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Tom Doak brings High Pointe back in 2024

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3 years ago

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Every great golf course architect has watched, helplessly, as capitalism plows under a design to make way for progress. Tom Doak, the genius behind many of the 21st century’s greatest designs, has lost six of his courses to progress. Beechtree, Black Forest, Charlotte Golf Links, Apache Stronghold, and the nine-hole Aetna Springs course, have all met their demise at the hands of bulldozers and cement.

It’s easy to do this sort of thing, you know, build a golf course that you don’t plan to keep. Roadways, malls, high-rises, neighborhoods, can all be built over the top of a links. Near my hometown, the Westwood Country Club in Amherst, New York, will convert to a central park for the town in 2024. When you’ve ridden a bulldozer, pushed dirt around with a backhoe, and drawn plans for holes in the dirt, watching the end must be heartbreaking.

For Tom Doak, however, one of his courses appears ready to see the light of day once more. High Pointe, Doak’s first design, was closed and the back nine was repurposed into a hop farm in 2008. The architect, back then, was also the builder. Doak built each of the greens himself, and had plans to expand the course to 27 holes at some juncture. By 2010, High Pointe was but a memory.

Ran Morrissett, the director of Golf Club Atlas and an architecture aficionado, made a supportive yet bold claim about some of the holes at High Pointe. We decided to ask the architect himself if those holes were really that good.

Is Ran Morrissett’s glowing assessment of holes 10-15 still accurate, 33 years after the original High Pointe opened? If not (and even, if so) will you adjust those holes to make them even more compelling?

Tom Doak: I have always loved that stretch of holes that Ran mentioned. In the new routing the 10th and 11th will become eight and nine, but then the 12th through 15th will retain their original numbers. The terrain back there reminded me of Sunningdale or some other heathland course; the topography is big and bold, and you’ll almost certainly have to deal with uphill, downhill, and sidehill stances for the approach shots to the par-4’s. The greens at the 12th, 13th, and 14th were all pretty daring, and I will have to see whether we can keep the contours exactly the way they were or whether I’ll need to soften them slightly, as they certainly weren’t designed for 11 or 12 on the Stimpmeter.
Are they still the best stretch of holes I ever built? Possibly not, because I’ve been blessed with many great sites in the past 20 years. But I think they are still in the conversation, anyway. The challenge will be creating a bunch of new holes that are just as original.

The original 18 holes at High Pointe golf course, courtesy of Renaissance Golf.

Fast forward to 2023, and thanks to the financial support of Rod Trump, High Pointe is on the cusp of opening its first tee for business. Nine of the original holes will be joined with nine new holes, with Doak using the benefit of over 40 years of golf architecture experience.

What has changed? Plenty. High Pointe opened for play in 1989, as a public-fee course. High Pointe 2.0 will return as a private club, with a limited membership. Since 1989, destination clubs like Sand Hills in Nebraska, Kinloch in Virginia, and Ballyneal in Colorado, have followed an Augusta National-style of national and international memberships. Will High Pointe subscribe to this paradigm? That remains to be seen.

Mr. Rod Trump is the driving force behind the return of High Pointe. He offers a bit of insight into the project and his own relationship with golf with answers to a few of our questions.

1. Please tell us a bit about who you are, what you’ve done for a living, and how you and golf intersect.

Golf is my passion. I am blessed with many, many friends who are all great people. Nearly every one of them, and all the best ones, I know because of golf.

I had the good fortune to build a few companies at a young age and sell them which afforded me the ability to figure out what I love and what I wanted to do. I’ve loved golf since the first time I put a club in my hand during college, and I’m excited by the opportunity to create one of golf’s next great homes.

2. You’re undertaking a monumental task this year, in the resurrection (more or less) of Tom Doak’s first golf course: High Pointe. This formerly-public Michigan course was closed and sold, and a portion was turned into a hop farm. We’ll get to that, but how did you become involved with Tom Doak and this venture?

At the urging of a very dear friend, I rented a house in the Traverse City area for eight weeks in the Summer of 2021. I fell in love with the area. Surrounded by water, with the perfect climate for more than three months and with daylight that lasts well into the night, what’s not to like!? And, the people there, they are great – kind, honest, genuine. Instantly, I decided this is where I wanted to spend a portion of the year for the rest of my life.

