BOYNE Golf - My First Visit, Buy Not My Last

By Paul Seifert, Wisco Golf Addict

Other writers have shared glowing reviews about their trips to BOYNE Golf, so I knew our foursome was in for a treat. That said, BOYNE Golf over-delivered on every level. From the resorts to the dining, lodging, and golf, this is a big-time golf trip that is not talked about nearly enough.

The BOYNE Golf Destination

BOYNE Golf is Michigan’s premier golf destination, located 40 minutes south of the Mackinac Bridge near Petoskey. As the second largest golf resort in the U.S. behind Pinehurst, the destination features 10 championship courses across three properties, but soon to be 11: The Highlands (4 courses, plus a new short course), Boyne Mountain (2 courses), and Bay Harbor/Petoskey (4 courses).

We played seven courses and were impressed not only by their excellent design but especially by the consistent maintenance standards. Unlike most resorts where conditions vary between premium and standard layouts, every BOYNE Golf course delivers country club-quality conditions with smooth, quick greens - even the more affordable options match the pristine quality of the flagship, Bay Harbor Golf Club.

The Highlands Resort

Each resort has a different vibe. The Highlands makes you feel like you are visiting the Scottish Highlands, while Boyne Mountain offers a European vibe, reminiscent of Austria.

We stayed in the Main Lodge, which has spectacular rooms near The Heather course. In addition to the hotel, other options include townhomes, condominiums, and homes on the courses or adjacent to the ski slopes. 

The Heather Course at The Highlands

A masterful parkland design by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., in 1966, The Heather was the first 18-hole championship course in Boyne’s portfolio. It is a stern test of golf that has hosted a myriad of state and professional tournaments, including the 113th Michigan Amateur in 2024. The National Golf Course Owners Association also named it the National Golf Course of the Year in 2019.

The Donald Ross Memorial Course at The Highlands

The Donald Ross Memorial Course at The Highlands was my second favorite golf experience of our trip, replete with brilliant replicas from 18 of the great architect’s most iconic hole designs including two apiece from Seminole, Pinehurst No. 2 and Oakland Hills. Six holes have undergone renovation over the last three years, thanks to improved mapping technology not available when the course was designed.

The Arthur Hills Course at The Highlands

I had no idea what to expect at the Hills Course. I spent more time perusing Donald Ross’s background information before our trip, thinking there was no way the Hills could hold a candle. I was wrong! The Hills Course offers the most dramatic landscape of any of BOYNE Golf courses, featuring changes in elevation up to 352 feet (over a 10-story drop!) on the spectacular par five 13th.  The par five sits atop one of the property’s highest points before descending hundreds of feet through the woods via a wide, forgiving fairway. This is one of the most dramatically elevated golf holes I’ve ever played. This course is a 9-mile thrill ride through the forests, throwing out one signature hole after another.

Doon Brae at The Highlands (number 11 is coming in 2025!)

Readying to debut in the early summer of 2025, the new nine-hole Doon Brae par three course is an absolute stunner!

Designed by Holland, Michigan-based architect Ray Hearn, Doon Brae (“Doon” translates to going down into a valley and “Brae” hillside in Scottish) is on the lower slopes of a ski run at The Highlands. Complete with a massive Himalayan-style 27-hole putting course (the Back Yaird), the updated area behind The Highlands’ Main Lodge will soon be a destination for visitors to enjoy bonus time playing golf on-site without needing a tee time on one of its 18-hole championship courses. The par three course features wonderful short holes from 57-150 yards inspired by Hearn’s favorites from time spent in the British Isles, including many templates like an Eden, Biarritz, Short, Punch Bowl, and a Redan and Reverse Redan.

Boyne Mountain Resort

Boyne Mountain is also a perfect summer getaway with two 18-hole golf courses, an expansive Alpine village, and a plethora of dining options. Couples and families will enjoy Boyne Mountain when you are not on the courses, with a wide range of restaurants and activities to enjoy. Choose from Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark’s 88,000 square feet of fun, or get outside to Deer Lake Beach across the street from the golf courses.  And the activities are endless. While at Boyne Mountain, be sure to check out the new SkyBridge Michigan. At 1,203 feet in length and 118 feet of height, this is the longest timber-towered suspension bridge in the world and is deemed “Michigan’s other bridge,” in deference, of course, to the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge. While we stayed in Edelweiss King rooms in the newly updated Chalet Edelweiss, I was floored by how many options Boyne Mountain has for lodging including the Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa, the Clock Tower Lodge, Boynehof Lodge and a variety of villas and cabins for ski-in/ski-out accessibility and access to Deer Lake. Both The Alpine and The Monument courses are beyond beautiful, exquisitely conditioned and yes, no pushovers. Both begin atop Boyne Mountain, then play downhill from the same general area as the SkyBridge. 

