Traverse City, MI Golf and More?

[madeinguam81]

A few friends and I are going to TC for a 40th birthday celebration in September.   We arrive Thursday Sept 23 in the afternoon and leave Sunday September 26 in the afternoon.  That leaves Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning to play. 
 

What are some of the must play courses?  If we were to splurge on one, what would it be? What are some nice but good value courses we should consider?

 

Also, what fun things should we look into beside golf? Breweries, restaurants, etc? We're only going to play 18 per day so that leaves a lot of time to get into trouble. 
 

THANK YOU! 

Edited July 28, 2021 by madeinguam81
wrong dates

[Gdane]

I'll leave the golf to locals, as I've only played the Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Forest Dunes in Roscommon. 

 

However,  I came back from my second Traverse City trip earlier this week and two must-stop breweries for me are Hop Lot and the Filling Station.  Both have great selection of beers and some of the better brewery food I've had.   Hop Lot is also right by Bahle Farms, which I haven't played but drove into last week to check out and the few holes I could see from the clubhouse looked solid.

 

The Jolly Pumpkin is another popular brewery up there if you and your group are into sours.

[madeinguam81]

1 minute ago, Gdane said:

I'll leave the golf to locals, as I've only played the Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Forest Dunes in Roscommon. 

 

However,  I came back from my second Traverse City trip earlier this week and two must-stop breweries for me are Hop Lot and the Filling Station.  Both have great selection of beers and some of the better brewery food I've had.   Hop Lot is also right by Bahle Farms, which I haven't played but drove into last week to check out and the few holes I could see from the clubhouse looked solid.

 

The Jolly Pumpkin is another popular brewery up there if you and your group are into sours.

GREAT INFO!  Thank you very much!  I'm looking into Bahle Farms actually so Hop Lot bearing nearby is awesome.  

How were The Bear at GTR and Forest Dunes?  

[AzSuperHack76]

Being in TC kind of puts you in the middle of Forrest Dunes and Arcadia. 
 

Other courses I’d recommend would be Bahle Farms or Champion Hill. 

 

Hop Lot Brewery in Sutton’s Bay is awesome. 
 

 

[Jose c.]

Just being up there (TC) makes everything feel and tastes better. With that said hop lot is close to bahle farms along with manitou passage. Cant go wrong with either.

[Ryan3773]

On 7/28/2021 at 10:08 AM, madeinguam81 said:

GREAT INFO!  Thank you very much!  I'm looking into Bahle Farms actually so Hop Lot bearing nearby is awesome.  

How were The Bear at GTR and Forest Dunes?  

The bear is not fun. It’s difficult just for the sake of being difficult. Forest dunes is in a different stratosphere 

[JeffreySpicoli]

19 minutes ago, Ryan3773 said:

The bear is not fun. It’s difficult just for the sake of being difficult. Forest dunes is in a different stratosphere 

The Bear can be a lot of fun if your game is on. I’ve shot a couple of my best rounds there.

[Ryan3773]

9 minutes ago, JeffreySpicoli said:

The Bear can be a lot of fun if your game is on. I’ve shot a couple of my best rounds there.

The same could be said for any course. 
 

hole 5 there might be one of the worst designed holes I’ve ever seen. I hit 2 iron off the tee then had a 3 wood in that had to carry like 220. and there was literally no other way to play it. It’s punishing target golf with little imagination or creativity 

Edited July 29, 2021 by Ryan3773

[JeffreySpicoli]

45 minutes ago, Ryan3773 said:

The same could be said for any course. 
 

hole 5 there might be one of the worst designed holes I’ve ever seen. I hit 2 iron off the tee then had a 3 wood in that had to carry like 220. and there was literally no other way to play it. It’s punishing target golf with little imagination or creativity 

Sorry to hear you’ve had such bad experiences at The Bear. I haven’t struggled with hole 5. But, hey, we’re just different!

[Ryan3773]

42 minutes ago, JeffreySpicoli said:

Sorry to hear you’ve had such bad experiences at The Bear. I haven’t struggled with hole 5. But, hey, we’re just different!

I’m not critiquing it because I played poorly, I actually played pretty well there.

