St. Ives Golf Club

Overall, our round at St. Ives was pleasant. It was a new challenge with narrow fairways, big dog legs and plenty of hazards. We were disappointed to not have GPS tracking in the carts. Also, the driving range conditions were pretty rough, but understandable being the end of the season.

I hadn't played this course in about the last 8 years and wanted to get a last round in before we move out of state. It was FANTASTIC as I remembered even though we received 2+ inches of rain in the last 12 hours before I played. It was cart path only which is expected. I will miss this course for sure!.

I played St. Ive's for the fifth time past this week. This is a really fun course that is always in good shape. The first hole and 13th hole are a little goofy. But overall, this is a great course for the money.

We always plays St. Ive's and Tullymore on Monday and Tuesday on our way to more golf the rest of the week in Northern Michigan.

Very beautiful layout and challenging lots of twists and turns! The only issue was pace of play as they had a big corporate scramble going on and very slow play!

I traveled up to St. Ives on a short getaway. The course challenges you to use every club in your bag as a lot of the tee shots have doglegs or fairways that run out. I played from the back tees and found myself using my driver once in the first five holes. The course will be challenging if you cannot keep it in the fairway as there is plenty of trees to get in your way. The finishing five holes are the toughest on the course and require accuracy as water comes into play on all but 18. I would play this course many times over and plan on returning to St. Ives.

Very nice course and in good shape for spring golf with all the rain we recently have had.

One of the best courses I’ve ever played in my life. The layout was incredible and had us sight seeing just as much as we were golfing. The staff was overly friendly and accommodating. We also checked out the top golf facility/bar area and it looks incredible. We will definitely be back time and time again.

This course is so beautiful. My first time ever playing this course, and it was amazing! From the staff to the course and the layout. I cannot wait to come back again.

St. Ives Golf Club – Part of Tullymore’s Memorable Golf Experiences

The St. Ives Golf Club in Stanwood, MI is the sister course to Tullymore, and is part two in the one-two punch that is the Tullymore Golf Resort. St. Ives was designed by legendary Michigan golf course architect Jerry Matthews and is considered by some to be his best work. Jerry Matthews has more than 40 years of experience in designing and remodeling golf courses and more than 80 courses to his credit.
Since opening in 1995, Golf World, Golf Magazine, Golf for Women and Golf Digest have all lauded Tullymore/St. Ives with numerous awards including Michigan's # 1 Golf Resort and Top 50 Golf Resorts in the U.S (Golf Magazine and Golf World, 2010), a 5 star rating, “Places to Play” (Golf Digest, 2000, 2001) and Top 10 Golf Facilities for Women in North America (Golf for Women, 1998, 1999).

St. Ives maxes out at 6,702 yards from the tips with a course rating of 73.1 and a whopping slope of 146. Less masochistic golfers will choose the Blue tees (6,247/70.8/139), while most seniors will prefer the White tees at 5,707 yards (68.9/127). Ladies will be challenged from either the Gold or Red tees. If you’re a decent player and are not used to elevation changes and sloping fairways may want to play it forward. You’ll find a diagram of each hole at each tee box and yardage books are available in the pro shop.

St. Ives Golf Club combines woodlands, rugged highlands and sprawling wetlands to produce a golf facility that is every bit as spectacular a property as its sister course. You’ll also encounter elevation changes of up to 80 feet. Several holes feature elevated tees that play downhill to fairways nestled between hardwood forests with raised greens. The last five holes play around lakes and natural wetlands teaming with wildlife and offering wide sweeping views every step of way. Water figures into the equation on 11 holes and spectacular homes dot the landscape as you make your way around the layout. St. Ives features outstanding conditioning from tee to green with lush fairways and tee boxes, and large putting surfaces that are quick and putt true, several with incredible undulation. Four sets of tees provide challenging distances for every level of golfer, ensuring a good time for one and all.

Most Memorable Hole: Number 14, Par 4, 402 yards. The most exciting hole on this incredible layout is also one of the most beautiful. And it’s ranked the toughest on the inward nine. You’ll need a straight drive of no more than 230 yards (Blue tees), which will leave you just short of the wetlands. From there, you’ll have another lengthy carry over wetlands into an elevated green. Consider taking an extra club. If you’re going to miss the green, miss it right. Then all you’ll have to deal with are a couple of bunkers!

Favorite Par 3: Number 16, 134 yards. This hole features a peninsular green and offers a couple of options. Skilled players can take dead aim at the green, which requires about a 120-yard carry over water. Seniors and less skilled players can play their tee shot out to the left and go around the water. The green is a lot wider than it is deep, with small bunkers on either side. This is a short yet challenging hole.

Favorite Par 4: Number 9, 315 yards. Another short hole with a slight dogleg left. Although the water on the left and trees on the right create a very narrow landing area, you do have options. Option 1 is to play to the first landing area, just short of the lake. That will leave you a mid-iron into the green. Option 2 is to hit your tee shot up the narrow gap between water and trees. Option 3 is to try and carry the lake and cut the dogleg which requires a carry of about 225 yards (Blue tees). No matter which route you take, you’ll need to cope with a trio of small bunkers in front of the green.

