Golf in the State of Michigan
Water, water everywhere! Michigan is bordered by 4 of the 5 Great Lakes and as a result has the longest freshwater coastline in the nation. Nicknamed America's Summer Golf Capital, it has the fourth most courses in the country (we show 779), attracting bevys of tourists and locals alike. Courses in Grand Rapids, Flint, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and capital city, Lansing, add worthy challenges to the menu.
Notable courses abound: The Oakland Hills Country Club (in Detroit), has seen multiple major tournaments as well as a Ryder Cup. The Forest Dunes Golf Club in Roscommon, designed by Tom Doak has the distinction of being the only reversible course in the nation, playable both in clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club provides a world class getaway famous for its sweeping views of Lake Michigan. Boyne Highlands Resort - The Heather (in Harbor Springs) was named Michigan Golf course of the Year in 2018 and the National Course of the Year in 2019 and the Jack Nicklaus designed The Bear at Grand Traverse (in Traverse City) is often celebrated as the toughest course in Michigan. The state's Upper Peninsula area shouldn't be ignored, including gems like Sweetgrass Golf Club, in Harris and the Wild Bluff Golf Course, in Brimley which has been called one of the nation's most underrated golf destinations.
Michigan has produced several top golfers. Dan Pohl gave up a potential pro baseball career to become a golf pro instead. Winner of several pro tournaments and formerly part of a Ryder Cup team, he now manages PohlCat Golf Course, in Mt. Pleasant, a course he designed. Calvin Peete won the tour's driving accuracy title during the entire 1980's. Meg Mallon, was born in Natick, Massachusetts but schooled in Ohio State, won the Michigan Women's Amateur Championship in 1983 and was later inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. She now resides in Ocean Ridge, Florida. Kassandra Komma,a student at Oakland University, Rochester shot two hole-in-ones on two consecutive par-3 holes at the R&S Sharf Golf Course in 2013.