Stoatin Brae Golf Club — Local services in Ross Township

Lovely-enough course -- ‘A’ for effort on links ‘feel’ and routing, as much as could be possible on a seemingly random choice to build on the highest spot in the county -- but under-maintained, with overall customer experience sorely lacking; simply unacceptable for a Top 100 course. Let’s work backwards from the latter and drill down a bit more:

The first time I tried to play the course last summer, I arrived as a single early in the morning and asked if there was a possibility of getting on. The college-aged pro shop lead rebuffed me, telling me their tee sheet was full for the day. Not seeing anyone on or even near 1 or 10 tee boxes, I politely asked if he was sure I couldn't get on. "Sorry, we're full," came the terse retort. Why they would turn away the extra revenue from a fast-playing single walk-on is beyond me (for those who don't know, rates are not cheap, but we'll get to that later).

This weekend, my friend and I had a tee time on a rain-soaked midday Saturday, fully expecting to battle the weather between showers in prep for an upcoming Scotland trip, and fully expecting the course to be water-logged, therefore tempering our expectations. When we arrived, the pro shop lead (a bearded, not-college-aged dude) made two laudable customer-service moves -- shaved off a bit of our greens fees for coming out in the drizzle, and called Stonehedge down the road to check if their range was open for us to get a few warmup swings in, as Stoatin's was closed. Solid.

But that's where it ended, and the customer-service failures continued to rear their ugly heads.

While the starter Jerry was helpful with providing course tips ahead of 1 tee, and came around several times to inform us of coming storm cells (we walked the course), the rest of staff turned downright dickish and/or clueless. At the turn, the Bunker (halfway house) was staffed by another college-aged gal, who upon us asking what food was available, chose to tell us that there's nothing except one over-warmed hot dog and only still-frozen buns, while volunteering that she was readying to go home but annoyed she had to stick around. Later, after a threat of rain came and went, we learned that the Bunker had shut down (in the middle of a Saturday afternoon) save for the bathrooms, so couldn't get any more water. Needless to say, no water on the course or cart-folks making the rounds for any of their (high-)paying customers.

Management does not have a siren or even equip their starters with airhorns, so poor Jerry had to round up golfers ahead of the most extreme storm cell, and graciously picked my partner and I up to head back to the clubhouse before a true deluge ensued. However, Mr. Bearded Pro Shop Guy immediately became Mr. Hyde, and began threatening to close the entire course down immediately -- rather than offering us and a couple other groups to stick around the clubhouse bar and help his course, and his bartender colleague, make a few extra bucks. Or even to see if weather would clear up. (Mind you, this was 5 pm, not 9 pm.) Luckily, we played up through 16, so had roughly recouped our investment, but another group in the clubhouse only finished 9. Mr. Beard gave us all only enough time for a single beer, then promptly turned out the pro shop lights, having locked it up.

If your course doesn't want to make revenue where you can, then fine. It sure seemed like no one at Stoatin really cares to create an experience for guests.

Regarding the course -- lovely, yet the under-maintenance was apparent, with a fungus problem and eyesore construction machinery just sitting dormant in corners of the course, dampening the vistas. While the routing was admirable, there is a sense of "Why build a links-style track here??" Aside from utilizing the highest point around, no other truly convincing rationale to be found. Surely Doak's group and associates were happy to take the money. Their work holds up -- but management has not kept up its end of the bargain: not a Top 100 really, and for $118 a round, mgmt has got to pick up its game. A $60...

Gull Lake View Resort on the outskirts of Kalamazoo in Augusta, Michigan has six golf courses to choose from. Each has earned at least 4.5 stars from Golf Digest. In 2017, the Scott family unveiled their latest creation Stoatin Brae, a course unlike any other on the property.

In creating Stoatin Brae, Gull Lake View partnered with Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design and created a course where every golfer, regardless of ability, can find an appropriate tee box to play from and have a memorable golf experience. Stoatin Brae was named both Michigan and National Golf Course of the Year in 2021.

Stoatin Brae sits at one of the highest elevation points in Kalamazoo County with stunning panoramic views of the surrounding area. As you turn into the driveway and make the 200-foot climb up to the top, you’ll find the clubhouse and first tee overlooking the Kalamazoo River Valley. Look to the east and you may catch a glimpse of downtown Battle Creek in the distance.