Favorite Par 5: Number 17, 534 yards. With trees on the left side and water all the way down the right, your tee shot can be a little intimidating. There’s more room on the left than you think and probably your best option. For most players this is a three-shot hole, so be sure to play your approach shot to a manageable distance. Your approach shot plays into a very large green. Par is a good score here.

St. Ives’ clubhouse features a beautiful restaurant/lounge with outdoor patio and can accommodate banquets and conference size outings. The pro shop is staffed with knowledgeable golf professionals and is stocked with all kinds of logoed golf apparel from most of the top brands.

Before hitting the links, take a few minutes, get stretched out and warm up on St. Ives spacious grass driving range. That will help get you ready for the challenge ahead. The range can accommodate up to 15 golfers and has separate areas for chipping and putting. A good short game will go a long way in posting a good score at St. Ives.

Last Word: St. Ives features tall pines and deciduous trees, wide, forgiving fairways and significant elevation changes add a sense of splendid isolation on nearly every hole. Most holes are relatively straight; difficulty is enhanced by the elevation changes especially on approach shots. Each hole is somewhat isolated, providing 18 individual tests. Take this course one hole at a time, forget your score on the previous hole and you will do well. St. Ives is a course you can play time and time again without ever getting bored.

The greens at this course are in terrible condition, I don't think I've ever played on greens worse than these. 9 of the 18 greens have spots where there is no grass and the 17th green literally has 100 piles of goose crap on it. I can't believe they charge $120 for a weekend round, especially with no GPS on the carts. To top it off, we tried to order lunch after the round at 1:30 in the clubhouse only to be told they cannot find the chef to cook any food. We won't be back and I urge you to find any other course in the area.

Many Gimmicky holes/ At bestthere are 2 holes where my wife could not reachchch the play area and one of them has no bailout.We had early tee time and the range was not available for warm up.
The staff cart person/starter were excellent and informative .Lunch,was great and rhe service great.
This place has a long way to go to be a world class Golf Resort.

The Good: Excellent design from Jerry Matthews may be his best Michigan work. Has a true "Pure Michigan" feel with significant elevation changes for a course in central Michigan. Superb course conditions and very slick greens, along with a very tight layout make for a challenging round. Track has some of the best Par 3's in the state and some of the better Par 5's that you will find. Beautiful clubhouse and inn with on-site lodging available. Excellent layout with nice variety in holes enough challenge for the best of golfers. Good practice facility. Pretty decent value at $120 during peak season and even better for seniors and juniors.

The Bad: Jerry Matthews didn't believe in starting you off easy at St. Ives: one of the most challenging opening holes in the state. No GPS and very limited yardage markers. Staff is good but not great for a resort course. Many uphill or forced carries that are too challenging for the average golfer. Will not be enjoyable if you don't appreciate target golf.

The Verdict: St. Ives is arguably one of the most beautiful courses in all of Michigan. If you love golf with no houses and pure scenery, this is your course. St. Ives is a great compliment to Tullymore and a top 20 caliber public course in Michigan in its own right.

Best Hole: While all the Par 3's are fantastic, the Par 5 17th is as pretty as you will find. Winding around a marsh area with sand traps ready to gobble up an errant shot, this is truly a hole worthy of a camera shot. Gorgeous!

This is the sister course to Tullymoore. The elevation changes are spectacular. The front nine is a bit easier than the back. Either way, bring your camera and YOUR "A" game to this course, you'll need both.

St. Ives is a beautiful coures that is very natural. I don't think they had to move very much dirt to create this layout. It is a nice mix of tight and open fairways, the greens are in excellent shape and putt fast and true. There are many elevated tees. The only negative thing I can say about the course is that all par 3's required forced carries, which made it impossible for my fiance, who is a beginner. Tee options that would allow the beginner to play to an area where they are not required to get the ball off the ground every time would be nice. But for me, it was a wonderful combination of beauty and challenge while being fair to the accomplished golfer.

For being the last day the course was open, the grounds were kept nicely (of course fall leaves can't be helped). The personnel everywhere were so friendly EVERYONE I MET WAS GREAT! and I would say this is the first golf course I found this to be true of everyone!

The risk reward off the tees was intriguing and the greens rewarded a smart second shot. I truly enjoyed my time there and look forward to going back.

St Ives is always in great shape and a great place to play

If you haven't played st Ives and tullymore you really need to put this on your must play list. I loved everything about the experience. If you book on golf now you can get some decent discounted rates. Can't wait to play it again.

You receive a warm welcome from Tyler in the pro-shop. The bag drop folks are polite and get your clubs loaded on a cart. The course is beautifully cut through the woods and marsh and offers many challenging holes. You not only get to golf but you get in touch with nature. Total relaxation from start to finish. Enjoy