Close Menu
Midwest Golf Magazine
  • Home
  • Issues
  • Subscription Program
  • MGM/WCGT Golf Outings
  • News
  • Advertisers
  • Media Kit
    • Distribution
  • Contact
    • About
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Latest News
  • 2025 Summer Issue
  • Honma Unveils BERES 09 Black Woods, Hybrids, and Irons
  • Rapsodo Announces Innovative New MLM1 App Upgrades to  Enhance Practice, Performance Tracking and Club Management
  • The City of Mason’s Grizzly Golf & Social Lodge – 50+ Years and Going Strong in Ohio
  • Gaillardia Country Club – Cream of the Crop Country Club in Oklahoma
  • Detroit Golf Club Begins Multi-Million Dollar Renovation Project
  • The Players Club Omaha, Nebraska, Stands Head and Shoulders Above the Rest
  • TRUE linkswear Patriot Pack Collaboration with PGA HOPE
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Midwest Golf Magazine
  • Home
  • Issues
  • Subscription Program
  • MGM/WCGT Golf Outings
  • News
  • Advertisers
  • Media Kit
    • Distribution
  • Contact
    • About
Midwest Golf Magazine
You are at:Home»Chip Shots»Rebirth of a Michigan Legend: Arthur Hills Thoroughbred Golf Club at Double JJ Resort Turns Back Clock With Greens Fees From 1993
Chip Shots

Rebirth of a Michigan Legend: Arthur Hills Thoroughbred Golf Club at Double JJ Resort Turns Back Clock With Greens Fees From 1993

Glen TurkBy Glen TurkMay 12, 2017Updated:May 15, 2017No Comments4 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Picturesque. Serene. Dramatic.

That’s how Superintendent Ken Gifford describes his Arthur Hills Thoroughbred Golf Club at Double JJ Resort when asked to sum up the sprawling layout and hidden Michigan gem that marks its 25th anniversary in 2018.

The shining jewel of the 3,000-plus acre Double JJ Resort located six miles west of Lake Michigan and 30 minutes north of Grand Haven, the Thoroughbred course annually ranks as one of West Michigan’s top golf experiences, with a 4½-star rating out of 5 by Golf Digest Places to Play.

The resort features an incredible variety of accommodations ranging from western rustic to modern lofts and condos – catering to golfers, couples, families and corporate personnel alike. A wide range of activities from swimming to horseback riding are available, and the resort is also popular for winter recreation “As far as the golf course, it’s just drop dead gorgeous,” said Gifford, who has been busy getting the Thoroughbred back into pristine condition since coming to the Double JJ last fall. “The elevations changes and the way the holes cut through dense forest and wind through a series of beautiful lakes and bogs, it’s just a special place to be. It’s a good test of golf to players of all skill levels.” A native of the Adirondack Mountains area in upstate New York, Gifford has worked at some of the country’s top courses, including New York’s exclusive Tuxedo Club and Arcadia Bluffs, in nearby Arcadia, MI.

The Arthur Hills Thoroughbred Club will celebrate the upcoming 25th anniversary by turning back the clock and offering the same greens fees this spring that were offered when the ribbon was first cut back in 1993. Prior to Memorial Day, the course is offering a $30 rate Monday thru Thursday and $40 Friday thru Sunday. Along with newly hired head golf professional Chris Cullen, a Professional Golf Management graduate from nearby Ferris State University who worked at the course when it opened, Gifford will play an integral role in the Thoroughbred’s return to greatness this season. -continued- The par 72 course features bent grass, four sets of tees, and plays between 4,779 and 6,887 yards. Lush fairways are bordered by trees, lakes, marshland, mounding, and often lead to sloping green complexes that feature ridges, tiers and undulations. There is a mix of conventional and pot style sand traps, some with sod walls that result in difficult recoveries. As with any championship design, accuracy on approaches is necessary to score well.

The Arthur Hills Thoroughbred Golf Club opened on July 4, 1993, with a meticulous design and layout by the legendary designer to embrace and accentuate the rolling Michigan woods, wetlands, and lakes. “My vision was to build a course that is natural, that relates very carefully to the land,” said Hills. “It’s important to always keep in mind the strategy of the game and the elements that provide beauty in a golf course — textures and colors, shadowing and framing. The challenge is to make an impact on golfers and not the environment.”

The Thoroughbred offers an amazing diversity of features and many holes that can be considered ‘signature.’ Standouts include the dramatic 2nd hole, a 425-yard, mind bending par 4 that wraps around a beautiful cranberry bog and is featured in Jeff Barr’s book 1001 Golf Holes You Must Play Before You Die. Rounds conclude with the memorable 18th hole, a sweeping par 5 dogleg that can play upwards of 565 yards. With a landing area off the tee that can narrow to just 25 yards wide, golfers will find water on the left and woods on the right. The Double JJ Resort is an all-season destination resort located off Exit 136 from US 31 in Rothbury, Michigan, just 30 miles north of Grand Haven.

For more information on the Arthur Hills Thoroughbred Golf Club, visit www.thoroughbredgolf.com. For more information of the Double JJ Resort, call (231) 894-4444 or visit www.doublejj.com

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Glen Turk
  • Website
  • Facebook

Glen Turk is a Wisconsin native who has been the Senior Writer/Editor of Midwest Golfing Magazine since 2006. Besides being an avid golfer, Glen enjoys traveling, music, and cheering on the finest professional sports team of all-time, the Green Bay Packers. Glen’s ultimate golf goal is to play in all fifty states and currently he is more than half way there. His other dream, albeit far-fetched, it to record an ace in all seven states of our distribution area. Thanks to an ace in Illinois in 2015, and one in Michigan in 2016, he has three down, four to go!

Related Posts

Detroit Golf Club Begins Multi-Million Dollar Renovation Project

Giants Ridge Courses Maintain Lofty Status in Latest Course Rankings

The Classic at Madden’s Moves Up to #80 on Golf Digest’s 2025-2026 List of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses

Comments are closed.

Current Issue
Online Issue
Receive Special Golf Offers By Email

Web Sponsor
Follow
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Subscription Program Courses

Subscribe to Midwest Golfing Magazine for only $50 and receive free rounds of golf. Cart not included with the free rounds and must be purchased. View Details >> banner banner MajesticOaks-Blue banner banner Platteville banner trappersturn Whispering Springs northernbay oldhickory northbrook banner banner banner banner banner banner banner banner banner banner banner banner

Follow Us
Midwest Golfing Magazine
Mission

Covering golf in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Copyright © Royle Publications - Greater Milwaukee Golf Show || Greater Madison Golf Show

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.