The best golf courses in Michigan

Perry Maxwell, the Midwest associate of architect Alister MacKenzie, lived on site while constructing the course to MacKenzie’s plans, but there’s evidence Maxwell exercised considerable artistic license on some holes. Whomever did it, Crystal Downs has fairways that zigzag and rumble over the glacial landscape and greens that have doglegs in them. One drawback is that the putting surfaces are so old-fashioned that they’re too steep for today’s green speeds. But that’s part of Crystal Downs appeal. It’s short but has considerable bite.

Donald Ross felt his 1918 design was out-of-date for the 1951 U.S. Open and was prepared to remodel it. Sadly, he died in 1948, so Robert Trent Jones got the job. His rebunkering was overshadowed by ankle-deep rough, and after Ben Hogan closed with a 67, one of only two rounds under par 70 all week, to win his second consecutive Open, he complained that Jones had created a Frankenstein. Sixty-plus years later, Oakland Hills is even longer, but its bite wasn’t severe when it hosted the 2016 U.S. Amateur. In 2019, the South course closed as Gil Hanse and his team significantly renovated the course with the intention of removing the Jones influences and restoring its Ross feel. They did that by expanding greens to recapture what are some of Ross's best contours, removed trees to show off the rolling landscape and shifted bunkers back to where Ross, not RTJ, placed them. The course re-opened in Spring 2021, and though a crippling fire destroyed the club's iconic clubhouse, the USGA delivered some kind news to the club, bringing the 2034 and 2051 U.S. Opens to Oakland Hills—as well as a number of upcoming USGA championships.

Can a 100 Greatest course be a sleeper? The Bluffs Course at Arcadia Bluffs has been overshadowed by Pacific Dunes ever since it finished second to it in the Best New Upscale Public Course race of 2001. And likewise it’s been second-fiddle to Crystal Downs, a northern Michigan neighbor that every visitor wants to play, even though it’s private and Arcadia is public. And even by Whistling Straits, the imitation links on the opposite side of Lake Michigan that Arcadia Bluffs resembles, although the sand dunes at Arcadia are natural, not manmade. More recently, the Bluffs faces competition from within, the newly-opened sister layout, the South Course at Arcadia Bluffs, designed by Dana Fry in the style of C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor.

Expertly routed across glacial domes and over kettle holes, Kingsley Club opens with a split fairway, a high-right avenue separated from a low-left one by a cluster of sod-face bunkers. It’s an attention grabber than is repeated in various fashions throughout the round. For instance, the hilltop green on the short par-3 second seems tiny in comparison to the deep shaggy bunkers surrounding it. The long par-3 fifth plays over a valley with a tongue of fairway ready to repel any shot that comes up short. The par-4 sixth seems to slant in one direction, then cant in the other direction once past a lateral ridge that runs down the fairway. Every hole has its own character. With roughs of tall fescue and occasional white pines and hardwoods, Kingsley is all natural and all absorbing, a thoughtful design by Mike DeVries, who grew up in the area playing Crystal Downs.

Anyone who has ever played Mike Keiser’s terrific nine-hole Dunes Club in New Buffalo, Mich.—one of the best nine-hole courses in America, if not the best—is familiar with the “lost dunes” that exist along that stretch of Lake Michigan in southeast Michigan. Lost Dunes Golf Club, a half hour north along the same sand ridge, was created from an old sand quarry, lined on three sides by 60-foot-tall forested sand dunes, bottomed by two deep pit lakes and traversed through the center by I-94. (Nothing wrong with that: Oakmont is bisected by the Pennsylvania Turnpike.) There was still plenty of sand left in the quarry, which allowed Doak and his team to create some vast sandy waste areas as well as windblown dunes-style bunkers. Since the greens were shaped from native sand, the green contours are very bold. “The wildest set of greens I’ve ever built,” said Doak soon after it opened. When Keiser played the course on opening day, he was considering hiring Doak to design Pacific Dunes. “I can’t have him build these kind of greens for the retail golfer,” Keiser said. “Doak’s a professional,” he was told by another in his group. “He’ll give you whatever you want.” Sure enough, Doak was hired for Pacific Dunes, and the Bandon course became one of the best in the nation.

From Golf Digest Architecture Editor emeritus Ron Whitten:
 

The Tom Weiskopf-designed Forest Dunes in Michigan is a terrific layout on a terrific piece of property, with sand dunes deposited by the nearby Au Sable River and covered with mature pines.
 

But it's not a unique piece of property. When I first played it, I was struck by how much Forest Dunes resembles a Texas course designed by Weiskopf's former partner, Jay Morrish. That course, Pine Dunes in Frankston, Texas, is built on much the same terrain, sand dunes covered in pines. Though they were working at the same time on their respective projects (Forest Dunes was completed in 2000 but didn't open until 2002; Pine Dunes opened in 2001), I don't think Weiskopf or Morrish had any idea that they were working on such similar courses, and I don't think they stole each other's ideas. But it's uncanny how they created kissing-cousin courses. Or maybe not. The two worked together for over a decade before splitting up in 1996, and they shared a common philosophy of course design.
 

