Matt Nicholson travels to Michigan to sample the great selection of golf courses and resorts on offer in the Great Lake State, before finding out how the game is supposed to be played at the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit
Like many kids who went to school in England in the 1970s, I grew up with the vague knowledge that Michigan was the name of one of America’s Great Lakes. I have Mr Wray, my school geography teacher, to thank for making me remember that vital nugget of information – along with the names of the other Great Lakes – Superior, Huron and Erie. Beyond that, and the fact that I later came to discover that the rapper Eminem came from Eight Mile in Detroit, my knowledge of the state that is bordered by Canada to the east, Ohio and Indiana to the south, and Wisconsin to the west, was somewhat limited.
So when the invitation to fly 3,800 miles across the Atlantic – and a fair chunk of America’s eastern seaboard – to experience what local number plates variously call the ‘Great Lake State’, ‘Water-Winter Wonderland’ and the ‘World’s Motor Capital’ has to offer the visiting traveller on and off the golf course, I was more than a little intrigued.
Eight-and-a-half hours after boarding my Delta Airlines flight from Heathrow, I touched down in Detroit with a full week’s itinerary ahead of me, taking in half- a-dozen rounds golf and topped off with a visit to Detroit Golf Club to watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic, a relatively new tournament that has been part of the PGA Tour’s mid-summer schedule since 2019.
After picking up my bags, golf clubs and a somewhat oversized rental car, I soon found myself cruising down the freeway to downtown Plymouth for my first stop, Saint John’s Resort, a well-established golf destination that is only 20 minutes outside the centre of Detroit. After checking in, I went to explore Plymouth, which, to my 1980s cinematic eye, resembled the film set from the town that features in Back to the Future. With a picture postcard town square featuring a beautiful fountain and an abundance of neatly planted trees, surrounded by rows of coffee shops, home-style restaurants and independent boutiques, it looked almost too perfect, and it was hard to believe that the people going about their business weren’t extras from a movie.
After enjoying a massive bowl of spaghetti bolognese and a glass of locally brewed beer in one of the several restaurants located near the town square, I headed back to Saint John’s to enjoy a great night’s sleep in my luxurious suite, which, truth be told, was big enough to comfortably house a family of four with room to spare.
Somewhat oddly, my first experience of golf in Michigan was to walk around a course that has yet to open. Saint John’s Resort’s new Cardinal Course won’t be welcoming its first visitors until next autumn, so I had slightly jumped the gun, but it was a real privilege to get a sneak preview of what lies in store for golfers who come to this area in late 2023 and beyond. Formerly known as the Inn at St John’s, the resort changed hands in 2021 and is currently undergoing a $40m transformation into luxury destination. It already boasted a 27-hole layout, but that has been ripped up and reconfigured into what will be an all-new 18-hole championship course and an adjoining seven-hole par-3 course.
With five sets of tees stretching the 18-hole layout from 4,835 yards to 7,007 yards, the course will be able to accommodate all skill levels, although the new owners harbour ambitions to host local and national tournaments, and who knows, maybe even higher up the tournament ladder, in the years ahead. Either way, the Cardinal will be the first new 18-hole layout built in the Detroit area in more than two decades when it opens next year, so it will be a welcome addition to the golfing scene for locals and visitors alike and a must stop over venue.
Next up on my action-packed itinerary was a three-hour drive north on i75 to the Treetops Resort in Gaylord. Treetops is home to no fewer than five courses – four 18-holers and one superb 9-hole, par-3 course – with one designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr, one by Tom Fazio, and the other three by Rick Smith. Smith is one of the US’s leading golf coaches, and has taught many of the world’s top players, but he’s also an award-winning course architect, so has several impressive strings to his bow. I played his most highly rated creation at Treetops, the Signature, which won the ‘Best Course in Michigan’ award not long after it opened in 1993.
