AUGUSTA, Mich. – Gull Lake View is not only a pioneer destination among American golf resorts, it is also one of the biggest.

The resort near Kalamazoo, Mich., can boast of being “the sixth largest golf resort in the world’’ with its 108 holes spread across more than 2,000 acres. Within the U.S. only North Carolina’s Pinehurst (171), Michigan’s Boyne (162) and Georgia’s Reynolds Lake Oconee (117) have more holes than Gull Lake View.

It’s long been a popular destination for group outings with its on-site lodging accompanied by the Charles and Darls restaurant. Charles Scott designed three of the resort’s six 18-holers and all were built by the Darl Scott family, which is in its fourth generation owning the facility..

Course building started in 1963 with the creation of the front nine of Gull Lake View West. The back nine opened in 1965. Then, through 1995, expansion was almost non-stop. The front nine of the East course was built in 1975 and the back in 1976. Fairway Villas opened a year later, then it was back to adding courses.

Stonehedge South was completed in 1988, the same year that the family purchased Bedford Valley, a frequent site of tournament play for Michigan’s strongest players.  Stonehedge North was added in 1995 and a new clubhouse in 2008.  The family also created two golf communities – The Woods at Stonehedge in 2002 and Cranes Pond in 2005 – to attract golfers who preferred to be residents rather than visitors to the area.

All that was well and good, but the resort needed something more, and Stoatin Brae has filled the bill.  The sixth Gull Lake View course sits on the highest point in Kalamazoo County, and course’s name in Gaelic means “Grand Hill.’’  The hill certainly provides some grand views and its Blue Stem restaurant only adds to that attraction. (A native grass, called Blue Stem, is plentiful on the course).

Though Stoatin Brae is located in the town of Augusta, that’s the only similarity with Augusta National, the Georgia home of the Masters.  Stoatin Brae is a links course with trees rarely coming into play. The course, which opened in 2017, has been well decorated.  It was in GolfWeek’s Top 100 in 2019, the Michigan Course of the Year in 2020 and the National Course of the Year in 2021.

Despite all the accolades, Stoatin Brae isn’t particularly long (only 6,742 yards from the back tees) and it’s not all that tough.  At least we felt Stonehedge South, the only other Gull Lake View course we played on our visit, was more challenging with its narrow fairways and similarly steep elevation changes.

Stoatin Brae wasn’t meant to be brutal, as many new courses are at multi-course facilities.  It was meant to be different – and that’s a good thing.

It wasn’t quite as different as the reversible course that Michigan architect Tom Doak designed at Forest Dunes in Roscommon in recent years but there is – not surprisingly – a similar feel.  Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design, based in Traverse City, created Stoatin Brae but Doak wasn’t involved in it.  His senior associates – Eric Iverson, Brian Schneider, Brian Slawnik and Don Placek – were.

The well-respected and innovative Doak was reportedly uncomfortable with designing two courses in his home state at the same time, but Stoatin Brae has the same wide open, wind-swept look so evident in his unusual design, called The Loop, at Forest Dunes. We played Stoatin Brae on a 91-degree day but we agreed with what the locals told us.  There’s always wind at Stoatin Brae, and that made for a comfortable day weather-wise.

A trademark of Stoatin Brae is its shaggy-face bunkers with wispy fescue around the edges. The halfway house is unique, too.  It’s called The Bunker and was built into the side of in a hill.

The rough was thick, and getting out of it was never easy.  Finding your ball in it was frequently difficult, too.  More directional signs in a few places would have helped pace of play, but ours was a most memorable, enjoyable round.

GAYLORD, Michigan – This might well turn out to be the best feel good story in golf in 2022.

Gaylord, a town of 4,200 residents, and the small towns surrounding it have long been on the cutting edge of golf marketing.  Led by executive director Paul Beachnau, the Gaylord Golf Mecca was created in 1987 to showcase all the great courses in that area of northern Michigan.

By the start of 2022 the Mecca had grown to 17 golf course members and 21 lodging partners.  Only the Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday has been in business longer as a cooperative marketing effort in golf and, most noteworthy, there are no major cities included in the Mecca.  It’s all small towns working together to bring in golfers.

They did that quite well, and we’re expecting a banner year with the town of Gaylord preparing to celebrate its Centennial this summer. Then came May 20, 2022 – a frightful day, to put it mildly.