 

I am saying it is a course that is not accessible for like 99 percent of golfers. Older players and people who struggle to get the ball in the air literally can never run the ball up. There are forced carries all over the place. Jack had a tendency to build courses that just aren’t playable for the vast majority of golfers, and I think that’s crappy. 

[tjblue]

The force carry on 5 looks to be 100-120 yards over water from the end of the fairway.

 

Not totally unreasonable.... my wife could carry that with a good strike from her 5 hybrid. Not every course is built for everyone.

[Ryan3773]

8 minutes ago, tjblue said:

The force carry on 5 looks to be 100-120 yards over water from the end of the fairway.

 

Not totally unreasonable.... my wife could carry that with a good strike from her 5 hybrid. Not every course is built for everyone.

The problem the second day I played it was the tees were so far back and at an such an awkward angle that the creek running through the fairway needed to be laid up in front of. The course took driver out of your hand and forced an iron on a 415 yard hole. 

[tjblue]

1 hour ago, Ryan3773 said:

The problem the second day I played it was the tees were so far back and at an such an awkward angle that the creek running through the fairway needed to be laid up in front of. The course took driver out of your hand and forced an iron on a 415 yard hole. 

7000 yards and  76.1/150 rating/slope

 

I'd expect a few "awkward angle" shots. The course has its reputation for a good reason.

[Ryan3773]

5 minutes ago, tjblue said:

7000 yards and  76.1/150 rating/slope

 

I'd expect a few "awkward angle" shots. The course has its reputation for a good reason.

Your opinion on a course you’ve never played is very valuable. 

[tjblue]

24 minutes ago, Ryan3773 said:

Your opinion on a course you’ve never played is very valuable. 

That's ok everyone gets over their ski's everyonceinawhile.

[Ryan3773]

2 minutes ago, tjblue said:

That's ok everyone gets over their ski's everyonceinawhile.

Kind of like googling a scorecard of a course and using it to form an opinion of that course?

 

Back on topic:

 

forest dunes/the loop are far superior to the bear at grand traverse. That was my original point. Worth a bit longer of a drive 

 

 

[tjblue]

6 minutes ago, Ryan3773 said:

Kind of like googling a scorecard of a course and using it to form an opinion of that course?

 

Back on topic:

 

forest dunes/the loop are far superior to the bear at grand traverse. That was my original point. Worth a bit longer of a drive 

 

 

No shame playing from the blues.

 

I agree Forest dunes is a great course and worth a visit.

[putterboy75]

I've been to all of the courses mentioned in the past 2 weeks, here are my thoughts:

I think Forest Dunes should be included in your schedule but to be honest, only because everyone else likes it and writes glowing reviews. After my visit, it's one of those places I had been wanting to play and now am glad I have played it, but don't need to come back. I didn't play The Loop, and that would be the only reason I'd every think about another trip. We played the original, which I found to be architecturally on the boring and forgettable side. On the back 9 I thought to myself, wait, did Tom Fazio design this course?... FD claims on their website or some ad that the practice facility is one of the best in the area, however, when we got there the driving range had seemingly closed for the day (how do you close the damn driving range before pitch dark at a "resort" where there's nothing else to do except sit at the bar?) I did see the range on the way out to play and it didn't seem to be the practice destination advertised...The pitching / chipping area is what you'd find at a space constrained inner city country club, unless there's another one somewhere on the property I missed. I thought the course was hard-ish, not Pete Dye hard, but one of those you shoot 10 shots better the 2nd time you go around because you know where to avoid. I read somewhere before the round that the greens are kept slick and pristine. They were faster than your muni / public courses that get a ton of play, but couldn't have been over 9 on the stimp and surprisingly bumpy everywhere, not just near the hole. Maybe I just don't like "modern" golf courses so that's why I don't see the hype. The other add-on amenities (putting course, new 10 hole par 3 course) are cool and can allow the trip to drag on so you feel it's worthy of a longer car ride, but you'll have to be the judge of that.

