Michigan is the pits (the state leads the nation in cherry production), the Pistons (Detroit's revitalized hoopsters) and Pam (Anderson, Motowner Kid Rock's former squeeze). It's also a premier place for pasture pool. Seized by a golf course building boom in the nineties—153 new tracks in the last ten years—Michigan has surpassed Texas and now trails only California and Florida with 855 courses in all, a whopping 705 of them public. Nowhere has the boom been more bountiful than in the untamed north, a one-hour flight from Detroit, the city that will host the thirty-fifth Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills Country Club in September.
Northern Michigan is coastal stunners like Bay Harbor, where during the mid-summer twilight players can relish a blazing sunset over Little Traverse Bay at 10 p.m., and Arcadia Bluffs, where the coastline is too rugged to walk. It's old inland classics like Belvedere Golf Club, one of Tom Watson's favorites, and new ones like Black Lake and Forest Dunes, two of the best neophytes in the country. It's golf meccas like Treetops Resort—itself a member of the Gaylord Golf Mecca, a consortium of twenty-four courses all within a forty-five-minute drive of Gaylord—and top instructors like Rick Smith, the man who rebuilt Phil Mickelson's game this year. Indeed, the sheer number of highly challenging, stellar resort courses here, and the quality of their amenities, is, in a word, silly.
We threw it all into our on-cart GPS system and here's what came out: Northern Michigan has the greatest concentration of great golf in America, too many first-rate courses to play in a week or even two. Of course, we love a challenge.
BELVEDERE GOLF CLUB
Charlevoix; 231-547-2611, belvederegolfclub.com. Yardage: 6,715. Par: 72. Slope: 129. Architect: William Watson, 1925. Greens Fees: $48-$80. T+L GOLF Rating: ****1/2
You're likely familiar with the Lake course at San Francisco's Olympic Club and Minnesota's Interlachen Country Club, both designed by Willie Watson. Although Watson's Belvedere may be less famous, it's every bit as fine—eighteen holes of classic, old-school cool built by 150 men and five teams of horses. Here, golfers are greeted not by a bag boy wearing a headset but by a modest pro shop with barely enough room for a few clubs and caps. No frills? No worries. The course stands on its own. Greens are small and fast, and fairways are gently sloping (almost everyone walks at Belvedere). All holes are straightforward but memorable, especially the eighteenth, a 430-yard par four with a huge maple tree left of a mounded green surrounded by native grasses and flowers. Belvedere, frequent home of the Michigan Amateur, has played host to Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Tommy Armour and Sam Snead. Tom Watson used to frequent the course in summer and is still an honorary member. Ken Venturi once showed up out of the blue on the advice of a friend, who told him the course was a must-play. The friend? Gene Sarazen.
FOREST DUNES
Roscommon; 989-275-0700, forestdunesgolf.com. Yardage: 7,104. Par: 72. Slope: 140. Architect: Tom Weiskopf, 2002. Greens Fees: $85-$125. T+L GOLF Rating: ****1/2
Weiskopf's work is consistently solid, but this is one of his finest courses. The fairways are framed by pines, oaks and rugged dunesland; bent-grass greens are smartly designed (challenging but fair); and the bright white sand is positively Augusta-like. Weiskopf clearly sweated the small stuff while including characteristic touches such as a drivable par four (the 302-yard seventeenth). Originally conceived as a private club, Forest Dunes went broke even before it opened, but with a new commitment from the Detroit carpenters pension fund, the club debuted as a semiprivate layout in 2002. Two fun flourishes: a 117- yard par three nineteenth hole and junior tees that add up to 3,084 yards.
ARCADIA BLUFFS GOLF CLUB
Arcadia; 800-494-8666, arcadiabluffs.com. Yardage: 7,300. Par: 72. Slope: 143. Architects: Warren Henderson and Rick Smith, 1999. Greens Fees: $75-$175. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
It's coastal. It's roller coastal. Arcadia Bluffs, named for its 3,100 feet of shoreline high above Lake Michigan, features water views from every hole. That's the good news. The bad: This sprawling, vertiginous track can mulch your ego with its humps, hollows and 245 acres of uneven lies, its elephant-graveyard greens and its forced carries. By the time you reach the twelfth hole, a 431-yard par four along the bluff, you may have the urge to hurl your clubs over the precipice toward Wisconsin. Still, for big-game hunters, Arcadia is irresistible with its sod-walled bunkers with stairs, collection areas for imprecise approaches and one green (number five) so diabolical a two-putt should merit a free round. It may win more beauty contests than playability points, but Arcadia is an imaginative design with some of the finest scenery in the Midwest.
