When you play golf in northern Michigan you’d better bring more than your golf equipment. Bring a camera or have a good cell phone camera. Here are five holes around the region to enjoy some of the more spectacular views in the region. Don’t forget to keep your head down on the swing.
Treetops Resort — Masterpiece #6 hole 180-yard par 3
One of the most photographed golf course views in the region is the sixth hole on the Masterpiece at Treetops Resort in Gaylord. The elevated par three drops 120 feet from tee to green. Standing on the tee you have a 20 mile view looking out over the Pigeon River valley. Depending on wind, use two to three clubs less than you normally would for the distance.
When legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones, Sr., looked out over the forest from the ridge housing the tee during the construction of the course, he said, “All I can see are treetops.” Harry Melling, then owner, liked the statement so much that it became the name of the resort. This was one of the original course developments in the mid-1980s that helped establish northern Michigan as a national golfing destination. Today the resort is home to four 18-hole championship courses plus Treetops, considered by many as one of the top par three courses in the nation.
A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort — The Torch # 7 hole 235-yard par 3
Another par three with a spectacular view is the seventh hole on The Torch at A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort. From the elevated tee you have a panoramic view of the elevated green across a valley. Torch Lake is the backdrop for this hole. With the afternoon sun behind you illuminating the hole and Torch Lake it’s hard to keep your head down during the tee shot. Wait until you get back to the clubhouse for a picture. From the deck you get a great view of the hole and the breadth of Torch Lake, named by National Geographic as one of the most beautiful inland lakes in the world.
A-Ga-Ming is home to two 18-hole championship courses, The Torch and Sundance, a Jerry Mathews course that opened in the last decade. They also manage Antrim Dells, a third 18-hole course, just a few miles down the road, and the Charlevoix Country Club course.
Shanty Creek — The Legend #3 hole 433-yard par 4
The third hole on Arnold Palmer’s Legend offers beautiful full length views of Lake Bellaire from the elevated tee. It’s a dog-leg to the right from the tee, and all along the hole you catch glimpses of the lake through the trees. It’s one of the prettiest golf holes in northern Michigan, and one of the most photographed; Don’t go long on your approach shot to the green, or you’ll be heading down towards the lake. It drops off quickly.
Shanty Creek, when The Legend was constructed in the mid-1980s, helped usher in northern Michigan’s rise to prominence on the national golfing scale. It’s been named one of the top four resort courses in the United States by the readers of Golf magazine. The resort offers three other courses including Tom Weiskopf’s Cedar River, which was named one of America’s Top 100 Resort Courses by Golf Week.
The Homestead’s Manitou Passage — #1 hole 427-yard par 4
Manitou Passage is the rebirth of an Arnold Palmer Signature course, which was accomplished when The Homestead took over the ailing course years ago. Today it’s a destination course not to be missed. The first hole sets the tone with a risk/reward choice from the tee, which carries on throughout the 18 holes. You can try and cut the corner to shave distance, or hit that right-to-left draw you’ve been perfecting. Trouble is down the left, and bunkers and water guard the modest size green. The undulating putting surface places a premium on getting it close to the pin.
Palmer’s course begins in a sprawling meadow and climbs several miles over glacial moraines returning to finish in the meadow. Along the way, carefully framed views of fescue filled meadows, hardwood forests, expansive ridges, sparkling ponds and Lake Michigan’s Manitou Passage await the golfer. Complementing the rebirth of the golf course was a complete renovation of the clubhouse, which offers a grill and golf shop.
Grand Traverse Resort — Spruce Run #12 hole 312-yard par 4
Before Jack Nicklaus’ Bear and Gary Player’s Wolverine became two of the top golf courses in the country Spruce Run was alive and well at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. The old course, built in the late 1970s, has stood up well over the years and is still a local favorite. The 12th hole, which runs along the course below McGee’s 72 restaurant, is one of the shorter par fours on the course and a personal favorite. Don’t let that lull you into thinking it’s easy. With water on the left and a high ridge on the right, it’s often best to leave the driver in the bag. Shot placement on your drive is key to staying out of trouble and setting up an easy approach to a generous green, but don’t go long. Bunkers and water guard the back.
The resort is home to three 18-hole championship courses. The Bear is credited with starting the golf course building boom that occurred in northern Michigan from the early 1980s through the 1990s that put the region on the national golfing map. The Bear, now close to a half-century old, has lost none of its teeth. It’s still ranked the 18th toughest course in the U.S., and Grand Traverse Resort is ranked 45th among the top 75 Golf Resorts in the U.S., according to Golf Digest.