Michigan is a golf mecca for those who want courses that will be challenging for any skill level while offering the most beautiful views of the state’s lakes. Having over 650 public courses to enjoy the view of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan doesn’t hurt. If you want to find out what kind of golfer you are, these are the best golf courses in Michigan to help you know where you stand.
Forest Dunes Golf Club
Tee up at all of these at Forest Dunes Golf Club and see which one gives you a better time.
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Forest Dunes
The 1973 Open Champ Tom Weiskopf designed this gorgeous course in the Huron National Forest. The front 9 takes you through the woods, and the back 9 is all about the sand dunes and water features. If, by some chance, you need it, there is a 19th hole to settle score disputes.
The Loop
The Loop was designed by architect Tom Doak in an attempt to impress the owners of the club. He did it by calling on the inspirational Scottish links courses to build a reversible golf course. Players go back and forth along the Red and Black fairways on alternate days, using the same 18 holes in a loop.
Try to book a tee time on the last day of a month that has 31 days to play in The Dual, which is a 36-hole tournament where golfers play one way in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
The Bootlegger
This course sounds like a blast to play on. The Bootlegger was designed by Reiley Jones and Keith Rhebb, meant to be a little more whimsical. There are only 10 holes on this green, with each one a par 3. You won’t even need a full golf bag to play through this course
Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club
If you want views of Lake Michigan as you’ve never seen, Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club delivers.
The Bluffs Course
Another course that feels a bit like a links, The Bluffs Course has open wide fairways, beautiful greens, and over 265 acres of the stunning bluffs looking over Lake Michigan. You could warm up in the practice area or see how your short game is before playing through the sod-walled bunkers and natural sand dunes at this public course.
The South Course
If you love strategy, the South Course is the way to go. With ribbons of sand, bold bunkers, and 90-degree corners at the tees, the South Course takes a skilled player with a unique ground game. Offering two 9-hole loops that will have you facing every direction at one point, the absence of trees makes you notice the wind belting you off Lake Michigan.
If you’ve played at Arcadia Bluffs before and love the distinct difference between the courses, wait until The Dozen opens in 2025.
Bay Harbor Golf Club
Links/Quarry, The Quarry, and Quarry/Preserve
Three different courses make up the Bay Harbor Golf Club, each with its reason to draw players in. Take your pick of the 27 holes and create your perfect golfing lineup.
The Links
The Links at Bay Harbor Golf Club is quite the course. If you like a thrilling round where you will feel like you are playing on the coast of Ireland, the Links has windblown dunes and high bluffs for miles. Designer Arthur Hills highlighted those gorgeous views of Lake Michigan to make sure they would be worth it at every one of the 9 holes.
The Quarry
With 40-foot gorges, playing no an old shale quarry gives players a truly unique experience. The ponds and waterfalls soften things up a bit.
The Preserve
Nature lovers will have a field day playing the Preserve course. Being among lush grass, beautiful wildflowers, and native wetlands isn’t everything a golfer gets to do. The calming sounds of the waves might help your game, but you also might see some wild animal friends while you set up for the par three hole with the best view of Lake Michigan’s beautiful shoreline.
Marquette Golf Club
If you want to know what your golf limits are, the courses at the Marquette Golf Club will let you know.
The Heritage
Theodore Moreau and William Langford designed the first 9 holes in 1926, and in 1969, David Gill extended the course with another 9 holes. The front 9 is a textbook classic example of gorgeous greens and rolling terrain, which acts as a good warmup for the back 9. The second half will give you stunning views of Lake Superior, but only if you can handle the hard slopes, which require more skill than the first half.
The Greywalls
The Greywalls debuted in 2005 with amazing reviews on behalf of what Mike DeVries designed. This course is a wild ride where you’ll need your wits about you to get through the bunkered links, numerous elevation changes, contoured slopes, and tumbling fairways. The panoramic views of Lake Superior helped make it the second-best golf course in Michigan when it opened.
We love it when golf clubs have multiple courses that are different enough so you don’t feel cheated, but equally as good in how they challenge you. You will find a bit of everything on these courses, from easygoing greens to more difficult terrain that might make you question your swing. Play a round at any of the best golf courses in Michigan and see why the state can’t be beat when it comes to public courses.
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