By Len Ziehm
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 defies the imagination. 
My personal list of favorite Michigan courses has included, The Bear, at Grand Traverse Resort, the Tom 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 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.
Forest Dunes, with its first course designed by Tom 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 outdone. Its lodging options were also increased and late last year opened the South course as a compliment to the Bluffs course. The South is a little over a mile away from its predecessor, but the courses couldn’t be more different.
The Bluffs, designed by Warren Henderson and Rick Smith, opened in 1999. It is far more challenging than the South, though the ratings, 75.7 for The Bluffs and 75.6 for the South, are almost identical.
Dana Fry and Jason Straka designed, the South. At 7,412 yards it is 112 yards longer than the Bluffs but there’s a big difference in slope.
The Bluffs’ is rated 146, the South comes in at 132. Both are par-72s for men, while the women’s par on the Bluffs is 73. The Bluffs has four tee placements for men and two for women. The South has five tee placements for men, three for women.
The numbers don’t mean much once you hit your first tee shot on either course. I really like the South, which unlike the Bluffs has no water views and features very generous fairways. The South was designed two nine-hole loops, meaning each nine finishes at the clubhouse, the Bluffs does not.
While the South has 112 bunkers, it is more user friendly. The bunkers aren’t as deep as those on the Bluffs, but they are similar. The putting surfaces are extensive on both courses, but the undulations are more tricky on the Bluffs.
Which is better; Arcadia or Forest Dunes, the Bluffs or the South, The Loop or the Weiskopf? Who knows, and who cares? It just gives golfers one more topic to discuss over their favorite refreshment in the 19th hole.
One thing is certain, however, both facilities are so good that all serious golfers should give them a try and form their own opinions.