In mid-afternoon, with little advance warning, a tornado attacked Gaylord.  It wasn’t a little one, either. This one had the width of two football fields, maximum wind speeds of 150 miles per hour and was on the ground for 20 minutes.  Two residents died and 44 were injured. Some were without power for three days.

Meteorologists said it was the strongest twister to hit Michigan in 10 years and the first in the Gaylord area since 2014.  For at least three days the town of Gaylord was prominent in national news reports. That didn’t bode well with the town’s golfing visitors starting to arrive.

“A lot of media made it look like our town was levelled,’’ said Beachnau.  “It wasn’t.’’

The TV and print news coverage showed damage in the downtown area, though.  It was hard to ignore those images, but Beachnau insisted that “none of our hotels were affected and virtually no damage was done on any of our golf courses. It missed all of our tourism aspects.’’

One course, we were told, had golfers back on the course an hour after the tornado left the sheltered areas.

Three weeks later we visited as part of the annual Gaylord Golf Mecca media event, a popular gathering of writers and broadcasters covering the golf industry.  Playing 117 holes at eight courses over a six-day span that included lots of fine dining with the area’s governmental and golf industry leaders, we found that Beachnau’s report was accurate.

There was very minor damage from the tornado at the Otsego Resort’s Tribute course, arguably the toughest 18-holer in the Mecca, and more visual issues at the Rick Smith Tradition layout at the Treetops Resort. That had nothing to do with the tornado, however.

“This is the 25^th anniversary of that course,’’ said Barry Owens, the Treetops general manager.  “During the winter we took out a tremendous amount of trees, pushing 1,000.’’

The Tradition is being converted to a links-style course, and the cleanup effort was still in progress.

“The Tradition doesn’t have the elevation changes our other courses do,’’ said Owens, “so when this project is completed it won’t have to be compared to its brothers and sisters.  We’re very excited about it.’’

In reality the tornado was dealt with aggressively by the entire Mecca community.

“We had 1,500 volunteers come on the Sunday after the tornado,’’ said Beachnau, “and we raised a half-million dollars. That’s what can happen when people come together and work together.  Our message is `We’re open for business.’’’

There’s no question about that.

Long-time attendees at the Gaylord Golf Mecca found all the courses most playable, and were highly impressed by some that had not been on the event playing itinerary in previous visits.  Heading that list was the Gaylord Golf Club, one of the oldest clubs in northern Michigan. It was established in 1924 and moved to its present location in 1975.

This is a classic parkland design that was in top condition and, most important, is fun to play. There is no one style that fits all in the Gaylord Golf Mecca’s list of courses, though.

The Black Lake Golf Club was No. 2 on my list. It’s a Rees Jones design in Onaway that opened in 2000 and is owned by the United Auto Workers.  While Jones is known as the “Open Doctor’’ for his restoration work on already tough courses preparing to host U.S. Opens, Black Lake will entice golfers of all skill levels.

Indian River, my No. 3, is – like Gaylord Golf Club – another layout with deep historical roots.  Founded in 1921 and known then as the Burt Lake Golf Club, Indian River started as a private club.  In 1924 the club hired English architect Wilfrid E. Reid to design a nine-hole course while he was in Michigan to build Gaylord, which was then a country club.  In 1984 the nine-holer was re-routed, additional land was required and architect Warner Bowen converted it into an 18-holer.

Our media contingent didn’t play all of the Mecca’s courses, and one round on Treetops’ Rick Smith Signature course was cut short by day-long rain.  That was a shame because it’s always been a favorite of mine. Treetops has lots of everything in its 81 holes that comprise five distinct courses.

The one that’s gotten the most national attention is Threetops,  which the resort bills as “America’s No. 1-Rated Par-3 Course.’’ A lot of golf’s best players have tested it, and Lee Trevino won $1,090,000 for making a hole-in-one in a nationally-televised event held there 20 years ago. The only problem with Threetops is its steep, windy cartpaths.  When they’re wet they can be dangerous. So, I found, were the ones at the Rick Smith Signature course. Caution is essential.

Though we didn’t play all the courses on this visit we did find the views at Treetops stunning, the elevation changes on the ski hills of Otsego’s Tribute breath-taking and The Natural a short but tricky Jerry Matthews creation at Beaver Creek Resort.

Garland Golf Club, a destination since 1924 with four courses, and The Pines at Michaywe, celebrating its 50^th anniversary, are long-time favorites for Mecca visitors and the Robert Trent Jones Sr. Masterpiece at Treetops has one of the highest slope ratings (143) in the Midwest.

