Relaxing poolside at a West Coast resort, buddy trippers discussed future destinations. Someone quipped, “How about Michigan?” Puzzled, the leader replied, “Golf in Michigan? What golf?”
Ah, the misunderstanding of the Mitten: one state, two peninsulas—the upper considered “worthless” and relinquished to Michigan after the historically vague Toledo War of 1835-36. But now, according to the National Golf Foundation, almost 2 million out-of-state golfers spent more than $1 billion last year to discover what makes Michigan golf tick. With an optimal climate, topography and soil for growing grass, more than 850 courses—604 of them public and affordable—the state is perfect for golf getaways and so much more.
Pure Michigan golf can begin by flying into the Motor City, “Best Beer Town” Grand Rapids, Traverse City or even the Upper Peninsula’s Escanaba. Grab a car and plan a road trip at arguably one of the most beautiful and best golf destinations in America. Boasting 3,200 miles of freshwater coastline, 11,000 inland lakes sporting world-class fishing (golf and fishing do go together, just ask golf professionals), 23 scenic byways and endless hiking trails, there’s plenty to experience besides golf.
A Seminary Layout and Jack Nicklaus Signatures
Twenty miles east of Detroit Metropolitan Airport, St. John’s Resort in Plymouth opened last year and is steadily accumulating awards. This former 27-hole St. John’s Seminary layout was dramatically transformed by Michigan architect Raymond Hearn into an 18-hole work of art, “The Cardinal,” with an added short course and 2-acre Himalaya putting green. Operated by the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation and its Humanitarian Hotels, the mission is to funnel profits toward selected charities. Already in superb shape, LIV Golf’s Team Championship lands here Aug. 22-24.
Two hours west, Augusta’s Gull Lake View Golf Club and Resort’s original development created by the Scott family in 1962 has evolved into six impeccably maintained courses and 67 villas, all within 12 miles. Having hosted numerous state tournaments, its designs are competition worthy, fun and perfectly primed for affordably priced package trips. Chosen as National Golf Course of the Year in 2021, Tom Doak’s inspired Stoatin Brae, meaning “grand hill,” debuted in 2017, bringing links-style wide-open and windswept yet strategic golf on one nine and elevated pastoral fairways on the other, all with masterful green complexes. Making the turn, seek out the unique halfway house tucked within a huge bunker-like hill.
Near sapphire-hued Lake Michigan, play two of legend Jack Nicklaus’s signature designs: first, American Dunes is Jack’s donated architectural gift toward the “most patriotic round in golf.” Formerly Grand Haven Golf Club and inspired by the vision of PGA Professional and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, this dynamic duo’s mission has created one of the most emotionally powerful single-course destinations in America. Profits benefit Folds of Honor, providing scholarships to children of military men and women disabled or killed in action. Arrive early to walk the outdoor entrance memorial walls dedicated to our military heroes. During this reverential round, you’ll experience other traditions including reveille/retreat at dawn and dusk, Taps at 1p.m. when everything stops, pilots’ tradition of “tossing the nickel" and personal stories on every tee. An innocent query from Nicklaus, “where are the dunes?” led to massive clearing of their previous “tunnels of trees” layout, revealing massive dunes, hence the name. Reservations are highly recommended as tee times fill quickly. Colleges have also discovered this gem for national and regional competitions and television coverage has followed.
In nearby Benton Harbor, visit Nicklaus’s signature Harbor Shores for a Champions Tour experience, all in a spectacular setting with quality conditions over rolling hills, dunes, ravines, hardwoods and lakeside holes. Coming this fall are colorful Scotsman Colin Montgomerie’s Wee Course and St. Andrews-style putting course, which light up at night for short-game family fun and where kids play gratis. Original developer Whirlpool now partners with Corewell Health and 15 years after opening continues to improve the area with more greenspace and economic opportunities, allowing this entire non-profit beachfront and urban community to benefit from golf.
Boyne Golf Defines the Gold Coast
Venture northward 200 miles to explore the northwestern “Gold Coast” and it’s clear why native son, rock star and golf fan Kid Rock extolled the delights of northern Michigan in his hit song, All Summer Long. This nostalgic musical tribute wistfully recalls never-ending days morphing into nights commencing with glorious post-10 p.m. sunsets.
In 1947, “damn fool” and visionary Everett Kircher paid a state senator $1 for 40 acres of property with a humble ski hill, then opened a nine-hole golf course in 1955. This modest purchase basically founded Boyne Golf. Embraced by other northern ski and golf properties, the area eventually developed into America's Summer Golf Capital. Boyne now has locations worldwide but three main ones in Michigan are about 30 miles apart: the original Boyne Highlands, the Inn at Bay Harbor and Boyne Mountain.
