This northern Michigan jewel by architect Mike DeVries has long been a darling of architecture fans for its rugged topography, naturalistic bunkers and wide, multi-option fairways and greens. Golf Digest panelists were slow in getting there after it opened in 2001 and their appreciation of the design didn’t translate into a ranking until 2013 when it popped at no. 114. It slipped the next cycle to no.133 but has since rose consistently toward its highest position yet at no. 110. Kingsley is a dark horse candidate to crack the top 100 in next year’s new ranking.
The Science of Split Fairways - LINKS
Mike DeVries, whose incredible opening hole at Kingsley Club in Michigan has players pondering which side of a group of bunkers and rough ground to take with the very first shot of the day, says giving players options off the tee always makes the hole more interesting, especially if the choice is close to 50/50. “It’s better not to dictate or force the hole’s strategy,” he adds. “That takes an important part of the game away.”
Riggs Vs Cape Wickham, 9th Hole
Glad you liked it, Riggs!
Cape Wickham named one of the Top Lighthouses in Golf
Just under an hour from Melbourne, on the northeastern tip of King Island, Cape Wickham is one of the game’s great remote destinations. Every hole boasts an ocean view, with co-designers Mike DeVries and Darius Oliver routing the course under the watchful view of the 157-foot Cape Wickham Lighthouse that’s the tallest in Australia as well as the tallest stone lighthouse in the southern hemisphere.
Check out the article to see what other great courses are mentioned!
The Value of Variety in Golf Course Design
In this Links article, Mike was asked his opinion on the importance of variety in golf. See his response as well as Bill Coore, Tom Doak, and Rod Whitman’s.
6 Mostly Undiscovered U.S. Golf Destinations
Grand Rapids, Mich.
This is Mike DeVries country. Here you’ll find three of his little-known, but hugely enjoyable, courses—The Mines about 10 minutes from downtown; Pilgrim’s Run half an hour north; and Diamond Springs a similar distance southwest of the city. Each demonstrates DeVries’s ability to create intriguing golf without moving a great deal of dirt and to which you want to return often. Other options outside the “Furniture City” are Ray Hearn’s impressive Quail Ridge, Mike Hurdzan’s tremendous Meadows course at Grand Valley State University, and, half an hour to the west near the Lake Michigan town of Grand Haven, Jack Nicklaus’s American Dunes which opened in May 2021 and is owned and operated by the Folds of Honor Foundation.
Pilgrim's Run, The Mines, and Diamond Springs in Best Affordable Courses in Michigan
Matt Fernandez recently worked with Noah Jurik to create this list based on affordability (under $100 at some point during peak season), architecturally interesting, playable for all, great value, and uniqueness. And all three of the Grand Rapids area DeVries Designs courses made it!
7 Golf Holes with Tremendous Amounts of Sand
Marquette Golf Club, Greywalls Course (Marquette, Mich.)—Hole no. 11
From an aerial view, the 11th hole of the Greywalls course at Marquette Golf Club doesn’t appear to meet this story’s criteria. The short par four is punctuated by eight fairway and greenside bunkers, but there’s still plenty of fairway that’s in play off the tee. Yet, the 11th at Greywalls is a perfect fit not for the physical amount of sand in play, but for how much sand looks to be in play. It’s all about the bunker positioning on this hole and based on the angle presented to players on the tee, they’re likely to see only slivers of short grass.
Pilgrim's Run in Golf's Best 73-Par Courses
Erik Matuszewski has compiled a list of 10 courses in the rare 73-Par category, of which there are less than 100 of in the United States. Among these select few is Pilgrim’s Run!
Built on more than 400 acres of natural wooded terrain in Central Michigan, about a half hour north of Grand Rapids, Pilgrim’s Run is another par 73 with only three par-three holes. The public layout from Mike DeVries and Kris Schumacker has some wild hole names too: Slough of Despond, Bottomless Pit, Error Hill, Giant Despair, and Valley of Humility among them.
Tourist Sauce (Michigan): Episode 9, "Greywalls"
The guys from No Laying Up finished out this season of Tourist Sauce at Greywalls in Marquette.
