Gull Lake View Golf Club Brings a New Golf Experience to Southwest Michigan

Gull Lake View Golf Club and Resort – known by golfers throughout the Midwest as a top stay and play venue – will be adding to the fun for all levels of golfers in 2016.

It will open a new golf course on one of highest spots in Kalamazoo County with amazing views all around the course and vistas that rival those of northern Michigan or the mountains of Carolina.

Traverse City-based Renaissance Golf Design will shape what has been tentatively dubbed Stoatin Brae (which means Grand Hill in Scottish Gaelic), adding to the 90 holes of memorable golf, practice facilities, restaurants and overnight lodging owned and operated by the Scott family at Gull Lake View Golf Club in Augusta, Mich.

Eric Iverson, Don Placek, Brian Schneider, and Brian Slawnik, the Senior Associates for Renaissance, are collaborating with the Scott Family to bring this new course into play in 2016.

This is only the second course that the Scotts haven’t designed and built themselves — and it will be a dramatic departure from their existing courses.

“The open, rolling terrain really lends itself to a course with very strong, links type characteristics” said Jon Scott, a third generation of the Scott Family to own and operate Gull Lake View Golf Club and Resort.

“We see this as an opportunity to grow our business and offer our customers more opportunity to play fun, interesting, and challenging golf courses,” he said.

The Renaissance team has played a significant role in the design of many celebrated golf courses around the world. It is known for its minimalist approach to building golf courses, and a big part of its design process is finding the right places for the holes without moving any more dirt than is necessary.

“This is a really dynamic piece of property,” Iverson said. “We knew right away we could help the Scotts build the kind of course that we love – roomy, engaging holes laid over great golfing ground, with beautiful views in every direction.”

The design philosophy places a premium on working with the existing topography to disturb as little as possible while producing a fun golfing experience

“Finally, the focus on golf being fun has become more mainstream in golf design, but it has been our focus all along. While part of the approach is to avoid having to manufacture any holes, it also means that we avoid undoing cool, unique features that nature provides, and navigating those holes is where the fun lies,” he said.

More than anything, the course is designed to be both visually memorable and something that a golfer can enjoy playing every time they return.

And return they have.For over 40 years, the Scotts have grown from a single 18-hole course designed and built by patriarch Darl Scott to golfer’s vacation paradise.

“We prefer to make our profits over the long term with return business. We try to keep our greens fees competitive and our courses in immaculate shape. It has kept people coming back. We have some groups that have been coming back for forty years or more.”  CEO Charlie Scott said.

This new course is slated to be a par 71 playing over 6800 yards from the tips. The designers envision a championship caliber course with something for everyone. A variety of tees for all ages and skill levels will make the course playable for female and youth golfers.

“We need to be able to offer golf as a pastime to everyone, not just the guy who can hit the ball 275 yards,” Bill Johnson, Vice President of Gull Lake View, said. “This is too good of a site to keep for just a select group. We want everyone to come out and enjoy the experience that this ground has to offer.”

The new course will add to what is already a major golf economy in Southwest Michigan – an unheralded vacation gem ideally located to golfers traveling from Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Canada.

“We want to make this area a choice destination for all types of visitors and vacationers. We feel like golf, especially new golf, can do that,” Jon Scott said.

The Scotts have always had a huge commitment to community; this year the family will offer two new college scholarships to local high school graduates. “This course allows us to pursue our passion and grow the community at the same time, a win-win situation,” Jon Scott said.

Charlie Scott said, “There are some who may question the wisdom of building a golf course in such a tough golf market. We may seem a little crazy to do this, but we are contrarians at heart. We quit building golf courses in the mid-90s when there was a boom and are starting to build now when others are closing. It may seem nuts, but we love golf and this site is one of those that begs to have a golf course on it.”

The course is planned to begin construction this spring and the Scotts hope to have it in playing condition by mid-2016. Gull Lake View will be hosting a ground breaking event June 2015.

For more information on our ground breaking event, Lifetime Memberships, and course updates, contact Gull Lake View at (269) 841-4508 or visit gulllakeview.com.