In May of 2022, Grand Hotel, an iconic 135-year-old wood structure hotel on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, opened an 18-hole miniature golf course to the public. As the first season of the course, named the Gem, came to a close, Grand Hotel has reflected on the goals of the course and the design and installation by Adventure Golf & Sports (AGS) using their Modular Advantage Mini Golf system.
David Jurcak, president of Grand Hotel, says: “Guest reactions have been fantastic. Grand Hotel has traditionally hosted a generational guest. We wanted to find things that the next generation would enjoy, that are entertaining but quality, that don’t separate ourselves from our history, that connect our guests to nature…which was always the purpose of Mackinac Island, and bring them to the beautiful clear lake, clean air and clean water on Mackinac Island.
“We created something that actually blends into the island and blends into the area, almost as if it was cut in like the golf course was over a hundred years ago .… Immediately when we spoke to them (AGS), they got it. It wasn’t in a way in which we had to convince them of something we wanted.”
Because the miniature golf course had to blend-in environmentally and not disrupt the natural flora and trees in the area designated by Grand Hotel for the course, AGS recommended its eco-friendly Modular Advantage Mini Golf system. This system features flexible, interlocking, patented panels that are made of recycled materials and are permeable for water drainage.
Jurcak continues: “What I really liked about it (the AGS Modular Advantage system) is we still allowed a pervious system on the floor of our island. So we didn’t bring in a lot of concrete and pour concrete in it. So water that comes into that area can still flow off or go through the product onto our island. Nature wasn’t interrupted by what we did on the golf course. We didn’t clear cut anything. We wanted everything to meander through the wooded area amongst the natural flora and the natural island floor. So a lot of ferns and indigenous plant life works its way through the trees.
“It’s a great product. It’s wearing well. We made them (AGS) jump through a lot of hoops. We’re not the normal area where you can pull up a truck or trailer and go to work since Mackinac Island bans all automotive vehicles. AGS did the extra work in order to make it happen. We’re easy people to work with but it’s all the logistics involved in getting something done and they did an incredible job and created a great product.
“Our miniature golf course isn’t what you would consider a miniature golf course you would see anywhere. There’s no windmills, no dragons mouth, no bumpers, no banks on either side of it. It is really a natural look that comes through the woods.
“We would certainly recommend AGS. Everything they have delivered from the first interaction to the delivery of the product and even after that in follow-up has been absolutely fantastic.”