The Best Golf Courses in Michigan: Gaylord, Traverse City and Beyond
Northern Michigan has developed one of the most concentrated golf destination landscapes in the Midwest. The stretch from Traverse City to Gaylord contains dozens of quality courses built on the glacially sculpted terrain and forested hills of the lower peninsula, with several that rank among the best in the country. The season runs May through October, the scenery is exceptional, and the driving distances from Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland make it accessible for long-weekend golf trips.
Arcadia Bluffs — Arcadia
Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan is the most visually dramatic course in the state. The clifftop layout plays along bluffs 250 feet above the lake, with Lake Michigan visible from nearly every hole and prevailing winds off the water that change character throughout the round. Warren Henderson and Rick Smith designed the South Course (opened 1999) with the lake as both backdrop and hazard — errant shots on several holes simply don't come back.
The newer West Course offers a more sheltered, forest-routed experience. The South Course is the reason to make the trip.
Forest Dunes Golf Club — Roscommon
Forest Dunes in central Michigan contains The Loop — a Tom Doak design that can be played in two directions, with an 18-hole clockwise routing and an 18-hole counter-clockwise routing that produce essentially two different courses from the same land. It is the only reversible golf course in America built since the early days of the game, and it works: the two directions play with completely different risk-reward calculations despite sharing the same fairways and greens.
Treetops Resort — Gaylord
Treetops Resort in Gaylord has five courses, the best of which is the Robert Trent Jones Sr. Masterpiece — a genuine title for a course that earns it, with elevation changes unusual for Michigan and the dramatic wooded terrain that defines northern Michigan golf. The Tom Fazio Premier Course and the Rick Smith Signature round out the strong options on property. Gaylord calls itself "the golf mecca of the Midwest" with some justification.
Bay Harbor Golf Club — Petoskey
Bay Harbor Golf Club in Petoskey occupies a former industrial site along Little Traverse Bay — reclaimed limestone quarry terrain that Arthur Hills turned into a visually spectacular three-nine layout along the water. The Links nine is the strongest, playing exposed to Lake Michigan wind along the bay shoreline. The combination of industrial reclamation, natural beauty, and quality design makes Bay Harbor one of the more interesting course stories in American golf.
Planning a Michigan Golf Trip
The northern Michigan golf corridor is best organized as a base-and-spoke trip from Traverse City or Petoskey. Both cities have airports with regional service, and the distances between courses are manageable — most of the best courses are within 45 minutes of each other. July and August are peak season; June and September offer better weather windows with lower green fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best golf course in Michigan?
Arcadia Bluffs South Course and Forest Dunes consistently rank as the two best courses in Michigan and among the best in the Midwest. Arcadia Bluffs wins on visual drama; Forest Dunes wins on architectural innovation.
Is Michigan a good golf destination?
Yes. The Gaylord-Traverse City-Petoskey corridor in northern Michigan offers some of the best golf in the Midwest, with championship-quality courses, excellent scenery, and reasonable green fees compared to coastal destinations of similar quality.