Travelling on my own, I was grateful to be joined for my round by Tim Matty, Treetop’s course manager, or head superintendent, as they call them over there. Tim knows all there is to know about all five courses and is a decent golfer to boot, so he was great company and a fountain of knowledge. Inspired by Smith’s travels in Scotland and Ireland, the 6,660-yard, par-70 Signature course is characterised by narrow fairways, large sloping greens, gentle mounds and some severe run-offs. With fairways like carpets and the greens running fast and true, it was a delight to play, especially in the company of someone who could not only offer clear instructions on where to go, but also on where not to go. It also provided a brilliant introduction to the quality of golf and the standard of service that you can expect to find at golf courses in the Michigan area. I vow to play the Fazio course on my return, as his layouts never fail to challenge and entertain in equal measure.
While Treetops has enough golf to fill a working week, nearby courses at Forest Dunes Golf Club, where the late Tom Weiskopf worked his magic, and Tom Doak’s new reversible course, The Loop, make this area of Michigan a must- visit for lovers of great course design.
My overnight accommodation was at the Treetops Lodge, a cosy hotel next to the golf courses which doubles up as a ski lodge in winter, where I enjoyed an excellent dinner and a relaxing night’s sleep in preparation for my short journey west to Traverse City for the following day’s game at the Grand Traverse Resort.
Located an hour’s drive from Gaylord, the Grand Traverse boasts two signature courses, the Bear Course designed by, you guessed it, Jack Nicklaus, and the Wolverine Course, which was designed by Gary Player, which you probably didn’t guess. There is also a third course, the Spruce Run, which is a parkland course primarily designed for the higher handicapper.
My appointment was with the Bear Course, and, having played quite a few of Jack’s tracks in the UK, including St Mellion and the London Golf Club’s Heritage course, as well as Monte Rei in Portugal, I was keen to see how one of his domestic layouts would compare. I was joined on my round by three of Grand Traverse’s management team – Matthew Bryant, the resort’s general manager; Tom McGee, Director of Golf Operations; and Paul Galligan, the Director of Grounds – so I was in elevated company and was keen to show that I could not only talk a good game.
Needless to say, the course didn’t disappoint, and thankfully my golf wasn’t too bad either, although with a slope rating of 76 off the back tees, the 7,078-yard course is a true test of championship golf. We played off the more accommodating middle tees, which took the length down to 6,660 yards, but with some tight, tree-lined fairways, a number of forced carries over swampland, and some well-protected greens – most of which seemed to be either narrow and long, or wide and shallow – pars weren’t easy to come by.
With no holes remotely the same, it makes for a hugely interesting challenge, while the 430-yard finishing hole maybe one of the toughest I played all week, with a huge pond protecting the largest green on the course on what was a longish approach. The Bear Course is also a haven for wildlife, and it’s not unusual to spot deer, ducks, geese and blue herons during a round, while racoons, foxes and muskrats are also a common sight and all add to what is already a memorable experience.
After golf I enjoyed a fabulous steak dinner in the resort’s Aerie Restaurant & Lounge, which enjoys a lofty location on the 16th floor of the hotel looking out over the Wolverine Course and the eastern edge of Traverse Bay, which is an inlet of Lake Michigan. It was a great spot to end what had been a great day.
The following morning, I drove an hour or so north along the picturesque 31, which hugs the shores of Lakes Michigan, to my next destination, The Highlands at Harbor Springs, while stopping on the way to sample of some of the Michigan’s famous cherries. The drive takes you through the charming towns of Charlevioux, Bay Shore, Petoskey before I arrived at Harbor Springs for the next tee time on my whistle stop tour.
The Highlands has recently undergone some substantial renovations to many of it’s rooms, which offer premium amenities, with rooms being expanded to more spacious layouts, whilst drawing on inspiration from the hotel’s original English Tudor-style.
Harbor Springs is a family-owned resort that markets itself as a year-round attraction, with golf offered in
the summer and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. It forms part of what is known locally as ‘Michigan’s Magnificent 10’ – a group of ten courses all located in the northern part of the state which are owned and run by Boyne Golf, which could arguably form the basis for a single golf trip, or part of an itinerary around the whole state.
I played the Arthur Hills course and Bay Harbor Links, and visited all of the others, and was hugely impressed with the impeccable quality and conditioning of all ten courses.
The Arthur Hills course was a truly memorable experience, with huge elevation and awesome views, the course is challenging but fair, it’s a brilliantly designed course and a must course to play when in the area.