Beginning at the Highlands, near Harbor Springs, overall golf options once known as “The Magnificent 10” are now 11, with the opening of Doon Brae, a nod to Kircher’s Scottish roots. This sweet Ray Hearn short course is nestled near the Highlands’ “country-estate” styled main lodge at the walkable base of a massive ski hill, along with the entertaining “Back Yaird” 27-hole lighted putting course. Six of 11 main and award-winning courses are located here, created by noted architects Robert Trent Jones Sr., Arthur Hills, Bill Newcomb and Donald Ross. Favorites are difficult to choose from: the Heather, Moor, the updated Donald Ross Memorial and the Arthur Hills have hosted dozens of state tournaments. Additionally, the inaugural Great Lakes Championship Epson Tour event, in partnership with the Michigan Sports Commission and the UP’s Island Resort, was held at the Heather in June. Kircher’s own architectural contribution, the daunting downhill par-4 18th, is completely fronted by a massive pond from 150 yards in, testing even the boldest of players.
The postcard-perfect Inn at Bay Harbor sits directly on Lake Michigan’s shoreline in picturesque Petoskey. If you cannot play the panoramic Bay Harbor Golf Club’s three distinctive nines—The Links, Quarry, and Preserve—consider going across US-31 to tackle Crooked Tree, also with pristine conditions and dramatic, elevated views of the lake.
Farther south in Boyne Falls, Boyne Mountain’s hilly Alpine and Monument, both with tricky green complexes, have hosted the Michigan PGA’s Tournament of Champions since 1992. Opt to stay at the Mountain Grand Lodge, condos, or the cozy Chalet Edelweiss, featuring a private Nordic Cirque sauna and other amenities. Stroll the delightful shops in the village, get soaked at Avalanche Bay waterpark, go zip-lining then board a ski chairlift to the mountain top to take a “walk in the clouds” on the unique 1,200-foot-long SkyBridge, opened in 2024.
Near Traverse City, Michigan’s “Divine 9” consists of three resorts with nine golf properties all working together, Grand Traverse Resort, Crystal Mountain, and A-Ga-Ming:
Need a perfect family vacation? Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville is your four-season answer. Women’s golf is important here, with specific programming via the 10-acre Golf Learning Center and as 23-year host of the Michigan PGA Women’s Open on the Mountain Ridge layout. Pros and amateurs alike enjoy the stunning vistas amidst ten miles of winding elevations and woods, especially the downhill par-3 17th. The original Betsie Valley course is an exceptionally fun place to enjoy some special discounts for juniors and twilight golf.
Non-golf activities abound: the Park at Water’s Edge, Alpine Slide, Bungee Trampoline, Michigan Art Legacy Park and “Monarchs in the Rough,” where butterfly surveillance on the courses is encouraged. Drive or take a canoe trip to experience the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Lodging choices include hotel suites, poolside “village” cottages, and large mountain-top homes.
In Kewadin, A-Ga-Ming has four courses—Antrim Dells, Charlevoix County Club, The Torch, and Sundance—where lingering sunsets cast incredible shadows and catch stunning views of Torch Lake, the “Caribbean of the North.” Resplendent with multihued emerald, sapphire and turquoise waters, it’s one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, with its signature tower and bird’s-eye view hotel, rises beside serene Grand Traverse Bay. Three distinctly different but excellent courses—The Wolverine, Spruce Run and The Bear—are on-premise. Golfers tackling The Bear, Nicklaus’s most thorny design, should brag about playing one of the state’s toughest, which has hosted numerous Michigan Opens. Softened in recent years, it’s still brawny.
Two significant standalone properties are also located in the state’s Gold Coast. Arcadia Bluffs’s strategic layout, designed by Warren Henderson and Rick Smith, opened in 1999 to great reviews and breathtaking views, sitting atop Lake Michigan’s rugged coastline. Relax in Adirondack chairs on the 19th-hole veranda for aperitifs and, best of all, the bagpiper is back Thursdays through Sundays from 7 p.m. until sunset. The South course opened in 2018 and while more level and almost treeless, it’s walkable, friendly and forgiving. New this year: The Dozen, with six par-4s and six par-3s.
Belvedere Golf Club is celebrating 100 years as a classic rolling, parkland design with numerous “best of” designations. This club hosted the Michigan Amateur for the 41st time last month and remains a favorite of Tom Watson, who spent boyhood summers at nearby Walloon Lake.
Shanty Creek in Bellaire, part of the Chain-of-Lakes Water Trail, celebrates 60 years with its most recent acquisition, the superbly conditioned Hawk’s Eye. There’s also The Legend by Arnold Palmer, Schuss Mountain, the newly-renovated Summit and Cedar River, by renowned PGA Tour professional-turned-architect, the late Tom Weiskopf. This appealing design held the Michigan Open in June.
Follow the Sunrise
Northeast toward the “Sunrise Side,” Michigan’s Gaylord Golf Mecca is made up of 17 courses, resort destinations and 20 hotel properties—far too many to mention here. However, some noteworthy options: at Treetops Resort in Bavarian-themed Gaylord, developer Harry Melling planned a course for each day of the week, and almost succeeded. With the original design by Robert Trent Jones Sr., now The Masterpiece, Tom Fazio and Rick Smith joined the party, adding their namesake courses, plus The Tradition, an inland links-style layout. Later, the imaginative 9-hole par-3 Threetops stymied the best players with devilish greens and other-worldly drop-offs. The Golf Channel filmed The Big Break here in 2003 and later televised par-3 shootouts, including capturing Lee Trevino’s million-dollar ace on No. 7.
