Golf Trip Destinations in Michigan

[HoosierHacker89]

Where to start looking?

Every year a bunch of my buddies and i go down to Kentucky for the weekend at a "Resort", and play golf for a few day. I put resort in quotations because the course isn't the best of shape, but we always have a lot of fun. I am thinking of taking my trip north this year to Michigan, and I was wondering what courses would be worth looking into. We basically get a package deal that pays for all of our golf, hotel, food, etc. I was wondering if there was anything like that in Michigan that you guys would recommend.

I am looking for a place that will allow for a group of 8-20+ guys play. I am open to the idea of playing multiple courses, and i would actually prefer it. The cost is the factor with that. I am wondering if you guys in Michigan were going to play some courses for a weekend where would you play? where would you stay? is there package deal somewhere that would include both golf and lodging?

OH yeah and the most important thing: This needs to be affordable.

[itw419]

How far are you looking to travel? There are plenty of stay and play destinations in Michigan but to narrow it down I would need to know how far you are willing to drive. Treetops and Boyne Highlands are both nice golf resorts that offer great golf at a affordable price. They have a bunch of different lodging options, multiple courses and places to eat and drink on the property.

[HoosierHacker89]

Id be wiling to to drive anywhere in lower peninsula.

[jlh1508]

It would also help to know how you define afforadable, because that is a different number for different people. What do you mean by a weekend? Does that mean travel friday and Sunday? So basically play on Saturday?

[HoosierHacker89]

basically how we normally do it is leave really early at like 5 am on friday. Play 18 friday, 36+ saturday, and 18 sunday. Affordable is somewhere under $350-400 as a max budget. most of us are in college, so that's a lot of money to come up with as is. The cheaper the better is always the best.

[bppry]

I gave a group and we go up north every summer. This past summer we went to shanty creek schuss mountain. We stayed im the condos at cedar river. Arrived Thursday played 18, 36 both fri and sat and left sunday. The total cost was around $320. We did the same at Boyne the previous year and it was around $275-we added bay harbor for an extra $50 on top of that. However by far the nicest accommodations we have stayed at over the 7 years we have gone was cedar river. The condos were great. Also the resort will shuttle you into town for free to enjoy Shorts brewery.

[HoosierHacker89]

[quote name='bppry' timestamp='1323274404' post='3905107']
I gave a group and we go up north every summer. This past summer we went to shanty creek schuss mountain. We stayed im the condos at cedar river. Arrived Thursday played 18, 36 both fri and sat and left sunday. The total cost was around $320. We did the same at Boyne the previous year and it was around $275-we added bay harbor for an extra $50 on top of that. However by far the nicest accommodations we have stayed at over the 7 years we have gone was cedar river. The condos were great. Also the resort will shuttle you into town for free to enjoy Shorts brewery.
[/quote]

How did the courses play?

[bppry]

Courses were nice. We did 36 on cedar river and 36 on the palmer course. Both were in great condition. The first 18 we played the resort course that was just a warm up, nothing special. Wehave have all skill types in our group and didn't have any complaints on the courses.

[itw419]

I plan a trip every year with a group of guys. Your best bet is Treetops, Boyne Highlands (but add Bay Harbor links and quarry ) or Shanty Creek. I think that Treetops and Boyne offer the most quality golf options. I have been to all of the resorts over the last three years and thy would all fit into your budget. At Boyne I even added True North to the trip which is an awesome track

[bppry]

I agree with Itw419 that Boyne offers the best golf and have typically is cheaper than the others. The trick is to find a place that has everything your group wants. The down side to Boyne is the driving. With traffic it can take almost a hour to get from the mountain to the highlands. If you guys are enjoying some beverages that may be an issue. When we stayed at the highlands they would shuttle you to the casino but the bars were dead at the resort. This year at shanty we actually got the shuttle bus driver to take us to Dockside on torch lake- side note awesome time. Our group is all early 30s or late 20s so we enjoy going out and that does effect our decision. We also have donethe Lakewood shores, Bay mills in the up, crystal mountain, and Agaming.

[itw419]

We didn't play any courses at the mountain because of the drive. Bay Harbor , Hills and Ross and True North

[jallstar23]

Having played at several of the resorts in Northern Michigan, I found Boyne's stay and play packages to be the most worth while, if you are staying with a large group you will probably be in one of the condo's on the property which are very nice. The Highlands has the better golf and lodging I feel but both properties are nice. I would play the Hills, Ross, Heather, and True North. I found Bay Harbor to be nice but somewhat over rated.

[HoosierHacker89]

I would really like something that would have a night life there as well. We are all in our 20's, so we are looking to have a good time. The shuttle sounds nice.

So if i was wanting to go with the most affordable and most entertainment around what would be your vote?

[swizbeatz]

Not sure about the other places but in general treetops has been pretty boring for nightlife, we go once a year for 3 nights.

[itw419]

Tough to beat Shorts Brewery near Shanty Creek for nightlife. I go with a group of 12-16. At Boyne we hung out at a restaurant near the hotel both nights and had a good time. At Treetops we had condos so we all sat around, drank, played Left Right Center( for money of course) cards, and watched football. We don't really see each other much throughout the year so hanging at the condo drinking and catching up with everyone is what we prefer.

[dozer996]

[quote name='HoosierHacker89' timestamp='1323282534' post='3905975']
I would really like something that would have a night life there as well. We are all in our 20's, so we are looking to have a good time. The shuttle sounds nice.

So if i was wanting to go with the most affordable and most entertainment around what would be your vote?
[/quote]

Grand Traverse Resort (play The Bear, Lochenheath, and the Wolverine....throw in A-Ga-Ming maybe)....you are close enough to Traverse City where the best night life will be up north (clubs, bars, ladies, casino, etc....). Pure golf is better up north for sure though. I've gone with a group of 20 to Grand Traverse Resort the past 4 years and we always have a blast and we are in our twenties and early thirties, even throw in some of our dirty fathers too.