The Links at Bay Harbor (27 holes) was the most expensive 9 hole course ever built back in 1996 and offers incredible views of Lake Michigan finishing off at a clubhouse which has to be in one of the best settings I’ve ever come across.
Make sure you allow a few days to stay in and around Petoskey, this truly is a golfers paradise. I remember asking my host Ken Griffin of Boyne Golf why are they all smiling around here and his reply was “It’s because we all can’t believe what we have ” That evening I spent at the Palette Bistro overlooking Lake Michigan followed by a must visit to Ernesto’s Cigar Lounge in Petoskey.
The golf season closes in mid-October around these parts, but during my visit in late July the temperature was a steady 75°-80°f, making it perfect for golf.
MICHIGAN’S MAGNIFICENT TEN
From Boyne Golf
THE HEATHER AT THE HIGHLANDS
The Heather was the first Boyne Golf course and widely credited as the spark that launched the golf boom in northern Michigan. The Heather has cemented the region as America’s ‘Summer Golf Capital’, and tested some of the finest names in the game since its opening.bThe Heather was an instant winner. Its wide tree lined fairways maneuver around sculpted bunkers and daunting water hazards, all with spectacular views.
THE ALPINE AT BOYNE MOUNTAIN
With its spectacular mountain setting and panoramic views towards Deer Lake, its surroundings are every bit as breathtaking as its noteworthy design. It shares a 1.2 miles drive with it sister course, The Monument, to the top of the mountain and the first tees. Known for its open, playable layout that trends down the mountain, solid drives are rewarded and its forgiving greens can bolster confidence in your short game.
THE MOOR AT THE HIGHLANDS
The Moor represents a fair but true test of game. The difference lies in the doglegs. Designed with numerous twists and turns, the front nine of The Moor favours right-handed power fade hitters – with holes 1, 2, 7 and 9 showing their curves immediately off the tee. Its reputation as a player’s golf course is so widely known that The Moor has been designated as an AJGA Championship course.
THE MONUMENT AT BOYNE MOUNTAIN
Borrowing traits from designers like Donald Ross, Dr. Alister Mackenzie, Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Pete Dye, The Monument lives up to its name as it pays homage to the game’s most important influences – with holes dedicated to noteworthy players and key contributors. The course requires a complete game, with demanding fairways, and undulating greens that reward careful putting.
THE DONALD ROSS MEMORIAL AT THE HIGHLANDS
The Donald Ross Memorial is, in essence, a ‘greatest hits’ compilation, selecting from some of the designer’s best-known holes from the most renowned courses in his portfolio to create an unforgettable golf course. In 2021/22, changes were made first and 15th holes, which are tributes to the sixth hole at Seminole in Florida and 11th hole at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.
CROOKED TREE GOLF CLUB
The finest golf courses don’t claim their environment: they embrace it. Crooked Tree Golf Club clearly reflects that mandate. Carved through stands of centuries-old hardwood, and perched on bluffs high above Little Traverse Bay, the fairways of the first nine holes are lined by old- growth trees – creating stunning sight lines from one hole to the next.
THE ARTHUR HILLS AT THE HIGHLANDS
A signature course that lives up to the legendary reputation of its namesake, the Arthur Hills course is widely recognised as one of the finest in Michigan – and a bucket list essential for avid golfers, both regionally and throughout the US. With its wide, bunker-dotted fairways, narrowing approaches and fascinating greens, this scenic course provides excellent playability for golfers of all abilities.
LINKS AT BAY HARBOR
Taking its lead from the dramatic courses that hug Ireland’s North Atlantic coastline, The Links is situated on the beautiful Lake Michigan shore, with miles of uninterrupted views up and down the lakefront. Accented by towering bluffs and windblown dunes, The Links 9 demonstrates Arthur Hills design at its finest, combining the course’s unique topography with the native environment to achieve golf’s greatest promise as both a sport – and a lifestyle.
PRESERVE AT BAY HARBOR
Nestled into the hardwood forest that hugs the Lake Michigan shore, The Preserve is a members’ favorite that’s nothing short of a sanctuary. Designed by Arthur Hills, the course winds its way through a classic northern Michigan landscape, taking players through wildflowers, lush grass, and native wetlands filled with an abundance of wildlife.
