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When golf course architect Ray Hearn met with staff from Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan, the team had three options for its golf facilities: restoration, renovation or redesign. “It was unanimous,” Hearn says. “Blow it up. Start over.” And they did just that.

Saint John’s Resort’s, formally known as The Inn at Saint John’s, opened its 18-hole course in 1979 and added another nine holes in the 1990s before a redesign plan commenced in May 2022.

As Hearn was handed a blank sheet of paper, he couldn’t help but smile. “It’s music to my ears,” he says. “Not a lot of architects get to do something like this anymore — a new course.”

Hearn designed 32 concepts for the course, which features a variation of topography with a mix of hills and flatland. On the course, you will find around 50 bunkers, seven ponds — one of which was added for irrigation — and up to five tees per hole. Hearns’s office is less than three hours west of the resort, so he could make frequent visits. “I had 20 site visits before the construction drawing phase,” he says. “That’s the only way construction drawings can be meaningful.

“This is a very dynamic parkland type. There’s a lot of variety in the holes, in the multiple-tee systems. If you pick the correct tee, you could have a very, very enjoyable day.”

Saint John’s and Hearn partnered with Landscapes Unlimited and LaBar Golf Renovations for construction and contracting. Only a few ponds and corridors were used from the prior course. Everything else was new. Hearn collaborated with the Saint John’s staff to get proper sunlight and air flow throughout the design.

The course, renamed The Cardinal, features a par 36 front nine, with five par 4s, two par 3s and back-to-back par 5s on holes 4 and 5. The back nine carries a more parkland-type feel, with trees and landscape views among the five par 4s, two par 3s and another set of back-to-back par 5s, making for par 36. The longest hole measures 555 yards from the back tees; the shortest hole, No. 3, measures 189 yards from the back and 100 yards from the front tee box.

For Hearn, his job at Saint John’s is mostly complete. Now, he hands it off to superintendent Kevin Peck. “He wants the highest level of quality for him and his crew in the final product,” Hearn says. “That's a high testimony. And it shows when you go out there and look at the finished product.”

Peck joined the team in February 2022 after 12 years as an assistant superintendent at Country Club of Detroit. Peck was aware of the happenings at the resort, which he says attracted him to the position. He knew he was arriving amidst a huge project and was ready to take on the challenge — but not without his team. When Peck assumed his new role, he inherited at least 10 team members who had worked at Saint John’s for more than a decade.

“They had a work-life balance, and they still had the ability to get time off and refresh,” Peck says. “And me and my assistants kind of bore the brunt of a lot of the overtime and working with the construction teams.”

Since reopening the course, the maintenance team’s shifts begin at 5 a.m., preparing the layout for the hundreds of golfers who could play each day. Peck has had to “bulk up” on part-time staff to assist with morning duties. “Maintenance has been very efficient,” he says. “We just try to stay out of the golfer’s way. We know this is most people’s first experience on the course. We don’t want to be in the way, unless we really have to.”

Dominator creeping bentgrass was used for the tees and fairways, and 007XL creeping bentgrass makes up the greens.

On June 22, the night before the course opened to the public, Peck took one last drive around the property, alone, to take it all in. “It was emotional,” he says. “A lot of blood, sweat and tears were put into it, and it doesn’t end. Our job never ends.”

Beyond 18

The new course was created with more than 18 holes of regulation golf in mind. The Pulte family, the owners of Saint John’s Resort, worked with Hearn to entertain people of all skill levels and ages. “If you need to work on your wedge game, come out, beginners, community involvement, the whole thing, it’s there,” Hearn says. “So, we’re putting more of a bigger marketing campaign out together to get more eyes on this golf course, because that’s where you’re going to see families come out and play the putting course. Other aspects of that, where we’re just kind of being a more community resource.”

Part of the project included the building of a lighted 18-hole putting course on the west side of the property, used for both practice and entertainment. Located next to the putting course is a concession stand with a variety of food and beverages, as well as picnic tables, music speakers and lounge chairs for guests to enjoy before, during or after their round. In addition to the putting course, a new short-game area was built.

As par-3 courses are growing in popularity in the golf world, The Cardinal expanded to include The Little Cardinal. Hearn, who has spent a portion of his career designing courses overseas, chose to design a seven-hole par-3 course based on his favorite greens.

Each green is inspired by a well-known hole overseas. Some examples include the third hole, “Sahara,” which is inspired by a green at a famous Scottish course. A sign on the tee box reads, “The Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland, is home to the Sahara hole, a legendary creation of Old Tom Morris from 1851. As the oldest championship hole, its hallmark is a vast bunker flanking the green, presenting a formidable challenge and enriching the golfing experience with historical significance.”

Other hole names include “Punchbowl,” “Postage” and “Reverse Redan.”

Although the golf project is complete, Saint John’s is still full of construction vehicles and workers. The resort is nearing completion of a 16,000-square-foot pillarless ballroom and renovations to the resort.

A chapel resides on property built by the Catholic Diocese of Detroit for weddings. On a fully booked weekend, the resort can host around 20 weddings and can accommodate up to 800 guests. “There’s epic beauty inside,” Hearn says.

“They built an impressive chapel,” director of golf Nick Becks adds. “It’s like you’re at the royal wedding.”

The Cardinal is one of 959 golf courses in Michigan. So, what makes it so unique? It has a little something for everyone. The course offers a private club-like experience with public access. Membership is available but not required for access. With The Cardinal, The Little Cardinal, the putting course and practice areas, guests of all ranges of golf experience have an opportunity to enjoy themselves.

“The uniqueness is everything,” Hearn says. “It’s not just the golf course. It’s everything.”

Kelsie Horner is Golf Course Industry’s assistant editor. She had a hole-in-one on the third hole of The Little Cardinal while reporting this story.

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