“Everybody who plays this game has heard of Dr Alister MacKenzie. Hardly anyone has heard of David Edel. But a throwaway line over a post-round drink in Argentina a decade ago could see the names of these two inextricably linked for generations to come.”
Golf Australia, October 2010
Read the article to find out how DeVries Designs are involved in bringing this lost course to life. Golf Australia, October 2010: MacKenzie’s Lost Designs (PDF)
Check out the Golf Club Atlas website for reviews and discussions on courses and all things golf course architecture related. A group of 35 from this site came together to play Kingsley (with smaller contingencies at Greywalls and the Mines prior to Kingsley) in late June.
“Like a pitcher that changes speeds, I thought Kingsley was a great example of a course constantly varying the challenge from hole to hole.” — Jason Topp
Since then, there has been some good discussions on the courses – click here to see what they are saying. Or, if you’d like to participate in the thread click here.
Mike DeVries was featured in Traverse Magazine’s June 2009 issue and on their website talking about his philosophy and some course picks for northern Michigan.
On Golfweek’s 2010 BEST COURSES You Can Play for Michigan, Greywalls is #2, Pilgrim’s Run is #18, and the Mines stays at #19. Nice to see continued support and enthusiasm for these fine courses. If they had a national listing for courses under $30, Diamond Springs would certainly be a worthy candidate for that list.
Darius Oliver, author of the critically acclaimed Planet Golf and Planet Golf USA books, has started Planet Golf On-line, a website to provide the “Definitive Reference to the World’s Greatest Golf Courses” and the “Internet’s most authoritative source for unbiased and accurate golf course information.” In developing this site and its accompanying Global Golf Group, Oliver has identified only nine Quality Endorsed Designers, and Mike DeVries is among that select group.
“Mike DeVries is one of those rare modern course architects who not only understands the principals of great design but is also able to personally shape the features that make golf courses so appealing. His ability to work with natural ground contours enables him to produce original layouts that are sustainable, attractive, fun to play and constantly engaging.”
Golfweek magazine’s annual “GolfWeek’s Best” issue sees Greywalls jump up to #79 on the Top 100 Modern Courses, while Kingsley is stable at #19 in the country. These courses continue to be recognized for their fun, playable, and exciting golf.
A shot of the 5th green at Greywalls is featured on the cover of the magazine’s annual “GolfWeek’s Best” issue, which lists the country’s top 100 courses in Classical (pre-1960) and Modern (post-1960) eras. Greywalls debuts at #92 in the country, joining Kingsley, which is at #20 and has been a staple on the modern list for many years.
In the listing for public access courses in Michigan, Greywalls is #3, Pilgrim’s Run is #17, and the Mines debuts at #19 for the state.
Good rhythm and flow on a golf course is like good theater – there is a series of acts that build upon one another to create a sum greater than its parts. The rhythm and flow is critical to creating a good golf course experience because great holes that don’t connect and flow together won’t “complete” a course like a good sequence of holes can.
The great courses of the world, whether they are links like Royal Dornoch or an inland course like Augusta National, have great rhythm and flow and world-class holes that make them desirable to play every day. Certainly there are many non-famous courses that are fun and challenging for their players on a regular basis – that may be the true meaning of good rhythm and flow.
Having grown up working at Crystal Downs in northern Michigan, I have had an appreciation of Perry Maxwell’s work for a long time. Perry’s work as Alister MacKenzie’s associate on that venerable course certainly had a great effect on his work and philosophy, as he spent three seasons there building the course now regarded as one of the best in the world. Maxwell’s respect for a landscape’s inherent qualities and use of those features in its design is one of the great aspects of the golf course at Crystal Downs. I became enamored with golf at an early age and with golf course architecture because of my exposure to Crystal Downs. I am certain that the beauty of the natural landforms of the site were an inspiration to Perry Maxwell just as they are to me to this day and I am positive that he made the course better due to his recognition of the intricacies of the land.
