Bedford Valley Golf Club - Gull Lake View Golf Resort (Battle Creek, MI)

Bedford Valley has hosted numerous major tournaments for the Golf Association of Michigan over the years. Known as the “big course” by locals, this parkland beauty will test every part of your game. 

(This is the view from the right side of nine green with the fifth green in the background. Note the expansive vistas across property.)

Golfers who prefer classic design will fall in love with Bedford Valley. William Mitchell did a fantastic job routing the course on rolling topography, and the majestic oak trees frame the sight lines beautifully. There’s no second guessing what the challenges are, and the player knows what is required of him. 

(This is a great example of Mitchell’s green complexes. The back to front slope places a premium on being underneath the hole, while the bunkering dictates hitting the approach from the fairway.) 

I played the course a week before the Michigan Senior Open, and several players were there for a practice round, including a gentleman in our group. Watching how he attacked each hole, and how the course defended itself was fascinating to me. All the greens are elevated, with the bunkers flaring out. Visually, it’s intimidating, and it hides the pin, forcing the players to work the ball from the center back towards the flag. Front pin positions are pinched to small targets. William Mitchell had charts for the size of the opening based on the expected distance of the approach shot. A par five or short par four is very precise in the front. 

(The  par five seventh is only 483/459 yards and is an excellent opportunity to get a stroke back. A bunker twenty yards short of the green demands a shot that carries practically to the putting surface.) 

Bedford Valley is steeped in tradition with multiple Senior Open and Michigan Open Championships held here. It’s an impressive list of  champions too. Add in the other 20-30 tournaments held here each year, including the Maxfli PGA Junior Championship, Michigan Publinx Matchplay, and the NCAA Division III National Championship, and one gets a view into the pedigree of this course. 

(The 496/471 yard par five thirteenth has wetlands down the entire left side. While the water is the obvious hazard, players must take care not to lose the drive right too. A solid drive near the pinch point makes the green reachable in two shots.) 

The key to Bedford Valley is taking advantage of the par fives. Three of the four are under 500 yards, and playing these holes under par will offset the brutal par three holes that play 202, 228, 238, and 232 respectively. There’s many solid par fours, but none that are extremely long. Anyone that can get under par has done a fine days work. 
(The 414/393 yard eighteenth hole doglegs left  and goes uphill to green mostly hidden by cavernous bunkers.) 

Being a classic architecture type of guy, I was very impressed with Bedford Valley. The course reminded me of Cog Hill in Chicago, and even Firestone. The holes glide through the trees seemlessly, flowing up and down on the rolling terrain with ease. Not only did it demand long precise drives, but accurate iron shots that took calculating since they usually take a bounce before checking up. Being below the hole is never easy, so the downhill putts must be stroked defensively. For the good player who wants a challenge, this place checks all the boxes. I give Bedford Valley a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play). 

(This view of the 413/390 yard second hole gives an indication of the challenges players face off the tee at Bedford Valley. I wanted to note that the course is in impeccable condition. Gull Lake View deserves many kudos!)