The Kingsley Club

The Kingsley Club opened in 2001 on rolling farmland in the northern Michigan plains, roughly fifteen minutes south of Traverse City. Designed by Michigan native Mike DeVries, an architect steeped in the minimalist tradition, the course moved very little earth and instead draped its holes across the property's natural ridges, hollows and rugged, blowout-style bunkering. Firm, fast fescue turf and windswept, largely treeless expanses give the private layout the feel of a British or Irish links transplanted to the American Midwest. Widely praised as one of the best modern designs in the region, Kingsley has appeared in national top-100 rankings since the mid-2000s and helped establish DeVries's reputation among a new generation of architects. Its walkable routing and ground-game demands reward creativity and shot-making over raw power.