Matthews, long a leading designer of Michigan courses, was also involved in the creation of Lakes of the North which dates back to 1968.

This area, though, is not just about golf.  Skiing takes over in the winter and that has broadened the base as a tourist destination. Gaylord has, in fact, created a new mantra in its marketing.  It now bills itself as “Gaylord, Michigan USA, All Outdoors.” Rafting, fishing, hunting, paddling, biking, wildlife viewing, hiking — they all are a good fit in the Gaylord area.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – This South Carolina golf hotbed has been at least an annual stop for the last 13 years, but our latest visit was different than all the others. Our travel writing itinerary called for stops at three courses – one on the south side of town (Caledonia), one centrally located (World Tour Golf Links) and one on the north end (Barefoot’s Love Course).

There were other aspects that made this one special. In Caledonia we returned to one of the most decorated of Myrtle Beach’s nearly 100 courses.  In World Tour Golf Links we uncovered a course that we had not even heard of prior to this year’s visit, and in the Love Course we got our first good taste of a four-course facility that holds a unique place in golf history.

As you might imagine, all three have their own story to tell.

CALEDONIA – With sister course True Blue standing nearby this golf opportunity is unmatched in South Carolina’s Grand Strand area.  All the major golf publications have recognized the beauty of Caledonia, to say nothing of the good food served in its clubhouse.

The late Mike Strantz designed the layout officially known as the Caledonia Golf & Fish Club on Pawleys Island. It was named Golf Digest’s Best New Course of 1997.  Strantz, who was based in South Carolina and succumbed to cancer at age 50 in 2005, also designed True Blue and Tobacco Road, another well-regarded Carolina layout.

I find it hard to pick a course better than Caledonia in the Myrtle Beach area, but a survey of club professionals was conducted two years ago and Caledonia was ranked second behind the Dunes Club.

Caledonia was on our schedule in the early years of our Myrtle Beach visits, but we hadn’t been back for at least six years. In the early years we loved it, even when we had rounds in difficult weather.  This time we had an early morning teeoff in bright sunshine – and the course seemed even nicer than it was in our early visits. Given all that has happened in the golf world in recent years, we found that a most pleasant surprise.

WORLD TOUR GOLF LINKS – The concept is the story at this one, and North Carolina golf course architect Melvin Graham had a good one.  Originally he had three nines – the Open 9, which includes holes inspired by the U.S. and British national open championships; the Championship 9, so named because the holes were inspired from courses that have hosted the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and British Open; and the International 9, which no longer exists.

Graham’s project was eight years in the planning stages before he opened it as a 27-hole facility in 1999. The 18 holes in operation now come from 14 courses in three countries and nine states. Playing this course helps a player dream about what playing these famous courses would be like, and the plaques on each hole also provide historical anecdotes of events that occurred on the original versions.

I’ve played six of the holes and seen many of the others on the televised championships. Some of the holes might seem a bit of a stretch, compared to the real ones, but the opportunity to make birdie on the replica of the par-3 sixteens at Augusta National (which one of my playing partners did) was a thrill that would be hard to duplicate with a birdie on just another course.

Augusta National, home of the Masters, has four holes one Graham’s nines – No. 16 is the seven on the Open 9 and No. 11 is No. 4 No. 12 is No. 5 and No. 13 is No. 6 on the Championship 9. Storied St. Andrews has two holes and the others come from Pinehurst No. 2, TPC Sawgrass, Colonial, English Turn, Pine Valley, the National Country Club of Canada, Winged Foot East, Cypress Point, Royal Troon, Olympic Club, Oakmont and Bay Hill.

Maybe you wonder about the selection of a few of them – I certainly did – playing them all created a fun experience.

BAREFOOT’S LOVE COURSE – We had a round on this layout because we were   that the Love Course is the most popular of the four at Barefoot Resort. I still can’t get over what happened when this one was created.

The four courses were designed by Love, Greg Norman, Tom Fazio and Pete Dye. We can’t judge which is the hardest, the easiest or the best because we played only one.  However, they were all designed as championship layouts so they should be tough.  I know the Love Course certainly was.

Love gave this one a special touch to what is considered his breakthrough architectural creation. He did that by creating  faux ruins of an antebellum plantation around the Nos. 4 and 6 greens.

