Harbor Shores - Benton Harbor, MI

[Ken Fry]

Got the chance over the weekend to play the open holes at the new Jack Nicklaus Harbor Shores Course in Benton Harbor, MI.

For those not familiar with this project or the area, Benton Harbor was once a bustling town but has fallen on very sad times.  Industry has almost completely left the area.  Downtown looks close to a ghost town.  Because of the proximity to Lake Michigan and next door to the town of St. Joseph, there are a number of beautiful homes and affluent neighborhoods on the water, but they are offset by the massive poverty in the remainder of town.

Harbor Shores is a project that has garnered national attention both positively and negatively.  Positively, many properties of old corporations have been demolished and removed to make way for the golf course.  The entire project will provide a much needed boost for the town.  Negatively, a portion of state park on Lake Michigan frontage was sold to the developer for the course.  A few lawsuits bogged the project down and delayed a good portion of construction along with a bit of bad publicity.

At the moment, 10 holes have been completed and are open to be played on a limited basis.  Even after driving to the course location in late spring to look around, I was a bit skeptical how it would play.  I was very surprised at what I found.  The current route is hole 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.  15 was closed the day I played to allow the grass a bit more time.  Overall, conditioning was excellent for such a young course.

I'm curious how the greens will be received by the general public, but were they fun.  If speed is anything more than a 9, they could be too difficult.  I have never played Dove Mountain (the site of the WGC Match Play early this year) but I have to believe the greens at Harbor Shores rival them.  Many have observed the increase in internal contouring with Nicklaus greens since Sebonack.  Harbor Shores again demonstrates that.

The 10th hole is a 555 yard par 5 set in a valley.  the hole plays straight forward until you reach the putting surface.  The only comparison I could come up with to this green is the 4th hole at Doak's Lost Dunes Club down the road in Bridgman, MI.  For those who have played Lost Dunes, picture the back left swale only twice as wide and tall!  The green has a cloverleaf shape to it but more plateaus and playing levels than I could accurately count.  From the front right location to the back must rapidly climb 10-12 feet.  I've never been confronted with a putt like this before.

Wind will usually play a big factor being so close to Lake Michigan.  Pin locations will dramatically change the angles needed to properly attack from the fairway.

I love Lost Dunes and especially the greens.  Many will feel Harbor Shores took the greens to the extreme.  I know Tom Doak has said Lost Dunes are the most severe greens they've designed.  I'll be curious to hear his and others feedback seeing Harbor Shores.  One main difference of course is Lost Dunes is private and Harbor Shores public.

I also toured the holes under construction (except 7 green site, 8 and 9).  The finished product should be excellent.  I was thoroughly impressed with the holes I played yet believe the best holes are still to be finished.

I'm curious if anyone else has played Harbor Shores.  I wish them all the best in completing a project like this in such tough times (both locally and nationally).  I would recommend stopping in if you're making your way on I-94.

Ken

[Andy Troeger]

Ken,
Thanks for the update--I'm not sure if I'll get to check it out this fall when I'm in town but I definitely will head up there next year when the full course is supposed to be in play I think. Sounds like it will be interesting!

[Chuck Brown]

This project faced some HUGE political opposition.  And it was ugly, featuring charges of racism and class warfare. Some of it was local opposition, but local (black and white) government officials were almost 100% unified in favor of the project.  Outside (as well as some local activists and community orgainzers tried to organized the opposition around a lot of class warfare terms: "luxury development" "Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course," etc., etc.

To make a very long story as short as possible, there had been a local park that had been donated by a turn of the last century newspaper owner in memory of his daughter.  It was a small parcel of prime Lake Michigan beachfront, backed by some wonderful dunes, with a parking lot and the parcel extended inland into some marginal wetland areas, etc.  Over time, the local officials had had such a hard time in budgeting upkeep of the park, that the federal government had gotten involved.

The deal for the golf course was ingenious; the beach front would be untouched, and would remain in use as a public park.  The developers would build new facilities, including a new entrance road, new beach house infrastructure, etc.  They would relocate the parking lot, which woud then provide access to the inland side of the dunes, to be incorporated as two or three holes of the golf course that was otherwise being built on adjacent, non-park brownfields land.

There was more.  The developers would donate more parkland back to the city, in various other areas scatterd around town, than what was being ceded to the golf course.  There were promises about local hiring, etc., etc.  It was a good project.  Worth scrutiny, to be sure, but quite able to withstand that scrutiny.  Most of all, the beach was not being taken away (which was a great, and phony, cry from the anti-development crowd.

It's a good case study in how these things get worked out at a local-politics level.

I'm very happy to hear Ken's report and I will absolutely make a stop there to see it for myself.  To the best of my knowledge, Tom Doak had no involvement in the project (he's probably glad he didn't) but I'll bet he knows about it.  A very long article could be written about this battle; I've just scratched the surface.

[Ken Fry]

I'm very happy to hear Ken's report and I will absolutely make a stop there to see it for myself.  To the best of my knowledge, Tom Doak had no involvement in the project (he's probably glad he didn't) but I'll bet he knows about it.  A very long article could be written about this battle; I've just scratched the surface.

Chuck,

Thanks for the additional background information.  The course was defnetly done by Nicklaus' group and Tom Doak was not involved.  I tried to draw a comparison with Doak's Lost Dunes because many on this site have seen the greens there.  Also, it seems the "Sebonack" influence has had an effect on the greens Nicklaus has been shaping recently.

Ken

[PCCraig]

Good to see the course is coming along well. It certainly is a well thought out plan and has the potential to be very successful.

Anyone know if they have been selling lots/building homes yet?

[Jeff Goldman]

The Superintendent is Brad Fry, one of Sam Mackenzie's guys (which makes six of his former assistants now head superintendents).  Hope it's working out well.

[Chuck Brown]

Ken -

Yes, indeed.

I remember another provocative GCA thread, in which we queried something like "Did Doak influence the future of Nicklaus Design?", noting how many more Doak-like designs the Nicklaus group had been doing since Sebonack.  I'd never presume to answer that question, least of all in Tom's presence.  But I am fascinated by the description of these new greens at Harbor Shores, and I can hardly wait to see them.  This could be an interesting side-trip for Chicagoans as well as Detroiters who could find other interesting places to play (Lost Dunes, Dunes Club, Point O' Woods, Wuskhowan, etc., in that same general vicinity).

[Mark Smolens]

Ken, how did you get on at Harbor Shores?  My annual foray to Lost Dunes is coming up, and we could play there in the afternoon after a morning round at Lost Dunes.

[Ken Fry]

Ken, how did you get on at Harbor Shores?  My annual foray to Lost Dunes is coming up, and we could play there in the afternoon after a morning round at Lost Dunes.

Mark,

The course is public so have money, can play.  The catch is they're calling this a "preview season."  That means the course is open Friday-Sunday only.  Tee times can be made and are spaced 20 minutes apart.  The day I played I had no problem getting on.  Cost is $75 for nine holes and $100 to play 18 (nine open holes twice).  To help with this setup, they have 2 pins cut in every green.  Nice touch considering playing to different flags on most holes really changes how the hole can play.

I'm jealous you're on your way for the annual trip to Lost Dunes.  I haven't been up there much and really miss the place.

Ken