Summer Swing: The Best of Public Golf in Michigan

There are many great spots across the country to tee it up in the summer. With average morning lows in the lower 60’s and daytime highs in the low to mid 80’s, Michigan may be one of the better places to play with summer in full swing. You also have plenty of time to play in with daylight lasting in Michigan anywhere between 14-15 hours a day. 

The Great Lake State boasts over 650 public access golf courses. Included are some of the best courses in the country. 

In no particular order, these facilities are held in very high esteem among golf course enthusiasts…

Designed in 1925 by famed architect William Watson, who is best known for classics such as Olympia Fields in Chicago, Interlachen in Minneapolis, and The Olympic Club in San Francisco, his Belvedere Golf Club masterpiece is one of the crown jewels of northern Michigan. Belvedere is one of those special places where you can walk the same footsteps that legends like Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, and Tom Watson have.  

Just 100 miles from Chicago, this 18-hole, public, Jack Nicklaus Signature Course reflects the high standards that Mr. Nicklaus, one of the world’s leading designers, possesses. The course held its Grand Opening in July of 2010, with Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and its designer, Jack Nicklaus, in attendance. Harbor Shores hosted the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and this year, 2022, as well. The course is also scheduled to host the Championship in 2024. 

And who can forget that special moment, at the opening of Harbor Shores, brought to you by the Golden Bear:

This breathtaking piece of property has all the same feels that famed seaside links courses such as Lahinch and Ballybunion have. Arcadia Bluffs sits on 265 acres of windswept bluffs 180 feet above Lake Michigan. You can’t go wrong with either the Bluffs Course or the South Course, and in fact, if you could squeeze in 36, I’d give that a go!

Forest Dunes Golf Club has become one of the country's premier golf experiences. Nestled on 1,300 acres within the Huron National Forest, this Tom Weiskopf design is one of his best…and he has had many! The course features native dunes, scruffy sand areas and scenic water features. 

When designer Chris Lutzke collaborated with the famed Pete Dye, you knew something special was going to come from his creation at Eagle Eye. This links style track offers the typical challenges that you would find on any of Dye’s courses. In addition, Lutzke included an homage to Pete Dye with his signature “Island Green” No. 17 replica hole, a nod to the famed TPC Sawgrass No. 17 par 3.

The Loop Course at Forest Dunes Golf Club was recognized as the Best New Public Course by Golf Digest, and the Best New U.S. Course You Can Play by GOLF Magazine. What is the appeal to this Tom Doak track…how about being able to play the same course forwards and backwards – really? Innovation and passion lead the way with The Loop. This revolutionary reversible design is a walking-only experience featuring two different layouts playing from the same fairways to the same green complexes, which alternate directions on a daily basis.

The Greywalls course opened to rave reviews in 2005 and golf course designer Mike DeVries has much to be proud of with this masterpiece. The course treats golfers to a wild ride over a diverse terrain. Rolling fairways, dramatic elevation changes, and a bunkered links land experience. The breathtaking views of Lake Superior are absolutely incredible. 

Bay Harbor Golf Club features 27-holes designed by Arthur Hills, which plays as three different course combinations (Links/Quarry, Quarry/Preserve, Preserve/Links). One of the favorites of many Michigander golfers, and visitors alike, is the Links/Quarry course. This track boasts picturesque holes along a plateau overlooking Lake Michigan which meanders in and out of an old limestone quarry along the shoreline.

With the name The Bear, you probably won’t be surprised that this amazing course is a signature design of Jack Nicklaus. The Bear is probably best-known for being one of the toughest courses in America as described by Golf Digest. It’s almost like Jack threw any, and all, of the possible pitfalls a golfer could ever imagine finding on a course, on this one layout. The beautiful par 72, links-style course features Scottish terraced fairways, tiered greens, deep rough, moguls, mounds, and even deep pot bunkers. If that wasn’t enough, golfers will also encounter lakes, ponds, hardwood forests, streams, and fruit orchards. Wildlife loves the course too and can be found in abundance at The Bear.