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GAYLORD, Michigan – Traveling across the small roads of Northern Michigan, you suddenly come across a city limits sign which reads, ‘Welcome to Frost. Icebox of the Nation.’
This means a couple of things. It’s no place for winter golf, but a good spot for funny city slogans.
It also means one other thing you can miss if you’re not careful. Northern Michigan is a great spot for spectacular, if short-seasoned, public resort golf.
From Boyne Highlands to Treetops to Bay Harbor and Gaylord with many other great spots in-between, golf in the Northern Michigan landscape is one long, cool and beautiful surprise.
There are more than 30 courses available for the Northern Michigan golf season, which is roughly late-April to Mid-October, give or take a few sudden snow storms, but the summer temperatures stay in the 70- to 80-degree range with zero to low percent humidity.
In short, it’s the perfect tonic to the triple figure Texas summer with triple-digit humidity to match. Plus the Michigan green fees are mainly in the double figure range, meaning you’ll see great courses in great conditions with great scenery without suffering great pain when you go to pay.
I mean, what’s not to like about a golf destination with the most famous Par-3 course in the nation (Gaylord’s Threetops), courses by the hottest young designer and local resident (Tom Doak), golf designs by some of the game’s biggest architectural stars (Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus) and its largest legend (Robert Trent Jones, Sr), plus one of the hottest new courses anywhere (Bay Harbor)?
The area is bookended by two of its largest cities, Gaylord and Traverse City, home of the major regional airport, and extends to Mackinac Island with Saunt St. Marie Canada less than an hour away. The Great Lakes of Michigan and Huron extend on both sides of the Northern Michigan landscape.
Boyne Highlands, near the tiny town of the same name, is one of the oldest, largest and most traditional of the resorts in the area. The par-72 Heather course, designed by Jones, was the first major course in the area when it opened in the early 1970s and remains a classic measuring at 6,991 yards from the back tees.
Other courses at Boyne include the Arthur Hills design at the Country Club of Boyne, the Donald Ross Tribute course and the Moor, a favorite of noted teacher and designer Jim Flick.
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Nearby, and accessible to those staying at Boyne, is the newest must-play in the area, Bay Harbor, a brilliant 27-hole Hills design on the shores of Little Traverse Bay. Opened in 1998 with a nationally televised match between Phil Mickelson and Tom Lehman, the course has three distinct par-36 layouts, the Links, Quarry and Preserve. All three have outstanding views of the water, the surrounding dense forest or the natural rock quarry Hills discovered and cleared away for all golfers to enjoy.
Bay Harbor offers homesites and memberships, including a surprising number of Texans, but thankfully still has room for public play on the courses which have been ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation for resort courses.
Closer to Gaylord, you’ll find the booming resort of Treetops, so named, accurately as it turns out, because many of the holes start out over the Northern Michigan treetops and plunge into the scenic surroundings.
The resort is owned and operated by golf teacher and designer Rick Smith, who lives in the area, but travels the world teaching the world’s best players, Mickelson, among others. Smith has built a powerhouse golf complex.
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Of course, the most famous part of Treetops or anywhere in Northern Michigan for that matter, is the Smith designed Par-3 course, which has been annually showcased on national TV since 1999 at the Par 3 Shootout.
Texan Lee Trevino made the richest par 3 shot in golf history when he aced the 6th hole for $1 million dollars then followed up with the validation on the next hole to head back to Texas with the quickest million the noted golf hustler ever made.
Anybody can play the challenging but nifty Par 3 course, with holes ranging from 219 to 113 yards, in less than an hour for $55, a bargain no golf visitor to Treetops should miss as a fun diversion or a good warm-up.
Like many great things in golf, when it opened, the Par 3 was lightly received and Treetops pros had to beg players to try it, but now it’s one of the most heavily booked courses there with tee times taken well in advance.
Other courses at Treetops include the Rick Smith signature, the Tom Fazio Premier, the only Fazio course in Northern Michigan, and a another layout from Trent Jones, Sr.
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Doak, golf’s hottest architect at the moment thanks to his work at Bandon Dunes, lives in Traverse City and made the par-73 Black Forest one of his first designs.
Other top resorts in the area include Grand Traverse, which offers a fine Jack Nicklaus design visible from the highway in Traverse City, and Shanty Creek, a four-course facility nearby with the only Arnold Palmer layout in the area.
In fact, so good is the golf in this relatively compact area that you might run out of warm days to play before you run out of good courses to play for the first or second time.
The major resorts -- Boyne, Treetops, Grand Traverse and Shanty Creek -- all offer fine lodging facilities and stay-and-play packages. Not overly fancy, but close to the great golf and good food.
What else does a golfer truly need in this Northern Michigan (golf) paradise found?
Know Before You Go
Location: Northern Michigan, Gaylord and Traverse City.
Transportation: Direct flights from Dallas and Houston to Detroit and Chicago with regional service to Traverse City Airport.
Weather: Short golf season, May to October, but 70 degrees and low humidity in the days, cool at night.
Non-golf Attractions: Trip to Mackinac Island features totally car-free island with Saunt St. Marie Canada less than an hour away offering some of the biggest locks in the world on Lake Huron.
Best Nearby Lodging: Grand Traverse Resort offers a multi-story tower with rooms, casino, spa, and restaurants.
More information: 1-800-TRAVERSE or www.treetops.com or www.boyne.com