© courtesy of joel Swanson (2)
Former superintendent and current director of operations Joel Swanson has been at Manistee National Golf & Resort since the grow-in process of the public facility’s first course, The Retreat, which opened in 1994. Swanson joined the staff in 1992 and has been present through the building of three courses at the northern Michigan property, most recently, the Short Course.
The Retreat, an 18-hole layout formerly known as Canthooke Valley, was designed by Gary Pulsipher and is found among pines and oak trees. It varies from the other Jerry Matthews-designed 18-hole layout, The Revenge, which opened in 2000 and features wetland scenes. “They’re distinctly different, but equally liked by people,” Swanson says.
The Short Course is wrapping up its second full season of play since its soft opening in the fall of 2023. When a 20-acre piece of land across from the resort property went up for sale, a small group connected to the resort saw an opportunity. They jumped on it — envisioning something fun, creative and completely different from anything else in the region.
The group included the designer and shaper, who kept a low profile throughout the project. After the routing and designs were finalized, the Manistee National maintenance team took on the par-3 project. An outside electrician and well driller were brought in, but nearly all other work was handled in-house by the small team. Local golf course architect Bruce Matthews, a nearby resident, helped navigate zoning and served as a trusted sounding board along the way.
The team decided to build the course with a rustic theme in mind, so lots of reclaimed irrigation and equipment was used. Swanson says the facility worked with a $250,000 budget. The course’s irrigation system is made up of sprinkler heads once used at Detroit’s Oakland Hills Country Club. Manistee National was able to buy 900 heads at $9.22 apiece following a 2019 irrigation renovation at the historic facility. Irrigation controls were purchased from a nearby course going through a renovation. The team acquired old railroad ties to use as bunker faces, and telephone poles once used on the property are repurposed as a bridge leading to the short course. All the signage is homemade, built from planks pulled from an old boat dock, and the pumphouse is built out of reclaimed lumber from a collapsed barn.
Between the third tee box and green, a small building of reclaimed wood and a tin roof was built to block the view of the fifth green. “It looks like it’s been there for 100 years,” says Swanson, a Michigan State graduate. The reclaimed materials, buildings and hints of “what was” all help incorporate the rustic theme.
“You think about locals around here doing craft beer,” Swanson says, “we’re trying to do craft golf and make something unique that’s different from our other golf courses as well as any other courses in the area.
“I tend to seek out the more unique and non-traditional golf courses in Michigan and across the country. I’m most proud of being a part of a team of guys that created a unique and non-traditional golf course here.”
A few team members worked solely on the short course, while others bounced around. Some of the crew members who assisted during the 10-month process included Trevor Nash, Cody Maple, Ben Triece, Richard Totch and Steve Furtak.
When golfers step onto the elevated first tee box, they are greeted with a downhill shot onto a two-tiered, 10,000-square-foot green, with a bunker in the right center partially surrounded by railroad ties. Remnants of an old stone house are found nearby. The first hole is the longest of the nine, presenting 138 yards from the back tees and 97 yards from the front.
The greens throughout the short course feature drastic slopes and shapes, making it challenging to the average golfer. “They’re par 3s, but there’s lots of runoff on these things,” Swanson says.
Swanson and his team hear positive feedback from the moment golfers step on to the course. “Everybody’s like, ‘Oh my God, look at that.’ So you get this immediate feedback from these guys, and all of a sudden they’re pulling out their cameras taking pictures,” Swanson says of the first tee.
Total distance ranges from 1,044 yards from the back tees to 694 yards from the front tees and 463 yards from the kids tees. The shortest hole, No. 2, measures 98 yards from the back.
The fourth hole, Swanson’s favorite, was inspired by an Alister MacKenzie design, The Sitwell Green. The 20,000-sqaure-foot area features a multi-tiered surface that wraps around a tree. The left side is the fourth green, while the right side is the sixth green.
The course is maintained by Nash, the current director of agronomy. Nash tends to the short course in the mornings and works on the other two courses in the afternoons. The par-3 course is maintained with the same programs as the main courses, but green speeds are kept slightly slower. Swanson says fast greens aren’t as necessary because of the severity of the greens.
YouTube golf also provided major inspiration in the design and construction process. Swanson says the staff is filled with people who spend lots of time watching golf videos on the app. The staff’s favorite channels include Andy Johnson’s “Fried Egg Golf,” “No Laying Up” and “Random Golf Club.” The videos helped the staff find a design spark for the short course.
“We’re golf geeks,” Swanson says. “We watched and listened to everything we could — those ideas helped shape these nine holes, which are challenging, fair, and occasionally diabolical.”
Videos also helped the staff learn how to operate machinery. “Our owner was heavily involved in this thing, so he wanted to do this and he watched videos on how to run a bulldozer,” Swanson says.
Since opening the course, it’s seen lots of action. Golfers will typically spend their days playing The Revenge or The Retreat and end the night out on the Short Course.
As Swanson reflects on the experience, he feels pride. Pride in the way the team collaborated. Pride in the product they built using reclaimed materials. Pride in the process.
“I’m especially proud of the way the project came out,” Swanson says. “There are nine great holes.”
Kelsie Horner is Golf Course Industry’s digital editor.