What’s even more amazing is that all four Barefoot courses opened together on April 13, 2000. Such a feat was never done before and hasn’t been done since in American golf. I can’t imagine it ever being done again, and the courses are all still going strong.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – The most famous of the 51 courses in the golf mecca called Pinehurst area is Pinehurst No. 2, recently named an anchor site for the U.S. Open by the U.S. Golf Association. This week the area will also host the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, and many more big events are sure to come to the area now that the USGA is moving its headquarters there.

The USGA will have plenty of courses to choose from, the most unusual being Talamore. A Rees Jones design that opened in 1991, Talamore has long been one of the Pinehurst area’s most popular layouts for both local players and visitors, but they probably best remember it because of the llamas that grazed in a fenced-in area near the No. 14 tee.

When Talamore opened the llamas were used as caddies.  That’s no longer the case, but they’re still on the premises as a photo op for golfing visitors looking for the unusual, and they’ve even been incorporated into the new flags on every green.

The original course underwent a 2016 renovation and more upgrades followed in recent years, resulting in the layout now being called The New Course at Talamore. Visiting golfers still have something new to photograph, and it’s a lot more fearsome than those docile llamas. The resort is one of the first in the country to install EcoBunkers.  There are 10 of them spaced around holes 2, 5, 9, 15 and 17.

To say those bunkers are difficult to escape is putting it mildly. At least no one in my group could get a ball on a green from out of them, and the starter had advised us to just chip back to the fairway most of the time to minimize frustration.  That was good advice.

These sod-wall bunkers are steep, and the tallest on No. 9 is seven feet high.

While these bunkers are a significant challenge and could be controversial, they’re also beautiful.

Matt Hausser, the general manager at the Talamore Resort, likens them to the bunkers on courses in the British Isles that have hosted the British Open. He admits those at Talamore “might be a little daunting’’  to some players, but they’ll also make for good conversation after their rounds.

“(Golfers) are going to notice that they want to miss them,’’ quipped Hausser.

And that’s not all.

These EcoBunkers aren’t going away any time soon. Hausser believes they’ll last for decades. The resort opted to put them in as part of an on-going multi-million dollar property enhancement that also included the addition of a Toptracer range and a 15,000-square foot practice putting course.

EcoBunkers resemble the best of the traditional sod wall bunkers, but they’re more sturdy because synthetic grass tiles were used in their construction.

The EcoBunker edging system dates back to 2006, at the Radyr Golf Club in Cardiff, South Wales. The course there was designed by the legendary course architect Harry S. Colt.  Its bunkers proved  vulnerable to erosion and alternative measures were considered when repair costs escalated.  That led to Richard Allen, a club member and civil engineer, finding a solution.

Some rolls of artificial grass carpet – commonly known as Astroturf – were being temporarily stored in the club’s parking lot. Allen’s ensuing research revealed that much of that Astroturf was being dumped into a landfill, which also meant another big cost, and that the material was not bio-degradable. That suggested it was resilient and durable.

Allen turned inventor, and eventually was granted patent protection. Now clubs in 40 countries have incorporated a form of EcoBunkers.  The system used at Talamore is a wall constructed on multiple layers of stacked artificial grass tiles. That provides a permanently safe resilient edge, significantly reduces sand contamination from bunker sides, prevents damage and eliminates the time-consuming greenkeeping practice of bunker edging.

Allen formed EcoBunker Ltd. in 2014 and the product has evolved since then. Scottish style bunkers became more in demand in states such as Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas where tropical temperatures are more extreme and heavy rain and winds associated with hurricanes and tornados caused significant stress on bunker walls.

The Talamore Resort has a second 18-holer, the King’s Course at Mid South Club. It’s an Arnold Palmer design that opened in 1993 and was completely renovated in 2017.  It doesn’t have llamas or EcoBunkers but does have more elevation changes than Talamore and is generally considered more difficult. Both courses were well-conditioned and had firm, generous fairways and greens that were fast and tricky.

Both also offered excellent lodging options.  That includes the Palmer Cottage, a new feature located between the two courses.

America’s golf hotbeds are shifting, now that snowbird golfers are departing the warmer weather states for cooler climates where the golf seasons are just beginning.

Golf, however, is always in season in Myrtle Beach, S.C. where the lead-in to the 39^th annual Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship is already underway — even though the tournament itself isn’t until September.

