This is one of my favorite shots from my photo shoot in Northern Michigan of 8 of the Boyne Golf Courses including Bay Harbor Golf Club, Boyne Highlands, crooked tree and Boyne Mountain. It would not have happened had I not been way up on the lift trying to get a shot of the 14th hole when I turned around and saw this beautiful scene of the 18th on the Monument Golf Course behind me. The light was amazing so we had to move fast get move the lift in position so I could capture the shot before the sun went behind the horizon. Luckily I did.
The first time I traveled to Northern Michigan, I knew I’d be back. Seduced by gorgeous, limitless Lake Michigan panoramas along rapturous shorelines, the coolest “frozen in a golden era” small towns anywhere and breathtaking forests, streams, rivers, epic dunes, hills, mountains and lush, rolling landscapes (all which lend to tremendous, unforgettable golf), it was wild to process that anywhere this idyllic could still exist today. And the golf in this region is plentiful and, by all measures, superb. Like someone who suddenly discovered in adulthood they’re some percentage Native American, I swore I must somehow must have some “Northern Michigan DNA.”
Like desert golf, links golf or mountain golf, golf in Northern Michigan, from its majestic coastline to its rippling, verdant and forested interior, seems to exist in its own genre that must be experienced by anyone who was a serious passion for the game. On a recent return trip to one of the game’s genuine paradises, our group experienced the elegant simplicity of booking our rounds and accommodations through one source who is the leader in first-rate resort golf in this region, BOYNE Golf.
Rather than booking tee times at multiple, spread-out places or banking on the hospitality of a random club member someone knows, we put our expectations in BOYNE Golf’s hands because so many people have vouched for the brand’s collection of 10 area courses. Variety (in the form of 10 golf courses set over three unique resort properties – Boyne Highlands, Boyne Mountain and Bay Harbor), meticulous conditioning, memorable scenery and shot values and pure fun were the selling points and BOYNE Golf’s signature properties really delivered.
A short, scenic and anticipation-fueled from Traverse City’s Cherry Capital Airport brought us to the iconic Victorian-style Inn at Bay Harbor. Laying eyes on the hotel, its adjacent yacht club and the beaming shoreline of Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay, it’s immediately clear why many have dubbed Bay Harbor “The Pebble Beach of the Midwest.”
First on the hit list was the premier golfing experience in the region, Bay Harbor Golf Club and its bucket-list-caliber offering of the Links and Quarry nines. There are moments when you’re playing along the coastline and you glance to the water and you’ll swear you’re on a Hawaiian coastline. Arthur Hills’ masterwork weaves is full of daring, imaginative holes.
As your approach shot on the sweeping dogleg right par 4 first on the dramatic Links nine takes flight, you catch your first glimpse of Lake Michigan to the left of a well-protected green. On the challenging 420-yard par-4 second hole, you’ll see tall, waving fescue, a strategic and aesthetic nod to the Irish courses Bay Harbor is patterned after. At the reachable, 490-yard, par-5 seventh provides big-time thrills and a shot at glory if you hit a long drive into a narrow landing area. This uphill hole often plays into the wind, with Lake Michigan on the right and fescue lurking left.
The Quarry nine (built on the site of a former working quarry), is an eye-popping thrill ride with one hole after the other daring you to play hero shots. The long par-4 fifth, at 478 yards, features an all-carry approach over water to a shallow, firm green. The par-4 sixth demands an intimidating tee shot and a all-carry shot over wetlands that looks farther than it actually is. The eighth, which plays into a picturesque Lake Michigan shoreline setting, is easily one of the most picturesque par 3s in the country.
With a more traditional parkland routing, The Preserve nine plays well up to the lofty standards of the Links and Quarry. Winding extensively through the hardwoods for much of the nine, The Preserve, like the Quarry, also opens up to the calming Lake Michigan shoreline. A very short drive away, scenic 18-hole Crooked Tree Golf Club delivers stellar panoramic views and an underrated stretch of quality, finely-maintained golf holes. More than one person in our group said Crooked Tree was a course they could play every day.
The Inn at Bay Harbor features 116 guest rooms and suites and 35 two- and three-bedroom cottages at the Lakeside Cottages and Cottages at Crooked Tree. All provide views of the areas famous Million Dollar Sunsets. Dining and signature cocktails are next-level at Vintage Chophouse and Wine Bar and the views of Lake Michigan. The Spa at The Inn at Bay Harbor is a full-service spa and salon that includes a private manicure/pedicure room and a private couples massage room. Families can also enjoy the outdoor heated swimming pool and whirlpool, cabanas, beach area, lawn chess and croquet, exercise room and biking trails.
Boyne Highlands Resort
Resembling a Scottish country estate with its deep wood accents, tartan plaids and massive fireplaces, Boyne Highlands is a cozy escape just a half-hour drive north of Bay Harbor. Popular during the winter as a family-friendly ski destination, Boyne Highlands is home to BOYNE Golf’s first golf property and a multi-course template many resorts have replicated through the years. The resort is currently undergoing a renovation that will bring a new elegance, comfort and tasteful sense of modern luxury to the property’s rooms and common areas. The changes promise to make The Highlands one the region’s premier travel experiences.
