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Richard Hetzel

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Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #25 on: September 14, 2022, 06:39:21 AM »
I played High Pointe, it was a very fun golf course that rounded out a perfect 36 hole day with Arcadia Bluffs. You can't beat Northern Michigan golf in the summer.


This is great news.
Last 5:
Bobby Jones (FL) Arcadia Municipal (FL) Eisenhower Lakes (GA) Augusta Municipal (GA) Foresthills GC (GA)

Brett Hochstein

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Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #26 on: September 21, 2022, 05:48:23 PM »
This is really awesome to hear on a number of levels.  Two questions:


Tom, will you be building this all yourself with a D3 as you did with the original?


and


Will the plan be to have it fine fescue and play as fast as legend describes? Unfortunately, it was way too thatched up and spongy when I finally got to play it as a Kingsley intern in 2006, but staff and others would talk about how crazy High Pointe played back in its early years before succumbing to resort-clientele pressure.
"From now on, ask yourself, after every round, if you have more energy than before you began.  'Tis much more important than the score, Michael, much more important than the score."     --John Stark - 'To the Linksland'

http://www.hochsteindesign.com

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +1/-1
Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #27 on: September 22, 2022, 07:05:43 PM »
This is really awesome to hear on a number of levels.  Two questions:


Tom, will you be building this all yourself with a D3 as you did with the original?


and


Will the plan be to have it fine fescue and play as fast as legend describes? Unfortunately, it was way too thatched up and spongy when I finally got to play it as a Kingsley intern in 2006, but staff and others would talk about how crazy High Pointe played back in its early years before succumbing to resort-clientele pressure.


Question 1:  No, I've got a little more talent to help me than I did in 1987, especially Brian Slawnik who lives in Traverse City, and Don Placek and Bruce Hepner who have both volunteered to help.  But we are starting with six greens that I DID shape and don't intend to change much, and I did shape a couple of greens in New Zealand this winter to get back into the swing of doing it.


Question 2:  Well that's mostly a myth; High Pointe was never as firm and fast as The Loop and Kingsley are today.  It started getting thatchy pretty fast because they never did much to mitigate that.  I don't know who the superintendent is going to be if it happens, but the client loves the playing surface at Kingsley so I hope we will do fescue and try to keep it that firm.

Richard Hetzel

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #28 on: September 22, 2022, 08:22:37 PM »
I think that I took these around 2008.


















« Last Edit: September 23, 2022, 01:04:08 PM by Richard Hetzel »
Last 5:
Bobby Jones (FL) Arcadia Municipal (FL) Eisenhower Lakes (GA) Augusta Municipal (GA) Foresthills GC (GA)

Peter Flory

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #29 on: September 27, 2022, 02:35:29 PM »
This is just one of those things that should happen for the sake of history.  I'm glad that RTrump is making the investment and I'm sure that it's going to work out well. 

Brett Hochstein

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #30 on: September 27, 2022, 07:43:29 PM »
This is really awesome to hear on a number of levels.  Two questions:


Tom, will you be building this all yourself with a D3 as you did with the original?


and


Will the plan be to have it fine fescue and play as fast as legend describes? Unfortunately, it was way too thatched up and spongy when I finally got to play it as a Kingsley intern in 2006, but staff and others would talk about how crazy High Pointe played back in its early years before succumbing to resort-clientele pressure.


Question 1:  No, I've got a little more talent to help me than I did in 1987, especially Brian Slawnik who lives in Traverse City, and Don Placek and Bruce Hepner who have both volunteered to help.  But we are starting with six greens that I DID shape and don't intend to change much, and I did shape a couple of greens in New Zealand this winter to get back into the swing of doing it.


Question 2:  Well that's mostly a myth; High Pointe was never as firm and fast as The Loop and Kingsley are today.  It started getting thatchy pretty fast because they never did much to mitigate that.  I don't know who the superintendent is going to be if it happens, but the client loves the playing surface at Kingsley so I hope we will do fescue and try to keep it that firm.


Tom, thanks for the reply.


The first question I knew the likely answer, but it had to be asked! Sounds like a good team of locals set to the task. If you need an additional former (state) local for a portion, let me know  :)


It doesn't surprise me to hear the mythology regarding the original conditions. Luckily though people's tastes have changed just enough (at least at a niche level) where you should be able to re-acheive fast and firm and actually keep it for awhile. Should be very fun to play.