Early entries are already at 1,400 and they’ll hit over 3,000 again before long, assuring that the event will remain the world’s biggest golf tournament.  Organizers, in fact, have already made a major announcement.  They’ve moved the Sept. 2 Flight Winners Playoff – the climax to the five days of competition – from Grande Dunes to TPC Myrtle Beach. That’s a significant change.

Grande Dunes was to host for the second time until the decision was made to conduct a massive renovation there.  Grande Dunes, long one of the area’s most acclaimed layouts, will close on May 16 and re-open on Sept. 15. Architect John Harvey, who worked with Roger Rulewich on the original design and construction of the course in 2001, will lead the renovation project.

The greens will be restored to their original size, reclaiming nearly 40,000 square feet of putting surface that had been lost over time.  That’s a 33 percent increase in the size of the putting surfaces.

Grande Dunes is installing new TifEagle ultradwarf bermudagrass greens and every bunker will be renovated with a Capillary Concrete liner installed.  That will eliminate washout and drastically improve drainage. The clubhouse will also be expanded.  The pro shop will grow by 400 feet, an indoor/outdoor bar will be added and the outdoor seating will be greatly expanded.

“Grande Dunes is one of Myrtle Beach’s crown jewels, and this renovation project will ensure the course continues to provide the type of experience golfers have come to expect,’’ said Steve Mays, president of Founders Group International, the course’s parent company and owner of 21 MB courses.

Scott Tomasello, the World Am tournament director, has no qualms about the move to TPC Myrtle Beach, a Tom Fazio design that displays many of Dustin Johnson’s trophies in its clubhouse and hosts DJ’s World Junior Championship among many big events.

“We knew TPC would be a perfect landing spot,’’ said Tomasello.  “We look forward to showcasing their beautiful property.’’

The final shootout follows 72 holes of age group net competition that begins on Aug. 29. Over 50 other MB courses will be used in the preliminary rounds.  For more information checkout www.myrtlebeachworldamateur.com.

WHILE THERE’S always golf action in Myrtle Beach, some noteworthy developments are being made in other states as well:

FLORIDA: Saddlebrook Resort, in Wesley Chapel, and Cabot Citrus Farms, in Brooksville, have new owners with big plans. Both will be closed for major overhauls.

Saddlebook, which opened in 1981, has chosen Troon to manage the resort’s golf operations. The resort has two Arnold Palmer-designed courses as well as the 45-court Harry Hopman Tennis Academy.

Camilo Miguel, chief executive officer of new owner Mast Capital, said his firm is in the early stages of a major renovation of the entire property.

“There is a lot of opportunity in elevating the property and bringing back some of its luster,’’ said Miguel.  “There hasn’t been much investment in the property in decades.’’

Cabot Citrus Farms is the new name for what had been World Woods. Work has begun there with architect Kyle Franz overseeing a renovation of the featured  Pine Barrens course.  Keith Rebb and Riley Johns, who renovated the Winter Park 9 in Orlando and designed the Bootleggers Par 3 at Michigan’s Forest Dunes, will oversee changes on the Rolling Oaks course, and Mike Nuzzo will be in charge at the short course and practice facilities.

WISCONSIN: Sand Valley, in the town of Rome, is getting a third course and will eventually get a fourth.  And that’s not counting The Sandbox, a short course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.

Sand Valley has a strong group of architects.  The namesake course is also a Coore and Crenshaw creation and David McLay Kidd designed Mammoth Dunes. Now those layouts will have company.

Tom Doak will begin work on Sedge Valley sometime this spring and the Lido will open to members and resort guests in 2023. Sedge Valley will open in 2024.

“The golf experience at Sedge Valley is completely different from anything else on the property,’’ said Sand Valley co-owner Michael Keiser.  “Tom Doak moves so easily from the large-scale engineering project of the Lido to this much more intimate design.  Watching him identify and work his routing to these incredible natural green sites was a true `pinch me’ moment.  This is how the great ones have always done it.’’

Meanwhile, play in the golf hotbed of Kohler will soon be picking up.  Tee times are being taken at the Irish Course at Whistling Straits and the Original Championship layout at Blackwolf Run.  The Straits course, site of last fall’s Ryder Cup matches, and the River and Meadows Valley layouts at Blackwolf Run are scheduled to open on April 22.

WEST VIRGINIA; The Pete Dye Golf Club, in Bridgeport, will host the finals of the new Pete Dye World Championships on Oct. 23-25.  The late Dye called that course “my best 18 holes on one golf course.’’

