An inexpensive public access facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Mines golf course was designed by local architect Mike DeVries and offers green fee golfers some real fun and adventure across a petty dramatic golfing landscape. The site itself was a century old Gypsum mine that had been left abandoned and unused when DeVries was given the task of converting it into a golf course. There were some serious site and budget issues here, with a number of the hills and slopes quite severe and little grading work done aside from the building of the tees and greens. The opening holes are squeezed uncomfortably onto a narrow slope across an entrance road, with the rest of the holes routed across a more broad landscape with some really interesting terrain and design elements. Played into a sand dune and built with a large green with a rolling tier, the par three 8th is a terrific hole, as are other par threes like the valley 11th and the drop-kick 7th with its green cut into a hill.

Despite its drama and the quality design work of DeVries, who was able to incorporate the natural crests, saddles and sideslopes well into his holes, the land here is ultimately a touch severe in places for great golf and budgetary constraints and a reliance on golf carts prevents conditioning for perhaps reaching its true potential. That said, for the price this is top line golf and at any price is a really fun and interesting public golf course.