In the fall of 2014, Jon Scott, owner of Gull Lake View resort, which lies 75 miles west of Detroit, called Renaissance Golf Design and asked to speak to its principal, Tom Doak. Scott was looking to add more golf to the resort's five (!) courses, most of which had been designed by family members. His family owned, family run model has run laps around other places for decades and weathered economic down cycles thanks to prudent, on-hands management.
It certainly made sense for the Michigan based Scott family to reach out to Renaissance Design which is headquartered in Traverse City, a 2 ½ hour drive north of the resort. Their property (a barren, recently-cleared orchard sited on a ridge) where they were looking to add a course is one of the highest points in Kalamazoo County and offers up several grand vistas. The old orchard was full of potential, quiet on the southern end before heading into the more wild and wooly terrain north. Even better, this opportunity represented a core course with no housing.
The rub was that the project overlapped with The Loop in northern Michigan, which was already underway and to which Doak was committed. His solution? Doak suggested that he step aside and let the rest of Renaissance Golf Design build Stoatin Brae. That's a win-win - you get the in-the-field guys of world class designs like Barnbougle and Tara Iti at an attractive price. That kind of common sensibility has benefited the resort from day one when Daryl and Letha Scott built the family's first course in the early 1960s. Plus, since Jon’s family possessed construction know-how, Renaissance didn’t have to supervise the build in quite the same manner as they generally do.
A contract was signed with Renaissance knowing that Doak wouldn't be involved. Instead, Tom's associates Eric Iverson, Don Placek, Brian Schneider and Brian Slawnik routed the course together, and then shaped the greens and bunkers, just as they do for all of Tom's designs. Stoatin Brae is their course and ground was broken in 2015 with the course opening in June 2017. Joe Andriole just played it and considers the stretch of 8-15 some of the best golf he has seen in a long time. His description of the pacing of the course and the photos contained in this Feature Interview stir memories of Tom's now defunct High Pointe.
This spring Tom Doak conducted an exit interview with his four men before Stoatin Brae opened. That is this month's Feature Interview. Don Placek's neat hole drawings are an added illustrative touch.
Here is the link:
http://golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/feature-interview-with-eric-iverson-don-placek-brian-schneider-and-brian-slawnik/Hope you enjoy it!
Best,
Ran