The Alpine Course at Boyne Mountain

The Alpine offers beautiful green complexes. It’s an outstanding parkland design that we were all really impressed with.  Humongous hills often come into play on the inward nine, and wild green-side bunkering is displayed throughout the course. There wasn’t a single course we played during this trip that didn’t at least meet our foursome’s lofty expectations, and they were all fun, beautiful, and challenging. The Alpine delivers a uniquely mountainous Midwest experience where, just maybe, Julie Andrews’ spirit still twirls through the mist.

The Monument Course at Boyne Mountain

An impressive championship golf venue with a fun mix of parkland holes and incredible shot values, we were constantly in awe of this course’s monumental challenge and natural splendor. A mix of the Alpine, Heather and Arthur Hills courses, the Monument has it all from a features perspective including architectural nods on 13 of the 18 holes to some of the game’s most legendary players including Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen and Byron Nelson.

The Inn at Bay Harbor | Bay Harbor Golf Club 

The flagship property for BOYNE Golf is the Inn at Bay Harbor, a 125-room, Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel, located on the shores of Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay. The property features two golf properties that technically comprise four 18-hole courses between three nines: Links/Quarry, Preserve/Links, and Quarry/Preserve. Crooked Tree Golf Club adds another 18 holes.  Nearby Petoskey is a charming northern beach community with so much more to experience beyond world-class golf. Petoskey is an incredible destination on its own.

The Links/Quarry Course at Bay Harbor Golf Club

This was our final round and the one we were all most excited about when planning the visit. An annual inhabitant of the big publications’ Top 100 Public Courses lists, Bay Harbor Golf Club provides an epic setting for golf with beautiful views and terrific Arthur Hills architecture. Originally opened in 1998, Links/Quarry is colloquially referred to as “The Pebble Beach of the Midwest” with its mixture of dramatic lakeside holes akin to the Straits at Whistling Straits and incredible wooded ones, mostly on the Quarry nine. The golf at Bay Harbor Golf Club is sensational, and the overall experience is fun and prestigious. I expected a lot out of Bay Harbor Golf Club, and it blew my expectations out of the water in every way. Leading the charge was The Quarry nine. I did not honestly know what to expect from The Quarry, kind of thinking we’d be awed by the Links and then play average golf for the back nine. Far from it. The Quarry is replete with memorable golf holes, playing over and around an inland quarry with steep faces and thrilling use of elevation, all while overlooking Lake Michigan. The Links/Quarry combination at Bay Harbor Golf Club is a bucket list-worthy golf experience and one I cannot imagine passing up on any trip to northern Michigan.

Crooked Tree Golf Club

Located between Bay Harbor Golf Club and the Inn at Bay Harbor, Crooked Tree Golf Club is a perfect complement to Bay Harbor Golf Club. Crooked Tree’s signature hole, the par four 16th, was especially dramatic, falling theatrically from tee to green as you look across Lake Michigan. This was also my favorite hole to photograph that morning with the bay and intense morning colors lingering beyond it. 

BOYNE Golf as a destination is criminally underrated. Every BOYNE Golf course is unique and exceptionally maintained. Visitors will debate which is their favorite (even when there’s a headliner as strong as Links/Quarry), which tells that story well. I never hear, “This is the best course at BOYNE Golf,” but rather, “This is my favorite.” When it comes to favorites, Bay Harbor Golf Club is the most frequently mentioned course, but I’ve also heard of the Donald Ross Memorial Course, Arthur Hills, The Alpine, and Crooked Tree. There are no wrong answers—only different architectural styles that speak to different players. Getting to BOYNE Golf has never been easier. We were surprised that most of the United States now have access via convenient non-stop flights into Traverse City (TVC), Michigan, from 20 U.S. cities. Those with access to private planes can take advantage of the four-million-dollar upgrade to their 5200’ airport at Boyne Mountain. And it is less than a day’s drive for most golfers in the Midwest. For more information, call 877.269.8034 or visit BoyneGolf.com.