Courtesy of Boyne Resort (3)
As part of a multi-year transformation project to renovate northern Michigan’s Donald Ross Memorial at The Highlands, four more renovated holes are now open at the BOYNE Golf facility built to honor the legendary architect. The 18-hole layout is a composite re-creation of classic golf holes from iconic venues that Ross designed during the early part of the 20th century.
The latest renovated holes include Hole 2 (which echoes No. 4 at Plainfield Country Club), Hole 13 (No. 15 at Seminole), Hole 15 (No. 11 at Aronimink), and Hole 16 (No. 10 at Pinehurst No. 2). Five holes have now been renovated to Ross’ original designs, and additional holes are on tap for renovation over the next few years.
Thirty-five years ago, BOYNE Golf’s founder, Everett Kircher, had a vision to create a new and unique golf course that would pay homage to Ross and the golden era of classic course architecture. In addition to the courses featured in the latest round of renovations, the Memorial pays homage to holes at Oakland Hills, Oak Hill, Scioto, Detroit Golf Club, Wannamoisett and Inverness, among others.
Boyne Resorts president and CEO Stephen Kircher continues his father’s vision by curating a pure Ross experience for resort guests.
“When we began this journey in the late 1980s, Dad wanted to create a unique golf experience that no other resort had done before, replicating some of the great designs of famous holes in one compositive golf course,” Kircher said. “Bringing a focus on arguably the most prolific and successful architect of the 20th century was the driving force in the selection of Donald Ross’ works, especially since so many of his best works were not readily available to the general public. This has been very exciting for us and our resort guests, who will now have a more genuine Donald Ross experience."
Kircher and long-time BOYNE executive Bernie Friedrich, the director of golf course renovations and development, who is leading the project, were also part of the original selection and execution team during the course’s development. They enlisted Michigan-based course architect and Donald Ross expert Ray Hearn to oversee it.
“We are thrilled with how these memorable holes have turned out,” Friedrich said. "Our objective with every hole has been to duplicate Ross’s original designs. More accurately following Ross’s original designs, we reshaped the fairways, creating additional angles into the greens and improving shot values.” Friedrich added that holes now feature more accurately positioned bunkers and more exacting green complexes.
When the course was first built, some effort was required to focus on Ross’ elite private clubs. More than 50 Ross courses were visited and studied to determine the best holes to create.
“The opportunity we now have through technology makes this process so exciting,” Friedrich said. “We didn’t have iPhones or camera phones back then, so we took pictures of the holes with a Polaroid camera. We now have more access to Ross’ original drawings, Google Earth data (past and present), CAD drawings and, maybe most importantly, Lidar maps.”
How uncanny is the accuracy? “We were at the PGA Show in Orlando and ran into Jeff Kiddie, the PGA head professional at Aronimink,” Friedrich said. “I told him he should come and visit us sometime, as we have a Ross course with renditions of golf holes from around the country. I mentioned we just remodeled our 15th hole, which is their 11th. We showed him a picture of our hole, and he looked at it for a while and then said, ‘Did you get that picture off of our website?’ That is how accurate the construction and attention to detail has been.”
Ross was known for designing some of golf’s more outstanding green complexes at spots like Pinehurst No. 2, Oakland Hills and Seminole. BOYNE Golf is focusing on making its own just as memorable.
“The green complexes have always been a priority,” Friedrich said. “Today, through the new technology, we can gather photos and dimensions to replicate the green more accurately. We are getting the greens within one inch of their original grades now.”
Next on tap will be the 10th hole, a rendition of No. 14 at Royal Dornoch, where Ross grew up, was the superintendent and learned the trade under Old Tom Morris. Construction starts in June and will be done by 2025.
“This hole is being completely redone to render one of the greatest holes in the world accurately,” Friedrich said. “Our prior work did not begin to capture what this version of No. 14 will be. It will be, without a doubt, in my opinion, the finest of all 160-plus holes we have at Boyne Golf.
“These new Donald Ross holes are more stunning to look at and have been met with positive reviews from our resort guests, who are core golfers. Last season, we had more rounds played on the Ross than ever before and much of it was due to the excitement surrounding the new holes we are creating.”
HOLE BY HOLE
Hole 2 (No. 4 Plainfield Country Club)
There are now three new, larger tee boxes better aligned with the fairway. Select trees were removed from the left side of the fairway, which improved the view of the pin from the tee box and fairway. In addition, two bunkers were added to better replicate Ross’ original design. One bunker was added to the right side of the fairway, approximately 40 yards from the most forward tee box, and the second was added about 220 yards from the front tee box just inside the fairway on the right side near the top of the knoll.
Hole 13 (No. 15 Seminole)
The green complex has been modified extensively, reducing its size by 10 percent and raising it approximately three feet. The entire green complex, including greenside bunkers, was reshaped, and the fairway cut around the green was extended to better replicate Ross’ original design.
Hole 15 (No. 11 Aronimink)
Several years ago, officials at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania determined that the hole was altered from Ross’ original design, and the club restored the hole to Ross’ plans. The BOYNE team received the original design and restored its own version of the hole to its original layout. A new set of tee boxes was added, the fairway was widened, fairway bunkers were added but reduced in size, and the entire green complex was expanded by 65 percent and reshaped to replicate Ross’ original design. The team added multiple levels at the front of the green and off-set bunkers in front of the lower level, creating a challenging illusion on the approach shot.
Hole 16 (No. 10 Pinehurst No. 2)
Renovations on Hole 16 changed it back to the original Ross design. Boyne built a larger back tee. The fairway was reshaped and corrected to the same width as Pinehurst No. 10. The grass-covered mound on the left side of the fairway was removed, while a new mound was added on the right-hand side near the front of the fairway. The bunker on the right side of the fairway was removed, and the remainder of the bunkers were rebuilt, with most being slightly reduced in size. The green was completely redone, increasing the size from 4,100 square feet to its correct size of 8,300 square feet. It’s undulating, producing the subtle ball movement that Ross greens often create. The green complex now has an additional run-off area on the side and back of the green that’s found on many Ross signature holes.