Participants in the new event will be qualifiers from one-day stroke play tournaments held at any course designed by any member of the Pete Dye family. There’ll be six divisions of the tournament – men’s net and gross, women’s net and gross and senior men net and gross.  There’ll also be team best ball formats and a pro-am.

CALIFORNIA: Visit Carlsbad, the destination marketing organization for the Pacific Coast town of Carlsbad,  is welcoming golfers to the Omni LaCosta Resort, Park Hyatt Aviara and The Crossings at Carlsbad.

LaCosta has been a go-to spot for golfers and celebrities since the 1960s.  Aviara features the region’s only Arnold Palmer-designed course and The Crossings is a popular municipal course.  The city is also  known as the golf equipment capital of the world as the home of club manufacturers Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Cobra and Honma.

INDIANA: The Harbor Links Golf Club at the Sagamore Resort is a premier marina and golf destination located between Indianapolis and Cincinnati. Its 18-hole public course was designed by P.B. Dye, one of Pete and Alice Dye’s two sons.

GEORGIA: Stone Mountain Golf Club has two courses on the outskirts of downtown Atlanta.  The Stonemont Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1969.  The Lakemont Course was designed by Georgia native John LaFoy.  Both are noted for their great mountain views.

BROOKSVILLE, FL. – Go back three decades and World Woods was one of the biggest things in Florida golf. It had two Tom Fazio-designed courses – Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks – that opened together on April 1, 1993 and its Japanese owner,  Yukihisa Inoue, had plans for much more.

“The previous owner (Inoue is now in his 90) wanted to be a destination golf resort that would bring in people from all over the world, especially Japan,’’ said Rick Kelso, now the resort’s director of golf. “He planned to build seven golf courses and a beautiful hotel and bring in the top Japanese players – but things changed.’’

Kelso was part of the excitement that World Woods generated then and he is looking for more of the same now that the Canada-based Cabot group completed a long purchasing negotiation for the facility.

Cabot has an owner with big dreams, too. Ben Cowan-Dewar is Cabot’s founder and chief executive officer.  He took his first look at World Woods 20 years ago and considered buying it for the last 10.  The purchase was completed last December 16 with no terms disclosed. Then conjecture about the exciting plans for World Woods’ future kicked in.  That was inevitable, and spurred two Chicago golf addicts to make a visit there.

Chicago’s Mike Keiser, whose golfing vision spurred the creation of Oregon’s Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley in Wisconsin, will be involved.  The question is to what extent.

Kelso can’t answer that but confirms that Keiser and Cowan-Dewar are “very good friends who talk all the time.’’ He suggests that Keiser is Cowan-Dewar’s “mentor’’ when it comes to golf projects. World Woods will be Cabot’s first venture in the United States and the first existing club that Cabot acquired.

The company’s portfolio already includes Cabot Cape Breton, home of Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links – both highly ranked among Canadian courses. Cabot St. Lucia and Cabot Revelstroke, in British Columbia, are under construction.  Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are the design team for St. Lucia and the architect for World Woods is to be announced next week.

Kelso says “the majority of the main architects have been out,’’ and who gets the job will have lots to work with.  The densely-wooded Pine Barrens, with its deep bunkers,  was Golf Digest’s Best New Resort Course of 1994 and spent several years on that publication’s prestigious list of Top 100 Greatest Courses. Rolling Oaks ranks high among courses in Florida.

“(The new architect) will fix them up,’’ said Kelso.  “They’re coming in to bring back World Woods’ luster, not re-design the courses.  The bones are already there.’’

Pine Barrens in particular has played to between 75,000 and 83,000 rounds a year without getting much updating.  It needs it. World Woods also has a nine-hole short course, three practice holes,, a putting course and a 360-degree driving range. They will get major updating after the facility is closed, probably in late spring.

And that’s not all. The Cabot purchase included more than the 550 acres on the golf courses.  It also included 600 acres of undeveloped land and a couple of nearby courses, Sugarmille and Southern Woods. The role those courses will play in the project is uncertain, but Kelso assured there’ll be big changes once the facility re-opens. Retail outlets, restaurants and a spa are under consideration.

One thing is certain.  World Woods will be rebranded as Cabot Citrus Farms.

“When we open again there will be some sort of lodging and a new clubhouse,’’ said Kelso. “We don’t plan any houses on the facility, but there will be some real estate.’’

