2008 Magazine Bonus: Best of the Midwest

The Midwest doesn’t have the year-round golf-friendly climate or the ocean vistas that top golf destinations like California or Florida enjoy. But Big Ten country can still deliver an unforgettable golf trip. Here’s an insider’s guide to golf in the Great Lakes states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Best golf destinations

* Gaylord Golf Mecca, Mich. -- With 21 golf courses and 20 lodging facilities, Gaylord (gaylordgolfmecca.com) is the nation’s summer golf capital. You can’t go wrong with Treetops Resort (four courses), the Otsego Club (two courses on-site and Tom Doak’s Black Forest nearby) and Garland Resort (soon to be five courses).

* Boyne country, Mich. -- Must-plays litter the half-hour drive that separates Boyne USA Resorts’ three properties, from Boyne’s eight courses to True North (truenorthgolf.com) and Little Traverse Bay (ltbay.com), both in Harbor Springs. 

* Kohler, Wis. – The four Pete Dye courses at the American Club are complemented by The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, a Jack Nicklaus treat in Sheboygan Falls (golfthebull.com). 

* Traverse City, Mich. – Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Shanty Creek Resorts and the A-Ga-Ming Resort on Torch Lake highlight a destination dotted with wineries, too. 

* Brainerd Golf Trail, Minn. – Three hours north of the Twin Cities, Brainerd (brainerdgolftrail.com) features more than 300 holes and eight properties. Don’t miss Deacon’s Lodge (grandviewlodge.com) or The Classic at Madden’s on Gull Lake (maddens.com).

Best golf resorts

* The Inn at Bay Harbor, Petoskey, Mich. (innatbayharbor.com) – The waterfront setting along the shores of the Little Traverse Bay sets this 134-room Renaissance Golf Resort and the 27-hole Bay Harbor Golf Club apart. The spa and Sagamore’s restaurant add to a first-class experience.

* Treetops Resort, Gaylord, Mich. (treetops.com) – The Rick Smith Signature, the Tom Fazio Premier and the Robert Trent Jones Sr. Masterpiece courses share the spotlight. Smith’s Threetops could be the nation’s best par-3.

* The American Club, Kohler, Wis. (destinationkohler.com) – Herb Kohler’s playground on the shores of Lake Michigan boasts nine restaurants, a health club, four Pete Dye courses, the Kohler Waters Spa and the Midwest's only AAA Five Diamond resort hotel. The Irish course at Whistling Straights is just as good as the heralded Straights course, dancing among the same towering dunes.

* Shanty Creek Resorts, Bellaire, Mich. (shantycreek.com) – New ownership has revived this sprawling 4,000-acre, four-course property made up of the stylish Cedar River village; the Bavarian-themed Schuss Mountain village; and the original Summit village, currently undergoing a $10 million renovation. Tom Wieskopf’s Cedar River course and Arnold Palmer’s The Legend are quite a 1-2 punch.   

* Boyne Highlands, Harbor Springs, Mich. (boyne.com) – The ivory-covered main lodge sits next to the dramatic finishing hole of The Heather by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the best of the resort’s four courses.

Best family-friendly golf resorts

* Boyne Mountain, Boyne Falls, Mich. (boyne.com) – The new 220-room Mountain Grand Lodge connects to Avalanche Bay, an 88,000-square-foot indoor water park. The Monument and Alpine courses and the Solace Spa keep adults entertained.

* Zehnder’s, Frankenmuth, Mich. (zehnders.com) – Best known for its tantalizing chicken dinners, Zehnder’s made a splash in 2006 by opening the 30,000-square-foot, fantasyland-themed Splash Village indoor water park and expanding its existing hotel into 152 rooms, including 63 suites. The Fortress golf course is known for immaculate conditioning. 

* Double JJ Ranch & Golf Resort, Rothbury, Mich. (doublejj.com) – Both the 60,000-square-foot indoor water park and Frontier Center, with a sports bar and grill, night club, spa, fitness center and banquet center, opened in 2007. Summer guests flock to the Thoroughbred course, the outdoor water park and horseback riding at the largest dude ranch east of the Mississippi. 

* Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville, Mich. (crystalmountain.com) – An outdoor water park, chairlift rides, two courses, a great restaurant in the Kinloch Lodge and charming accommodations add up to fun for all ages. 

* Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort, Wisconsin Dells, Wis. (www.wildernessresort.com) – Children can spend hours at three different indoor water parks. The Wildrock Golf Club, opening in 2008, will transform the resort into a golf hotspot.

Best resorts for gambling and golf

* Bay Mills Resort & Casino, Brimley, Mich. (4baymills.com) -- Michigan's only waterfront casino, perched on Waishkey Bay in the Upper Peninsula, opened in 1995. Its beautiful golf course once held a Canadian Tour event.

* French Lick Resort Casino, French Lick, Ind. (frenchlick.com) – A $350 million restoration and casino development breathed life back into the fabled resort in 2006. The 445 guest rooms and suites; refurnished spa; and revamped Donald Ross course, which hosted the 1924 PGA Championship, are now elegantly modern, yet tastefully timeless. A Pete Dye course will open in 2009.

* Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Acme, Mich. (grandtraverseresort.com) – Guests will shuttle to a tribe-owned Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, scheduled to open in June. The new seven-story complex (casino2win.com) will feature 137 rooms; a 54,000-square-foot gaming floor; a fitness center, two restaurants, six bars and a nightclub.

