The Kingsley Club in northern Michigan is a trophy course coveted by golf purists
KINSGLEY, Mich. --The Kingsley Club, just 20 minutes south of Traverse City in northern Michigan, is a modern rock star, a trophy course coveted by golf purists.
Kingsley's architect, Mike DeVries, grew up playing the famed Crystal Downs Country Club in nearby Frankfort, and the comparisons between the two playgrounds are inevitable. He essentially "found" The Kingsley Club on land littered with scrub trees after a deforestion years earlier cleared much of the property. Without moving much dirt, DeVries let the natural fairways run wildly through the rolling hills.
The Kingsley Club plays firm and fast with all-fescue fairways. Members revere its five par 3s, especially the second and the ninth. Both are shorter than 162 yards but incredibly penal on missed shots.
Kingsley is a private club, but it will accept tee times made by phone from your PGA Professional.
The Kingsley Club golf course - hole 14
The green at The Kingsley Club's par-5 14th hole is guarded by three bunkers.
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The Kingsley Club golf course - hole 17
The 17th hole at The Kingsley Club is a par-3 Redan hole.
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The Kingsley Club golf course - hole 1
The Kingsley Club near Traverse City, Mich., starts with a par 5.
Courtesy of The Kingsley Club
The Kingsley Club golf course - hole 4 green
Bunkers surround the fourth green at The Kingsley Club.
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The Kingsley Club golf course - hole 5
The Kingsley Clubs's par-3 fifth hole plays into a bowl.
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The Kingsley Club G.C. - hole 7
The seventh green at The Kingsley Club has several severe slopes.
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The Kingsley Club golf course
Long fescue grasses define the look of The Kingsley Club.
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The Kingsley Club golf course - hole 9
The ninth hole is another of the strong par 3s at The Kingsley Club.
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