QUARRY AT BAY HARBOR
The Quarry epitomizes Arthur Hills’ unique ability to leverage existing terrain in the creation of something distinctive – and spectacular. Located in and around the remains of a massive shale quarry, this one-of-a-kind course claims some of the golfing world’s most dramatic features, from 40-foot gorges and stone cliffs to natural ponds and a gentle waterfall. But beyond the scenery, The Quarry is golf at its finest.
DETROIT
With my trip nearing its end, I drove the four hours back south to Detroit and checked into the city’s, very hip downtown hotel, Element Detroit at the Metropolitan.
The hotel overlooks Comerica Park, the home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team. Timing your trip with a visit to catch one of their home games seems like a good plan if you like that sort of thing, while Detroit’s NFL team, the Lions, plays their home games at the next door Ford Field from mid-September, just as the golf season is beginning to wind down.
My next tee time was a real box ticker – a round at Oakland Hills Country Club, the scene of Europe’s historic 181⁄2-91⁄2 win in the 2004 Ryder Cup, and host of many a major championships, including six US Opens and most recently, the 2008 PGA Championship, which resulted in the third of Padraig Harrington’major wins.
The course, which has recently been awarded the US Open in 2034 and 2051, and the US Women’s Open in 2031 and 2042, has undergone many changes since Harrington’s heroics, with Gil Hanse being brought on board in 2019 to carry out some major renovations to the South Course to make it play easier for the membership, while making it more of a challenge to the game’s leading professionals. Those changes, which included removing trees, increasing the size of greens, removing some bunkers while increasing the size of those remaining, have certainly done the trick, although it still very much lives up to the nickname given to it by Ben Hogan as ‘the monster’.
Meticulously maintained – I’m sure I didn’t see a blade of grass out of place – the South Course is a majestic, yet brutal layout. The holes play long and the approach shots to the greens are some of the toughest I’ve ever played. Sadly, the club’s iconic clubhouse burned down earlier this year, but it was great to see that work has already started on its reconstruction, and while all that history has been lost, it will arise from out of the ashes into something equally iconic for future generations of golfers to enjoy.
For my final day in the great state of Michigan I went to watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Like all PGA Tour events, it attracted a huge local crowd, and had a great atmosphere, more like a garden party than a golf tournament, with lots of people who were clearly there for the hospitality and a good day out rubbing shoulders those who had come to watch the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Will Zalatoris, Cameron Young and Tony Finau in action. Finau, one of the stars the 2021 Ryder Cup team, went on to win the tournament, chalking up the fourth PGA Tour win of his already impressive career.
It was my first experience of a tournament outside of Europe, and it’s easy to understand why so many European players have chosen to base themselves in the States, given the excitement and razzamatazz that seems to surround the PGA Tour at each and every venue. And, yes, there are other factors, like the weather and the prize money.
For my final night in Detroit I ate at the Highlands Restaurant on the 71st floor of the GM Renaissance Center, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
Specialising in Wagyu beef, with an interesting mix of chops, cuts and rib racks and an impressive wine list, we ate a superb meal while enjoying the backdrop of the city skyscape from huge floor-to-ceiling windows.
It was certainly a suitably dramatic end to what had been a hugely memorable and wonderful surprisingly trip, and I came away not only having been impressed by the quality of the golf courses, the resorts and of the hospitality, but also by the warmth of the welcome that you receive as a traveller wherever you’re from.
If you, like me, judge a place by its people, then Michigan should definitely be on your list of destinations to visit, preferably with your golf clubs in tow.
DETROIT GOLF
The Southeast region of Michigan has become a hot bed for great golf courses
in recent years which will provide some great options for visiting golfers. It all began with Pine Trace Golf Club and The Orchards Golf Club in the early ‘90s. Pine Trace is a watery and woody track in Rochester, while The Orchards, a 7,100-yard layout designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, features 93 bunkers, plenty of trees and wetlands.