Big thanks to the whole No Laying Up crew for showcasing Michigan golf and including DeVries Designs courses throughout the journey. It was a pleasure meeting everyone and hearing your commentary on the golf. Keep up the great work!
Tourist Sauce (Michigan): Episode 5, "Kingsley Club"
It’s finally here! Check out the Kingsley Club episode of Tourist Sauce from No Lane Up featuring our very own Mike DeVries.
Click here to watch the rest of Tourist Sauce Season 7: Michigan
No Laying Up, Episode 494: Mike DeVries
In their current season of Tourist Sauce, the team from No Laying Up played multiple courses throughout the state of Michigan including Pilgrim’s Run, Greywalls, Kingsley, and more! Mike got the chance to talk more in depth about his courses and his background in design with Soly.
Tourist Sauce (Michigan): Episode 3, "Grand Rapids"
During their tour of Michigan golf this summer, the guys from No Laying Up played the 3 DeVries Designs courses in the Grand Rapids area; Diamond Springs, the Mines, and Pilgrim’s Run. And they met up with our friend Andy Johnson from The Fried Egg!
No Laying Up: Tourist Sauce, Michigan
If you haven’t heard of No Laying Up, we here at DDI highly recommend you check them out. They have an extensive library of podcast episodes and YouTube videos diving deep into the courses and players that make golf such a great game to play.
One of their many projects is a travel show called Tourist Sauce, where they visit a specific part of the States or world. Season 7, filmed this past summer, was all about courses in the state of Michigan. The guys traveled all throughout the state and Mike even spent a day with them at Kingsley!
You can listen to their podcast recapping the entire trip here. We’ll have more posts to come soon with some highlights about your favorite DeVries courses. New episodes of Tourist Sauce are posted every Wednesday at 9pm EST on their YouTube Channel.
Cape Wickham Ranked #5 in Golfweek's Top Modern International Courses
Every year Golfweek creates many Best of Lists, but this one is an entirely new category. They’ve ranked dozens of the world’s best courses that were built in 1960 or later. And Cape Wickham takes spot #5 on this debut list! Check out the rest of the rankings here.
GOLF's Top 100 Courses You Can Play and Best Golf Course Lighthouses
Greywalls was listed #65 in GOLF’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play
Some say Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a world unto itself, and after crossing the Mackinaw Bridge, you’ll quickly see why “Yoopers” love this part of the state. From the “border” crossing, it’s a three-hour, well-worth-the-drive journey to Greywalls. Rugged beauty is an understatement on this DeVries design, where he somehow managed to carve out a memorable layout though granite outcroppings; the course’s namesake comes into play on several holes, most notably the par-3 6th. The woodsy setting has plenty of ups and downs, plus breathtaking views of nearby Lake Superior, especially from the elevated opening tee. Forget the scorecard and enjoy the ride.
Check out the rest of the list here
And Cape Wickham was mentioned in GOLF’s Best Golf Course Lighthouses by DDI’s good friend, Mike Clayton!
Golf Digest's Best Golf Courses in Michigan
Golf Digest's “Best Golf Courses in Michigan” features 3 DeVries Designs courses!
#4 - Kingsley Club
#12 - Greywalls
#26 - Pilgrim’s Run
Golf Week's Best of 2021
Lots of lists from Golf Week’s Best of 2021. See where your favorite DeVries Designs courses rank!
Top 200 Modern Courses in the US (built after 1960)
#18 - Kingsley Club
#80 - Greywalls
Best Private Courses (by state)
#3 - Kingsley Club
Top 100 Public Courses in the US
#28 - Greywalls
Best Public Golf Courses You Can Play (by state)
#2 - Greywalls
#10 - Pilgrim’s Run
Cape Wickham #10 in the World!
Golf World just curated their latest Top 100 Courses in the World featuring Cape Wickham at #10! And shout out to our Australian partner Michael Clayton’s course, Barnbougle Dunes, at #19.
Kingsley #79 in GOLF’s Top 100 Courses for 2020/2021
Last week GOLF released its Top 100 Rankings for 2020/2021 where Kingsley was listed at #79 in the U.S. and #3 in Michigan!
Greywalls was also listed at #12 in Michigan.
Check out the Top 100 Courses in the U.S.
Check out the Top Courses in Michigan