A good friend, who happens to coach several players on the PGA Tour, mentioned High Pointe to me and it instantly became my mission. That very day, I reached out to Tom, and once we spoke, reincarnating High Pointe became my mission in life.

3. How will High Pointe 2.0 differ physically (the layout, the land) from the original version, the OG, if you will?

I honestly believe 2.0 will be better. The land is spectacular. Young Tom was afraid to move earth, but a learned Tom knows how to maximize the value of the land. While it is all sandy soil, the new land is more compatible with the original back nine. Tom had originally routed a third nine for the original High Pointe and thought if it ever happened the back nine and the third nine would make for the best 18 holes. Tom was excited right out of the gate by the opportunity to take all of the land (500+ acres) and make the best 18 holes.

In addition, we are bringing back to life what Tom describes as “the meat of the golf course.” Holes 10 through 15, which Ran Morrisset has described as, “to this day, the best six holes Tom has ever routed,” will all be re-born. I believe High Pointe 2.0 will feature the best of the original golf course blended with the product of the hands of an old master who is truly one of the best of all-time.

4. Version 1.0 was a public-access course. High Pointe 2024 will be a private club. Why the change in paradigm?

The Traverse City area has grown tremendously and the climate of the area is about as good as it gets anywhere in the continental U.S. for 110-120 days; the temperature, the extended hours of daylight, the low humidity. Additionally, High Pointe is just 15 minutes from an airport, which services many commercial flights as well as private aviation. The area is ripe to participate in what will be a rop national golf club, and it’s the best financial model to ensure Tom’s first born lives on, forever and ever.

What is guaranteed, however, is the adherence of the entire project to a standard of environmental excellence. As first reported by Beth Milligan in the Traverse Ticker, High Pointe will follow the Best Practices Guide for Golf Courses, established by the state of Michigan. For an idea of what High Pointe looks like currently, see the slideshow below. Anticipate an update on progress in early 2024.

 

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. Adam

    Feb 23, 2023 at 10:44 am

    I used to play High Pointe every fall in high school for an invitational tournament and loved it. I’m glad it’s making a comeback but it’s a gigantic disappointment that it’s going to be so private. Especially with Doak making comments after visiting golf in Scotland and saying we’ve done it all wrong in the states with making the game so inaccessible and costly.

    Reply Report comment

    • Mel

      Feb 26, 2023 at 9:37 pm

      Yeah. Unfortunately you won’t be playing it again, and either will I.

      Reply Report comment

      • Ronald Montesano

        Feb 27, 2023 at 1:56 pm

        Never say never. I don’t have any inside information, but I’m hopeful that there will be opportunities for folks to play the course.

        Reply Report comment

        • Jbone

          Feb 28, 2023 at 7:47 pm

          Probably just some media to let us know how we’re missing out.

          Reply Report comment

    • Ronald Montesano

      Feb 27, 2023 at 1:55 pm

      Never say never. I don’t have any inside information, but I’m hopeful that there will be opportunities for folks to play the course.

      Reply Report comment

      • Chuck

        Feb 28, 2023 at 10:28 am

        There are many private golf clubs in northern Michigan. Some great ones. Wequetonsing; Belvedere; Kingsley; True North; Harbor Point. And none of them are terribly difficult to get on if you work at it, especially in the ‘shoulder’ seasons before Memorial Day and after Labor Day.

        The one very notable exception is Crystal Downs. And I do think that when folks think about “private golf in northern Michigan,” they naturally think of Crystal Downs, which is quite exclusive all through the playing season. (Not a secret, since Tom has published articles and books on the subject; he is a Crystal Downs member.)

        Reply Report comment

        • Mel

          Feb 28, 2023 at 3:29 pm

          Hmmm…. Work at trying to get on a golf course and pay 300 bucks? No thanks. I’ll play Arcadia for that, which involves a click of a button. Just not a fan of the grotesquely hoity toiity here.

          Reply Report comment

  2. Rich

    Feb 23, 2023 at 10:40 am

    I was excited until finding out it’s going to be private. Bummer.

    Reply Report comment

    • Ronald Montesano

      Feb 27, 2023 at 1:56 pm

      Never say never. I don’t have any inside information, but I’m hopeful that there will be opportunities for folks to play the course.