Shepherd’s Hollow, a 27-hole Arthur Hills design located on dramatically rolling and wooded land 40 miles north of Detroit, instantly became one of the area’s top public golf facilities when it first opened, but it has since been joined by Westwynd Golf Course, a new green fee course which opened next to the ultra-exclusive Wyndgate Golf Club in Rochester Hills, with its 18 holes flowing serenely across a broad tract of hills, tall fescue plots and wetlands.
Variety of golf in one location is rare, but Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Center in Plymouth has managed it with aplomb. A 63-hole public golf complex that caters all levels of golfer, visitors can take their pick from the Classic Fox, Golden Fox and Strategic Fox courses, each of which boasts its own clubhouse. Strategic Fox was developed primarily as a way to grow the game and make it fun for beginners, while Classic and Golden are for more experienced players.
Other green fee courses in the area well worth a visit include Cherry Creek, Blackheath, Fieldstone, Northville Hills, Twin Lakes, Moose Ridge and Boulder Pointe.
For more details on where to play in the Detroit area visit: visitdetroit.com/golf-courses-detroit/
DOWNTOWN DETROIT
Detroit may not seem like obvious mini break destination, but as a starting and finishing point for a golf trip to Michigan, ‘Motor Town’ has got so much to offer for the travelling visitor.
Subject to huge investment in recent years, the compact and very walkable downtown area is packed with museums, theatres, art exhibitions, food halls, market, restaurants, bars and, of course, the iconic stadiums that are home to city’s two main sports teams, the NFL’s Detroit Lions and the NBA’s Detroit Tigers.
Car fans, and even those who aren’t, will enjoy a visit to The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, which serves as a vast repository for some of the country’s most innovative inventions and cultural touchstones of the past century, including those iconic Model-T Fords, racing cars from Indy, stock and drag racing history, cars from US Presidential motorcades, the actual bus Rosa Parks made Civil Rights history on in 1955, and numerous other pop-culture artifacts. With loads of simulators, hands-on activities and immersive experiences, it’s a great way to spend a few hours before or after hitting the links.
Music fans will not want to miss out on the Motown Museum, which gives visitors the opportunity to walk in the musical footsteps of a glittering roster of artists that include the likes of the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, the Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and the Temptations; while art lovers should make time to soak up some culture within the open spaces and quiet corridors of the Detroit Institute of Arts, where a vast 65,000-piece collection that encompasses American, European, African, Asian, Native American, Islamic, Modern and contemporary works can be viewed in sublime surroundings.
Noisy and fun nights out can be enjoyed in any number of restaurants, bars and clubs in the downtown area, while there are concerts and shows by big-name music acts, comedians and live theatre to be enjoyed at the city’s historic 5,000-seater Fox Theatre.
For details of things to see and do in Detroit, plus the latest events, check out visitdetroit.com
WHERE I STAYED
SAINT JOHN’S RESORT
Detroit’s destination resort is a iconic landmark surrounded by natural beauty in 200 acres, Saint John’s offers an idyllic setting and is the perfect stop over when flying into Detroit.
Visit saintjohnsresort.com
THE TREETOPS LODGE
Treetops has a few accommodation options, I stayed in the The Treetops Lodge, but would recommend all of their lodging.
Visit treetops.com
GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT AND SPA
The ultimate Michigan resort and spa experience. If you want to escape the rigors of everyday life and fancy some championship golf, then the tower at Grand Traverse Resort is for you.
Vist grandtraverseresort.com
THE HIGHLANDS AT HARBOR SPRINGS
The Highlands offers an idyllic setting in charming Harbor Springs, Michigan. A family-owned destination, it provides the ultimate northern Michigan experience served with heartfelt hospitality.
Visit highlandsharborsprings.com
ELEMENT DETROIT AT THE METROPOLITAN
Within easy walking distance from top attractions like Ford Field, Comerica Park, Little Caesars Arena and thriving destinations in the Theatre District of downtown Detroit.
Visit Click Here
GETTING THERE:
Delta Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic all offer direct flights to Detroit, either from London (Gatwick or Heathrow) or Manchester, with an average flight time of 8 hours 45 minutes. Return flights cost around £400, depending on date of travel.
For details, visit delta.com, ba.com or virginatlantic.com
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