Stoatin Brae Golf Course

Stoatin Brae Golf Course Earns National Golf Course of the Year

Family-owned golf resort in Southwest, Michigan recognized for its long-standing community service, environmental stewards, and giving back to the game.

By Brian Weis

AUGUSTA, MI - The Stoatin Brae Golf Course at Gull Lake View Golf and Resort in Augusta, Mich., has been named the "National Golf Course of the Year" by the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA). The announcement was made recently during the NGCOA's Golf Business Conference 2021, held virtually alongside the annual PGA Merchandise Show January 25-27.

Known officially as the Jemsek National Golf Course of the Year Award, the honor recognizes members demonstrating four criteria: exceptional quality of the course, exceptional quality of ownership and management, outstanding contribution to its community, and significant contribution to the game. The Course of the Year Award winners come from the NGCOA's core membership, which make an outstanding contribution to the game of golf in their markets and are model operations to their peers.

Stoatin Brae is the fifth Michigan golf course to receive the national recognition. The course was recognized for its several areas of community impact like the course's work with the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Special Olympics, women's and junior golf programs including Youth on Course, as well as the Audubon Society.

"This is truly an honor to be recognized by the NGCOA and alongside so many top golf course facilities across the country," said Bill Johnson, Vice President of Gull Lake View. "Gull Lake View has been part of the fabric of the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek community for six decades impacting area golfers. This recognition is a testament to the Scott family and Darl Scott's vision that continues today with Stoatin Brae."

Going on its fourth generation with the Scott Family at the helm, and as one of the largest family-owned golf resorts in the U.S. with six championship courses, simple-yet-charming lodging, and multiple dining options, Gull Lake View is a fun and rewarding experience for everyday golfers. This is the ultimate golf destination where working-class buddies can have a similar kind of experience and camaraderie as golfers have at the nationally acclaimed high-end destinations, without breaking the bank. Gull lake View is also a favorite among families, women, and kids looking for a fun golf destination with variety.

In 1963, Darl Scott, an entrepreneur at heart and golf course superintendent at nearby Gull Lake Country Club, decided to build and open his own public golf course. As the story goes, Darl and his wife Letha worked hard, first building the West and then along with his son Charlie, built the East course. Charlie also worked with his dad designing and building the Stonehedge North and South courses. In 1988, the family acquired its fifth course, Bedford Valley near Battle Creek, a popular William Mitchell parkland design that has hosted multiple Michigan Opens.

Stoatin Brae, which means Grand Hill in Scottish Gaelic, was a departure from the normal pattern of growth at the resort. The course is only the second course of the six that was not designed and built by the talented Scott family with landscape architecture backgrounds. The decision by the family was to collaborate with Renaissance Golf Design and its A-Team of senior associates, Brian Schneider, Eric Iverson, Don Placek and Brian Slawnik. The highly acclaimed course, a magnificent design situated on a picturesque bluff overlooking the Kalamazoo River Valley, marries a minimalist classic links-style with architectural elements from golf's golden design era of the 1920s and 1930s to create a stunning and memorable golf experience.

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Revised: 03/01/2021 - Article Viewed 9,436 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.