Pilgrim's Run

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.

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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!

Read the rest of the article here.

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.

Read the rest of the article here.

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.

Listen to the full episode here.

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.

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!

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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.

Pure Michigan 18

Two DeVries courses have been included in the Pure Michigan 18 campaign! This list highlights some of the most iconic Michigan golf holes.

See the full list

Pierson, MI: The bunker placement at Pilgrim's Run Golf Club's par-5 6th hole gives golfers multiple paths to play. At 483 yards, #6 earned the name Vainglory and is the course's most photographed hole.

Marquette, MI: The 7th hole on Marquette Golf Club's Greywalls course is long par-4 that shows off the rugged beauty of the area with a rock outcrop in the middle of the fairway. The course was designed by legendary golf architect Mike DeVries and provides breathtaking panoramic views of Lake Superior.

Golf Advisor rates Pilgrim’s Run #5 in the USA!

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Golf Advisor has put out their Best of 2018 Lists, featuring Pilgrim’s Run as #5 in the country! Greywalls and Diamond Springs also join Pilgrim’s Run on Michigan’s Top 25 with Pilrgim’s Run also being chosen for friendliest staff!

Tony Paul of The Detroit News, called Pilgrim’s Run an “impressive hidden gem” in his review of the Golf Advisor ratings. Diamond Springs also gets a mention in other local highlights.

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? 

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Check out their September issue and set up your tee time today!

Greywalls: 906-225-0721

Diamond Springs: 269-751-4545

Mines: 616-791-7544

Pilgrim's Run: 888-533-7742