With four different golf courses, Boyne Highlands, alone, makes for an ideal, one-stop buddies trip. The timeless, strategic parkland allure of the Heather (the original Boyne course by Robert Trent Jones Sr.) and the natural beauty of the Arthur Hills course, which features a 150-foot drop off from the tee at the par-5 13th, stand tall as must-plays on a visit to Northern Michigan. The Heather is also on Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses and, in 2019, was named the National Golf Course Owners Association’s Golf Course of the Year.
The Donald Ross Memorial is an extremely well-executed tribute course comprised of holes inspired by famous Ross designs that have hosted three Ryder Cups, eight U.S. Amateurs, 11 PGA Championships and 14 U.S. Opens. Holes were carefully selected to match topography, with green complexes being nearly perfect. Seminole, Oakland Hills, Oak Hill, Pinehurst, Inverness, Bob O’Link, and Aronomink are just a few of the legendary courses represented. More than being a thoughtful, well-executed tribute course, The Ross is an enjoyable and engaging routing. Even it wasn’t a tribute course, it stands apart as a great start-to-finish golfing experience.
Some golfers consider the easy-going Moor Course, where a round feels like an escape through the woods, the most enjoyable of the four. Every course at Boyne Highlands closes with a forced-carry approach, so don’t count those bets as over until the last putts fall.
One of the coolest things you can do at Boyne Highlands is stop by Slopeside for pizza and drinks and a spin around the adjacent par-3 Cuff Links course that plays up and back down the ski hill.
Accommodations abound in the resort’s main Lodge, Bartley House, Heather Highlands Inn and Townhouses, Alpine Village and, most popular for golf buddies’ trips, the Ross Cottages.
For those who wisely plan golf trips around game improvement, the Boyne Golf Academy works tirelessly to stay on the cutting edge of game improvement. An award-wining professional staff using GEARS and TrackMan in lessons and expert club fittings and the new TrackMan Range feature on the practice tee brings working on your game to an unprecedented level. You can hit shots and receive shot data on each swing or prep for your round on Boyne Highlands courses by “playing them” on TrackMan Range’s gamified version of each layout.
Just 27 miles away from Boyne Highlands, Boyne’s southern-most resort, Boyne Mountain Resort offers the walkable and family0friendly allure of a European alpine village. Hugely popular for skiing in the winter, Boyne Mountain plays up the ski village theme beautifully. The charming and vast resort includes a variety of accommodations from standard rooms to suites and condos, situated right at the base of the mountain. The Solace Spa is first-rate and includes access to exercise equipment, steam, sauna and whirlpool facilities.
Off-course attractions for the entire family include ziplining, Segway tours, watersports, disc golf, indoor and outdoor pools with hot tubs, tennis courts, lawn games as well as the thrilling, family-friendly Avalanche Bay indoor water park, Michigan’s largest indoor waterpark. Terrific dining options abound at Boyne Mountain, including relaxed yet refined fare at Everett’s and the always-fun Forty Acres Tavern for sports viewing, pub grub and local craft beer.
Boyne Mountain offers two fun courses, the Alpine and The Monument, which both offer tremendous views of nearby Deer Lake. The 7,061-yard Monument and the 7,045-yard Alpine, both designed by Michigan architect Bill Newcombe, zigzag through tree-lined slopes before winding down to tamer, rolling terrain. Both courses begin with a scenic 10-minute cart ride up the ski hill to their respective first tees.
With sweeping drops to narrow fairways carved from the forest, The Monument requires more heroic shots. Holes here are named for golfing legends like Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson. After golf, don’t miss one of the region’s best lunch destinations, across the street at the lakefront Beach House.
All of BOYNE Golf’s courses are maintained to meticulous and consistent standards. While there, a staffer showed us that all of the greens on all 10 courses were rolling with much less than one foot of variance on the Stimpmeter. In most cases, there difference was negligible. That’s impressive, especially, considering the courses were all in good enough shape to host a top-tier tournament at the drop of a hat.
Finally, BOYNE Golf is centered amid one of America’s most beautiful vacation spots. The scenic Lake Michigan beach towns of Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, and Petoskey are minutes away, and a side trip to Mackinac Island is easily managed. This area has some of the best and most memorable before- or after-golf activities anywhere. Marinas, wineries and waterfront dining abound along with the chance to walk in the steps of Ernest Hemingway in the summer destination of his youth on the quaint, charming streets of Petoskey. This region is a true throwback to simpler times with fruit stands, craft breweries, local artisans, mom and pop businesses of all kinds and little charms like the divine chocolate and ice cream from Kilwin’s that are good enough to leave you wondering if you, yourself, have any Northern Michigan DNA.
With 10 acclaimed golf courses sprawling across three separate and distinctive resort properties and an abundance of packages to fit a broad array of itineraries, you can’t go wrong putting your next golf trip in the hands of the folks who’ve been curating the destination in Northern Michigan for more than 50 years. Add the fact the direct flights are available into Traverse City’s Cherry Capital Airport from Dallas and Houston, and planning just got easier. For more information on BOYNE Golf, and to plan your summer golf adventure, visit www.BOYNEgolf.com.
By Marc Hall