High Pointe Golf Club’s $24 Million Revival Speeding Along In Northern Michigan

When a golf course shutters, the land is usually repurposed for residential improvement or refashioned right into a public park and even an city farm.

Excessive Pointe, starchitect Tom Doak’s debut solo design carved out of a former cherry orchard and pine forest, closed down in 2008, only a 12 months shy of what would have been its 20^th birthday. The membership in Williamsburg, Michigan simply outdoors of Traverse Metropolis correct, was considered one of many golf programs scuttled by the good recession.

MI Native Hops acquired a swath of the entrance 9 to develop the plant chargeable for beer’s aroma and taste, a crop in excessive demand on this a part of Michigan the place craft breweries abound. In the meantime, the rest of the fairways and greens, together with a stretch of holes Golf Membership Atlas dubbed as inspiring as Spyglass Hill opening six, merely idled—rolling hills with a mild tumble alive with the ghosts of golf rounds previous.

Rod Trump, a Florida primarily based tech entrepreneur turned angel investor of no relation to No. 45, is bringing Excessive Pointe again with Tom Doak onboard for a $24 million greenback course reincarnation. Trump, who holds a management place at Pine Tree Golf Membership in Boynton Seaside determined to spearhead the revival effort after rising weary of the enterprise of betting on the goals of others.

“I did positive from a monetary investing perspective but it surely wasn’t very fulfilling. The very best angel buyers on the earth, in the event that they do ten offers: six go to zero and they’re making an attempt to get some semblance of a return to get their a reimbursement on two or three and hoping to hit the grand slam on one,” Trump explains.

“I discovered that irritating as a result of I might spend my time scratching my head concerning the six that went to zero and what may have been finished in another way. I’d slightly win incrementally and win every single day,” he provides.

Lifeless set on getting within the golf membership enterprise, Trump put up just a few gives on personal golf equipment that have been on the market however none of these offers got here to fruition. He rented a home in Traverse Metropolis in the summertime of 2021 whereas pursuing one other Northern Michigan course alternative that fell via however fell in love with the realm.

“Once I didn’t get the deal, I used to be disillusioned as a result of I may see the remainder of my life laid out forward of me,” Trump remembers.

That winter, whereas taking part in Pine Tree with Adam Schriber, a famend teacher whose pupils have included Anthony Kim and Sam Ryder, a seed was planted. The swing coach requested Trump if he received round to testing Excessive Pointe whereas he was up in Michigan. He had not, nor had he performed the course when it was operational however he did bear in mind listening to all about Doak’s rookie design on a podcast and listening to it talked about once more, his curiosity was piqued.

“I don’t bear in mind a single shot the remainder of that spherical. I simply needed to get to my locker, dig out my telephone and attempt to discover that podcast,” Trump recounts.

Seems that it was a year-old episode of The Fried Egg, a golf media play recognized for give attention to course structure. Trump instantly re-listened to the present and commenced researching the well-regarded defunct course earlier than tapping into his golf community to supply Tom Doak’s contact data. He cold-called the famend golf course architect to see if he was nonetheless concerned with bringing Excessive Pointe again to life, one thing that had been teased on the pod.

“I didn’t get him and didn’t go away a message. I made a decision to ship him an electronic mail. I form of checked out it like courting in highschool. If I left a message that gave him all of the management. He may not name me again. ‘Right here’s Rod from Florida calling the good Tom Doak. Apart from the truth that I’ve an fascinating final identify, I’m just a few man he’s by no means heard of,” Trump admits.

The technique paid dividends. A pair days later Doak received again to him, telling him he was nonetheless very however there was a caveat, he didn’t wish to get his hopes up for nothing. Since that podcast aired, Trump was really the third or fourth potential developer to achieve out however not one of the others got here via. However Trump delivered, getting the requisite land below contract, together with plots adjoining to the unique footprint to work across the hops farm. Now the ball was rolling.

Doak, a minimalist recognized for letting the property take the lead—permitting the contours and pure ridgelines of the land to dictate the move of his routing, was simply beginning out when he constructed Excessive Pointe. The Dye disciple’s signature design principals weren’t but totally shaped however his debut canvas would supply the blueprint of a philosophy that might turn into the magna carta of up to date sustainable golf course design.

Six of the unique holes on the again 9 (No. 10-15), probably the most lauded stretch that reaches into undisturbed Northern Michigan wilderness are being revived with twelve new holes customary by Doak to enhance the ‘meat’ of the golf course.

On the brand new design, the unique 10^th and 11^th can be rechristened because the 8^th and 9^th holes with a model new 10^th and 11^th plotted on the southernmost level of the property abutting state forest land with 12-15 retained and sustaining their unique placement within the routing.

Stars Aligned

“I believe there isn’t a such factor as coincidence and we should always all the time be in search of messages from the universe. When Tom began Excessive Pointe he was 26 and once we break floor on the finish of March this 12 months he’ll be 62, the reciprocal, so he’s come full circle,” Trump says.

The reincarnated last product can be a fusion of Doak’s earliest design instincts, married with the fashionable conceptions of a seasoned grasp whose biggest hits embody Sebonack, Pacific Dunes, Tara Iti and Streamsong Blue. Golf structure wonks are actually desirous to see the top end result.

“We simply have one easy aim. We would like Excessive Pointe to be the excessive level of golf,” Trump says.

The imaginative and prescient for the membership, is lofty, a non-public golf oasis on the extent of a Butler Nationwide or Muirfield Village. They plan to open the membership to 50-70 dwelling members with a residence inside a 100-mile radius of the membership in addition to 250 nationwide members. The goal is to do not more than 12,000 rounds per 12 months with a season comparable in size to what you’d discover within the Hamptons or Nantucket, opening Might and wrapping up round Halloween.

“Northern Michigan summers are simply magical. For 110-120 days there’s not higher weater within the nation and for greater than half these days it’s gentle till 10 p.m. since you are thus far north,” Trump says.

Timeline smart, zoning ordinances to permit for a particular use allow to construct the golf course have been accredited, they usually’ll start building within the subsequent couple months. Shaping and seeding are projected to be accomplished by 12 months finish with 9 to 12 holes able to go when the season begins in 2024 and the rest coming on-line later that summer time.