, a pretty little drive through some corn fields and you pull up to this place that’s a really cool and unique golf course,” he said. “And The Mines is less than five minutes from downtown. You can stay at the Amway Plaza and catch an Uber to The Mines easily. They’ve got a brand new clubhouse and a really nice golf course.”
Johnson’s perspective goes back more than 40 years when he began covering golf for the Grand Rapids Press.
“First of all, there’s a lot of golf courses, even prior to the building boom in the 1980’s. Kent County alone had like eight private clubs and 15 public courses. Then it really boomed,” he added. “Grand Rapids just developed its own audience with just a bunch of really nice public golf courses, from the original Grand Haven Golf Club (now American Dunes), to the L.E. Kaufman, a county owned park and golf course with great greens, which are maintained really well for a municipal golf course. It hosts the Kent County Amateur every year, one of the biggest in the state.”
Johnson isn’t the only person who loves the choices available in the region. Enter Mike Brady, a volunteer for GAM who with his wife, Connie, helps rate course handicaps. He pointed out the known tourist destinations of Meijer Gardens, John Ball Zoo and the Gerald R. Ford Museum, a national treasure.
He suggested that the Meijer LPGA Classic is also an event to plan around. And as for the nickname Beer City: “I think it’s a tribute to the entrepreneurial nature of the community in general,” Brady said. “Craft beer development across the country is big, and Grand Rapids has certainly had its share of craft brewers who have made their mark in the industry. They have created brands that have real value.
“The Kaufman golf course is wonderful,” Brady added. “It’s a country club experience really, at reasonable public golf course fees. All the locals know about it, but visitors might not. That would be number one on my list for recommending any one single public course in Grand Rapids.”
For first-timers to the area, it can be helpful to create a stay-and-play package. The Country Inn & Suites by Radisson Grand Rapids East has been putting them together for almost 10 years. The hotel closely works with eight courses: Pilgrim’s Run, Quail Ridge, Thornapple Pointe, Boulder Creek, Ravines (near Saugatuck), The Mines, Diamond Springs and Links at Bowen Lake. Call: (616) 464-7272 for packages.
General Manager Ed Wilson said most groups range from 8-to-40 people, and they explore anything they can off the course, like casino runs and Whitecaps baseball games, the Detroit Tigers’ affiliate.
“The golfers say they love the golf around here,” Wilson commented. “Some stay in Grand Rapids a night or two as they’re heading to other places, and we have a variety of courses in what’s available. They love the area, then you throw in a little Founder’s Brewery, or all the different options around here. There’s certainly a lot to do. Everyone’s looking for a little steak; we have all the options, depending on the group.
“So many people think of Up North, but the quality of golf we have here is equal, and if you mix in a little something you can do whether it’s downtown or in the suburbs, we have lots of options.”
Grand Rapids is a top destination for ‘foodies’ – and one of the most affordable as well – offering every kind of cuisine, for every kind of budget. The city is ringed by family farms and fruit orchards that supply restaurants with just-harvested ingredients, putting farm-to-fork meals on the menus of mom-and-pop diners and upscale steakhouses, and everything in between.
There are more than two dozen public courses within a 40-minute drive, but most are less than 20 minutes from downtown. Personally, I have played the following layouts:
American Dunes: This new course is a classic in the sense Jack Nicklaus designed it from the former Grand Haven Golf Club in honor of our military heroes who died serving this country. The natural sand dunes near the Lake Michigan coastline are on full display in this masterful layout.
Pilgrim’s Run: The course designed mostly by Mike DeVries was first developed as a private family track, that once under development the owners realized the property was too beautiful to not share with the world. I played it most recently, with a man I’d never met before named Steve Grimm, owner of Northwinds Insulation.
“This course never disappoints; it’s always fresh,” he said. “The weather and the colors change, but it’s always in pristine condition. For me it’s my solitude. You come out here and there’s no distractions. This is pure golf. I love how it’s all nature. You feel like you’re out here and with no distractions.”
Thornapple Pointe: For a Detroit Free Press course review at the time, I wrote this about my favorite hole … No. 13 is not unlucky; it’s simply a gorgeous golf hole (photo here doesn’t do it justice). To start, the tees are elevated for a beautiful pause in your round to watch the Thornapple River flow the length of the par 5 and onward to additional holes. If playing the white tees, which are generally pushed far to the right of the others, a stand of trees lay straight ahead about 200 yards out. This forces a drive to the left, toward the river, but with plenty of fairway landing room. The remainder of the 500-plus yard hole is river left, trees right. Walking that hole is best to soak it all in.
The Lynx: One of those pleasant surprises, The Lynx is nestled on land high above and down along the mighty Kalamazoo River – a beautiful course in a very natural setting except for a few condos on the front nine. Hole No. 1 leads off with a great example of what golfers will find on their day. The fairway first appears flat and perhaps boring – but hit it to the end of the fairway and you’re faced with a drastic 75-foot elevation drop to the green. Beware, however, that going long over that green, and many others and you’ll find big trouble.
Saskatoon: A long-time favorite of golf leagues, Saskatoon recently added a new nine (the Silver Course) that gives the property outside of Caledonia 45 holes and lots of choices.
The Mines: I haven’t played a full 18 at The Mines since it first opened and I joined designer Mike DeVries for the round. Shame on me that I haven’t fit it back into my busy schedule. I recall it being beautiful, challenging and a great experience – words I hear repeated all the time by others.
The Meadows at Grand Valley State: A wonderfully beautiful and tough course that hosts Grand Valley State’s nationally-talented teams, and gives high school golfers their toughest state finals experience in the MHSAA rotation.
“We’ve just always been a little bit of a golf-crazy part of the state,” Johnson summed up. “West Michigan has probably been known just for the sheer number of courses and the nice price you could get, because of so much competition.
“It’s just always been an affordable sport here, with a golf crazy audience to boot.”
More information can be found at: https://www.experiencegr.com/things-to-do/outdoors-and-sports/golf/