 

Grand Traverse Resort is intriguing to me and I can't quite figure out if it's a place that hasn't really changed on purpose since it was built or if it hasn't really changed because they don't need to and people will come there anyways due to it being the only place big enough nearby to host conferences, etc. It's hard to tell if most play is from groups or corporate events, or if more is from golfers wanting to play the courses they see in the "Pure Michigan" ads. I  I played The Bear ~5 years ago and yes, it's hard and long (especially considering it was ~7000 when it debuted 25 years ago.) Everyone on WRX seemingly knocks GTR so I wanted to see for myself a few weekends ago so we played both The Bear & The Wolverine in the afternoon (rates are much better in the afternoon and even lower on weekdays if that helps your decision) After visiting and 2 rounds, I agree with most others comments on GTR but overall had a really nice experience. It is definitely not the family run golf course charging $30 like Champion Hill or Pinecroft, but the staff is super friendly and went out of the way to be sure we were comfortable. I'd rate the range facility at 7 / 10, but what I was most surprised by was the topography of the 2 courses. You really feel like you're in Colorado or Utah playing mountain golf. If you are staying nearby and don't want to spend a lot of time in the car, you'll have a nice time at GTR, so long as you know going into the round that it will be more $$ than others in the area and has a 1980s resort feel. FOr what it's worth, and I think this really left me with a good feeling after playing at GTR, I played all of these courses mentioned with my fiance and she felt very welcome and at home right away at GTR, which wasn't the case at all at Forest Dunes where she was asked with confusion "are you actually playing too?"

 

I went up to Elk Rapids GC which is 15 min N of GTR this past weekend. It's a 9-hole 1920s original Donald Ross course (funny enough, since it doesn't have a long game area, I stopped off at GTR on the way to warm up) Can't say enough good things about my round. It's not Pinehurst No.2 Ross difficulty, I'd actually say the course is rather easy, but it's on the lake and the views are about as good as I've seen in Michigan outside of Arcadia and a few others. If you want a fun / quick 9 holes definitely worth a look. We like to play it on the way back from Belvedere up in Charlevoix (45 min. N of TC)

 

Bahle Farms recently changed owners, here's the June 11, 2021 article: https://www.record-eagle.com/news/business/bahle-farms-golf-course-changes-hands/article_6d80dce6-c9fb-11eb-ad7a-8b17c5ed546e.html

 

New owners are a couple that's been coming to the area for years. I played it before and also recently. You can tell they are moving some things around (such as the driving range tee angle to be closer to the clubhouse) but its another one that personifies N. Michigan golf with rolling terrain and a lot of variety in the topography.

 

I could go on but feel free to DM me if you have a course in mind I didn't mention.

 

 

 

 

[madeinguam81]

1 hour ago, putterboy75 said:

I've been to all of the courses mentioned in the past 2 weeks, here are my thoughts:

I think Forest Dunes should be included in your schedule but to be honest, only because everyone else likes it and writes glowing reviews. After my visit, it's one of those places I had been wanting to play and now am glad I have played it, but don't need to come back. I didn't play The Loop, and that would be the only reason I'd every think about another trip. We played the original, which I found to be architecturally on the boring and forgettable side. On the back 9 I thought to myself, wait, did Tom Fazio design this course?... FD claims on their website or some ad that the practice facility is one of the best in the area, however, when we got there the driving range had seemingly closed for the day (how do you close the damn driving range before pitch dark at a "resort" where there's nothing else to do except sit at the bar?) I did see the range on the way out to play and it didn't seem to be the practice destination advertised...The pitching / chipping area is what you'd find at a space constrained inner city country club, unless there's another one somewhere on the property I missed. I thought the course was hard-ish, not Pete Dye hard, but one of those you shoot 10 shots better the 2nd time you go around because you know where to avoid. I read somewhere before the round that the greens are kept slick and pristine. They were faster than your muni / public courses that get a ton of play, but couldn't have been over 9 on the stimp and surprisingly bumpy everywhere, not just near the hole. Maybe I just don't like "modern" golf courses so that's why I don't see the hype. The other add-on amenities (putting course, new 10 hole par 3 course) are cool and can allow the trip to drag on so you feel it's worthy of a longer car ride, but you'll have to be the judge of that.