Visiting golfers have stayed in the nearby towns of Spring Hill and Crystal River in the past and made day visits from Orlando and Tampa as well. The Tampa airport is an hour away and Brooksville has its own airport that can accommodate corporate jets.  Nearest golf destinations include Innisbrook (one hour away), the Disney courses (1 hour 40 minutes) and Streamsong (slightly over two hours).

Kelso expects Cabot Citrus Farms to be more friendly for golfers who want to walk, and caddies will likely be available.

Pine Barrens was the site of a final qualifier for the Senior PGA Tour in the 1990s and a Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf match between David Toms and Phil Mickelson in the early 2000s. Since then about 300 yards was added to the course, making it play 7,300 from the tips now. Course records are sketchy though one Jeff Leonard was said to shoot a 60 in a mini-tour event many years back.

TRAVEL TIDBITS:  Streamsong has announced plans to add a fourth course, and it’ll be shorter than the other three.  The design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who created the first course at the resort in 2012, are planning another layout that will have holes ranging from 70 to 300 yards.  It’ll be built on 100 acres and feature lots of elevation changes.

Sweetgrass, one of two 18-holers at Michigan’s Island Resort & Casino, has been named Course of the Year by the National Golf Course Owners Association.  Sweetgrass, a Paul Albanese design, opened in  2008. Sage Run is the resort’s other course, and the entire facility just announced the completion of a $33 million expansion.

Boca West Country Club, another Florida facility, has become the first country club in the nation to upgrade its driving range with Inrange – a radar tracking technology.

HARBOR SPRINGS, Michigan – Michigan-based architect Ray Hearn has worked on courses across the country for 25 years, but the projects he has recently  taken on close to home may have a more far-reaching impact.

Stephen  Kircher, Boyne’s president and chief executive officer, and  Bernie Friedrich, senior vice president of golf,  brought in Hearn, who has headquarters in Holland, Mich., to tackle a variety of projects. One of the most interesting is on the Donald Ross Memorial course at Boyne Highlands Resort.

This course was already something special. Bill Newcomb was the original architect of the Ross course and each of its 18 holes created a composite of classic holes that Ross designed in the early part of the century.

The Ross Memorial course opened in 1989 and Golf Digest tabbed it the Best New Resort Course in the U.S. in 1990. Its replica holes have been used in 14 U.S. Opens, 11 PGA Championships, eight U.S Amateurs and three Ryder Cups.

Courses represented include Seminole, in Florida;   Oakland Hills and Detroit Golf Club, in Michigan;  Pinehurst and Charlotte Country Club, in North Carolina; Oak Hill, in New York; Plainfield, in New Jersey; Scioto and Inverness, in Ohio;  Oak Hill in New York; Bob O’Link, in Illinois; Royal Dornoch, in Scotland; Salem Country Club, in Massachusetts; Aronimink, in Pennsylvania; and Wannamoisett, in Rhode Island.

That’s quite a collection of holes, and Hearn is revising two of them.

Nos. 1 and 16 of the Ross Memorial are getting touched up by Hearns.  No. 1 is from the sixth hole at Seminole  and No. 16 is from the tenth hole at Pinehurst No. 2. Most of the work is being down on Ross Memorial’s No. 1, but the work there spills over into No. 16 as well.

“We’re capturing the flavor a little more than the first time through, when Bill Newcomb did it,’’ said Hearn.  “There’s so much more information available for architects to work with now.’’

In the case of Seminole, that course was restored by the architectural team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw two years ago.  Now Hearn is restoring a hole from a hole that was already restored once.

“We’re looking only at the original drawings of this hole,’’ Hearn said. “The bunkers were originally a lot larger, and Seminole is obviously in a different climate in Florida than we have in Michigan..  We took out quite a few trees to open up the hole like the original one.  Now there’s massive waste areas on both sides of the hole.’’

Tinkering with a Donald Ross design can be dangerous. Hearn is aware of that.

“There’s a small percentage of Ross aficionados who question the idea of the Ross Memorial, but I think it’s good,’’ said Hearn.  “A lot of players would never get the chance to play those other holes, so getting to play them is fun. But, for those who take them too seriously, I respect that, too.’’

Despite his firm’s 25-year history and its proximity to the resorts, this is the first time that Boyne Golf and Hearn have joined forces and his work there will extend far beyond the Ross Memorial.

His biggest project there may be a redo of the Moor course, which opened in 1974.