BLACK LAKE GOLF CLUB
Onaway; 989-733-4653, blacklakegolf.com. Yardage: 7,046. Par: 72. Slope: 140. Architect: Rees Jones, 2000. Greens Fees: $45-$85. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
Inland gem Black Lake stands out first for its redwood, cedar and Wisconsin stone clubhouse inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and built by the United Auto Workers union. (The UAW financed the club, part of a one-thousand-acre retreat for workers and their relatives.) The course is just as artfully crafted by Rees Jones: tree-lined holes through wetlands, a big par five (the 590-yard ninth) and enough sand and water to make you think. Mostly you'll wonder: How can so much sand (seventy-seven bunkers) be so perfectly raked? The bunker on the fourteenth, a 235-yard par three, stretches all the way from the tee to the green, a veritable Midwest Dubai. For family outings, Black Lake's nine-hole pitch-and-putt has holes varying from 34 to 117 yards.
BOYNE HIGHLANDS RESORT, HEATHER
Harbor Springs; 800-462-6963, boyne.com. Yardage: 6,890. Par: 72. Slope: 136. Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1967. Greens Fees: $79-$129. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
Built at the request of late skiing pioneer Everett Kircher, the Heather is billed as the course that began Northern Michigan's transformation from downhill destination to "America's Summer Golf Capital." A mainstay on top-100 lists since it opened in 1967, the Heather calls for players to work the ball both ways off the tee, features two uniquely short but tricky par fours (numbers three and eight) and has plenty of water. The 451- yard par-four finisher demands a mid-iron approach over a lake filled with enough balls to keep two scuba divers busy—little comfort to those who splash their Stratas here.
TREETOPS RESORT, FAZIO PREMIER
Gaylord; 888-873-3867, treetops.com. Yardage: 6,832. Par: 72. Slope: 136. Architect: Tom Fazio, 1992. Greens Fees: $60-$110. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
Treetops Resort's eighty-one holes on more than 4,000 acres high above the Pigeon River Valley keep golf-crazed guests on the go. The user-friendly Fazio course is the best place to find your swing at the start of your trip. Known for his beautiful, natural designs, Fazio gives players wide fairways that bank toward center, big greens and "pro pointers" for every hole (on the scorecard). And don't fear the silly-sloped "Himalayas" practice green; the greens on the course are more than fair.
TREETOPS RESORT, RICK SMITH SIGNATURE
Gaylord; 888-873-3867, treetops.com. Yardage: 6,653. Par: 70. Slope: 140. Architect: Rick Smith, 1993. Greens Fees: $60-$110. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
Native vegetation creates the sensation that this course plays through an enchanted meadow, while elevated tees afford the eponymous treetop vistas. The 520-yard par-five sixth tests both accuracy and commitment: Players can aim tee shots over the center-cut fairway bunker, short of it or up the alleys left and right. Two of the three par fives are within reach with two shots. Seasoned Rick Smith Signature hands know the sloped greens well enough to aim away from the hole, as at Augusta, and watch shots roll slowly toward it.
BAY HARBOR GOLF CLUB
Bay Harbor; 800-462-6963, boyne.com. Yardage:
Links, 3,432; Quarry, 3,348; Preserve, 3,378. Par: 36 apiece. Slope: 141, 145 and 143, respectively. Architects: Arthur Hills and Stephen Kircher, 1996 (Links); '98 (Quarry and Preserve). Greens Fees: $129-$199 for eighteen holes. T+L GOLF Rating: ***1/2
Three wildly different nine-holers: The Links course offers Irish-style golf with views of Little Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan; the Quarry is a postindustrial adventure over shale cliffs; and the Preserve winds through a hardwood forest. The Links gets the kudos but the Quarry is more interesting, if a bit zany. Local knowledge is vital on its par-five third hole, where a ravine cuts off much of the fairway on the blind second shot; aim for the Irish stone way left. And while you'll be tempted to try to drive the 332-yard par-four sixth, unless you're Phil Mickelson—who cleared the huge wetland hazard during a Shell's Wonderful World of Golf match in 1998—you'll almost surely butcher it.
