Saint John’s Resort, in Plymouth, Michigan, will be opening a new 18-hole golf course in spring 2024. The 18-hole Cardinal, designed by Raymond Hearn on land that was previously used for a 27 hole layout at the Inn of St. John’s, is a completely new routing.
A seven-hole course, a putting course of two acres and a practice area for shortgame will also be included in the new 18 hole layout. The resort’s driving course and Carl’s Golfland store will be surrounded by the new 18-hole layout.
All of this is part of the renovation of the property that was formerly owned the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. The property, which was donated to the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation in 2021, has now been rebranded Saint John’s Resort. The $50-million renovation includes new rooms in the resort’s main hotel, as well as a pavilion measuring 6,200 square feet, a ballroom, and other features.
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The new Cardinal Golf Course at Saint John’s Resort, Plymouth, Michigan. (Courtesy Saint John’s Resort).
The Cardinal is the first high-end public-access layout to be built in Metro Detroit in over 20 years.
Hearn, a Michigan-based architect, said that the land’s natural glacier formations and 100-year old trees were a good foundation. We were able save many old mature trees, and created a routing which kept them in play along fairways and green sites. This is unique in the modern golf course architecture where tree removal is more common.
This project was a great opportunity to use my previous Donald Ross, Tom Benelow, and Willie Park Jr. courses as inspiration. I also drew on one of my favorites, the Old Course in Sunningdale, designed by Willie Park Jr.
