Mackinac Island. Petoskey. Traverse City.
As tourists travel to Northern Michigan, they’re typically drawn to these three destinations, among others that are becoming increasingly popular. But aside from visiting these areas, tourists are also flying and driving to Northern Michigan for another key reason: it’s home to some of the United States’ finest golf courses.
Boyne Golf owns 11 of these renowned courses. Yes, you read that correctly. Eleven courses — 10 championship courses and a new, nine-hole short course.
Offering three resorts to stay at (Boyne Mountain, Inn at Bay Harbor and The Highlands) too, Boyne Golf has a variety of course types as well, including lakeshore, mountain, quarry and wetland courses.
For starters, Bay Harbor Golf Club has three gorgeous nine-hole courses, which are located either on or near Lake Michigan: The Links, The Preserve and The Quarry. When they’re played in combination, the courses provide golfers three 18-hole options to choose from. In addition, Boyne Mountain has two 18-hole, mountainside courses, The Alpine and The Monument. Meanwhile, The Highlands has four 18-hole championship courses, known as Arthur Hills, Donald Ross Memorial, The Heather and The Moor.
The Arthur Hills course was designed by its legendary namesake, whereas The Heather was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. On the other hand, the Donald Ross Memorial was created as a tribute to some of Ross’s best holes. To ensure each hole accurately represents Ross’s work, six of the Memorial’s holes were recently updated.
“Today, through technology, computer-aided design and Google Earth, we are able to gather photos and dimensions to create an even more accurate representation of any updates,” says Bernie Friedrich, director of golf course renovation and development, Boyne Resorts. “It’s our long-term plan to continue making key renovations to the course and keeping the tradition of Donald Ross alive here at Boyne.”
For further golfing opportunities, Boyne Golf also offers guests the 18-hole Crooked Tree Golf Club, situated near Petoskey’s Little Traverse Bay. Moreover, its latest course — Doon Brae, a nine-hole, par-3 course — is steadily gaining recognition throughout the golf industry.
Considered the first modern golf course built on a ski hill, Doon Brae is the fifth course on The Highlands’ property, which has the Back Yaird too, a 27-hole putting area.
“Instead of using tee boxes, we’ll just have three tee areas on each hole at Doon Brae and let guests play wherever they want,” Friedrich says. “And the greens are inspired by some of the great ones around the world.”
Each fairway, which has been sodded and is consistently well maintained, will be surrounded by tall fescue, leading to the feel of a British or Irish golf course. To say the least, Doon Brae is a stunning addition to the Boyne Golf portfolio.
“We want to keep people excited about golf,” Friedrich says. “If playing 18 or 36 holes is not enough on any day, Doon Brae gives golfers yet another option.”
Due to this addition, along with Boyne Golf’s ever-rising popularity, The Heather was chosen to host the Epson Tour’s Great Lakes Championship this past June.
“The Heather was the first Boyne Golf course and is widely credited as the spark that started Northern Michigan’s golf boom,” says Josh Richter, senior vice president of golf operations, Boyne Resorts.
This spark will likely lead to further success for each of Boyne Golf’s 11 courses, as evidenced by recent accolades. For instance, in April, USA Today 10Best recognized The Highlands as the United States’ No. 2 golf resort. And, best of all, USA Today 10Best also named Boyne Golf the United States’ No. 1 golf resort destination. To say the least, Boyne Golf’s future is bright. Very bright.
“We believe Boyne Golf’s popularity will only continue to increase too,” says Ken Griffin, director of golf sales and marketing, Boyne Resorts. “After all, during the summer season, golfers can access our resorts and courses with direct flights from 20 U.S. cities.”
Normally, guests will stay for nearly four nights and play just over five rounds of golf, on average. As a result, they’ll want to return to Boyne Golf’s courses again soon, as they’ll have another six (or so) courses to play the next time around.
“We can’t wait to welcome them to our 11 courses, again and again and again,” Griffin says.