On another note, it is interesting to trace back the tree clearing a few years.  In 2006 I remember the back nine being quite wooded and was almost having a hard time recognizing the much more barren land today.  Is this related to the current ownership and these restoration intentions?



"From now on, ask yourself, after every round, if you have more energy than before you began.  'Tis much more important than the score, Michael, much more important than the score."     --John Stark - 'To the Linksland'

http://www.hochsteindesign.com

Thomas Dai

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #31 on: September 28, 2022, 09:57:00 AM »
A good friend and long term scratch player who lived in MI for many years raved about the original course when I mentioned it had disappeared but could soon be coming back to life.
atb

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +1/-1
Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #32 on: September 28, 2022, 11:14:03 AM »
it is interesting to trace back the tree clearing a few years.  In 2006 I remember the back nine being quite wooded and was almost having a hard time recognizing the much more barren land today.  Is this related to the current ownership and these restoration intentions?


The original 10th and 15th holes were cleared through hardwoods; holes 11-14 were in fairly open, rolling, sandy ground which had been planted with small pines for erosion control purposes [which is a property tax abatement strategy].  On those holes, we cleared the trees by wrapping a chain around them and yanking them out of the ground with a bucket loader on the front of an old tractor.


But, I failed to yank the trees in between the holes, and in a matter of a few years they got too big and too costly to clear, and my original client thought that playing between trees was what people from downstate liked, so he left them.  I loved the more open look we had to start.


At some point after the course closed, someone came in and harvested the trees in between the holes -- I don't know whether it was before the land was sold off, or done by the farm.  But I am certainly not going to miss the trees between 11 and 14.  Seeing across those holes is magic.


We did also lose a few big hardwood trees [mostly maples], especially at the 12th hole, which died almost immediately after the course closed.  I think they must have gotten used to having irrigation water, and couldn't take the shock when it was turned off.

Kyle Casella

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Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #33 on: September 12, 2023, 11:47:27 AM »
I recently came across the Instagram account for the revived High Pointe. The progress videos are really well done and beautifully shot. Looks like things are really coming along quickly.


https://www.instagram.com/highpointegolf/

Michael Chadwick

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Re: The Return Of High Pointe
« Reply #34 on: February 28, 2024, 02:13:06 PM »
Rod Trump and his creative team have done a wonderful job documenting and sharing HP's construction process on Instagram. I've found myself returning to their public profile repeatedly to scroll through reels that feature green sites, quick hole by holes, before/after's, etc. to get a better sense of the new course.


One characteristic I wanted to point out, to serve as both question/observation, regards the bunkering. From the images I've seen of Te Arai North, my impression is that there's a prevailing style of deeper, cavernous bunkers at a higher frequency than what may be found on Tom's earlier designs. The bunker walls tend to be in fairway turf, or more native rough, pending their location, and the sand lies more along the bottom than being flashed vertically. Their depth conjures similarities to UK bunkers, where the steepness of a revetted wall often enacts a half or full stroke penalty.


Perhaps I'm misinterpreting the shaping of the dirt and early grow-in images at High Pointe, but I sense a similar continuation of that style. And I think it suits the topography quite well.


Holes like 1, 3A, 4, 6, 7, 12, 17 appear to have deeper bunkers with walls that will be turfed in fairway fescue.
5, 8, 9 will utilize native textures to edge the bunkers. 9 may also have more flashing given how perched up that original green site is.
2 might have the most shallow bunkers?
And a few freer flowing, amoeba-like shapes can be found on 12, 13, and likely elsewhere, but it's used sparingly by the looks of it.


I suppose my question, if you want to chime in, Tom, would be--what what went into your process for deciding on how to bunker High Pointe, particularly with the new original holes and how they'd tie into the preexisting ones?


Other initial takes, based on my visit last summer and subsequent club updates--holes that immediately strike me include the 3rd with its two greens for a variable par 3; 4's approach and green complex seems bold and fascinating; 7 and 8 (original 10) are spectacular and routed over the most dramatic land; the low tee on 14 might be more fun than the back tee because of how blind the fairway is from down low; a big hump in front of 16 green adds nice flavor to the re-imagination of old 18; and 16-18 in general seem to be a stout finish!


I'm personally fond of that part of Michigan, with native textures and flora likely similar to what'll be seen at Sedge Valley in Wisconsin. It's certainly special to get another fescue course in America, notwithstanding all the other great stories attached to High Pointe coming back.


Look forward to more updates come spring and early summer from the club.   







Instagram: mj_c_golf

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