[bppry]

Id say that shanty creek gave out group the good golf and a good amount of nightlife. If you guys really want to go all out there we found a place called Boyne bus. Its basically just like a musicians tour bus. Price was great and they were willing to drive us to traverse or wherever. The price was very reasonable too. Think it was around $50 a man,12 guys for the whole night and it included tip for the driver and bartender.

[HoosierHacker89]

[quote name='dozer996' timestamp='1323304636' post='3907757']
[quote name='HoosierHacker89' timestamp='1323282534' post='3905975']
I would really like something that would have a night life there as well. We are all in our 20's, so we are looking to have a good time. The shuttle sounds nice.

So if i was wanting to go with the most affordable and most entertainment around what would be your vote?
[/quote]

Grand Traverse Resort (play The Bear, Lochenheath, and the Wolverine....throw in A-Ga-Ming maybe)....you are close enough to Traverse City where the best night life will be up north (clubs, bars, ladies, casino, etc....). Pure golf is better up north for sure though. I've gone with a group of 20 to Grand Traverse Resort the past 4 years and we always have a blast and we are in our twenties and early thirties, even throw in some of our dirty fathers too.
[/quote]


Sounds really good. What kind of price are you talking for 3 days of golf and 2 nights stay?

[dozer996]

[quote name='HoosierHacker89' timestamp='1323313551' post='3908669']
[quote name='dozer996' timestamp='1323304636' post='3907757']
[quote name='HoosierHacker89' timestamp='1323282534' post='3905975']
I would really like something that would have a night life there as well. We are all in our 20's, so we are looking to have a good time. The shuttle sounds nice.

So if i was wanting to go with the most affordable and most entertainment around what would be your vote?
[/quote]

Grand Traverse Resort (play The Bear, Lochenheath, and the Wolverine....throw in A-Ga-Ming maybe)....you are close enough to Traverse City where the best night life will be up north (clubs, bars, ladies, casino, etc....). Pure golf is better up north for sure though. I've gone with a group of 20 to Grand Traverse Resort the past 4 years and we always have a blast and we are in our twenties and early thirties, even throw in some of our dirty fathers too.
[/quote]


Sounds really good. What kind of price are you talking for 3 days of golf and 2 nights stay?
[/quote]

Sent PM

[Wet Doggg]

Grand Traverse resort...great courses on site and some great courses within a 30 minute drive. Give Lochenheath and play from the tips if you want to pull your eyeballs out with a fork after the round at dinner.

My other suggestion would be Treetops...always had great service and courses are in awesome shape.

[tigerfan23]

We go to Tullymore and St Ives and get a house on the course.

The courses are very nice - not the best but very nice - St Ives is kinda rough but has some of the most memorable holes I've played. Tullymore is manicured to perfection but was lacking a bit of challenging holes. Overall though they are excellent for the price and the homes around the area are awesome. Great memories.

You can drive 10 minutes anywhere in Michigan and run into a great course. Stay in Detroit area if you want and play Shepards - Oakland county has tons of course - you can play a course like Devils ridge or Lyons Oaks for 40 bucks.

[10of14]

If "after the golf" is not important, then go North. If you want great food, bars, music and can do so without the use of your car, golf in Grand Rapids and West MI. Thousand Oaks, Thornapple Pointe, Pilgrim's Run and many others are very solid tracks and the walkable entertainment options if you stay downtown are endless. prices are better than up North and if you are coming from the South, you save 2 hours of gas money each way.

[SilverBullets]

What about hitting Treetops in Gaylord? Treetops has a few courses, a couple of which are great. Then you've got The Tribute at Otsego which is 5 minutes away. Plus you can hit Forest Dunes which is arguably the second best course in Michigan. Its about 40 minutes from Gaylord.

[Go_Blue!]

[quote name='10of14' timestamp='1328328683' post='4210097']
If "after the golf" is not important, then go North. If you want great food, bars, music and can do so without the use of your car, golf in Grand Rapids and West MI. Thousand Oaks, Thornapple Pointe, Pilgrim's Run and many others are very solid tracks and the walkable entertainment options if you stay downtown are endless. prices are better than up North and if you are coming from the South, you save 2 hours of gas money each way.
[/quote]

I agree with this. Group of 8 or so of us who always go west. Have done Gull Lake thing and Tullymore and GR stuff. Each seem to have their own identity. I enjoy Gull Lake because it is kind of in the middle of nowhere and has some nice courses (Stonehedge South and Bedford). Nice to play to just get away from everything...

You cant really go wrong with many of the resorts in MI.

[MaxPower328]

[quote name='nomoreclubs2012' timestamp='1328327428' post='4209989']
We go to Tullymore and St Ives and get a house on the course.

The courses are very nice - not the best but very nice - St Ives is kinda rough but has some of the most memorable holes I've played. Tullymore is manicured to perfection but was lacking a bit of challenging holes. Overall though they are excellent for the price and the homes around the area are awesome. Great memories.

You can drive 10 minutes anywhere in Michigan and run into a great course. Stay in Detroit area if you want and play Shepards - Oakland county has tons of course - you can play a course like Devils ridge or Lyons Oaks for 40 bucks.
[/quote]

+1 on Tullymore/St. Ives. Went there last summer with a group and had a great time.

[pvanwezel]

so far i think my group is picking shanty creek, we've been to Boyne so we will try something different. Ill post my finding after the trip later this year.

[HoosierHacker89]

funny I googled trips to Michigan today, and found my old thread. I still am thinking of doing this.