Tullymore

[ramylson]

Stanwood, MI

When you hear about Tullymore, it's usually associated with it being the "other" course to St Ives. Given St Ives reputation and Tullymore being the second course constructed with this resort, it's somewhat understandable. But, in my opinion "other" isn't necessarily how it should be referred. I'd probably choose something along the lines of "amazing". Let's see, amongst all of the awards this course has received since it opened in 2001, there are two that support this theory. One: '#1 - New Upscale Courses in America' (Golf Digest 2002); and two: '#14 - America's Best Public Courses' (Golf Digest 2007). This latest award has the most merit, considering Tullymore is wedged right between courses like Blackwolf Run's River Course (#12), TPC Sawgrass (#13), and Harbortown (#15).

This was Jim Engh's first course design in Michigan, and it truly is a work of art. The course casually winds itself over 800 acres of densely wooded wetlands. And, while the routing might not help this course host a tour venue, it does a wonderful job of making the player feel like they're the only one out on the course. Very rarely will you see another person playing holes running parallel to yours during your round. The design is very thorough, with each hole having it's own uniqueness. Ultimately giving each shot a high value in itself. The most common feature used throughout the course is typically thought to be the ribbon bunkering, which are filled with sand shipped up from Cleveland, OH. Odd they went through that expense considering the amount of sand found in southwestern Michigan, but it shows the level of commitment that went into this design.

This level of commitment has carried over into the level of play one needs here. Meaning, you need it. The course has a slope of 148, which is not only one of the highest in Michigan. But also, in the midwest. While there's not a lot of elevation changes, there are plenty of forced carries over several wetland areas. For every shot, you need to hit your aiming point and distances, as poor shots well get punished more often than not. Given the length from the championship tees, 7148 yds, it can end up being a really grinder of a day if you don't choose the appropriate tees. Regardless, with the conditioning and subtleness of the grees, there's still the opportunity to score if you hit your shots. The back nine is a bit longer than the front, although most of that is tied in with an extra par five. Even so, the layout still maintains being a par 72 (35 front/37 back) with five par 3s and five par 5s.

Tullymore's club house still isn't finished, but is scheduled to be opened this summer. It'll definitely be a nice addition to an already high quality establishment. My only real problem with the course is the development that's happening on the fringes. Roads and home sites are being established, so the days of really being out on a course by yourself are rapidly closing. And, in my opinion, a lot of the natural beauty surrounding this track is being lost. But, I guess those are the breaks and a necessary evil to keep this course open. The green fees right now are an absolute steal, so I'd recommend on getting on this course while you can. I'd assume that it'll increase a bit once things are completed with the developments around the course.

Yardages:
Front: 3302/3039/2831/2514/2111
Back: 3846/3508/3379/3036
Total: 7148/6547/6210/5550/4668

Rating/Slope:
Silver: 74.9/148
Black: 71.2/142
Blue: 69.5/135
White: 67.0/115
Gold: 66.8/115

#1 - 550/535/495/442/400 (par 5; hcp 5)


#2 - 456/405/397/356/328 (par 4; hcp 1)


#3 - 317/313/284/241/206 (par 4; hcp 9)


#4 - 207/205/160/149/85 (par 3; hcp 13)


#5 - 234/182/174/133/106 (par 3; hcp 17)


#6 - 378/337/331/286/241 (par 4; hcp 11)


#7 - 198/186/148/125/104 (par 3; hcp 15)


#8 - 594/539/530/490/451 (par 5; hcp 3)


#9 - 368/337/312/292/190 (par 4; hcp 7)


#10 - 458/414/404/366/309 (par 4; hcp 4)


#11 - 385/364/360/311/265 (par 4; hcp 14)


#12 - 257/183/157/137/120 (par 3; hcp 16)


#13 - 596/553/544/492/462 (par 5; hcp 8)


#14 - 454/404/399/369/292 (par 4; hcp 6)


#15 - 178/164/140/115/90 (par 3; hcp 18)


#16 - 608/560/553/501/456 (par 5; hcp 2)


#17 - 375/375/344/337/217 (par 4; hcp 12)


#18 - 535/491/478/408/346 (par 5; hcp 10)

[JHR]

Thanks for the review and pic's, i am playing there next Thursday!

