Text: Greg Johnson
There are a number of great destinations full of color for fall golf in northern Michigan, and yet the Boyne Golf properties of Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands, Bay Harbor, and Crooked Tree Golf Club offers an elevated vantage point—as in high up looking down at miles of nature’s finest tapestry of changing leaves.
“Just the other day I was saying that what makes Michigan and our Boyne courses special in the fall is the elevation changes you get when you play them,” said Ken Griffin, marketing director at Boyne. “You get a better view of the colors. It’s that simple. Many other places have the beautiful fall colors, but our courses give you the advantage of being able to see them all.”
Griffin also said two views, unrivaled in fall color viewing, are on Boyne courses, which totals 10 in all in the state of Michigan.
“[The 13th hole] on the Hills Course [at Boyne Highlands], from the tee you look out over 4,000 acres of trees with a 400-yard drop to the green,” Griffin said. “That is a rare view. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
Griffin also highlighted the 12th hole at the Alpine Course at Boyne Mountain.
“Trees, colors, grasses, Deer Lake’s blue water, it looks like a painting,” Griffin added.
Griffin noted golfers wanting to see Mother Nature’s fall colors the Boyne-way should start planning and booking. Boyne can’t promise exact timing on the best color viewing because the weather each year is different and impacts when exactly the colors will pop at maximum levels.
“It’s always somewhere between the 15th of September and the 25th of October. It can vary a month, but leaves start turning in September and we golf until late in October, usually around the 25th, somewhere in there,” Griffin said.
“Last year we started dropping the premiums [or higher fees] at our Bay Harbor courses and on the Hills and Heather [at Boyne Highlands] on Sept. 23. Then we have great fall rates across the board. That’s the other thing. Fall golf gives you a little more elbow room on our courses, too. We don’t have the same traffic as mid-summer. It’s really a great time to come play. We still have the sunsets, the beautiful courses in great conditions, and then the colors, too,” Griffin added.
The packages, including the popular Evergreen Package, are available online.
Boyne Golf is a collection of ten courses at three resorts—Boyne Highlands, Boyne Mountain, and Inn at Bay Harbor—located within 15 miles of Petoskey, Michigan. Beyond the world-class golf, Boyne Golf is centered amid one of America’s most beautiful vacation spots. The scenic Lake Michigan beach towns of Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, and Petoskey are minutes away; and a side trip to Mackinac Island is easily managed. Guests can enjoy award-winning spas, waterfront dining, sandy beaches, watersports, gaming, microbreweries, wineries, hiking, biking, tennis, zip-lining, shopping, and more, capped by the spectacular northern Michigan sunsets.
Visit ExploreBoyne.com
Photography by Evan Schiller
