Pilgrims Run Golf Club

They say a camel is a horse designed by a committee, and not usually in a positive way. Well, Pilgrim’s Run is a golf course designed by a committee, but in a positive way.

In the early 1990s, Robert Van Kampen set out to build a golf course with the help of six of his employees, two of whom were his sons-in-law. Each person designed three holes. The drawings were given to former golf course superintendent Kris Shumaker, and the build began. A young architect, Mike DeVries, was brought onto the team a year into construction, and together DeVries and Shumaker executed the group’s vision (with some adjustments made in the field).

With so many minds involved in designing the holes at Pilgrim’s Run, the course could have easily gone off the rails if it weren’t for the skilled guides in DeVries and Shumaker. The course winds its way through a Michigan forest, a routing that was laid out by Shumaker but shaped by DeVries. They took full advantage of the beautiful land, highlighting ridges and landforms that were once covered in trees.

Due to its forest environment, every hole at Pilgrim’s Run is isolated from the others, but like Bandon Trails, the journey between each hole is an enjoyable experience. The green-to-tee transitions are all very feasible, with the only long walk coming from the eighth green to the ninth tee. Many architects in the 1990s would have built a course that was unwalkable with the directions they were given. DeVries and Shumaker executed a walk that is not only manageable but enjoyable.

While the walk is certainly a highlight, the green complexes at Pilgrim’s Run steal the show. DeVries had free rein over the greens and bunkers during the project, and the execution of these elements made each hole stand out from the last. A bland set of greens could have easily let a forest course blend together. Pilgrim’s Run successfully does the opposite, creating a sense of excitement and anticipation as you hit your approach to every hole.

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