Both courses have split personalities, with portions that look like Augusta National—lots of grass, trees, pine needles and gleaming white sand bunkers—and other portions that look like Pine Valley—rugged holes edged by roughs of brownish native sand and scruffy underbrush. Each have one long par 4 (the second at Forest Dunes, the fourth at Pine Dunes) that curves to the left through trees, has no fairway bunkers but has one big bunker at the left front of the green. Both have par-3 16th holes that play over wasteland to an angled green with bunkers right and left. Both courses have very similar drive-and-pitch par 4s.
 

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The challenge at Arcadia Bluffs for architects Dana Fry and Jason Straka was to create a course that guests would want to play as often as they do the original course. But how can golf built on non-descript farmland compete with a course set on dramatic bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan? The answer? Do something entirely different. Channeling another famous but rather indifferent site, the designers turned to Chicago Golf Club and the architecture of McDonald/Raynor for inspiration. The South Course is a throwback in time, a jigsaw puzzle of intersecting bunkers, centerline hazards, alternate routes of play and geometric shaping. It interprets the strategic spirit of Raynor and Chicago Golf Club without replicating any specific holes. Where the Bluffs Course is a feast for the eye, the South Course is a treat for the intellect.

True North Golf Club, located in Harbor Springs, captures the best of Northern Michigan golf as it winds through the forest with significant elevation changes. The fairways on this Jim Engh design play wider than they appear, as most are raised toward the edges, feeding balls back toward the center. Give the course plays through dense forest, each hole is separate from the others, giving the layout a secluded feel emblematic of the region’s laid-back vibe.

The idea of a reversible golf course is as old at the Old Course at St. Andrews, and golf architect Joel Goldstrand built a series of nine-hole reversible courses for small clubs in Minnesota, Iowa and North Dakota back in the 1980s. But give Tom Doak credit for convincing a client to take a chance on an 18-hole reversible layout. “The goal is to have two very different courses over the same piece of ground, so people will want to stay over to play it both ways and compare and contrast the two.” says Doak. For our 2016 Best New competition, Doak wanted the entire 36 holes considered as one entry. We allowed that, and it won. For subsequent rankings, we’ve separated the two into conventional 18-hole candidates. The Black Course is the clockwise routing, slightly shorter and ranked slightly higher than its reverse image Red Course.

A decade before architect Mike DeVries created the world-class Cape Wickham Golf Club in Australia, he produced an equally compelling design in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a second 18 for Marquette. It’s called Greywalls because of all the granite rock outcroppings that edge some holes and squeeze others, like the short par-4 fifth, and because the rock provides the rugged topography over which this course scampers up and plunges down. The vistas out over Lake Superior are fantastic, beginning with the opening tee shot. Like Wilderness Club, this is a destination course worth hiking to play.

The Red Course is the counterclockwise routing of The Loop, and as the name suggests, both it and the Black Course play out to ninth holes at a far corner of the property, then back in. What’s most impressive in playing the Red (and the Black, for that matter), is that there is never the sensation of playing a hole backwards. The topography, bunkering and green entrances are all so compelling that it’s barely noticeable that each serves two purposes. The Loop is part of the Forest Dunes resort, which also contains Forest Dunes, a fine Tom Weiskopf design.

Meadowbrook's first six holes were designed by Willie Park, Jr. in 1916. Harry Collis and Jack Daray expanded the course to 18 holes in the 1920s, and Donald Ross later remodeled it. In 2017, architect Andy Staples re-envisioned the holes as pure Willie Park expressions, using Park's Huntercomb Golf Club in the U.K. as inspiration. The result is a brash interprettion of early 19th century architecture with square greens, geometric green contour and steep-faced bunkers on a rolling meadow property spotted here and there with stands of trees.

A past member of our 100 Greatest list, Tullymore has exciting design variety with five par 5s and five par 3s. The course winds through 800 acres of woods and wetlands and features the unique "muscle" bunkers and bowled greens that architect Jim Engh became known for when he was designing some of the most distinctive new golf courses in the late 1990s and 2000s. One of two courses at the resort, Tullymore has previously been ranked for 18 years on our 100 Greatest Public, debuting at No. 14 in 2003.

Overshadowed by the South course, which has hosted over a dozen major championships, the Donald Ross designed North course shares many features with The Monster, albeit more subtle. The greens have plenty of movement and are often guarded by deep bunkers, as they are on the South. The back nine has a nice variety of holes, including the reachable par-5 12th with a green surrounded by a railroad tie-lined water hazard, the drivable par-4 15th, and the long par-4 17th, with a dramatically tumbling fairway. The course was used alongside the South during stroke play at the 2016 U.S. Amateur.

