Tullymore Golf Club, Standwood, Michigan - One of the Most Unique Resort Golf Courses in Michigan

Tullymore Golf Course is one of two courses found at the Resorts of Tullymore and St. Ives in Standwood, Michigan. Collectively, they have been called the highest-rated pair of golf courses of any Michigan resort.

Tullymore was designed by Jim Engh and Jerry Matthews and features a unique layout that incorporates elements of European courses and traditional American designs. One of the most noteworthy elements of the course is some dramatic bunkering that is unlike anything most golfers have encountered. Soft, white sand is often surrounded by intricate, contoured mounding and the bunkers weave throughout the fairways as well as the green complexes.

Such hazard are sure to affect shot and club selection, and may create more of a challenge than the many pines and hardwood trees that line the fairways. There are also some daunting water hazards, including Shinglebolt Creek, found on the course, as well as some subtle ups and downs as the tranquill course winds through 800 acres of woodlands.

The course has been described by Golf Digest critic Ron Whitten as "having an art deco flavor with its greens and fairways that follow precise and parallel zigzags, its artictically shaped bunkers and it symmetrically repetitive mounding. That architectural artistry is only part of what will fascinate you during your round.'' Whitten also had this to say: "Tullymore is a bedazzling golf course, a unique style of golf design that's imposed upon the landscape without being an imposition.''

The course plays to 7,148 yards from the Silver tees, with one of the highest slope ratings in the Midwest at 148. From the Whites, the course only plays to 5,550 yards, so most golfers will choose something in between and play either the Black or Blue tees.

Some of the more noteworthy holes include No. 2, rated the most difficult on the course. This par-4 hole plays fairly straight, but is a bit lengthy at 456 yards from the back tees, but only 397 from the Blues. What makes this hole so challenging is the water that runs up the left side for most of the hole, the undulating fairway, and the signature bunker that looms upon the right about 130 yards from the green.

Hole No. 7 is par-3 that plays to only 148 yards from the Blue tees, but it's said to have one of the testiest greens on the course. The putting surface is 47 yards deep, and also features some dramatic undulations, which makes bogey on this hole a very frequent occurrence.

Another great hole is the par-3 12th, which golf writers have said resembles the famous Dell Hole at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland. The holes plays to 257 yards from the back tees, but only 157 yards from the Blues. What makes it so daunting, however, is the carry over water to a green tucked behind some mounding that can obscure the target.

The finishing hole is a par-5 that plays to 478 yards from the Blue tees, and is also one of the most photogenic to be found. The hole wraps around a lake, and has been called by Golf Chicago as "one of the greatest finishing holes in Michigan.''

Practice facilities at Tullymore include a generous driving range, and a short-game area for pitching and putting. Free range balls are included with every round of golf.

The course offer features a new clubhouse with a Pro Shop, as well as several options for dining, including the Tap Room at Tullymore and Devine's Fine Dining,