Kingsley Club in the Spotlight

Kingsley Club has recently been the highlight of many Michigan golf posts online: Ran Morrissett’s “Dream 18,” selected as 3rd best in the state, and now there’s more!

First off we have a Michigan Golf Live segment with Bill Hobson. Mike recently chatted with him about all of his public Michigan courses but in this piece you’ll get a chance to hear more about the ideology about Kingsley Club with the owner, Ed Walker.

If you want to hear more about the nitty gritty of the course, GCSAATV had a quick interview with Dan Lucas, superintendent, about the fescue that runs throughout the course.

And last but not least we have an article by Steve Habel of Golf Course Trades, which starts out with a comparison to one of Mike’s favorite bands.

If comparing a round at The Kingsley Club to 1970s’ and ‘80s pop music, the course plays like the great Steely Dan, whose music is smooth and subtle, with accents sharp but never forced.

Righteous! Read the rest of the article here

Kingsley featured on Ran Morrissett's "Dream 18" of modern courses

In 1976, Pat Ward-Thomas published the article, “Elements of Greatness - The Classic Course,” pulling interesting and unique holes from various courses to create the hypothetical dream course. Each hole has to correspond with the same number, for instance you couldn’t use all hole 9’s for your layout. Many have since created their own, most recently Ran Morrissett who chose his Hole #2 from Kingsley Club!

Hole No. 2: Kingsley Club

Kingsley, Mich. — Par 3, 150 Yards

Architect: Mike DeVries

Why it’s great: An ultra-precise par-3 shot is the perfect follow-up to a wide-open starter.

Overview: People who study golf’s pace of play—yes, there are such people—pooh-pooh the idea of a reachable par-5 or a par-3 early on either side, holding forth that such holes cause play to back up. My experience says that the opposite holds true, that both hole types invariably spread out play. 

Regardless, Mike DeVries routed this one-shotter along the top of a ridge, with the narrow green naturally falling off on both sides toward either deep bunkers or, worse still, thick fescue grass. The green, at 38 yards, is much deeper than it is wide (just nine yards at the front). 

Yard for yard, this may well be the hardest hole on this entire Dream Course. More important, the juxtaposition of its intense call for precision against the freewheeling, spacious opening hole is simply too delicious to pass up. 

Thanks for including us in your dream course, Ran!

See the rest of the course here

The Best Architect You've (Probably) Never Heard Of

Tony Dear wrote a fantastic article about Mike in the LINKS 2020 Summer issue.

Unless you’re in his home state or halfway around the world, you’ve probably never seen a DeVries design. The 56-year-old Michigander’s best work (so far) is at private clubs that don’t seek publicity. But his last major project—Cape Wickham, which opened five years ago on the shores of King Island, Australia—is the 21st best course on the planet (and rising) according to Golf Digest. Were it in the U.S. or UK, his name would be cropping up in the same conversations as Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, Tom Doak, and Gil Hanse.

It should be. DeVries is that good.

Thanks, Tony!

Read the rest of the article here

Kingsley Club 3rd in the state!

Kingsley Club has been unanimously chosen by a handful of GOLF’s Top 100 panelists as the 3rd best course in Michigan!

After Crystal Downs and Oakland Hills, the highest-rated Michigan courses in GOLF Magazine’s rankings, what’s the best course in the state and why? 

Ran Morrissett (Architecture Editor): Michigan is stacked with great golf, both from the Golden Age and from the Modern Age. Narrowing it down to one is brutal, but when in doubt, I tend to side with the course that promotes ‘bouncy-bounce’ golf, which would be The Kingsley Club and its fescue playing surfaces. The ball releases more across its fairways and greens than the great parkland courses around Detroit. 

Steve Lapper (Panelist since 2009; has played 84 of the Top 100): The Kingsley Club hands down. This private gem dances around, over and through undulating, heaving terrain that encourages the player to think about not just where the green and pins are, but also the land and its movement that takes you there. It’s natural, no-fuss routing is a delightfully fun mix of golf adventure and strategic, insightful design. The highest praise is that it never fails to demand both your best swing and capture your interest – from the first hole to the last. 

Thomas Brown (Panelist since 2015; has played 95 of the Top 100): The Kingsley Club. The Kingsley Club was built in 2001 by a young, brash golf architect named Mike DeVries.  Kingsley is simply one of the premier designs built in the modern era of golf architecture. I remember approaching the 4th green on my first round there, thinking that golf enthusiasts might finally be able to find consensus on what the merits of natural design look like. DeVries took chances on the design. Fellow critics have tried to explain to me that par-3 9th hole is too challenging, or that the 13th hole, at 292 yards, is sensory overload. I’ll have none of it. Kingsley is perfect.

