Michigan, USA

Northern Michigan

Northern Michigan's golf scene is one of the Midwest's best-kept secrets — Arcadia Bluffs is a world-class links experience above Lake Michigan, Treetops delivers dramatic wooded ridgeline golf, and the surrounding Traverse City area offers cherries, wine, and some of the most beautiful freshwater scenery on Earth. The 'Golf Coast' earns its nickname.

Best time to visit: June – September

Featured Courses

Luxury $$$

Arcadia Bluffs — Bluffs Course

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Clifftop Lake Michigan course rated among the best public tracks in America — sweeping dunes, bluff edges, and pure northern Michigan drama.

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Forest Dunes — Forest Dunes Course

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Tom Weiskopf design in Roscommon and #32 on Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Public Courses — a true Northern Michigan bucket-list round.

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Bay Harbor Golf Club — Links/Quarry/Preserve

$$$

Pete Dye 27-hole masterwork on Lake Michigan — stunning views of Little Traverse Bay and one of the most scenic settings in Midwest golf.

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Forest Dunes — The Loop Course

$$$

Tom Doak's reversible course at Forest Dunes — Black and Red routings play the same fairways in opposite directions, creating two completely different rounds on the same land.

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Mid-range $$

Arcadia Bluffs — South Course

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More recent companion to the Bluffs — equally beautiful inland layout through forests and meadows with excellent conditioning.

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Boyne Highlands — Heather Course

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Robert Trent Jones Sr. design at Boyne — one of Michigan's great classic resort layouts with mature trees and challenging terrain.

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Boyne Highlands — Donald Ross Memorial Course

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Replica tribute course featuring holes from Ross's finest American designs — a fun and historically rich round.

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Boyne Highlands — Arthur Hills Course

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Arthur Hills design at Boyne Highlands — winding through northern Michigan hardwoods with solid conditions throughout.

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Boyne Highlands — The Moor Course

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The most accessible of the Boyne Highlands layouts — a fun, well-maintained course perfect for a warm-up or casual round between the bigger tracks.

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Treetops Resort — Robert Trent Jones Masterpiece

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The flagship at Treetops — set high on a ridge with sweeping valley views and classic RTJ Sr. design hallmarks.

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Treetops Resort — Tom Fazio Premier

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Tom Fazio's hillside layout at Treetops — dramatic terrain and stunning Michigan scenery at a great resort value.

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The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort

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Jack Nicklaus Signature design in Acme — long, demanding, and consistently ranked among Michigan's toughest public courses.

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Dunmaglas Golf Course

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Charlevoix-area public course with rolling, Links-influenced terrain and panoramic views of Lake Michigan and the Little Traverse hills.

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Shanty Creek Resorts — Cedar River Course

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Tom Weiskopf design in Bellaire — one of Michigan's finest resort courses with dramatic elevation and hardwood forest scenery.

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Shanty Creek Resorts — Hawk's Eye Course

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John Robinson design with water hazards on 9 of 18 holes — named among Michigan's top courses and the top 25 course layouts in the US.

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Shanty Creek Resorts — The Legend Course

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Arnold Palmer design with dramatic elevation changes, doglegs, and water hazards — views of Lake Bellaire and Shanty Creek running through the layout.

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Crooked Tree Golf Club

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Harry Bowers design overlooking Little Traverse Bay — part of the Boyne Resorts portfolio with sweeping Lake Michigan views from elevated holes.

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Treetops Resort — Smith Signature Course

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Rick Smith's flagship design at Treetops — dramatic elevation changes through Northern Michigan's hardwood forests.

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Treetops Resort — Smith Tradition Course

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Rick Smith's parkland-style sister course to the Signature at Treetops — more open, player-friendly, and walkable.

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Grand Traverse Resort — Wolverine Course

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Gary Player Signature design at Grand Traverse — dramatic elevation changes through hardwood forests with sweeping views of East Grand Traverse Bay.

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Budget $

Shanty Creek Resorts — Schuss Mountain Course

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Classic Northern Michigan mountain course at the Schuss Mountain base — a fun, scenic layout with elevation changes throughout.

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Shanty Creek Resorts — Summit Course

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The most relaxed of the five Shanty Creek layouts — a great warm-up or casual round with beautiful northern Michigan scenery.

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Treetops Resort — ThreeTops

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9-hole par-3 short course at Treetops, designed by Rick Smith — site of Lee Trevino's $1 million hole-in-one in 2001.

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Grand Traverse Resort — Spruce Run Course

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The original course at Grand Traverse Resort — a Bill Newcomb design with classic Northern Michigan parkland feel.

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Course Map

Hover over a pin to see the course name.

Plan Your Days

Pick any two courses to see the drive time, route, and traffic.

Off the Course

Videos

Arcadia Bluffs
The Bear at Grand Traverse
Forest Dunes — The Loop Course Explained

What's Happening While You're There?

Concerts, games, festivals — see what's on during your trip.

Community Reviews

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