 

Grand Traverse Resort is intriguing to me and I can't quite figure out if it's a place that hasn't really changed on purpose since it was built or if it hasn't really changed because they don't need to and people will come there anyways due to it being the only place big enough nearby to host conferences, etc. It's hard to tell if most play is from groups or corporate events, or if more is from golfers wanting to play the courses they see in the "Pure Michigan" ads. I  I played The Bear ~5 years ago and yes, it's hard and long (especially considering it was ~7000 when it debuted 25 years ago.) Everyone on WRX seemingly knocks GTR so I wanted to see for myself a few weekends ago so we played both The Bear & The Wolverine in the afternoon (rates are much better in the afternoon and even lower on weekdays if that helps your decision) After visiting and 2 rounds, I agree with most others comments on GTR but overall had a really nice experience. It is definitely not the family run golf course charging $30 like Champion Hill or Pinecroft, but the staff is super friendly and went out of the way to be sure we were comfortable. I'd rate the range facility at 7 / 10, but what I was most surprised by was the topography of the 2 courses. You really feel like you're in Colorado or Utah playing mountain golf. If you are staying nearby and don't want to spend a lot of time in the car, you'll have a nice time at GTR, so long as you know going into the round that it will be more $$ than others in the area and has a 1980s resort feel. FOr what it's worth, and I think this really left me with a good feeling after playing at GTR, I played all of these courses mentioned with my fiance and she felt very welcome and at home right away at GTR, which wasn't the case at all at Forest Dunes where she was asked with confusion "are you actually playing too?"

 

I went up to Elk Rapids GC which is 15 min N of GTR this past weekend. It's a 9-hole 1920s original Donald Ross course (funny enough, since it doesn't have a long game area, I stopped off at GTR on the way to warm up) Can't say enough good things about my round. It's not Pinehurst No.2 Ross difficulty, I'd actually say the course is rather easy, but it's on the lake and the views are about as good as I've seen in Michigan outside of Arcadia and a few others. If you want a fun / quick 9 holes definitely worth a look. We like to play it on the way back from Belvedere up in Charlevoix (45 min. N of TC)

 

Bahle Farms recently changed owners, here's the June 11, 2021 article: https://www.record-eagle.com/news/business/bahle-farms-golf-course-changes-hands/article_6d80dce6-c9fb-11eb-ad7a-8b17c5ed546e.html

 

New owners are a couple that's been coming to the area for years. I played it before and also recently. You can tell they are moving some things around (such as the driving range tee angle to be closer to the clubhouse) but its another one that personifies N. Michigan golf with rolling terrain and a lot of variety in the topography.

 

I could go on but feel free to DM me if you have a course in mind I didn't mention.

 

 

 

 

WOW. Thank you very much for the thorough write up.  After all the great advice from WRX and from the Michigan Golf Facebook Group, this is my current golf itinerary. I can always change it.

 

Friday  - Bahle Farms 

 

Saturday - Bay Harbor Quarry/Links *This is our "splurge" round. I also have Arcadia South booked but after talking to several locals, they said if I can't get on Arcadia Bluffs, play BH. I do have a 4pm tee time booked at Bluffs but the staff said I would only finish 14 or so holes. I'll continue to check back on Bluffs availability. 

 

Sunday - Timber Wolf. Hard to pass up a positively reviewed course that's only $30. I might look into Wolverine again after your post however. We fly out Sunday afternoon so we need to play relatively close to TC. 

[Cwing]

7 hours ago, Ryan3773 said:

Kind of like googling a scorecard of a course and using it to form an opinion of that course?

 

Back on topic:

 

forest dunes/the loop are far superior to the bear at grand traverse. That was my original point. Worth a bit longer of a drive 

 

 

Went last year. Started at Arcadia Bluffs, headed to the Bear in TC and finished up at Forest Dunes.

 

Loved the time at Arcadia and Forest Dunes. If we had an opportunity to do it over again we would skip the Bear, went to Forest Dunes and did the Loop twice to play it in both directions. 
 

Bear wasn’t an enjoyable course for anyone in our group. Handicaps ranged from 5 to 14. To make matters worse, they booked us in the middle of a bachelor party outing. Not before, not after —- dead in the middle. Despite that, the course itself simply wasn’t that enjoyable. 
 

Edited July 30, 2021 by Cwing

[putterboy75]

6 hours ago, madeinguam81 said:

WOW. Thank you very much for the thorough write up.  After all the great advice from WRX and from the Michigan Golf Facebook Group, this is my current golf itinerary. I can always change it.