[itw419]

Tullymore is a great track. I would much rather play it than its sister course. This is one of my favorite courses.

[FairwayFred]

I agree Tullymore is 1000X better than St. Ives which IMO is not even worth playing. They should change the name of the resort to "Tullymore".

[odshot68]

Tullymore is definitely better than St. Ives...don't waste your time with this goofy layout. Tullymore has an amazing layout and they are currently putting in "tiger tees" to make it play even harder. For example hole #2 will be 480 into the wind with a 30 yard peanut shaped three-tier green. This will test any players skill level but it is very fair. My biggest complaint is that the course is not what is was even 1 year again. They got a 20 million dollar grant to develop it. They have torn down so many trees and put in dirt roads for future developments. Really not sure how many people living in Big Rapids have an extra 300,000 to 1 million laying around to buy a house. They have really taken away from the beauty of the course. Yes, the new club house will be great...opening in less than a month. But to those of you new to course, its NOT what is used to be....!!!

[ramylson]

Tullymore is definitely better than St. Ives...don't waste your time with this goofy layout. Tullymore has an amazing layout and they are currently putting in "tiger tees" to make it play even harder. For example hole #2 will be 480 into the wind with a 30 yard peanut shaped three-tier green. This will test any players skill level but it is very fair. My biggest complaint is that the course is not what is was even 1 year again. They got a 20 million dollar grant to develop it. They have torn down so many trees and put in dirt roads for future developments. Really not sure how many people living in Big Rapids have an extra 300,000 to 1 million laying around to buy a house. They have really taken away from the beauty of the course. Yes, the new club house will be great...opening in less than a month. But to those of you new to course, its NOT what is used to be....!!!

 

 

I couldn't agree anymore. There's a day and night difference to what this course was this year, compaired to what it was two years ago (when we played it last). Still an amazing track, but the development takes a lot way from the visual presentation. It might end up alright, depending on how things end-up getting set-up. But, right now there's a lot of construction throughout the property in preparation to that development..

 

JHR, I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say following Thursday. Be sure to post up, and hit 'em straight!

[Under99]

My favorite course. If you look really close you can see my ball on #1, way off in the trees on the right...

[joekloo]

This gets me even more excited for next weekend. We have St. Ives on Sunday (spend the night there, and go to casino in Mt. Pleasent) then get up and play Tullymore on Monday. 2 Rounds and a night stay for $150.00. Good deal I thought. Can't wait, thanks for the review. Joe

[FairwayFred]

This gets me even more excited for next weekend. We have St. Ives on Sunday (spend the night there, and go to casino in Mt. Pleasent) then get up and play Tullymore on Monday. 2 Rounds and a night stay for $150.00. Good deal I thought. Can't wait, thanks for the review. Joe

 

 

You should see if you can play Tullymore twice and skip St. Ives.

[FairwayFred]

This gets me even more excited for next weekend. We have St. Ives on Sunday (spend the night there, and go to casino in Mt. Pleasent) then get up and play Tullymore on Monday. 2 Rounds and a night stay for $150.00. Good deal I thought. Can't wait, thanks for the review. Joe

 

 

You should see if you can play Tullymore twice and skip St. Ives.

[PurePursuit]

That looks like quite the challenge, thanks for sharing the pics!

[wjmitchell]

I grew up in Stanwood, where the course is and played it many times on my trips back home (course wasn't there 15 years ago). Tully is surely a nice course, but it also has some goofy holes. You can likely get a much better rate at Pilgrim's Run and enjoy your round just as much. I would suggest playing Tully at least once, but if you compare the two, I am confident you will not find Tully to be that much better of a course than Pilgrim's Run. I do agree that they are both much better than St. Ives.

 

You can also drive 45 minutes to Grand Rapids or Mt. Pleasant and find some awesome courses for very good twilight rates.

[FairwayFred]

I agree. Pilgrims Run is also a great option. I think it is every bit as good as Tullymore.

[jarederco]

Played this course two years ago, and it was like a "hidden gem". The clubhouse could be described as a large motor home that was stuck in the ground. It was quaint and awesome!

 

Went back last summer, and it was "commercialized". Lots of cleared land to build things, and advertisements for buying property. Course played exactly the same I thought, but some of the appeal was lost when you take the whole experience into account.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Nice pics, I will be playing Tullymore in Jun 09 for sure!