“We’re in Phase 1 of that,’’ said Hearn.  “We’ve begun tree removal and adjustments of the grass lines of the fairways and greens.  It could be highly controversial, too.’’

The bunkers will be addressed next.  In the end, the work on the Moor will be extensive.  Hearn wants to create more angles and options for shots and adjust the course for changes in hitting distance .  There’ll be new cupping areas on the greens and new run-up areas to the putting surfaces.

Ken Griffin, Boyne’s director of  golf sales and marketing, calls the changes “subtle but significant.”

Sounds like a new course might be in the making, but Hearn says that’s not the case.

“I just like great golf.  I’m not trying to put the Ray Hearn stamp on this,’’ he said.  “I’m trying to create a throwback to a golden age look and feel – a tribute to that era.’’

Hearn will be creating a new par-3 course as part of the more long-range plans. He’ll be putting a new course in place and eliminate the modest one that’s there now.  In short, Boyne is joining the country-wide trend of building new short courses. Ground-breaking on this one is not expected until early 2023.

“I’m creating my favorite nine greens from overseas, from Scotland, Ireland and England,’’ said Hearn.  “This course will be visually stunning and interesting to play.  It won’t have formal tees and it’ll have fairway levels everywhere.  I want golfers to have the opportunity to put tees anywhere they want so they can practice options from different lies and angles.’’

Finally, The Monument course will also get some attention.

“It’s a very nice, enjoyable course,’’ said Hearn, “but the trees on it have gotten bigger and bigger and have started to infringe on the fairways.’’

That’ll be corrected, allowing Hearn to open more angles and options from the tees.

Boyne, with  10 course spread over three Michigan resorts, has long been a leader in golf while maintaining its similar role among ski resorts.

“They’re always looking forward, always thinking of improving.  They’re visionaries,’’ said Hearn.

That vision extends beyond these golf course projects.  The Main Lodge at Boyne Highlands has already undergone some upgrades and more are coming.  The first phase involved the transformation of the Main Lodge, with 87 guestrooms remodeled and renamed with Scottish and English heritage.

The next phase, to begin in the spring of 2022, involves construction of a  new multi-level European spa and the redesign of the Tower lobbies. Eventually a steak and sushi restaurant and a new convention center will be added as well.

BARK RIVER/HARRIS, Michigan – Island Resort and Casino has two golf courses.  They’re eight miles apart and have a much bigger difference in course architecture, even though Paul Albanese designed them both.

Sweetgrass, which opened in 2008, is one of the best courses in Michigan – perhaps in the whole Midwest.  Sage Run, which opened 10 years later, has its own unique style. I prefer Sweetgrass by a wide margin, but Sage Run certain catches your attention – and it should.

Sage Run was built on a drumlin. That’s not unusual in golf course architecture. Just after unveiling his latest course Albanese told me that a drumlin is “a geological formation created by a glacier….A  large ridge is a drumlin.’’

Sage Run certainly has plenty of those. The course has big, dramatic elevation changes. It also has a lot of rocks and thick – though not really deep – rough. It’s hard to find your ball in it sometimes.   Those things make this course difficult, and yet it still can be a lot of fun. It’s just one of those layouts that playing from the proper set of tees for your skill level is tantamount to enjoying the experience.

It seems as though Sage Run gets more attention than Sweetgrass just because it is so different. Even the tees are out of the ordinary.  There’s only one marker per set on each whole.  Pick the appropriate marker and you can move as far left or right as you want. That matters, too, as you’ll want to find a flat area to stick your tee in the ground, and that isn’t always easy at Sage Run.

Anyway, Sage Run isn’t built for low scoring but it’s not an overload of Albanese’s fertile imagination, either. A partner of Pete Dye disciple Chris Lutzke, Albanese also designed Tatanka, in rural Nebraska.  It was named Golf Digest’s Best New Resort Course  In 2015.  That proof that Albanese knows his stuff.

As for Sweetgrass, its conditioning is excellent.  While Sage Run has benefitted from three years of seasoning, Sweetgrass has made gigantic strides in that department.  If truth be told, I like Sweetgrass more know than I did on our first visit.

One thing you should know about both courses.  They are part of the Island Resort which has a unique location.  It’s on the border of the Eastern and Central time zones. That’s a factor you should be aware of when you make your tee times.

Sweetgrass’ pro shop Is on the grounds of the resort, but those who enjoy gambling adventures will find visits to either course a nice outdoor diversion to what the casino offers.