BAY HARBOR, Michigan – After a recent golf trip to Northern Michigan, an old Beatle’s song popped into my head that best sums up the experience.
Remember the oldie but goodie titled “There Are Places I Remember?”
“There are places I remember all my life
Though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain…”
One visit is all it takes to discover that Northern Michigan has become one of North America’s premier summer golf and vacation destinations. This vacation wasn’t just good, it was real good!
Here, in the northern wilderness of Michigan, you’ll find miles of spectacular Lake Michigan coastline, quaint small towns, forests, serene lakes, meandering rivers and impressive elevation changes. BOYNE Golf offers a selection of ten golf courses, spanning three resorts offering affordable stay-and-play options. It’s no surprise golfers have placed this unique resort as a “must-play and must-return” golf destination.
“We have worked hard to make BOYNE Golf a special place for golfers to visit and create lasting memories and to want to return soon,” said Ken Griffin, Director of Marketing for BOYNE Resorts. “It’s easy to travel here by airplane since some major carriers have increased service to Traverse City. As a summer golf destination, we are growing each year, particularly with booking ‘buddy trips‘ and couples ‘get-away-and-play‘ packages.”
You may ask how does one golf destination present ten different golfing experiences?
Starting in Harbor Springs, The Highlands resort is a stately inn, with renovated elegant rooms, that resembles a Scottish country estate. There are four easily accessible golf courses, all carved through 3,500 acres of scenic and densely forested terrain. The Highlands made its name as a golf property in 1966, when Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed the Heather Course. The classic parkland layout was recognized as the 2019 National Golf Course Owners Association Course of the Year.
The Highland’s Donald Ross Memorial Course pays homage to the striking design work performed by the legendary designer, including copy-cat holes from Seminole, Oakland Hills, Oak Hill, Pinehurst, Inverness, Bob O’Link, and Aronomink, among others. The Arthur Hills course is the most popular and uses the most dramatic land on the property. The tremendous elevation changes on the 13th hole is inspiring, creating a great par 5 and a breathtaking view of the 4,000-acre Northern Michigan forests. The Moor Course has undergone renovations to create a more relaxing round for guests.
BOYNE Golf’s flagship property, Inn at Bay Harbor and Bay Harbor Golf Club are draped along Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay.
Bay Harbor Golf Club offers 27 dazzling, mostly-waterview holes designed by Arthur Hills that are played in three 9-hole combinations (Links/Quarry, Quarry/Preserve, and Preserve/Links). Bay Harbor’s Links/Quarry routing has been a staple on Golf Digest’s biannual list of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.
world-class destination with 10 championship courses spanning three resorts featuring designs from some of the game’s masters including Robert Trent Jones Sr., Arthur Hills, and Donald Ross.
The Links course is full of daring, imaginative holes with the reachable 490-yard par-5 seventh, providing thrills and a shot at glory. The Preserve plays up to the lofty standards of the Links and Quarry, meandering through the woods for much of the nine and then opens to the calming Lake Michigan shoreline.
My favorite is the par 36 Quarry. It’s full of interesting holes and fabulous views of the water. The three finishing holes are noteworthy because No. 16 demands an intimidating tee shot over rocks and wetlands; No. 17 requires a short iron onto an island green facing Lake Michigan, and No. 18 is a slight downhill par 4 with a beautiful green along the shoreline.
Across the street from Bay Harbor Golf Club, 18-hole Crooked Tree Golf Club is perched atop a bluff facing the Inn with picture-postcard-perfect views of the Bay and Lake Michigan. At Boyne Mountain Resort, just 20-minutes away, the Alpine and Monument courses open with an interesting, uphill 10-minute golf cart ride from the clubhouse to the first tees. Both courses weave their way from the top of the 500-foot mountain down toward Deer Lake, with more fantastic views.
BOYNE Golf guests can also enjoy award-winning spas, waterfront dining, sandy beaches, water sports, gaming, microbreweries, wineries, and more, capped by million-dollar northern Michigan sunsets that happens about 10 p.m. in June. Getting there is easy with direct service from 17 U.S cities into Traverse City.
One visit…BOYNE is a place to fondly remember all of your life!
On the web: BoyneGolf.com/, BoyneGolf.com/Stay-and-Play-Package
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