By Greg Johnson

Fall colors are at its peak mid-October in northern Michigan and are coming soon to southwestern Michigan, where golf can still be played for a few more weeks. For those looking for that one last color tour, round of golf, or golf getaway, HawksHead Links in South Haven, Michigan can be an ideal escape. 

Arthur Hills, renowned golf architect, fashioned a great variety in the 18 holes that wind in an adventurous way through natural topography and native grasses. The award-winning course plays to 7,003 yards with multiple tee positions and can be played from the front position at 4,960 yards. Strategic bunker complexes and natural waste areas stand out and offer targets as well as risk-reward options to the golfer, as the wind swirls and changes directions off Lake Michigan just a few miles away. 

It’s beautiful at any time of the year, especially with the contrasting colors of hardwoods, native grasses, and natural sand—add fall colors to the mix and it is breathtaking.

The HawksHead Restaurant and Pub has a great reputation on its own and welcomes diners with its pub’s old time atmosphere and panoramic views of both woods and fairways from its main dining room. The Inn at HawksHead also provides a roomy bed-and-breakfast opportunity in a restored Old English Tudor Mansion on site. This escape is just a few minutes off Interstate 94, but feels like more due to its serene setting.

At the time of the course opening in 1996, Hills noted his affinity for the region with all that is available at the getaway near Lake Michigan.

“This is the best golfing experience and overnight stay in the Midwest,” he said at the time. “It’s a place I would want to come to for golf, relaxation, good food, and everything is relaxed and comfortable. We designed a course that everybody can play and enjoy, and the area is beautiful. The golf course in just a little bit of time looks like it has been here for a very long time.”