Kingsley Club
📍 Kingsley, Michigan. A Northern Michigan private gem that has everything you need and nothing you don't.
By: Matt Fernandez
The early morning drive in to Kingsley Club is nothing short of spectacular. There's a few times on the drive where you're wondering if you're in the wrong spot. The dirt road winds its way through tall pines, maple trees and ferns. Then, you see the old wooden welcome sign, 'The Kingsley Club, Members & Guests'.
The drive-in sets the tone for what Kingsley Club is all about. It's non-chalant in all the right ways. It's not filled with fancy big buildings, swimming pools and tennis courts. Heck, the clubhouse fits in more with ranch-style homes than it does with most private clubhouses. It's a special place, a true golfer's escape. It's simple. It's laid back. It has everything you need and nothing you don't. It's pure golf as it was meant to be.
No Holes Off
From the opening tee shot, Kingsley is a rollercoaster (quite literally). Every drive, approach, chip and putt must be thought through with careful consideration and creativity. You could play here 100 times and you'll never play a hole the same way. Pictured above is the opening hole: a risk/reward par 5 to set the tone for the round.
The rolling hills, deep bunkers, gorse bushes and rock walls will have you question where you are on a map.
A Golfer's Playground
When designing the course Mike Devries moved little earth and wanted to use the native contours of the land to create a natural flow around the property and promote the use of a golfer's imagination.
With endless creativity and hundreds of different ways to play a single hole, Kingsley is a golfer's paradise. Made for the creative-thinker, it punishes a shot not well-planned or executed. Hit a shot how it's meant to be played and you will be rewarded. Hit a poor shot, and you will be punished. Play it how you want but every bad shot has its fair share of consequences.
One of the best home stretches in golf
This is not a knock on the front nine at all--it is littered with great holes, my favorite being hole #7. Having said that, there's nothing like the back nine at Kingsley. In our honest opinion, 12-18 might be the best stretch of holes anywhere in golf. In that stretch, there's a beautiful downhill par 4, a short gettable par 4 (that can punish mistakes), a risk/rewards par 5, a brutally long & hard par 4, a tough par 3, followed by a 3-shot par 5 and finishes with a fantastic par 4 with rolling terrain and one of the smallest greens on the property. Chef's kiss.
The Home Stretch
15,16,17 might be the best 3-hole stretch of all.
The 15th: The 15th plays as a long par 4 with a kicker slope on the left side of the fairway hurdling balls back and right. To hit the elevated postage stamp green in regulation, you have to throw a dart... More specifically a bulls-eye. Par here feels like a birdie.
The 16th: Our favorite par 3 on the property. To hit the green you have to miss the green, literally. The green is severely sloped from right to left. Aim right of the green and let your ball kick down onto the putting surface. Land it on the green and you might as well pack a towel for the beach you'll undoubtedly find.
The 17th: Par 5 and a true 3-shot hole (unless you pipe a drive). Depending on how far you hit the driver, you'll find yourself perched at the top of the hill, or the very bottom. If you don't make the massive rollercoaster like slope, you'll have to lay up anywhere from 80-150 yards out with an uphill 3rd shot. If you catch one and find yourself at the bottom of the hill, you can go for the green but you better not miss. Elevated, protected and severely sloped, this green is a fun one.
The Home Hole Tradition
After an incredible round you're left with a helluva finish. The tradition that takes place on the 18th tee box beautifully encapsulates the entire round, and property.
There's an old mailbox (a Fatsco stove piece) hidden in the stone wall behind the teebox. What's inside? A little liquid courage to help you finish the round strong. Take a swig of Jameson with your group, a tradition truly unlike any other.
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