Fall 2023 | Tri State Golf 51 of golf course architecture. Several holes also feature classic Golden Age green contours and bunkering. “It has been a thrill to be able to work on this project for Saint John’s Resort and the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation,” said Hearn. “The land, with its natural glacier forms and beautiful hundred-year-old trees, was a great foundation to work with. We were able to save many of the old mature trees and create a routing that kept them in play around green sites and along fairways, which is a bit unique in today’s golf course architecture that focuses more on tree removal.” “This also allowed me to draw on my inspiration from previous Donald Ross, Tom Bendelow, and Willie Park Jr. projects as well as one of my favorite courses, The Old Course at Sunningdale by Willie Park Jr. Our goal was to create a fun golf experience and I believe we have achieved that and then some with this project,” continued Hearn. Hearn, a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, recognized the importance of making the course entertaining and playable for all levels of players. He created fun and strategic golf holes with multiple teeing areas and approach angles. This was accomplished through a five-tee system on each hole, creating a variety of options and yardages. Golfers can have fun mixing up the tees playing different combinations. Complementing the new championship golf course is a seven-hole short course, twoacre putting course, and a short game area. This multi-purpose golf entertainment venue will wrap around the resort’s driving range and Carl’s Golfland, one of the top golf retailers in the country. The short course offers inspiration from some of the game’s most famous green complexes like the Punch Bowl, Redan, and Biarritz to name a few, while the putting course drew its inspiration from great putting course experiences at St. Andrews and Pinehurst. “The layout of our property, with the proximity of Carl’s Golfland and the range, was a perfect location to create a pure golf entertainment venue,” Wegert explains. “We have also added a new food and beverage venue near the putting course, which will be a great gathering place for golfers, corporate groups, wedding parties, families, and kids.” In 2021, the William J Pulte estate purchased the former Inn at St. John’s from the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit and donated it to the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation, which has since rebranded the property into Saint John’s Resort. In addition to the golf course development, the resort and hotel transformation includes updated rooms, a 6,200-square-foot pavilion, 17,000-square-foot grand ballroom, new wedding pavilion, wine bar, and other interior upgrades throughout the resort. For more information on the new golf course project visit https://www. saintjohnsresort.com/plymouth-michigangolf-course-st-johns For more information on Saint John’s Resort visit https://www.saintjohnsresort.com.
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