Newly-restored Garland Resort in Lewiston was always gorgeous and offers exceptional accommodations surrounded by four immaculate courses over 3,000 unspoiled acres—the Fountains, Monarch, Swampfire, and Reflections—plus 26,000 square feet of flowerbeds. The Sawyer, a reversible par-3 course, opened last month.
Farther east in Onaway, Black Lake is an under-the-radar, photogenic UAW-affiliated course designed by U.S. Open course doctor Rees Jones. Garnering many awards since opening in 2000, this secluded resort is perfect for business meetings and conventions.
Before traversing to the UP, hop a ferry and visit Mackinac Island, where the idyllic Somewhere in Time was filmed and stand on the Grand Hotel’s iconic porch before teeing up at the 9-hole jewel across the street. To catch the back nine, grab a horse and buggy ride on this motor-vehicle-free island; or try Mission Point’s 18-hole putting course. Rent hickory sticks at Wawashkamo, established in 1898, to enjoy this historic War of 1812 battleground course and navigate ancient design features, like chocolate drops and the circus ring, which ironically are popping back into today’s architecture.
Be prepared for an imposing sight as you approach the Big Mac suspension bridge enroute to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. After crossing, head 90-minutes west to the inspired Island Resort and Casino in Harris, owned by the Hannahville Indian Community. Probably the best deal in golf is their Perfect Foursome stay-and-play package: enjoy golf on-premise at impeccably groomed Sweetgrass or hop a shuttle to challenging Sage Run to undertake holes on its drumlin ridge; become awestruck at Mike DeVries’s striking Greywalls on the bluffs of Lake Superior in Marquette, then head west to Jerry Matthews’s ski-hill encircling Timberstone at Iron Mountain. A new course, the Cedar, is under construction and the resort’s resident designer Paul Albanese borrows holes from the best architectural ideas circa the 1900’s Golden Age of Golf: punchbowl and double-plateau greens, and Oakmont-styled church pews. The Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship, now in its 14th year, was contested in June at Sweetgrass. Consider visiting around Aug. 31-Sept. 1 to also catch the Men’s NCAA Intercollegiate, an eye-opening look at the best talent in men’s college golf.
Albeit a cold-weather state, Michigan finishes dead last for catastrophic weather incidents but first in spectacular fall-color golf. Playable conditions extend from March through November but for an unparalleled adventure, schedule around Labor Day weekend. On Monday, Sept. 1, the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk opens only to pedestrians from 7-11:30 a.m. It’s free and you can stride along the entire 5-mile span or any part of it. One caution: pick one side or the other to park, walk, then turn around by 10 a.m. Otherwise, plan to be stranded until traffic eases up.
Downstate But Not Done
Downstate, the journey’s far from complete.
In Roscommon, another Tom Weiskopf treasure, Forest Dunes, consistently gathers accolades due to near-perfect course conditions and first class accommodations. The addition of Tom Doak’s ingenious The Loop, a reversible design played in opposite directions on alternating days, and The Bootlegger, a casual 10-hole 1,100-yard short course inspired by Detroit’s notorious Purple Gang, make this secluded mid-state resort attractive to all. Watch for SkyFall, coming soon, where popular architect Gil Hanse follows a natural 100-foot elevated ridge, dividing nine holes out and nine holes in, utilizing over 300 acres. This club is private, but limited tee times are open to resort guests.
As co-owner Rich Mack, the visionary behind Streamsong Resort, observed, “As the sun sets in Michigan, it looks like the sky is falling and it’s almost like you can touch the stars on top of you.”
No one traveling I-75 near West Branch can miss billboards promoting The Dream. Yes, laugh, but admit it, you’ve wondered. Well, a more pleasant and down-home place to play golf you won’t find. Along with designer Jeff Gorney, the Courtemanche brothers Tom and Dan built their 312-acre Dream on dad’s property in 1997, loved it, then crafted The Nightmare in 2003. The names signify ... nothing. The simple clubhouse isn’t fancy, but the moment you arrive after a long and scenic driveway through ancient trees, you’ll feel welcome.
Apologies to the hundreds of courses we didn’t get to, including stellar locales in mid-Michigan: Eagle Eye, The Emerald, former tour pro Dan Pohl’s The PohlCat, Buck’s Run, and MSU’s Forest Akers; and courses within the “Thumbcoast” like Red Hawk, the Gailes and Huron Breeze. But wait, there’s Tullymore, Hidden River Golf and Casting Club, Pilgrim’s Run, The Mines, The Fortress, Manistee National, Shepherd’s Hollow, Fox Hills, Pine Trace, Cherry Creek, Eagle Crest and ... enough already!
For complete listings, visit the Golf Association of Michigan or Pure Michigan.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Golf’s Dream State Offers a Nearly Unthinkable Number of Great Options.