Despite Michigan’s wicked winters and foreboding tales of disasters on the Great Lakes, the state boasts quite an amazing array of superb golf courses. The diversity of Michigan’s courses is evident with such haughty clubs as Crystal Downs, Oakland Hills or Bloomfield Hills across the golf universe to public access wonders Belvedere, Forest Akers and Greystone. Similarly, the geographical diversity is wild and wide with the lake front splendor and dunes, interior flat lands to the Upper Peninsula glacial cliffs.

One of my earliest golf experiences was on the three green, nine hole personal estate course at Deer Park in Adrian, Michigan. The pastoral beauty of the Gerity’s Deer Park Estate was perfect for a nine year old determined to ace one of the varying par 3’s on this magnificent property. Over a decade later, I returned to Michigan for three years of law school and a deep dive into public tracks with green fees fitting a grad student’s budget. Perhaps the greatest bang for the buck came from holding a Michigan State student I.D. and having cutrate costs in playing Forest Acres Golf Club five plus days a week. Forest Akers is not some cryptic veriation on a tree lined expanse, but a Michigan State Trustee and benefactor for many years. The golf course is a treat day in and day out with some of the finest conditions in the college category. Forest Akers West has received much acclaim, including Golf Digest’s 4.5 stars, Great Lakes Golf Best Value Course, Top 100 Driving Ranges in America 13 of the past 14 years (never visited in 3 years) and Zagat One of America’s Top Golf Courses.

Fast-forwarding another decade or so, a good friend settled in Muskegon and his lakeside house became golf trip headquarters for a several year run of seeking out memorable golf. The wide spectrum of the courses we played is demonstrated in the following list:

Blythefield is a vintage Moreau & Langford and has hosted a Western Amateur, Western Open and Western Junior, won by Dale Morey, Arnold Palmer, and Rickie Fowler respectively. The course certainly matches the prominence of these three tourney winners. Point O’Woods is from an era all its own, but may be one of Robert Trent Jones’ best and most interesting layouts. The finishing holes are demanding, yet creating and full of strategy. Although Robert Trent Jones is a franchise name in golf, Charles Maddox, Sr., the designer of Lake Michigan Hills, is quite a study and is a member of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. Mr. Maddox was a giant in golf design and construction, uniquely including the invention of a wooden bulldozer.

Dunes Club is likewise in a class by itself as its nine hole layout by Dick Nugent never fails to stimulate and surprise. The off the beaten path award goes to Dunes Club as its location and cart path-esque entrance drive cloak the wonder that follows. Part Pine Valley, part Shadow Creek, Dunes Club is a step through the looking glass of a private, exclusive course imagined by Mike Kaiser. The design is fantastic with dramatic use of natural, sandy terrain.

Although Kingsley Club & Pilgrim’s Run are Mike DeVries designs, they are pleasantly different. Kingsley makes a more lasting impression as its a big, heaving masterpiece of a course featuring an awesome landscape. Right out of the gate on number one when facing a massive dune shaping the fairway, we knew this was someplace special. The front continues with hole after hole of turning, bending and climbing from tee to green. Kingsley could easily pass for a Mike Strantz design, which is intended as a high complement. At Pilgrim’s Run, the design approach is more subtle, but the overall result is a fine golf course. There is plenty of opportunity for the heroic blow at Pilgrim’s Run, whether it be driving a short par four or busting a Sunday punch to reach a par-5 in two.

Arcadia Bluffs is a breathtaking sprawl of seaside golf with its massive footprint undisturbed by any development and with the awe inspiring backdrop of Lake Michigan. We played Arcadia in a late Fall tropical storm complete with carts with zip-up sides, mini propane heaters in the cup holders and hot towels from the clubhouse every three holes. We sure as hell were not going to stop, it was too much fun to plunge ahead as though on some distant point reminiscent of Flasterbo Golf Club at the tip of Sweden. Looking out at Lake Michigan, one is reminded of Whistling Straits, but I dare say that Arcadia is more interesting and much more fun.

Continuing the time machine ride back to the Golden Age, Tom Bendelow’s design at Spring Lake Country Club is in deep contrast to Arcadia or Kingsley, yet its charms are many. Spring Lake has that classic feel without overwhelming the player with length, mounding or anything resembling a gimmick. Bring your imagination and collection of wedges as approaches and chipping test all of ones shotmaking. Spring Lake is a worthy gem from the classic era.

The vintage country club vibe radiates at Cascade Hills and Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids. Cascade Hills is a vibrant club complete with 27 holes of top conditioned golf. The 18 we played is a championship track with a marvelous routing. Over at crosstown Kent Country Club, Donald Ross’ trademarks are evident. Direction of play and proper position on approaches and greens are a must, but Ross’ design does not require Tour card length. President Ford was a member and history abounds at Kent.

We only scratched the surface of Michigan’s deep golf roster. The baker’s dozen of courses we played, together with Forest Akers, are at the very top of golf offerings in the United States. Just by reviewing the variety of golf architects from all the eras of design, it is clear that Michigan offers a pleasant golf history lesson and ever changing philosophies and landscapes.

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