BOYNE HIGHLANDS RESORT, DONALD ROSS MEMORIAL
Harbor Springs; 800-462-6963, boyne.com. Yardage: 6,814. Par: 72. Slope: 136. Architects: Everett and Stephen Kircher and Jim Flick, 1988. Greens Fees: $76-$109. T+L GOLF Rating: ***1/2
One of four courses on the west side of Little Traverse Bay, the Ross Memorial evokes both Scotland and North Carolina, and that's the idea. With each hole a replica of a classic Ross design, Boyne's Ross course is the best way to soak up Scioto Country Club, Pinehurst and other famous courses designed by the prolific late Scotsman without going bust on airfare and greens fees. Was that Oakland Hills we just played? Inverness? The scorecard doesn't say, creating a game within the game: testing your knowledge of the classics.
GARLAND RESORT, FOUNTAINS
Lewiston; 877-442-7526, garlandusa.com. Yardage: 6,760. Par: 72. Slope: 130. Architect: Ron Otto, 1995. Greens Fees: $75-$120. T+L GOLF Rating: ***1/2
Garland's Fountains course keeps you guessing with six par threes, six fours and six fives, while water comes into play on half the holes, including the 580-yard par-five seventh. The newest of the four eighteen-hole courses at Garland, Fountains features par-three ninth and eighteenth holes and the longest single-span log bridge in the country, located between the first green and second tee. The parfive fifteenth is a classic risk-reward hole: At only 469 yards from the blues and 485 from the blacks, it's short enough to be reached by some in two with a mid-iron—but with a green two-thirds surrounded by water, it had better be a good mid-iron.
SHANTY CREEK RESORT & CLUB, CEDAR RIVER GOLF CLUB
Bellaire; 800-678-4111, shantycreek.com. Yardage: 6,989. Par: 72. Slope: 144. Architect: Tom Weiskopf, 1999. Greens Fees: $70-$145. T+L GOLF Rating: ***1/2
There are two leitmotifs going on at hilly Cedar River: one in which every hole is so framed by trees that it feels like you're the last civilized being on the planet; and another in which you encounter condos. Cedar River is one of four eighteen-hole courses at Shanty Creek, and if it doesn't quite hold together, it is still the best of the lot, a solid test of golf that hosts the Michigan Section PGA Championship. As is his wont, Weiskopf tempts players with a drivable par four, the 285-yard thirteenth, where the play is to aim directly over a tree seventy yards in front of the green. It's the kind of hole you'll either love or hate and more than likely still be talking about after the round.
OTHER NOTABLES
Threetops at Treetops ($50; 888-873-3867) is a nine-hole par-three course with jaw-dropping 90- to 145-foot elevation changes. The Arthur Hills course at Boyne Highlands ($84-$134; 800-462-6963) is one of his finest, a dramatic, big-shouldered track with downhill par fives. The Jones Masterpiece at Treetops ($60-$110; 888-873-3867) is one of the toughest par-seventy-ones in the Midwest. Grand Traverse Resort and Spa's The Bear ($50-$140; 800-236-1577) is a challenging links-style layout and one of Jack's best.
PRIVATE GEMS
Crystal Downs Country Club, Frankfort. Designed by Alister MacKenzie and Perry Maxwell, this classic parkland layout features some of the best green complexes anywhere. At only 6,518 yards from the tips, it also boasts one of the finest collections of short par fours anywhere, requiring enough precision and creativity to challenge even the pros.
Harbor Point Golf Club, Harbor Springs. A challenging, semiprivate layout on rolling terrain with a lake that comes into play on two holes. Among the first one hundred clubs in America.
The Kingsley Club, Kingsley. Inspired by Crystal Downs, Kingsley is the modern version of its classic neighbor. Designed by Mike Devries in 2000, Kingsley features rolling fairways, classic MacKenzie-style bunkers and large sloping greens nestled among mature hardwoods and white pines.
Walloon Lake Country Club, Petoskey. This hilly track challenges players with uneven lies and blind tee shots and approaches. It also offers spectacular views of the north arm of Walloon Lake.