Unlike the other courses at Gull Lake View, the fairways are wide open, firm, and fast. Because of its elevation, Stoatin Brae has no water hazards, but that doesn’t make it any less challenging. The green complexes and strategically placed bunkers require golfers to think their way around the golf course. Quite often, your best tee shot is not down the middle. The way many of the par 4s are set up you’ll have a better angle into the green from one side of the fairway or the other. Other than the long, wispy grasses you may encounter when you are well off the fairway, it’s hard to lose a golf ball.

At Stoatin Brae there are many constants, and the wind is one of them! When the wind is blowing, Stoatin Brae becomes a different course. If you’re a good player you will be challenged in windy conditions. If you’re a not-so-good weekend warrior, you’ll be able to find your ball and hit it again.

One of my favorite holes is the 10th. At 315 yards from the Black Tees, it’s a short par 4, but as you stand on the tee, you can’t help but wonder where the best place is to hit your tee shot. As it turns out, a long drive down the left side and over the hill provides the best angle into the green. If you can see your tee shot when it lands, you’ll probably have a tougher approach shot. Several rugged bunkers guard the green which angles away from the fairway.

Gull Lake View Resort offers spacious, comfortable, and affordable accommodations. And best of all, they are on-site, giving you more time to sleep for those early morning tee times! They can accommodate just about any size group with one of their three lodging options: villa suites, deluxe villas, and luxury cottages. All three feature a centralized living space with a big-screen TV, full kitchens, 2 bedrooms with 2 full beds in each, 2 bathrooms, and Free Wi-Fi. Luxury cottages also have TVs in each bedroom, fireplaces, and queen beds.

They’ve got you covered when you get hungry, too. Charles and Darl’s is located in the main clubhouse and serves three meals a day, starting at 6 a.m. and serving food until 10 p.m. seven days a week. Each meal is cooked to order with lunch and dinner leaning toward the BBQ side. If you’re looking to feed a large group of people, they offer a bulk pick-up menu. No matter what you order or when you won’t leave disappointed…or hungry!

No matter which course you play at Gull Lake View the goal is to have a fun, memorable experience. Choose the set of tees that best suits your game at any course and that’s almost a guarantee.

Gull Lake View Resort is ideally situated between Chicago and Detroit, the resort draws well from these two markets as well as Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Toronto. There’s no reason to travel north of Traverse City to find golf courses that will amaze and captivate any golfer. If you’re close to any of these cities, Gull Lake View Resort is worthy of consideration for your...

Really enjoyed our time. Played on a Monday afternoon, and got a good rate ($65). Didn't get there in time to hit the range, but as many have mentioned, the range isn't anything to write home about - but that really didn't bother us at all.

Basically had the course to ourselves, as most others playing were well ahead of us. Probably deserves a 4.5 star rating. I will explain why it's not a 5 at the bottom.

The layout is tremendous. It is a classic Doak design. I've played Arcadia Bluffs South, and this layout rivals - and probably beats it. Some of the holes here felt the same as the holes on Arcadia South. We really all were impressed with it. I will say - the back 9 layout is awesome. Especially 10-15. Not sure anyone plays only 9 holes here, but if you do, make sure it's the back.

As many have said, the fescue/tall grass is essentially a lost ball. We did find a couple that we could play - but they were on the edges and had good sight on them. If you hit it in by a lot, you're likely not going to find it.

I was not expecting the halfway house to be open based on other reviews, but to our surprise it was. The girl in there was nice, and it was fully stocked.

My only complaints were this:

1. While some have mentioned the course being too difficult - I actually think it needs to play firmer and faster. There were a number of shots we hit that probably should've ended up off the green that didn't, or should've rolled up more onto the green, and didn't. It feels the course should play like traditional links - low to the ground - and on long shots it did - because of wind. However, around the greens, putting from off it was not a great option as the fringe/fairways are much longer than traditional links courses. I felt the greens were a decent firmness and speed, but probably are designed to be a bit more.

2. We were told when we arrived that the restaurant was not open - so at least we had a heads up. They did have bar service there and also at the half way house so we were able to grab drinks/snacks/food. However, it is still a bit disappointing that we couldn't eat at the restaurant after our round - we finished around 6:45pm. The patio of the restaurant has an AMAZING view.

3. As mentioned above - we finished our round about 6:45. We wanted to grab a few more drinks and buy some gear from the pro shop. While there were two young men in there, they told us they could not sell us the drinks or the merchandise because the computers had been shut down for the day. Seemed very strange to shut down the opportunity to make some money at 645pm. Kind of had us leave with a sour taste in our mouths after what was an otherwise great golf experience.

All told, I recommend this course. You can definitely tell why it's a top 100 course in the US, and honestly if they truly get it to the firm/fast label they want, it will remain a top 100 to play for...