The most underrated golf destination in America — if you know how to navigate it. Here's the regional breakdown, the courses worth your money, and how to structure the trip.
Northern Michigan is not one destination — it's three, and most first-timers make the mistake of treating it like one. The courses are spread across a wide geographic area, and mixing regions adds serious driving time to your days. The key to a great Northern Michigan trip is picking a base and staying in that pocket.
Think of Northern Michigan in three clusters. The Arcadia area sits along Lake Michigan to the west — Arcadia Bluffs is the anchor. An hour northeast gets you to the Petoskey/Boyne area — Bay Harbor, Boyne Highlands, Belvedere. Head inland and east to reach the Gaylord area — Treetops, The Loon, and Forest Dunes within an hour of each other. These regions don't mix well on the same day. Pick one, plan around it, and if the trip is long enough consider basing in two different spots.
A note on how this guide is structured: courses marked Played It are first-hand reviews with full opinions. Courses marked By Reputation are courses we know well but haven't personally reviewed — we'll tell you what every serious golfer in the region says about them.
The western anchor of Northern Michigan golf. Come for Arcadia Bluffs, stay smart at Manistee National, and don't skip the hidden gem.
Arcadia Bluffs is the reason you're making this trip. It consistently ranks as one of the top public courses in Michigan and the Midwest — and it earns it. You can see Lake Michigan on virtually every hole. The views alone would justify the greens fee, but the course itself backs them up completely.
What makes Arcadia special is the links-style design. Many holes have slopes and contours that let you keep the ball on the ground and play the angles — run it up to the green rather than trying to land approach shots on firm surfaces and watching them bounce off. There's more than one way to play most holes, and that's the mark of a great design.
The 18th hole finishes in a natural amphitheater setting. Groups that have finished their rounds hang around the clubhouse with drinks, watching the groups still coming up. It's one of those finishing holes that turns into an event. Play a twilight rate if your group is flexible on timing — finishing as the sun drops over Lake Michigan is an experience you'll talk about for years.
Manistee National is solid, unpretentious backwoods Michigan golf. Nothing flashy — it's not trying to be Arcadia Bluffs and it doesn't need to be. The real value here is the stay-and-play package. They have cabin accommodations that can fit a large group under one roof at a price that makes sense. We fit 16 guys in one cabin.
The strategy writes itself: stay affordably at Manistee National, play a round there as part of the package, and use the money you saved on lodging to justify the splurge round at Arcadia Bluffs. It's a smarter way to structure the trip than paying resort prices to sleep near the big course.
This is the kind of course that gets overlooked because it doesn't have a marketing budget. Old school, off the beaten path, the kind of track that serious golfers love finding. Two or three holes sit high on the bluffs with Lake Michigan views that rival anything in the area. Decently maintained, fun layout, more playable than Arcadia — good value and a welcome change of pace when your group doesn't want to grind through another brutally hard and expensive round.
Every great golf trip has one of these. Don't skip it because you haven't heard of it.
Stay at Manistee National (ask about group cabin packages — they accommodate large groups well). Play Manistee National as your warmup or value round, Manistee G&CC as your hidden gem day, and Arcadia Bluffs as the anchor. Book a twilight rate at Arcadia if you can. Three rounds, three very different experiences, one affordable base.
Little Traverse Bay as your backdrop, resort-quality courses, and one of the most underrated course collections in the Midwest.
Boyne Highlands is a proper resort complex with multiple courses — the Arthur Hills is worth your time if the itinerary works out. Weather wasn't on our side when we played it, which colors any review, but a few holes genuinely stand out: dramatic elevation changes up and down the terrain, with pine trees framing the background on some holes in a way that creates a real atmosphere. There's a visual drama here that rewards a clear day.
The resort itself is well-run and a comfortable base for this region. If you're building a Petoskey-area trip, Boyne Highlands gives you multiple course options on the same property, which simplifies logistics for a group.
Bay Harbor is the other name in this region that serious golfers talk about alongside Arcadia Bluffs. Arthur Hills designed it along the bluffs of Little Traverse Bay — three nine-hole courses (The Links, The Quarry, The Preserve) that play dramatically different from each other. The Links nine, running along the water's edge, is the one everyone talks about. Consistently ranks among the top public courses in Michigan. If you're in the Petoskey area, this is your Arcadia equivalent — the anchor round you build the trip around.
A Donald Ross design from 1925 that has been well-preserved. Classic tree-lined fairways, the traditional Ross crowned greens that reject approach shots hit at the wrong angle. For groups that appreciate golf history and course design, Belvedere offers something genuinely different from the modern resort tracks in the area. A good complement to Bay Harbor if you're spending multiple days in the Petoskey/Charlevoix pocket.
No water views, but some of the best pure golf in the Midwest. Forest Dunes alone makes this region worth the trip.
Forest Dunes consistently ranks among the top public courses in the United States — not just Michigan, the country. Tom Weiskopf design through pristine northern Michigan pines. The course also has The Loop, a reversible course designed by Tom Doak that plays as two completely different 18-hole courses depending on direction — a one-of-a-kind experience you won't find anywhere else in golf. Every serious golfer we know who has played Forest Dunes comes back with the same reaction: it's as good as advertised. Put this at the top of any Gaylord-area itinerary.
Treetops has five courses on property, making it a legitimate multi-day destination on its own. The Signature course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. is the flagship — dramatic elevation and panoramic views of the surrounding forest. The resort model works well for larger groups who want everything in one place. Full review coming after we play it this summer.
Garland Resort has four courses, with The Loon being the standout. Classic northern Michigan resort golf — wooded, well-maintained, good value compared to the premium courses in the region. A solid pick for a group that wants a comfortable resort experience without paying top-of-market rates. Full review coming after we play it this summer.
Forest Dunes is the non-negotiable anchor — book it first, plan everything else around it. Treetops or Garland work well as your base given their on-site lodging and multiple courses. The whole region is within about an hour's drive of itself, so logistics are manageable even if you're mixing courses across properties.
Northern Michigan has a short season and a few traps that catch first-time visitors. Here's the honest breakdown:
June — Courses are open but it can still be genuinely cold. Don't go in June expecting warm weather and be surprised when you need a jacket. Tee times and rates are easier to get, but you're gambling on the weather.
July and August — The reliable window. Warm, busy, and peak rates. Book tee times early — Arcadia Bluffs especially fills up fast on summer weekends. This is when Northern Michigan is at its best, but you're paying for it.
September — The smart play if your schedule allows. Shoulder season means lower rates, fewer crowds, and the courses are still in excellent shape from a full summer. The one thing to watch: aeration schedules. Some courses aerate their greens in early September to prepare for the winter ahead. Aerated greens play completely differently — the ball doesn't roll true and it's frustrating. Call ahead or check the course website before you book a September trip to confirm greens conditions.
Courses in Northern Michigan often aerate earlier than you'd expect, given the shorter season. Before booking a September trip, contact each course directly and ask when they're aerating. It can be the difference between perfect greens and playing on sand-filled plugs for your entire trip.
