Destination: Southwest Michigan
Destination: Southwest Michigan
Grand Haven, Holland, Saugatuck and South Haven are some of the great little getaways that many Midwesterners covet for their summer vacations. Benton Harbor, headquarters of the Whirlpool Company, recently unveiled a new revitalization project featuring The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, a Jack Nicklaus design.
While golf here isn't as nationally recognized as its neighbors to the north, it's still easy to find a great course. Some high-end private golf courses are reserved for Detroit and Chicago vacationers who come in for a long weekend, but value and convenience are still easy to find.
With a metropolitan area of more than 500,000 residents, Grand Rapids is the state's second-largest city. Known for its furniture business and medical research facilities, it also features a collection of the state's top daily-fee golf courses. Just north of the city, Pilgrim's Run Golf Club is one of the best-kept secrets in the state. Another top play and one closer to the city is Thousand Oaks Golf Club, a Rees Jones design. Locals also frequent their favorite municipal facility, L.E. Kaufman Golf Course, as well as the new Mines Golf Course just minutes from downtown.
Other cities in the southwest away from the coast include Kalamazoo, home to Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College. In the neighboring small town of Vicksburg, Angels Crossing Golf Club has emerged as one of the state's finer value plays.
Recommended: Harbor Shores Golf Club in Benton Harbor
The first of its class in Michigan's Great Southwest, Harbor Shores G.C. is proud to present the Jack Nicklaus Golf Course. Recognized for the high standards of Nicklaus Design, the 18-hole course features three dramatic holes with sweeping views of Lake Michigan; 10 holes bordering the beautiful banks of the Paw Paw River and Ox Creek and its wetlands; and four holes through rolling hills, ravines and a hardwood forest, truly a unique golf experience.
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Tullymore Golf Club
Tullymore Golf Club, which opened in 2001, is among the top public course options in Michigan. The golf course, designed by Jim Engh, sits on more than 800 acres of wetlands and includes three par 5s and five par 3s (the par-3 15th is entirely over wetlands). more»
West Course at Gull Lake View Golf Club & Resort
Situated in southwest Michigan's beautiful lake region, Gull Lake View Golf Club offers five championship courses that are easily accessible from Detroit, Toledo, Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Lansing. Gull Lake View West is the club's original course. The club is the oldest and largest in southwest Michigan and it all started with the West Course. Opened in 1963, the golf course has a traditional layout that offers a challenging but fair test. more»
St. Ives Golf Club
St. Ives Golf Club has received a five-star rating from Golf Digest -- and with good reason. The Jerry Matthews design, which opened in 1995, offers great course conditions amid a beautiful backdrop. Elevation changes that range from 40-80 feet offer up great views of the surrounding area. more»
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by kent broekstra ( Related Articles
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When you think of golf in Michigan, the resort courses of northern Michigan usually come to mind. There are, however, some quality options in southwestern Michigan that are not only more accessible to Michiganders, but also more affordable and varied. Mike Bailey offers five must-play recommendations for anyone considering a golf trip to southwestern Michigan.
... full article »Photo gallery: Jack Nicklaus hosts Champions for Change at the Golf Club at Harbor Shores
Many years in the making, the Golf Club at Harbor Shores is officially opened with the Champions for Change charity skins game event held Aug. 10 in Benton Harbor. Course designer Jack Nicklaus invited fellow golfing legends Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller to play for $1 million in prize money -- which was all donated to the First Tee and Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor.
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You won't find many developers looking to build a golf course in the United States with greens fees of under $50 these days - not when trends are shifting most projects private or north of $100. There are anomalies, like the new Beeches Golf Club in South Haven, Mich.
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In an unassuming location north of Grand Rapids, built by six unknown designers, lies an unlikely pick for the Grand Rapids area's finest round of golf. Pilgrim's Run Golf Club in Pierson rivals other upscale courses in the area and does quite well, thanks.
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A circa-1960s Bruce Matthews design, the L.E. Kaufman golf course still sees more rounds than almost any other Grand Rapids-area course. It's not due just to the price tag; few people expect greens this good at a muni.
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Growing up in western Michigan, golf course architect Mike Devries spent summers working at the famed Crystal Downs Country Club. It didn't take long for him to find his calling. Today his company has five designs and numerous remodeling projects to its credit. The most acclaimed being the Kingsley Club in northern Michigan.
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