Northern Michigan courses partner to bring players a signature stay-and-play package.
By Greg Johnson
Since the year 2000 Black Lake Golf Club has offered at least 18 reasons to venture 18 miles from northbound Interstate 75 toward Onaway, Michigan as a getaway destination—and it just added another: the 2018 Tour Golf Package.
When Architect Rees Jones designed a golf course for the UAW Black Lake Conference Center in 2000, it made venturing with golf clubs a special experience. Isolated in northern Michigan, the classic design features imaginative bunkering, wonderful conditioning, and a get-away-from-it-all feel on each isolated hole just an hour from Gaylord and an hour from the Mackinac Bridge.
The deal is full of traditional, classic golf. Nick Aune, general manager at Black Lake Golf Club, said it is the most popular package in which golfers head to the Gaylord Golf Mecca with three days to enjoy.
The first day features arrival to the mecca, a round of golf at either Gaylord Golf Club or The Pines at Michaywe’ and finishing the trek at Onaway and the UAW Conference Center. The center, with its many lodging options, has been open to the public for the last few years and has been remodeled with features, such as: new beds, flat-screen televisions, and more.
The night is spent at the Conference Center and the next day features play on the Black Lake course, which just last year added a new fleet of golf carts with GPS systems. Golfers also have the choice of working on their short games or settling some new wagers by playing more; this time on the nine-hole, par-3 walking Little Course with all holes at roughly 33 yards to 117 yards in length.
After another northern Michigan slumber, golfers depart, and play Gaylord Golf Club or The Pines on their way home.
The price starts at $234 per golfer based on double occupancy with a weekend in the mix price, or $204 midweek. There are discounts for UAW members and retirees, but on the golf only.
It’s 63 holes of golf, two nights lodging and dining options are available in the Black Lake Golf Club Grill as well as those at Gaylord Golf Club and The Pines.