Steve Smyers was given a hilly site in an old cherry orchard with views of Lake Michigan to route (and, as it turns out, to reroute) Lochenheath. A talented player known for designing challenging courses, Smyers is in form here with a course that demands proficient shot-making and strategic analysis. While he didn't bunker the course as much as he has others, it doesn’t need it--the terrain and green sites make for a stern test. The club has been both public and private, but it is private now.

From Golf Digest Architecture Editor emeritus Ron Whitten:
 

As it exists today, I consider Orchard Lake Country Club to be a classic 1926 Hugh Alison design. But in the beginning, it was anything but that.
 

For one thing, back in the 1920s, landscape architect Lynn Lavis, a Syracuse graduate associated with the British design firm of H.S. Colt and C.H. Alison, and golf course contractor William Connellan (who also had a hand in designing several courses in Michigan), had a devil of a time building the course. When they staked out the layout according to Alison's plan, the 10th and 18th fairways were under 18 inches of water that had seeped over from an adjacent tamarack swamp.
 

They pumped and pumped and installed thousands of feet of tile drains to reclaim some dry land. Then another issue was encountered with the swamp in which the 17th green was to be built. Alison had planned the hole to be a par-5 with an island green, but after dumping tons upon tons of soil into the swamp to form a green pad, the proposed green sank into the morass. So the 17th hole became a par 4, and I'm not certain Alison knew about that in advance.

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Designed by Rick Smith and Warren Henderson, the duo responsible for the design of Arcadia Bluffs two hours north, this low-key private club outside Grand Rapids near Lake Michigan caters to summer residents. The course spreads in two relatively flat counter-clockwise loops over a beautifully marshy tree-lined site, and while there are 22 forced carries, the fairways are generous and provide room to play. The lack of homes on the course gives the player a sense of solitude, and the sandy terrain allows for some firm and fast fairways and greens.

Just 90 minutes from Chicago in western Michigan, Harbor Shores is a scenic Jack Nicklaus layout that often gets high marks for conditioning from our panelists. It was constructed over parts of a former manufacturing facility that requred a significant amount of remediation, but the result is a sanctuary of nature where toxic compounds used to be. Because of the previous use of the property and the need to remove and work around defunt buildings, the holes are spread far and wide around the vast site, broken into distinct sections while crossing the Paw Paw River several times. The course is a regular host of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, having hosted five times, including in 2022 and 2024. Harbor Shores offers intriguing design variety, with dense forest, dunes, creeks and fescue all in play, and a highlight stretch of three holes along Lake Michigan.

William Watson, whose career began in Minnesota building courses such as Minikahda and Interlachen before moving on to work in California, designed Belvedere in the mid 1920s. Recently it’s been under the stewardship of architect Bruce Hepner who has kept the layout sharp and pure. It’s a graceful example of a design that reacts to the land with fairways that flow over links-like ripples and greens sited on natural landforms and benched into slopes. The putting contours are from another era, full of dimples, knobs, swales and bubbles that enliven short game intrigue—chips and putts demand as much attention and creativity as full shots, the sign of great architecture. Belvedere is a private course that welcomes outside play, and it can be walked in the early season for as little as $62.

American Dunes opened in 2021 and is a total reinvention of an existing course. In this case, Nicklaus took a wooded, decades-old design and nearly cleansed it of trees, opening up views across a lunar surface of heaving sandscapes that separate the holes. Extreme topographical variety has replaced a succession of narrow, repetitive golf holes with circular greens, and players now face enticing tee shots that must skirt sand barrens and putting surfaces shaped in all manner of size and pitch. Created by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, whose family owns the property, much of the course’s proceeds are donated to Folds of Honor, a charitable foundation that supports injured veterans, their families, and awards scholarships to children of wounded or killed military men and women.

One of three grand "new Pebble Beaches" that debuted in the late 1990s, Bay Harbor was ranked third in Golf Digest's survey of Best New Upscale Public Courses of 1999, behind the twin juggernauts Bandon Dunes and Whistling Straits. Bay Harbor consists of 27 holes, but we rank its Links 9, which plays mostly on a plateau overlooking Lake Michigan, and its Quarry 9, which dips in and out of a lakefront stone quarry. Though there isn't lodging directly at Bay Harbor, the Inn at Bay Harbor is an upscale option part of the Autograph Collection right down the road. And eight-person cottages with stay-and-play deals are also available at nearby Crooked Tree.

