Benton Harbor, Mich. – Harbor Shores Resort, the Lake Michigan shoreline golf destination with its Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf course, recently welcomed Hall of Fame golfer and 2014 and 2015 KitchenAid Senior PGA Champion Colin Montgomerie to walk the site, finalize his design of the new Wee Course, support a fundraising event, and take part in the groundbreaking ceremony.
The five-acre, nine-hole pitch-and-putt Wee Course will open in 2026. The design will consist of holes measuring 60 yards or less modeled after the nine most iconic holes of the current Jack Nicklaus layout. This is the latest community amenity at Harbor Shores Golf Club, providing another unique, fun golf attraction at the popular resort. Kids will play for free, and youth programming will be a priority.
“I am very excited to be a part of such a wonderful project with the Harbor Shores Resort, a place and people that I am very close with, and to collaborate with them to create a wonderful golf amenity that will positively impact the community,” said Montgomerie. “Golf is a game for all ages and generations. Courses like the Wee Course will attract parents who play golf and want to introduce their children to the game, and grandparents who might not be able to play 18 but can bring their grandchildren along for nine holes. Children can be introduced to golf through friends and bring along their parents, who have yet to try the game. From my personal experience around the world and especially in Scotland, short wee courses can bring together communities and form a foundation for the whole area.”
Montgomerie and the Harbor Shores Resort team walked the course site, which is located adjacent to the golf villas along the first hole. The world-class course designer and his team worked on ideas for the course routing, landscaping plans, and the eighteen-hole putting green that will complement the Wee Course.
While addressing the Harbor Shores group during the fundraising event, Montgomerie said:
"The Wee Course is already exceeding my expectations with how it is all coming together on the five acres of land along the main entrance to the golf course. This piece of land deserves this. It will be another great asset to the community and bring a beautiful landscape along the roadway for the community to enjoy." It will also be a great complement to the Harbor Shores Golf Course, which, hole-by-hole, is one of the greatest courses in America.”
Jeff Fettig, former chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corporation and a leading contributor through the Fettig Family Foundation, and the visionary behind this Harbor Shores expansion, sees this amenity having a major impact on the youth in the community.
“We're so excited to work with Colin to create this new Wee Course to have an even greater positive impact on our area youth.," said Fettig, "When we developed Harbor Shores, our mission was all about being a catalyst in the Benton Harbor community for economic development, recreation and tourism. This project is about seeding the future.”
The Wee Course will also be a significant part of growing the annual Whirlpool Community Charity Golf Event, which provides $3M+ in funding to the community's youth by raising money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton Harbor, First Tee of Benton Harbor, First Robotics and the three local public school foundations of Benton Harbor, St. Joseph and Lakeshore
“The Whirlpool Foundation is proud to support this new family-focused amenity at Harbor Shores,” said Pam Klyn, president of Whirlpool Foundation. ”The mission of Whirlpool Foundation is to improve the quality of life in the communities where Whirlpool Corporation operates. We are excited that our local youth will not only benefit from the ongoing programming at the Wee Course but also from the growth opportunities this provides for our annual charity golf event, which has raised over $34 million and positively impacted more than 10,000 local youth over the last 21 years.”
This latest community attraction has strong support from Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad. “The Wee Course will be another testament of the ongoing commitment and collaboration of Whirlpool Corporation, Harbor Shores, and the City of Benton Harbor,” said Muhammad. “This new development will bolster our First Tee program, youth participation, and community engagement. As Mayor of Benton Harbor, I look forward to contributing to the success of the Wee Course.”
The Wee Course will also be supported through donations from Corewell Health, one of Michigan's largest non-profit healthcare systems.
“We at Corewell Health are thrilled to partner with Harbor Shores, the Whirlpool Foundation, and the Fettig Foundation on this innovative project,” said Soroya Pierre-VanArtsen, President of Corewell Health Foundation Southwest Michigan. “By improving the green space in our community and making golf more accessible to everyone, we are not only enhancing the beauty of our surroundings but also creating opportunities for individuals who may not typically have access to play. This initiative embodies our commitment to fostering a healthier, more inclusive community where everyone can enjoy the benefits of outdoor recreation.”
The Wee Course and the 18-hole putting course, inspired by similar attractions at St. Andrews and Pinehurst, will have lighting, music, and food and beverage to make it a great community gathering space. The new golf amenity is just one of many exciting developments in the community, including an outdoor park along the canal on Riverview Drive and the continued expansion of walking and bike trails.
About Harbor Shores Resort
Harbor Shores Resort, the long-time site of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship (2012-2024), is the premier golf, resort, beach destination, and waterfront community in Southwest Michigan located just 90 minutes east of Chicago in Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Michigan. More than 75 years ago, Benton Harbor became a booming industrial town. During World War II, global home appliance leader Whirlpool Corporation transformed its plants and factories into F.D.R.’s arsenal of democracy, manufacturing components for fighter planes. The town then evolved into a vibrant manufacturing center in the 1950s and 60s only to see it all disappear over the next two decades.
Harbor Shores and the development of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Design signaled a turning point in Benton Harbor’s history. Golf was the core component of the development on the shores of Lake Michigan and the Paw Paw River and stands as a remarkable testament to a vision made possible by $900 million in strategic investments, a collective set of projects with collaborating community leaders and organizations, all led by the Whirlpool Foundation and its benefactor Whirlpool Corporation.
The award-winning golf course winds through a variety of terrain including wetlands, riverside and hardwood forest and offers stunning views of Lake Michigan from lakeside holes. The 550-acre residential, golf, recreational and waterfront community features world-class amenities, including a marina village and river walk, town center with restaurants and shops, health and fitness center, deep water marina, the four-star Inn at Harbor Shores hotel and spa, golf villas, miles of recreational trails and rivers, and acres of parks and green space. Visit www.harborshoresresort.com.
Media Contacts:
Harbor Shores Resort
Joshua Doxtator
PGA, General Manager
(269) 927-4653
jdoxtator@harborshoresresort.com
Kevin Frisch PR
Kevin Frisch
(989) 614-0241
kevin@kevinfrischpr.com
Carl Mickelson
(512) 797-2673
carl@kevinfrischpr.com