      Reply Report comment

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News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

1 day ago

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May 12, 2026

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Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

  • Jon Rahm +1300 
  • Cameron Young +1500
  • Bryson DeChambeau +1700
  • Xander Schauffele +1850
  • Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
  • Ludvig Aberg +2000
  • Tommy Fleetwood +2600
  • Collin Morikawa +3500
  • Brooks Koepka +3900
  • Justin Rose +4300
  • Russell Henley +4600
  • Si Woo Kim +4700
  • Justin Thomas +4800
  • Robert MacIntyre +5300
  • Patrick Cantlay +5300
  • Viktor Hovland +5400
  • Tyrrell Hatton +5500
  • Jordan Spieth +5900
  • Sam Burns +6000
  • Hideki Matsuyama +6200
  • Adam Scott +6400
  • Rickie Fowler +7000
  • Chris Gotterup +7400
  • Patrick Reed +7400
  • Min Woo Lee +7800
  • Ben Griffin +8000
  • Sepp Straka +8400
  • Shane Lowry +9000
  • Akshay Bhatia +9200
  • Maverick McNealy +9200
  • Joaquin Niemann +9200
  • Jake Knapp +9200
  • Jason Day +9600
  • Kurt Kitayama +10000
  • J.J. Spaun +10000
  • Harris English +10500
  • Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
  • Gary Woodland +11000
  • David Puig +11000
  • Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
  • Jacob Bridgeman +12000
  • Keegan Bradley +12500
  • Corey Conners +14000
  • Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
  • Sungjae Im +15500
  • Sahith Theegala +15500
  • Harry Hall +15500
  • Alex Noren +16000
  • Thomas Detry +16500
  • Marco Penge +16500
  • Kristoffer Reitan +17000
  • Alex Smalley +17000
  • Wyndham Clark +17500
  • Sam Stevens +17500
  • Keith Mitchell +17500
  • Daniel Berger +18500
  • Ryan Gerard +20000
  • Nick Taylor +20000
  • Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
  • Dustin Johnson +21000
  • Pierceson Coody +23000
  • Aaron Rai +24000
  • Jordan Smith +24000
  • Angel Ayora +24000
  • Bud Cauley +25000
  • Matt McCarty +26000
  • Jayden Schaper +26000
  • Brian Harman +27000
  • Taylor Pendrith +27000
  • Ryan Fox +27000
  • J.T. Poston +27000
  • Cameron Smith +29000
  • Ryo Hisatsune +29000
  • Michael Kim +29000
  • Max Homa +29000
  • Denny McCarthy +29000
  • Tom McKibbin +30000
  • Rico Hoey +32000
  • Matt Wallace +32500
  • Ricky Castillo +33000
  • Haotong Li +33000
  • Michael Brennan +34000
  • Max Greyserman +36000
  • Stephan Jaeger +37500
  • Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
  • Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
  • Aldrich Potgieter +40000
  • Andrew Novak +42000
  • Patrick Rodgers +42500
  • Daniel Hillier +42500
  • Max McGreevy +46000
  • Billy Horschel +48000
  • Chris Kirk +48000
  • Ian Holt +49000
  • Casey Jarvis +49000
  • William Mouw +50000
  • Steven Fisk +50000
  • John Parry +50000
  • Nico Echavarria +52500
  • Garrick Higgo +52500
  • John Keefer+55000
  • Matthias Schmid +57500
  • Austin Smotherman +57500
  • Sami Valimaki +60000
  • Andrew Putnam +60000
  • Lucas Glover +62500
  • Daniel Brown +62500
  • Jhonattan Vegas +75000
  • Emiliano Grillo +80000
  • Mikael Lindberg +85000
  • Adrien Saddier +100000
  • Bernd Wiesberger +100000
  • Elvis Smylie +110000
  • Stewart Cink +130000
  • Kota Kaneko +130000
  • David Lipsky +150000
  • Chandler Blanchet +150000
  • Andy Sullivan +150000
  • Joe Highsmith +180000
  • Adam Schenk +200000
  • Travis Smyth +200000
  • Davis Riley +225000
  • Martin Kaymer +400000
  • Brian Campbell +400000
  • Padraig Harrington +450000
  • Kazuki Higa +450000
  • Jordan Gumberg +450000
  • Ryan Vermeer +500000
  • Austin Hurt +500000
  • Tyler Collet +500000
  • Timothy Wiseman +500000
  • Shaun Micheel +500000
  • Y.E. Yang +500000
  • Michael Block+500000
  • Mark Geddes+500000
  • Luke Donald+500000
  • Bryce Fisher+500000
  • Jimmy Walker +500000
  • Jason Dufner +500000
  • Jesse Droemer +500000
  • Jared Jones +500000
  • Garrett Sapp +500000
  • Francisco Bide +500000
  • Zach Haynes +500000
  • Paul McClure+500000
  • Derek Berg +500000
  • Chris Gabriele +500000
  • Braden Shattuck +500000
  • Ben Polland +500000
  • Ben Kern +50000