 

Friday  - Bahle Farms 

 

Saturday - Bay Harbor Quarry/Links *This is our "splurge" round. I also have Arcadia South booked but after talking to several locals, they said if I can't get on Arcadia Bluffs, play BH. I do have a 4pm tee time booked at Bluffs but the staff said I would only finish 14 or so holes. I'll continue to check back on Bluffs availability. 

 

Sunday - Timber Wolf. Hard to pass up a positively reviewed course that's only $30. I might look into Wolverine again after your post however. We fly out Sunday afternoon so we need to play relatively close to TC. 

 You got it! I could have kept going but figured that was enough to get you going. Good choices!

 

Notice when you drive into Bahle Farms how it says "World Class Championship Golf" under the sign. I think that's pretty awesome, its very tastefully done.

Also, re Arcadia, is the 4pm the "super" twilight rate or whatever they call it? I remember there's one that's even lower than the twilight but don't recall the time. I've played the Bluffs now probably 5 times and the South about the same and I've never NOT finished in the pitch dark. I'm not the only one, I would guess there's 60 carts out on the course at 9pm (wouldn't you hate to work the carts and be trying to get home on Saturday!)  If you start right at 4pm that should put you at 9pm for a 5 hour round and you'll still be able to read a newspaper outside at 8:45pm up there (It's starting to get dark a little earlier, but sunset's at 9:12pm)

 

I'd say try to get on Bluffs if possible later in the day but agree skip the South (I really like the South, you just don't get a N. Michigan feel there) I think also they hold some times later in the day for situations such as yours that are only open that day, so you might try calling earlier that morning. If nothing else, even if you don't get to play the Bluffs, I'd recommend a stop over to just see the views. Other than Kapalua Plantation course in Hawaii, I've never seen anywhere that rivals the view from the Clubhouse. You can also sit on the lawn overlooking 18 and watch people coming up that hole which is relaxing. If you want to hit balls / practice short-game that's the best one in 200 miles IMO (the range is far bigger and better maintained than FD)..

 

I haven't played either Bay Harbor or Timber Wolf. lmk you think and if I should stop at TW on the way up N. Petosky has some other courses I want to play but it's too far for a day trip from Glen Arbor.

[mauiman]

Bahle Farms is at the top of my most enjoyable golf courses to play. Absolutely beautiful course and will be playing it every time I’m in the area.

[golfortennis]

I can't say much about The Bear, but I will give their staff credit.  We were staying at the resort for my wife's marathon, and I had made a last minute decision to play that course.  I had played Lochenheath the day before and wasn't planning on it.  When I got to the tee(there was one opening 5 minutes from when I was in the pro shop), the starter said the guys I was to be paired up with didn't want to be paired up.  So I went back to the shop and asked for my money back, which they did.

 

Dumb to turn away customers, but I give them credit, I didn't get a hassle about the refund.

[garyt]

On 7/29/2021 at 7:15 PM, Ryan3773 said:

The same could be said for any course. 
 

hole 5 there might be one of the worst designed holes I’ve ever seen. I hit 2 iron off the tee then had a 3 wood in that had to carry like 220. and there was literally no other way to play it. It’s punishing target golf with little imagination or creativity 

And they softened it up years ago

[ilikegolf26]

On 8/3/2021 at 9:58 PM, golfortennis said:

I can't say much about The Bear, but I will give their staff credit.  We were staying at the resort for my wife's marathon, and I had made a last minute decision to play that course.  I had played Lochenheath the day before and wasn't planning on it.  When I got to the tee(there was one opening 5 minutes from when I was in the pro shop), the starter said the guys I was to be paired up with didn't want to be paired up.  So I went back to the shop and asked for my money back, which they did.

 

Dumb to turn away customers, but I give them credit, I didn't get a hassle about the refund.

Haha I’ve never even heard of a group being able to refuse a pairing like that at a public course. In my experience if you don’t want a random playing with you then bring a 4th. 

Edited October 11, 2021 by ilikegolf26

[golfortennis]

4 minutes ago, ilikegolf26 said:

Haha I’ve never even heard of a group being able to refuse a pairing like that at a public course. In my experience if you don’t want a random playing with you then bring a 4th. 

