LOCATION: South off of 28th Street on Thornhills Ave., 2.5 miles to 48th St.; east to course ADDRESS: 4747 Champions Circle, Grand Rapids 49512 YARDAGE: 4,878/6,821; 4 sets of tees ARCHITECT: William Newcomb YEAR OPENED: 1996 PHONE: (616) 554-4747 WEB SITE: www.thornapplepointe.com

The golf boom of the ‘90s forever changed the way we play the game. The courses were much larger – in length, width of fairways, size of greens and fees. The so-called upscale course was born. Leading the parade in West Michigan was The Golf Club at Thornapple Pointe.

It’s an immutable law of marketing to be first in a category, and as Thornapple braced for the inevitable competition, they didn’t rest on their laurels.

General Manager Chris Sobieck and Superintendent Jack Thomasma are as passionate for the game and their profession as any two individuals you’ll encounter.

It was they who introduced and oversaw significant course improvements which began in 2003. The original Bill Newcomb design now measures a tad over 7,000 yards. Nine new tee stations have been added since the 1997 opening, along with 24 additional bunkers and some slight routing improvements. Thornapple Pointe was the first to introduce on-cart GPS technology for pinpoint accuracy to the flagstick. A new, permanent pavilion west of the clubhouse that seats up to 300 was added in 2006.

Always looking to make improvements, a few bunker projects were in order during 2009. The already challenging 17th hole was made more so with the addition of a fairway bunker that frankly is a plus to keep left side drives from careening into woods that abut the cart path. The championship tees were also extended another 30 feet giving 17 a distance of 435 yards. Holes 6 and 15 are parallel par threes which share a large expanse of visual bunkering between the two holes. This was tidied up some with a new bunker added to guard the front of No. 15. The green, too, was enlarged to support additional pin placements.

A quality that goes beyond the tangible at Thornapple Pointe is how they greet you and make you feel welcome. Sure, they have special pricing and such for groups and various tee times, but every golf club does that. You’ll know what I mean once you visit.

Thornapple Pointe is an exceptional public golf facility – exceptional setting; exceptional staff and maintenance; exceptional value. If you want to play a golf course where the people care about your experience, and want you to walk away impressed, you want to play

Thornapple Pointe. Take a trip to their website at www.thornapple pointe.com then plan a memorable round of golf.