Things to do / Travel Guide
The northern Michigan region is often associated serious outdoor adventure sports like backcountry hiking and scuba diving. So what's an extreme sportsperson to do after a day exploring the wild? Dive into a round of extreme golf, of course! And there are many, many opportunities to do so. Here's just a short list:
Gorgeous Arcadia Bluffs overlooks Lake Michigan from every hole.
High Pointe provides two unique golfing experiences in one by beginning with a links-style course defined by heather, native grasses, and windswept bunkers, and ending with rolling tree-lined hills offering panoramic views of the area.
One of the top-rated courses in the country is the Shanty Creek Cedar River Course designed by Tom Weiskopf. You'll find plenty of hills, woods, sand, and water on this course to tickle you spirit of adventure.
If you like small, fast greens, you'll love Belvedere. Tom Watson does. He grew up playing this course.
Control freaks rejoice! The Bay Harbor Golf Club lets you mix and match any combination of three 9-hole courses to create and then play the 18-hole wonder of your dreams.
The Bonye Highlands Resort Heather Course demands accuracy and punishes those who can't meet that requirement. If you can avoid the trees and hit over the water, you'll be just fine. Otherwise, play with a good spotter and bring your ball retriever. If this doesn't seem like your cup of tea, you might want to go next door to the Ross Course which is named in homage to famed golf architect, Donald Ross. You'll find 18 recreations of the Scotsman's greatest holes from courses like St. Andrews, Pinehurst, and Royal Dornoch.
The holds at Black Lake blend right into the surrounding terrain, making for a wonderful and awe-inspiring day of golf.
Golf Magazine named the Treetops North Signature Course one of the best courses in the Midwest. Why? Its hilly terrain is loaded with traps. Bring your “A” game.
Management claims you'll never tire of playing the Black Forest and Wilderness Valley Golf Resort Black Forest Course because “it will present you with a different look and challenge every time out.” We say, they don't call it a forest for nothing!
Then there's the Forest Dunes Golf Club. You'll find a mix of styles here, from traditional parkland to links-style holes. But you'll also get the promised dunes and trees.
The Lakewood Shores Resort Gailes Course recreates Scottish links-style golf by recreating the look and feel of many famous seaside courses from that part of the world.
Feel like playing Augusta (think “The Masters”) in Michigan? Red Hawk Golf Course doesn't mimic the holes at that famous course, it just maintains the standard. Be prepared for elevation changes and trees galore.
Golf Courses in Great Lakes, Traverse City, Upper Peninsula, Mackinac Island, Northern Michigan
Golf
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