Cardinal Championship Course
The metro Detroit area has its first all-new public championship golf course in more than 20 years. But what’s been achieved with the ambitious makeover at St. Johns Resort makes it worthy of national attention. It’s a grand re-imagining of the golf at this historic property, now one of the most complete golf facilities coast-to-coast.
Originally a seminary that opened in 1940 and later repurposed into a retreat center, St. John’s added the golf course in the1980s. Carl’s Golfland came in 2000, and then onsite lodging was added in 2006 prior to Detroit hosting the Super Bowl. This was already a very popular golf facility, albeit the 27-hole golf course was largely considered middle of the pack in a golf-rich market.
That’s changed in a big way. In 2021, ownership of St. John’s was transferred to the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation who have taken the property to the next level with a $50 million transformation. Not only is the brand new main 18-hole Cardinal course worthy of a place on the A-list among public-resort courses in southeast Michigan, but consider everything now offered in one place across 200+ acres:
- 18-hole Cardinal championship golf course (par 72, 7,002 yards)
- 7-hole Little Cardinal short course (par 21, 652 yards)
- 18-hole grass putting course on 2 acres
- Carl’s Golfland, a 15-acre practice facility with a double-sided range, multiple practice greens and expansive retail.
- Onsite hotel with multiple dining concepts, spa and event space
The Cardinal Course
The Cardinal is 18 holes designed by Ray Hearn built on top of an existing 27-hole course. It is a brand new golf course and experience, using some existing hole corridors and creating others. In fact, Hearn laid out 21 different routings before settling on what you’ll see at The Cardinal.
Large bunkering, broad and gentle contours and many green complexes with shaved runoff areas, swales and banks give the course a golden-era feel. On the 9th, keep an eye out for church pew bunkers bordering the right-hand side of the fairway. On the 10th, there’s a rare medium-sized tree near the start of the fairway. The legend around here is that this tree is where a former archbishop would come to pray beneath. Reason enough to preserve it during the construction.
With five sets of tees and greens generally receptive from air and ground, the Cardinal is very much a friendly layout for your average resort guest. But there are more than enough demanding shots from the back sets of tees to be a thorough test for low-handicappers (73.3/137 rating/slope from the Black tees). A show-stopper is the 498-yard, par-4 6th, which borders the south end of the property and features some of the most prominent earth shaping on the left to counter a low-lying creek running down the right side.
A couple of fun parts in the routing: each nine features back-to-back par-5s (Nos 4-5, Nos. 11-12). And the par-4 17th is only about 300 yards and very reachable off the tee for longer hitters. It’s a scoring opportunity to take advantage of, because the 18th hole is long, uphill par-4 that is partially blind. You’ll aim at the old chimney of the seminary for your line.
Another fun perk here is the Bird’s Nest. It’s not so much a halfway house as a regular pit stop you pass after the 1st, 8th, 10th, and 12th holes, providing ample opportunities to load up on F&B.
Is the all-new Cardinal ready for your visit in 2024? Absolutely. Hearn calls this project the best grow-in he’s ever seen amongst his decades-long design career, a tip of the cap to Labar Golf Renovations who built the course and the onsite agronomy team. Not only is the turf in exceptionally mature shape already, but the preservation of many 100-year-old trees during construction gives this course a look and feel well beyond its infancy.
The Cardinal
Little Cardinal and Putting Course
Little Cardinal plays between the main course and Carl’s Golfland. It’s a walking only course that features holes between 44-112 yards. It has some template-inspired holes like Volcano, Punchbowl and Postage. It’s a fine spot for groups looking for a quick evening loop. (Green fees: $20-25).
And that’s not all. A 2-acre putting course with humps and bumps similar to the Himalayas at St. Andrews rounds out the brand new golf here. There are evening programs out here where music plays and drinks are served. (Green fees: $15)
Combined with the driving range and multiple practice areas, in addition to retail at Carl’s Golfland, novices to pros can name the exact type of golf experience they want to have at St. Johns Resort.
Putting Course
Stay and play
The Inn at St. John’s is a AAA Four-Diamond property located in Plymouth between Detroit and Ann Arbor, and 20 minutes from Detroit Metro Airport. The hotel at St. John’s has 118 guest rooms onsite, and has an indoor perpetual flow pool and jacuzzi, fitness center and spa. Stay-and-play packages are offered by the resort and the general public can also book online tee times (green fees $150-175).
Little Cardinal