Wequetonsing Golf Club, Harbor Springs. A classic, old-school layout that was built in 1895. It was the summer home of former Augusta National chairman Hord Hardin, who probably felt right at home on Wequetonsing's small, fast and undulating greens.
ORIENTATION
Take the connecting less-than-one-hour flight from Detroit into Traverse City's Cherry Capital Airport, serviced direct by Northwest. It's worth the extra airfare, and without the four-hour drive from Detroit you'll arrive fresh enough for an afternoon eighteen.
Besides the copious golf courses, there's not much up here in the way of development; you can spend an entire week in the region and not see a single Starbucks. It's a relaxed getaway for unpretentious Midwesterners who enjoy the outdoors. Visit in July for Traverse City's National Cherry Festival, or come in April for the National Trout Festival in Kalkaska. Lake and river fishing are as much an epidemic up here as golf, and Boyne, Garland and other resorts provide guides.
BACK TO SCHOOL
There are almost as many top-notch ways to work on your golf game in Northern Michigan as there are first-rate places to play. The Crystal Mountain Golf Schools (231-378-2000; crystalmountain.com) are run by two-time Michigan Section PGA Teacher of the Year Brad Dean, who offers weekend instruction, short-game clinics and a junior golf camp. Crystal's women-only packages are among its most popular offerings. Treetops part-owner Rick Smith, teacher to the stars, runs the Rick Smith Golf Academy (989-732-6711; treetops.com), where he maintains a two-to-one student-teacher ratio. Jim Flick is a resident and dean of instruction at Boyne Highlands (231-526-3028; boyne.com/golf), and the Jim McLean Golf School at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa (800-236-1577; grandtraverseresort.com) can be found just six miles outside Traverse City.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Day-trippers, especially those with families in tow, will want to take the ferry to historic Mackinac Island (mackinac.com). Cars are forbidden on the island, which makes it easier to hear the clip-clop of horses pulling carriages. Activities on Mackinac include traffic-free hiking, bike rides (Island Bicycle Rental, 906-847-3211) and historic walking tours. For those looking to make more than just a day of it on Mackinac, the stately and historic Grand Hotel (800-334-7263) is the island's most elegant lodging option—and even offers a spot of golf in the form of a sporty 5,445-yard course called the Jewel.
The town of Gaylord, home of Treetops Resort, features the surprisingly fascinating Bottle Cap Museum (989-732-1931). Kids will enjoy a trip to Traverse City's Clinch Park, where they can visit the zoo or ride a quarter-scale model of a 1940s steam train.
On the edge of Little Traverse Bay and just up Highway 31 from Traverse City, Petoskey is home to a gaslight shopping district that may remind some of Carmel, California. The town also boasts the Little Traverse History Museum (231-347-2620), which chronicles the life of Ernest Hemingway, who grew up in Petoskey and returned there after serving in World War I. Once you've finally had enough of earnest Ernest history, Petoskey's Victories Casino & Hotel (877-442-6464) offers golf and gaming packages galore.
CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN
12500 Crystal Mountain Drive, Thompsonville; 231-378-2000, crystalmountain.com. Rooms: $89-$169. Condos: $129-$539. Suites: $99-$189.
Crystal Mountain's wide variety of rooms, some with kitchenettes, many with mountain views, feel as cozy and secluded in summer as they do in winter. Nearly every unit has an in-room whirlpool. The resort opened its first eleven Cottages at Water's Edge—reminiscent of early-twentieth-century Northern Michigan cabins—in May, and will cut the tape on an adjacent one-acre water park in July.
GARLAND RESORT
4700 North Red Oak Road, Lewiston; 877-442-7526, garlandusa.com. Rooms: $99-$189. Villas: $139-$339. Cottages: $209-$379.
This log-cabin-style resort includes the main lodge—the largest log structure east of the Mississippi—as well as "golf cottages," villas and condominiums, and meeting rooms for corporate retreats. One of the Midwest's only AAA four-diamond resorts.
GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT AND SPA
100 Grand Traverse Boulevard, Acme; 800-748-0303, grandtraverseresort.com. Rooms: $115-$255. Condos: $105-$435.
More than 200 of the rooms here are newly renovated, but there are 660 total accommodations in this sprawling complex that includes three golf courses, four pools, a salon and spa, and a private beach. Tower rooms boast double Jacuzzi tubs and wet bars.
