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!
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.
Mike on Michigan Golf Live
A few weeks ago Mike was on the Michigan Golf Live podcast with Bill Hobson and they just posted the corresponding TV segment on YouTube. Check it out!
Mike featured on Michigan Golf Live's Podcast
Mike recently sat down with Bill Hobson of Michigan Golf Live to chat about his public Michigan courses.
And listen in for a chance to win free golf at all 4 courses!
Eggsplorations: Grand Rapids | The Fried Egg
Andy Johnson recently listed The Mines, Pilgrim’s Run, and Diamond Springs in his Grand Rapids “Eggsplorations.”
The Must-Sees of Public Golf Architecture in America
The Fried Egg has been compiling a list over the past few months of architecturally compelling public golf courses in the U.S.
This idea came from an excellent question we got on Twitter: “If you were to craft a ‘playing curriculum’ for golfers who want to learn more about architecture, which 10 U.S. courses would teach people the most?”
As we talked about it, two things became clear: 1) We preferred to focus on courses accessible to the public (because if we were going to craft a curriculum, we wanted everyone to be able to buy the books), and 2) We couldn’t limit ourselves to 10 courses (because we lack self-restraint). So we decided to compile a running list of U.S. courses that provide compelling grounds for golf, embody thoughtful design principles, and offer tee times that you can book with a simple phone call. These are what we’re calling “the must-sees of public golf architecture in America”—a playing curriculum, if you like.
How long will the list be? Dunno! And we hope it will grow as our travels take us to new places.
For each course, we’ll give you a brief write-up on why you should see it, an “insider tip,” and a rating of the green fee from $ to $$$$.
We will release our picks one at a time, in no particular order, in The Fried Egg newsletter. If you’d like to keep up to date, SUBSCRIBE! We’ll also update this post occasionally.
They’ve included Greywalls, the Mines, and Diamond Springs! Thanks, Fried Egg!
19 in '19
Tim Gavrich of Golf Advisor summed up 2019 with his “dream 18” of holes he played this year. No. 9 was the Mines!
Of the three Mike DeVries designs in and around the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, this one has the wildest terrain, and the closing hole on the outward nine is perfectly placed through a valley to a plateau green.
GRADE “A” ARCHITECTURE: MINES GOLF CLUB
Matt Ward recently wrote a post about the Mines on Golf Content Network.
The 13th, a par-4 of 468 yards, plays uphill and turns right in the drive zone. It is essential to avoid that bunker but come near enough without venturing into it. Even for the strongest of players carrying one’s tee shot over that bunker requires a Herculean effort of nearly 300 yards. Complicating matters is that the prevailing wind pattern is often against you.
Southwest Michigan golf: Grand Rapids, Calder and the golf course as interactive sculpture
Tim Gavrich of Golf Advisor wrote a lovely article about Mike’s Grand Rapids area courses.
Golf courses are sculptures we are allowed to interact with. Like plain, mostly decorative sculptures, mediocre golf courses don't hold our attention for very long. But when they are assembled by someone with deeper intent - someone like Calder, like DeVries - they tend to linger a bit in our memories, and make us want to return to experience them again. All three of these golf courses function on that more sophisticated level, such that any golfer with an interest in how an imaginative course can elevate the experience of playing the game would do well to visit Grand Rapids.
Thanks, Tim! Check out the rest of the article for a more in-depth look at Pilgrim’s Run, the Mines, and Diamond Springs.
3 DeVries Courses Mentioned in Urban Bargains List
Golf Advisor made a list of the best value driven golf courses in America’s urban areas with Pilgrim’s Run being number one in Grand Rapids!
1. Pilgrim's Run (4.72)
2. Cedar Chase (4.60)
3. Moss Ridge Golf Club (4.55)Pilgrim's Run is one of the best values in the country. Two other Mike DeVries specials aren't on this podium but are worth a shout out. Diamond Springs and The Mines present architecturally interesting layouts for budget-conscious golfers.
Check out the article for other budget friendly courses around the country.
Golf and the Craft Culture
Andy Johnson, of The Fried Egg, writes about how craft beer upped the ante on beer flavor and that golf should do the same with our public and muni courses. The Mines and Founders Brewery are mentioned in the opening paragraphs – two of a kind in Grand Rapids, Michigan!
Where to Golf Next: Grand Rapids
Pilgrim’s Run and The Mines are mentioned in the Grand Rapids edition of “Where to Golf Next.” Read the article to learn about other great courses in the area and where to go afterwards for a well deserved local craft beer.
Michigan Golf Journal Fall Tour
Diamond Springs and Greywalls are highlighted, and the Mines and Pilgrim's Run are mentioned, in Michigan Golf Journal's Fall Tour section by Tom Lang. The list contains courses that allow you to soak in the gorgeous colors of the changing leaves while playing some great golf. Is there a better way to celebrate the changing seasons?
Check out their September issue and set up your tee time today!
Greywalls: 906-225-0721
Diamond Springs: 269-751-4545
Pilgrim's Run: 888-533-7742
Affordable Golf Courses in Michigan
Three DeVries Designs’ courses are mentioned in Andy Johnson’s list of “Bang for your Buck: Michigan.” It features courses from across the state that all cost under $100 and have regular tee times for the public.
Mines mentioned in Golf Vacation Insider
"There are a lot of golf courses that have replaced far less desirable sites: industrial sites, landfills and other non-golf entities. We’re biased, but we tend to think green spaces are better than metal, smoke and concrete. And if those green spaces happen to have 9 or 18 greens, even better.
Here are our favorite “reclaimed” golf courses:
The Mines Golf Course – Grand Rapids, Mich.
Central Michigan is prime mining country, and The Mines is built on the site of former gypsum mining activities. The course embraces this heritage not just with its name but with one of the best public-course logos we’ve seen. Furthermore, materials from the mining operation were incorporated in the design of the course. An example of the minimalist design philosophy of Mike DeVries, the course only has 31 bunkers – including half a dozen bunkerless holes – so its main defense is a set of fun but potentially fearsome greens. There are not too many courses by name designers whose green fees top out below $54, but The Mines is no ordinary course."
2010 Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play
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.
Greywalls on the Cover of GolfWeek
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.