River Bend Golf Course is a Public, 27 hole Golf Facility located in Hastings, Michigan. River Bend Golf Course has three 9-hole golf courses. These courses can be combined in pairs to form three different 18 hole course challenges. The nine-hole courses are The Red Course, The White Course, and The Blue Course.
River Bend Golf Course first opened in 1963. The course was designed by Don Haywood.
The combined Red and White courses have the Thornapple River throughout their designs, and the river comes into play on five holes. The Blue Course has open fairways and no water in play. The greens on all three courses are small and elevated, requiring good approach shots. The terrain varies from rolling to hilly, so expect uneven lies.
The River Bend Golf Course 18-hole combinations are all short par-72 layouts that measure less than 6,100 yards from the tips.
In 2013, the 180-acre Riverbend Golf Course near Hastings was sold and converted to farmland by Larry Haywood, an area dairy farmer whose family sold the land to the original golf course developer in 1963.
Before being turned into a golf course, the property belonged to Will and Myra Haywood. Larry’s uncle, Don Haywood purchased the property and started River Bend Golf Course in 1963. The first nine holes opened in 1964, and a second nine in 1967. In 1975, the golf course was sold to Gordon and Jean Carlson, and Ron and Betty Cooley. Improvements were made to the course, and later the Cooleys left the business. Jack and Mary Snyder then bought into a 27-hole course.
In 1982, Denny and Andrea Storrs formed Jas-Den Inc. which included investors Duane and Frances Glasgow, George and Sylvia Herrick, Rod and Gerry Newton, Wally and Margaret Ollson, along with Dave and Jan Storrs. Jas-Den purchased River Bend Golf Course and started running the course beginning with the 1983 season.
River Bend Golf Course closed in 2012.
The course was bought and turned back into farmland by the same family who originally built it 50 years ago. The course's last owner, Denny Storrs, said the course was still financially viable, but he had just turned 65 and was open to retiring when he received the farmer's attractive offer for the 185-acre property.
Storrs said the course had been getting less play in recent years and was suffering from an overproliferation of golf courses.