Text: Greg Johnson
With 10 golf courses at three resorts in an 18-mile radius of the northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, BOYNE Golf is a major destination for any and all groups, and simply perfect for buddies.
“The big thing, I think, is the amount of variety we offer, especially in the Midwest,” said Ken Griffin, director of golf sales and marketing for Boyne. “Forbes Magazine rated us as one of the top six places to play in the country. We have variety nobody else can match. One, there’s the quality and variety of golf; two, there’s the variety of lodging; and three, there’s the variety of things you can do at our resorts in addition to the golf.”
BOYNE’s portfolio of courses includes Robert Trent Jones Sr. design of The Heather at Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs, which was the 2019 National Golf Course of the Year, and several others have won awards from various publications and groups.
Boyne Highlands also features the Donald Ross Memorial, which is a composite of the legendary architect’s best-designed holes; the Arthur Hills course, which is a sweeping, modern design with breathtaking views considered among Hills’ best work; and The Moor course, which is a classic design demanding strategic play.
At Boyne Mountain in Boyne Falls, the Alpine course annually hosts major golf tournaments due to its popular award-winning design and great challenge. The resort’s Monument course combines a testament to golf greats via dedicated holes and a variety of fun in the game. Both courses offer dramatic finishing holes that keep golfers talking after they complete their rounds.
Bay Harbor Golf Club in Petoskey is unique among golf experiences in Michigan. Three distinctive nine-hole designs make up 27 holes designed by Arthur Hills along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The views are stunning and the golf offers an amazing variety of challenges amid a world-class experience.
Perched high on the bluffs above Little Traverse Bay is Crooked Tree Golf Club, which many feel offers the best golf course scenery in the Midwest, not to mention 18 great golf holes.
Stay-and-play packages in elite lodging options are varied and fit almost any price point.
“You pick,” Griffin said. “Want to stay at the Marriott Autograph Collection at Bay Harbor? It seems like every golf group’s favorite is the Ross Cottages at Boyne Highlands, and the view of Lake Michigan from the cottages at Crooked Tree is another big one for groups. It’s incredible variety and quality at the same time.”
Griffin said parties of 16 to 20 people are the average size group that come to Boyne, but much larger groups are easily managed as well.
“Our team is so used to taking care of groups,” Griffin said. “We know some groups have older golfers who maybe don’t play 36 holes on our long summer days. They play 18 [holes], and then look for something else to do or a good place to dine. We have restaurants, fly fishing, beaches, microbreweries, hiking, biking, zip-lining, and so many other things you can do. That’s why buddies come to see us. We help them put it together the way they want it.”
Featured image: Boyne Highlands, Moor 16