 

Or pay for the 4th spot.  Wasn't a huge deal though.  I had already played Lochenheath on that trip, which is what I really wanted to play.  Been some time but I think I actually ended up better off not playing anyway.  Might have gotten some rain, or something.  Things happen for a reason...

[BlueFab5]

Hello, I'm planning a trip in May for my brother's 30th birthday.  I'm looking at Boyne, Arcadia and Forest Dunes.  What are the conditions and weather like in early to mid-May?

 

If anyone could recommend a particular resort or hotel to stay at that would be great too.  I've been focusing my research on the golf courses. This thread has helped a lot with that.

[madeinguam81]

On 2/1/2022 at 10:57 AM, BlueFab5 said:

Hello, I'm planning a trip in May for my brother's 30th birthday.  I'm looking at Boyne, Arcadia and Forest Dunes.  What are the conditions and weather like in early to mid-May?

 

If anyone could recommend a particular resort or hotel to stay at that would be great too.  I've been focusing my research on the golf courses. This thread has helped a lot with that.

I can't speak to the weather.   I would seriously also consider Bahle Farms.  Obviously Arcadia Bluffs was truly special but Bahle was an absolute gem and a great experience.  

 

 

[TooMuchAwesome]

On 2/1/2022 at 10:57 AM, BlueFab5 said:

Hello, I'm planning a trip in May for my brother's 30th birthday.  I'm looking at Boyne, Arcadia and Forest Dunes.  What are the conditions and weather like in early to mid-May?

 

If anyone could recommend a particular resort or hotel to stay at that would be great too.  I've been focusing my research on the golf courses. This thread has helped a lot with that.

Mid-May weather in northern MI is a complete toss up. You should prepare and pack for anything from 35 and very chilly in the AM to sunny and low 70s in the afternoon. Weather tends to be much more predictable and fair towards the end of the month vs the beginning, as you can sometimes experience lows of just above freezing towards the front half of the month. And certainly account for the 10-20mph winds off of the Lake Michigan coast if you play Arcadia, as 50-55 and sunny can feel more like a balmy winter day than a mild springtime walk in the park.
 

We’re booked for Arcadia the second weekend of May this year, and I’ll be curious to see if they still offer cart covers and heaters considering lows are predicted in the 35-40 range. A far cry from the mid 50 lows/75 highs and sunny at we experienced at Forest Dunes throughout the third weekend of May last year. Side note if you play The Loop; definitely call ahead and book their motorcycle carts. Way too much fun and a perfect piece of propriety to test them out on! 
 

As part of a group that tries to take advantage of discounted rates and thinner crowds by booking trips in early to mid May in northern MI every year, I’ve learned set relatively low expectations so as to then enjoy any decent weather if/when it arrives. 

[BlueFab5]

On 2/4/2022 at 8:59 PM, TooMuchAwesome said:

Mid-May weather in northern MI is a complete toss up. You should prepare and pack for anything from 35 and very chilly in the AM to sunny and low 70s in the afternoon. Weather tends to be much more predictable and fair towards the end of the month vs the beginning, as you can sometimes experience lows of just above freezing towards the front half of the month. And certainly account for the 10-20mph winds off of the Lake Michigan coast if you play Arcadia, as 50-55 and sunny can feel more like a balmy winter day than a mild springtime walk in the park.
 

We’re booked for Arcadia the second weekend of May this year, and I’ll be curious to see if they still offer cart covers and heaters considering lows are predicted in the 35-40 range. A far cry from the mid 50 lows/75 highs and sunny at we experienced at Forest Dunes throughout the third weekend of May last year. Side note if you play The Loop; definitely call ahead and book their motorcycle carts. Way too much fun and a perfect piece of propriety to test them out on! 
 

As part of a group that tries to take advantage of discounted rates and thinner crowds by booking trips in early to mid May in northern MI every year, I’ve learned set relatively low expectations so as to then enjoy any decent weather if/when it arrives. 

We decided on Forest Dunes 2nd weekend in May. Thanks for the heads up on the golf scooters. How were the conditions when you were there last May? Any other tips/suggestions for Forest Dunes? We're staying in the lodge.