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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News

How much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship

Published

2 days ago

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May 11, 2026

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Kristoffer Reitan held his nerve at Quail Hollow on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory and the $3.6 million winner’s check that came with it. The Norwegian fended off a packed leaderboard on a dramatic final day, with Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard both taking home $1.76 million for their runner-up finishes.

With a total prize purse of $20 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship.

1: Kristoffer Reitan, $3,600,000

T2: Rickie Fowler, $1,760,000

T2: Nicolai Hojgaard, -$1,760,000

4: Alex Fitzpatrick, $960,000

T5: Tommy Fleetwood, $730,000

T5: Sungjae Im, $730,000

T5: J.J. Spaun, $730,000

T8: Ludvig Aberg, $600,000

T8: Harry Hall, $600,000

T10: Patrick Cantlay, $500,000

T10: Matt McCarty, $500,000

T10: Cameron Young, $500,000

13: Justin Thomas, $420,000

T14: Min Woo Lee, $360,000

T14: Chris Gotterup, $360,000

T14: Nick Taylor, $360,000

T17: Alex Smalley, $310,000

T17: Gary Woodland, $310,000

T19: Austin Smotherman, $242,100

T19: Rory McIlroy, $242,100

T19: Keegan Bradley, $242,100

T19: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $242,100

T19: Kurt Kitayama, $242,100

T24: Patrick Rodgers, $156,643

T24: Pierceson Coody, $156,643

T24: Adam Scott, $156,643

T24: Andrew Novak, $156,643

T24: Harris English, $156,643

T24: J.T. Poston, $156,643

T24: David Lipsky, $156,643

T31: Brian Harman, $114,416.67

T31: Viktor Hovland, $114,416.67

T31: Alex Noren, $114,416.67

T31: Tony Finau, $114,416.67

T31: Nico Echavarria, $114,416.67

T31: Corey Conners, $114,416.67

T37: Sam Burns, $82,187.50

T37: Maverick McNealy, $82,187.50

T37: Akshay Bhatia, $82,187.50

T37: Taylor Pendrith, $82,187.50

T37: Matt Wallace, $82,187.50

T37: Andrew Putnam, $82,187.50

T37: Bud Cauley, $82,187.50

T37: Lucas Glover, $82,187.50

T45: Justin Rose, $60,000

T45: Daniel Berger, $60,000

T45: Ryo Hisatsune, $60,000

T48: Denny McCarthy, $50,000

T48: Aldrich Potgieter, $50,000

T48: Webb Simpson, $50,000

T48: Michael Kim, $50,000

T52: Mackenzie Hughes, $45,187.50

T52: Max Homa, $45,187.50

T52: Brian Campbell, $45,187.50

T52: Jhonattan Vegas, $45,187.50

T52: Matt Fitzpatrick, $45,187.50

T52: Chandler Blanchet, $45,187.50

T52: Jordan Spieth, $45,187.50

T52: Jacob Bridgeman, $45,187.50

T60: Xander Schauffele, $42,500

T60: Robert MacIntyre, $42,500

T60: Ricky Castillo, $42,500

T63: Ben Griffin, $41,250

T63: Sepp Straka, $41,250

T65: Ryan Gerard, $40,250

T65: Si Woo Kim, $40,250

67: Ryan Fox, $39,500

68: Jason Day, $39,000

69: Sahith Theegala, $38,000

70: Sam Stevens, $37,500

71: Hideki Matsuyama, $37,000

72: Tom Hoge, $36,000

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