Crafted in the countryside north of Detroit by English golf professional Wilfred Reid and his partner William Connellan in the 1920s, Indianwood Old romps over a unique blend of landforms. Old is a good name for the course because it exudes the feel and characteristics of Golden Age design, namely deep bunkers that are littered strategically along the fescue-lined fairways and greens that exhibit enhanced slope and internal movements requiring precise iron shots. The course hosted the 1930 Western Open, the 1989 and 1994 US Women’s Open, and the 2012 US Senior Open. It's sister course, aptly named New, was designed by Jerry Pate and Bob Cupp in 1988.

Franklin Hills’ eminent neighbors Oakland Hills, Bloomfield Hills, and Birmingham Country Club loom large, yet the course rises to their level. Opened in 1927, this is a very private club, and the Albert Kahn clubhouse adds a touch of elegance. Donald Ross’s greens rank with some of his best with plenty of slope and undulation, and the design is refreshingly pure for not having been tampered with through the decades. The par threes are striking in their variety of length, green setting and shot requirements, and the memorable 301-yard “Volcano” hole at 13 requires just a short iron or wedge to a 3000 square foot green sitting 30 above the fairway, but it is the scariest 75 yards in Detroit.

Alister MacKenzie’s University of Michigan Golf Course was one of just a handful of college courses when it opened in the early 1930s, and it has remained one of the country’s best at any university. A restoration by Michigan native Arthur Hills in the 1990s restored some bunker and green complexes to MacKenzie’s original intent. The scene at the Blue, as it’s often referred to, is also one of the best of any collegiate venue as it sits atop hilly terrain in the shadows of the Big House, the Wolverines’ famous football stadium.

Donald Ross told the founding members of this new club that you have the “most wonderful piece of property I have ever seen,” while executing a redesign of their Tom Bendelow course. Subsequently, three generations of the Michigan-born Matthews family architects have worked on the course. There isn’t much Ross left, but what is there is very good, and the course is one of the most enjoyable walks in Michigan, built on gently rolling sand dunes just a mile from Lake Michigan. While not long, the greens have serious movement and require good shot-making, and several short par fours prove to be highlights. Tall fescue along some holes gives it an old-world feel.

The Highlands, located in Harbor Springs, offers four 18-hole layouts including the Heather course, which is a former member of our 100 Greatest and 100 Greatest Public lists. The Robert Trent Jones Sr. design sits at the base of the resort’s ski slopes and offers a stern ball-striking test, with tree-lined doglegs and water hazards demanding accuracy.

Chris Lutzke and Pete Dye collaborated on designing this links-style layout that has previously been ranked among our 100 Greatest Public. The course has many signature Dye elements, including steep greenside drop-offs, tiny pot bunkers and an island-green 17th, which closely mimics the famed original at TPC Sawgrass.

Pilgrim’s Run blends playability with character, as the generally wide fairways and large greens are protected by ponds, forest and strategically placed bunkers. Many of our panelists note that though it’s just 30 minutes north of Grand Rapids, Pilgrim’s Run has a northern Michigan feel.

Ranked for 10 years on our 100 Greatest Public list, The Bear is one of three championship layouts at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. The Jack Nicklaus-designed northern Michigan gem opened in 1985 and has plenty of character—with tiered greens, native fescue, moguls and deep pot bunkers. Like many Nicklaus designs, The Bear is a stern test, tipping out over 7,000 yards with a slope and rating of 76.1/150.

Birmingham Country Club in the suburbs of northeast Detroit sits at the center of one of the country's great collections of historic courses. It's neighbors, all within blocks of the club, include the Donald Ross-designed Okland Hills, ranked 20th on America's 100 Greatest Courses, Bloomfield Hills, a 1913 Harry S. Colt design, Ross's Franklin Hills, and Charles Alison's (Colt's design partner) Tam O' Shanter. Detroit Golf Club, another Ross club with 36 holes, is just down the road. Birmingham's pedigree is impressive too: designed in 1916 by Tom Bendelow, the club hosted the 1953 PGA Championship, and in 2022 completed a multiyear renovation by Bruce Hepner that cleared trees, expanded greens and accentuated Bendelow's early 20th century architecture.

Gull Lake View Golf Resort, with its six 18-hole courses in western Michigan, is one of the best stay and play options in Michigan. The resort’s signature layout, Stoatin Brae, is a links-style design that sits at one of the highest points in Kalamazoo County. The course, designed by Tom Doak associates Brian Schneider, Brian Slawnik, Don Placek and Eric Iverson is a departure from traditional Midwest parkland golf, offering panoramic views of the surrounding area and allowing the golfer to play the ball along the ground.

The Arthur Hills course may be the most player-friendly of the four layouts at The Highlands, with forgiving fairways and large greens. That said, there are some demanding shots, including the approaches to several small, elevated greens. There are plenty of elevation changes, including some dramatic downhill tee shots which offer beautiful vistas of the northern Michigan landscape.