Check out their other choices here

Siwanoy Country Club | Grade "A" Architecture

The 16th was fundamentally altered over the years and the fingerprints of different architects needed to be resolved. DeVries completely re-fashioned the hole but its overall look and character merge smartly with the Ross style.

“The 16th had been manipulated quite a bit over the years, with the last version a very poor one with a wide, flat fairway constructed when the pond was put in — originally a swampy area fed by the original drainage way that made its way through the property from the 18th thru to the 15th hole and out the low side,” said DeVries. “The original green was said to have three (3) tiers but the last iteration was flat and it didn’t fit in very well — we brought back character to it and tied it into the granite under the left hillside.”

Donald Ross is indeed smiling now. Knowing his efforts at Siwanoy have clearly been wonderfully resurrected with the 16th demonstrating a deft touch by DeVries.

Thanks, Matt!

Read the rest of the article here.

LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 55: Mike DeVries

“On this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast, Digital Editor Al Lunsford is joined by internationally acclaimed golf architect Mike DeVries, who is featured in the Summer 2020 issue of LINKS Magazine. DeVries talks about growing up in Michigan and working at Alister MacKenzie’s Crystal Downs, his crown jewel at Cape Wickham in Australia (ranked 21st in Golf Digest’s World Top 100), lessons learned from Tom Doak, and his “boots-on-the-ground” approach to course design.”

Listen here

The long-term effects of COVID-19 on golf in the U.S.

Mike wrote an article for Golf Course Architecture about the effects of COVID-19 on golf in the U.S.

During these most challenging of times, golf in America has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in many ways. Numerous states have forbidden the playing of the game while others have allowed it to continue albeit with restrictions that ensure that social distancing protocols are followed. How will this impact the golf industry and what are the post-pandemic expectations for players and administrators alike?

Read the rest of the article

Classic Course: Meadow Club

Tom Cunneff of LINKS Magazine recently wrote an article about Alister MacKenzie’s Meadow Club, which Mike DeVries restored in the early 2000s.

Also fortuitous was the “benevolent neglect,” as DeVries calls it, given the greens since The Depression, which allowed him to recover their original footprints and contours: Most had shrunk to about half their average 9,500-square-foot size. Bunker renovation took more forensic work, they had deteriorated so much, but with the help of old photos DeVries recovered their locations and natural-edge style. It also meant removing some to restore playability, as on the long, par-four 9th, where someone 50 years ago replaced a knob with a bunker at the front-left of the green, taking away the ability to feed in a long iron or fairway wood.

Read the rest of the article.

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!

See the full list here

Cape Wickham Ranked #2 in Australia!

Golf Australia released it’s ranking for 2020, placing Cape Wickham at #2 behind Royal Melbourne!

See the full list of rankings here.

2. CAPE WICKHAM LINKS

King Island, Tasmania

Designers: Mike DeVries & Darius Oliver (2015).

Average points: 98.89

2018, 2016, 2014, 2012 rankings: 2, 2, 2, 3.

Judge's comments: “Now fully grown in, Cape Wickham is putting a great case forward to be included in the argument as the best course in Australia. The firm fully fescue surfaces make it the best conditioned course in the country, especially around the green sites where every club in your bag is an option to play short game shots with. It has Australia’s best opening and closing holes now, and everything else in between is subtle, fun and rewarding to play – all in a spectacular setting.” – Rich Macafee.

“A very well-designed course that unfortunately doesn’t get as much recognition for its architecture as it deserves due to its spectacular setting, which is all you can talk about after a round at Cape Wickham.” – DJ Loypur.

“Cape Wickham is a bit of an enigma. On a good day it is close to the best course in the country with some of the most spectacular holes and scenery you will find anywhere in the world. The routing maximises what is a stunning backdrop. On other days when the wind really blows it is unplayable. Everyone should play Wickham at least once, hopefully when the weather contributes to the experience.” – Brian Walshe.

“Absolutely sensational course. Routing ensures scenic views and conditions come into play for most of the round. Wide fairways with a great deal of strategy throughout most of the course. Best finishing hole in Australia, although not a big fan of 9 & 10.” – Carl Murphy.

“Cape Wickham is wide, elastic, and understated in most parts. The sensible and sophisticated design accommodates the diverse and sometimes strong winds. Shot after shot is thrilling and the course is visually spectacular. The fescue surfaces are a joy to play off and have improved with age.” – Matt Mollica.