Stoatin Brae at Gull Lake View Golf Club and Resort

For fall golf, best course around. Greens weren't aerated, not a leaf on the course, and wasn't busy. Played 18 in 2 1/2 hours. Loved it. Wish they weren't closing for the season.

I played the course today for the first time, and shot my best round of the year. I didn’t find the course extremely challenging(played black tees) with todays pin placements and the pace of play was very slow but I absolutely love the course and will definitely play it again. I feel like it’s a bit highly priced, but I enjoyed the layout, the elevation and view of the property. The greens definitely played slow and I got a day with no wind so I’m sure it plays tougher on the windier days. Overall, I really enjoyed it and will play again.

Fun layout , Lack of course knowledge made some tee shot lines difficult, greens in good condition a little slower than my liking. Balls hit in the long grass will be lost , some of the thickest grass I have ever encountered on a golf course. Staff was friendly and helpful , we played in 3hrs50min as a foursome.

Very enjoyable round

Saw that it was ranked #6 in Michigan so I had to play! Started at ranger hitting off mats. Looked at the scorecard and asked in the clubhouse if the slope of 122 from the back tees was wrong. Was told that it was rated wrong and the greens were tricky. IThe greens are the best part of the course but otherwise the course is wide open and not very difficult. The course is a $50 course and maybe $60 max but to be a top 10 in Michigan it’s not by a long shot The resort much be paying Golfweek big $ because this ranking is far from truthful. Sorry for such a harsh review but I feel I was duped in driving out of the way to play the course.

Second time playing this course. It has slipped badly in the three years since first visit. Although a "Holiday" weekend,, restaurant was not open, No on course beverage cart, only a lightly stocked halfway house at the Ninth crossover. Very rocky sand traps, rough tee boxes, and "shaggy" most everywhere that it shouldn't be. Greens were good,, being able to make a putt saved the round for our foursome. We felt Price was too much for what we experienced. Course rating in Michigan seems way to high.

Fun corse to play, was able to get on during the week at a reduced rate. Was in great condition, some cut grass clippings in the fairways. Greens were all very consistent, which is always good. Overall a satisfying round of 18.

Reservations for 12:50… finally made the turn at 4pm. We didn’t get to finish because of pace of play. Had prior commitments for 6pm. the geoup behind us hitting into us. Group in front playing at a snails pace. Course staff did nothing but make Excuses. Not even an apology. No attempt to rectify the situation. We were told Simply it happens sometimes. What a joke! I’ll never play here again!

But...I'll try here. So yes, first time I've ever broke 80. Most of your golf hardos will laugh at that and make fun of me but it was a fun round. 4 birdies and the course was in great shape. I'm a bogey golfer but drained 2 long putts and 2 out of my mind approach shots had me in the zone. Straight driver working all day made things very easy and kind of boring but enough about the round.
Since the last time I've played the course, it has grown in so much. As a guy who dislikes very much a tight fairway lie I loved this place. The fairways had just enough shag on them to stand up my ball for some great contact on approach shots. The tall grass was penial for sure if you hit in there, we rarely found any ball that went far in but man o man it looks pretty out there. Right now the wildflower areas are popping w/ butterflies and birds like crazy. I think the playability of the course is much better with how they have it cut and lengths of fairways and rough areas. I dig the greens that just appear from the fairway and no apron or fringe along the green, very cool look to it.
11-16 are the best stretch of holes, 12 is so fun to bomb the drive, 16 shared fairway and the view from the green make the whole round. Can't wait to go back and it's a must play in the area.

I really enjoy this course. If you are going to Gull Lake, you really should include this course in your package. It's a nice change up from the other GL courses. Pay the extra.

The course was in great shape. I saw numerous staff working on the course and doing a great job. The carts are kinda lame and there is no GPS. Not a big deal since a lot people have some type of GPS for themselves. My only complaint is about divots and ball marks on the greens. The carts don't have sand, which would help quite a bit. It would also help a lot if people would fix their ball mark on the green. Fix yours & 1 or 2 more. It only takes a few seconds and makes a big difference. Go play Stoatin Brae if you get the chance!

With the recognition that the course has received in the various golf magazines, I expected a lot more. On arrival on Sunday at 1:00 PM, there was no course employee at the bag drop and nearby cart area. Upon checking in our twosome at the Pro Shop, we asked about moving up from our 2:00 PM tee time and were told that the course was fully booked and another twosome would be joining us. The Pro Shop mentioned nothing about the practice range. We loaded our clubs into a dirty golf cart with no GPS or ice container. At 1:30 PM, a Pro Shop staff member told us that they had some cancellations and we could tee off immediately. No welcome to the course or instructions from the Starter. There was no one in front of us and we played the front nine in a terrific 90 minutes. The front nine is very plain with parallel holes. After getting drinks at the half way facility, we had played four holes on the back nine and arrived at the 14th tee with a foursome waiting for the green to clear. We could see three foursomes on the 15th hole and decided to not finish the round. The four holes we played on the back nine were much more challenging and interesting than the front nine, with some elevation changes. The course conditions were good and the sand in the bunkers was properly maintained. If they bring the service levels up to the advertised "Resort" facility, this would be a much better experience.

Of the six Gull Lake View courses you'd be a dummy to not play this course. On a package deal staying a Gull Lake....they charge an extra $55 to play Stoatin. Far and away the best track of the bunch....and the only one links style. Built on a treeless ridge overlooking Kzoo County the vast vistas really play with your depth perception and direction. Staff is welcoming and friendly. There's a driving range (off mats) next to clubhouse with a miles for days overlook but it's a real head scratcher as to why they built the clubhouse without a view of the course or 18th - probably a reason why the restaurant is still closed and only has rudimentary food service and bar. The 19th hole view is nice but that's about it (no watching other golfers at all) - the course itself doesn't return after nine however a really cool feature is the halfway house named The Bunker. It's located in the middle of the course. You go nearby with access it midway on both nines or just after nine due to the routing of the course. In my book makes the course a must see. Course flows nicely over the ridges and can't go without mentioning (as others have written in mags and other places) that the 6th thru 8th hole stretch is just wonderful, incredibly challenging, fair yet really fun design. We were fortunate to catch an overcast light wind day in July. If it had been hot/windy the course would have been a beast. Our group was able to play the course twice since it was a Monday.....many had much better scores 2nd time around....but they charged yet another $35. But even the initial $55 Gull Lake View up charge had some of our older group members grumbling. If it's not part of a package deal Stoatin is a solid $60 play and a really solid overall 4.3 stars plus in my book. Highly recommend a stop here if traveling through the area to play the best public access possible. If you do avail yourself of a couple day Gull Lake View package or are looking for a nearby dinner place.... make sure to make reservations at least a day beforehand to dine at nearby South Kitchen... as well as close by Kitchen House in Richland owned by a local husband/wife team. Outstanding food and service at both places.

This course has really been modified from a couple years ago, much more open and a bit on the easy side. Not the Scottish countryside like before but more of an open links course. all surfaces were in great shape, greens nice and fast