* The Wilderness at Fortune Bay Resort Casino, Tower, Minn. (thewildernessgolf.com) – Try some risk and reward on a scenic course north of the Twin Cities or at the casino’s 750 slots and 10 blackjack tables.

* Soaring Eagle Casino, Mount Pleasant, Mich. (soaringeaglecasino.com) – Gamers at the Midwest’s largest casino, with more than 4,400 slot machines and 512 rooms, can tee it up at The Pohlcat (pohlcat.net) and Bucks Run (bucksrun.com).

Best resort golf schools

* Dave Pelz Scoring Game School at the Homestead Resort, Glen Arbor, Mich. (pelzgolf.com) – The putting and wedge instruction is good, but the resort (thehomesteadresort.com) is even better. The pool and beach complex along Lake Michigan is sublime.

* Treetops Resort, Gaylord, Mich. – The Rick Smith Golf Academy can cure any ill.

* Boyne Highlands, Harbor Springs, Mich. – Brian O’Neill heads up the popular Boyne Golf Academy.

* Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Acme, Mich. – The Jim McLean Golf School runs sessions from May to October, while the resort’s director of golf, 6-time Michigan Open champ Scott Hebert, runs schools in winter.

* Crystal Mountain Resort, Thompsonville, Mich. – Lead instructor Brad Dean teaches some of the state’s elite young talent and can help you, too.

Best courses

* Arcadia Bluffs, Arcadia, Mich. (arcadiabluffs.com) – This Rick Smith-Warren Henderson design skirts the cliffs of Lake Michigan, weaving through majestic dunes. Watch out for penal greens, and an ever-punishing wind.

* Straits course at Whistling Straights, Kohler, Wis. (destinationkohler.com) – Pete Dye built dunes, and carved out more than 1,000 bunkers, on a featureless site along Lake Michigan. The 2004 PGA Championship host is a future Ryder Cup venue.

* Tullymoore, Stanwood, Mich. (stivesgolf.com) – Colorado’s Jim Engh used his eclectic style to craft a dynamic test in 2002. A new clubhouse should open this year.

* The Quarry at Giants Ridge, Biwabik, Minn. (giantsridge.com) – Elevated tees reveal a course that meanders over former mines, a sand quarry, wetlands and pristine forests.

* Forest Dunes, Roscommon, Mich. (forestdunesgolf.com) – A true Phoenix, Tom Weiskopf’s course sat overgrown for months before new investors helped it rise to national acclaim. The 15,000-square-foot Adirondack lodge might be the finest clubhouse in Michigan. 

Toughest courses

* The Bear, Acme, Mich. (grandtraverseresort.com) – This Jack Nicklaus brute has been softened over the years but never defanged.

* The Purgatory, Noblesville, Ind. (purgatorygolf.com) – At 7,754 yards, the Purgatory has always been supersized, long before McDonald’s made it trendy. Pick the right tees or the 133 bunkers will swallow you whole.

* River course at Blackwolf Run, Kohler, Wisc. (destinationkohler.com) – Beware of Pete Dye’s tricks, like trees in the line of sight and his signature railroad ties.

* Eagle Eye, Bath, Mich. (hawkhollow.com) – The island green at No. 17, a replica of the infamous 17th hole at the TPC of Sawgrass, isn’t the only round-wrecker on the card.

* Dubsdread course at Cog Hills Golf & Country Club, Lemont, Ill. (coghillgolf.com) – Former home of the PGA Tour’s Western Open, this Dick Wilson-Joe Lee classic is currently under renovation until 2009 by Rees Jones.

Hidden gems

* Greywalls course at Marquette Golf Club, Marquette, Mich. (marquettegolfclub.com) – Mike DeVries was given a stunning site featuring heaving terrain and 60-foot rock walls in Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula.

* Angels Crossing, Vicksburg, Mich. (golfangelscrossing.com) – Club founders redeveloped the site of a former paper mill, which closed to rob the community of its largest employer. This excellent course has rekindled economic growth in the bedroom community south of Kalamazoo. 

* Elk Ridge, Atlanta, Mich. (elkridgegolf.com) – Michigan’s most prolific architect, Jerry Matthews, put together perhaps his finest effort here. 

* EagleSticks, Zanesville, Ohio (Eaglesticks.com) – These rolling hills west of Columbus were Mother Nature’s gift to golf. 

* The Jewel, Lake City, Minn. (jewelgolfclub.com) ¬¬– Three-time U.S. Open champ Hale Irwin routed this new jewel (opened in 2006) across 800 acres of a Mississippi River valley.

Best bargains

* The Gailes at Lakewood Shores Golf Resort, Oscoda, Mich. (lakewoodshores.com) – Playing this pseudo links is much cheaper (only $62) than flying overseas for the real thing.

* Willinger’s, Northfield, Minn. (willingersgc.com) --  This supreme challenge, with a slope of 150 from the tips, is a steal at $46.

* Red Hawk Run, Findlay, Ohio (redhawkrun.com) – Normally, Arthur Hills’ courses cost much more than $43.

* Pilgrim’s Run, Pierson, Mich. (pilgrimsrun.com) – One of the state’s best public courses costs a mere $55 to tee it up.

* Rock Hollow, Peru, Ind. (rockhollowgolf.com) – Built on a former strip mine, Rock Hollow is a visual treat for just $49.

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