THE INN AT BAY HARBOR
3600 Village Harbor Drive, Bay Harbor ; 231-439-4000, www.innatbayharbor.com. Rooms: $119-$279. Suites: $209-$819. Penthouse: $569-$1389.
With its waterfront elegance and red-tiled roof, the Inn at Bay Harbor recalls the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. It features 134 rooms and suites, sandy beach access, stunning sunsets over Little Traverse Bay and an in-house salon and spa. Take the wife or lose her forever.
SHANTY CREEK RESORT & CLUB
1 Shanty Creek Road, Bellaire; 800-678-4111, shantycreek.com. Rooms: $90-$190. Condos: $199-$625.
For lodging at Shanty Creek, as with the golf, guests have a choice. There are three separate villages: Cedar River, Schuss and Summit. All are splendid, but our favorite is Summit, where rooms feel more like home than hotel. Get the right room here and you'll cap your day with a sunset over Lake Bellaire.
TREETOPS RESORT
3962 Wilk inson Road, Gaylord; 800-444-6711, treetops.com. Rooms: $109-$129. Suites: $149-$169. Condos: $300-$380.
With its golfy vibe, Treetops always felt more like a guy getaway than a family destination. Not so after last summer's $1.5 million renovation, which included an expanded spa and fitness center and a paintball course. Each room, replete with high-speed Internet access, now offers enough bells and whistles to keep your whole clan occupied.
BIG BUCK BREWERY AND STEAKHOUSE
(American) 550 South Wisconsin Street, Gaylord; 989-732-5781. $$
This boisterous local favorite delivers the standard brewery atmosphere (glass walls reveal huge casks, mysterious pipes) along with a wide assortment of tasty beers and surprising, above-average food—especially the Big Buck Filet.
CHANDLER'S
(Californian/French/New American) 2151/2 Howard Street, Petoskey; 231-347-2981. $$$$
You'll break the bank but be happy you did at this intimate hideaway with live music and some of the best food in the state. On the menu: fresh seafood daily, plus beef, pork, lamb and veal dishes. Not on the menu but worth ordering, if it's in season: the morel-mushroom appetizer (morels grow wild in Northern Michigan).
LATITUDE
(Contemporary/Multicultural) Bay Harbor Village, Bay Harbor; 231-439-2750. $$$
Known for its diverse menu (from brick-oven pizza to wok-seared shrimp and sea scallops on somen noodles) and its wine list as much as for its fiery sunsets over Lake Michigan, Latitude is an easy and reliable choice for guests at the nearby Inn at Bay Harbor.
ROWE INN
(French/American) 6303 East Jordan Road, Ellsworth; 231-588-7351. $$$$
A hidden gem not far from Tapawingo (below), the Rowe offers imaginative twists on a local favorite: pecan-stuffed morel mushrooms and wild rice and morel soup, both appetizers. Entrées include rainbow trout with shrimp stuffing and tarragon beurre blanc.
SCHLANG'S BAVARIAN INN
(Bavarian/American) 3917 South Old 27, Gaylord; 989-732-9288. $$
What Schlang's lacks in decor it makes up for in no-frills meat and potatoes and pilsners. Don't get too fancy here; go with the specialties (bratwurst or the legendary one-and-a-half-pound pork chops), a stein of beer and your heartiest friends.
STAFFORD'S WEATHERVANE
(American) At the downtown bridge, Charlevoix; 231-547-4311. $$$
This unpredictable menu includes regional favorites such as Lake Superior whitefish and almond-crusted walleye as well as zany entries like the "Roadhouse Style Flashed Frog Legs." Get a window table for a view of the Pine River drawbridge.
TAPAWINGO
(American/Eclectic) 9502 Lake Street, Ellsworth; 231-588-7971. $$$$
Executive chef Stuart Brioza was selected as one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2003 for his menu here of, among other dishes, shrimp-crusted black sea bass and roasted rabbit. Brioza has recently left, but the first-rate cuisine remains. Rated the finest food in Michigan by Zagat Survey in 1996 and one of the best restaurants in the nation by Gourmet.
