Ohio Golf Journal October 2019

Over the past few years, Arcadia Bluffs and Forest Dunes have been in a battle for best golf course in Michigan, with the Bluffs usually getting the nod. The Bluffs extraordinary Lake Michigan views, plus the on-course mounding and elevation changes are spectacular. I don’t know of any course, outside of Ireland, that could top that. Over the years I have had several “favorite’’ courses in Michigan — a state so extraordinary in golf OPTIONS THAT IT DEÚES THE IMAGINATION My personal list of favorite Michigan courses has included,The Bear, at GrandTraverse Resort, theTom Weiskopf-designed Cedar River course at Shanty Creek Resort, The Heather at Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs and Tullymore in Stanwood. I also love Threetops, the memorable par-3 at Treetops, the captivating par-3s at Island Hills, in There is So Much Golf to Love In Michigan By Len Ziehm Centreville, and Paul Albanese’s drumlin-focused design at Sage Run in the U.P. Plus, don’t forget, Harbor Shores, Greywalls, and Crystal Mountain. As the golf landscape in Michigan gets more impressive every year, the list continues to grow. In an era where the golf industry has been struggling with economic issues two major Michigan hotspots, Arcadia Bluffs and Forest Dunes, have been making major upgrades. &OREST $UNES WITH ITS ÚRST COURSE DESIGNED BY 4OM Weiskopf opened in 2002, but that alone wasn’t enough. Owner Lew Thompson brought in Tom Doak to design the highly unusual reversible course, called The Loop, plus added more lodging. Since opening The Loop, Thompson added the Hilltop putting course, plus a 10-hole 957-yard par- 3 layout, designed by young architects Riley Johns and Keith Rhebb, which will open in 2020. Arcadia Bluffs hasn’t been o utdone. Its lodging options were also increased and late last year Ohio Golf Journal