Michigan Leads Golf.com Ranking of the Top 100 Value U.S. Courses for $150 or Less

Reprinted with Permission. This story first appeared in Detroit Free Press on Aug. 20

By Carlos Monarrez

I’ve played a lot of golf all over the country. I’ve played in golf hotbeds like California, Florida, Arizona and Hawaii. I’ve even played internationally (OK, it was Windsor, but still).

After playing so many courses in so many states over several decades, there’s something I’ve long suspected about Michigan’s golf courses but that I wasn’t able to quantify or prove. Until now.

Thanks to the recent legwork of a select group of 10 raters at Golf.com, my suspicion has been confirmed: Michigan leads the country in top value courses you can play for $150 or less.

That’s right. Not California, Texas, Florida or even New York — all of which have least twice Michigan’s population of about 10 million. It’s the Great Lakes State that leads the way, with seven selections.

California and New York each have six courses on the list. Texas has five and Florida has just three. I’m sure many Michiganders are curious about our neighbors to the south. Sadly, those poor Ohioans only have four courses on the list, plus they have to root for Ohio State. Life just isn’t fair sometimes.

I’m sure many of you think $150 isn’t cheap and doesn’t exactly sound like a great “value.” But the editors at Golf.com noted they chose $150 to cast a wider net of choices and that you can play these courses in many cases for much less than $150.

For instance, Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix is the top-ranked Michigan course at No. 10 and when rater Ran Morrissett played it he noted “the cost was well under $100.”

Here are Michigan’s seven courses that were ranked, with fee ranges based on walking 18 holes or with an inclusive cart fee:

• No. 10 Belvedere in Charlevoix, $40-$110.

• No. 14 Stoatin Brae in Augusta, $55-$118.

• No. 29 American Dunes in Grand Haven, $100-$150.

• No. 39 Diamond Springs in Hamilton, $31-$56.

• No. 45 Pilgrim’s Run in Pierson, $47-$71.

• No. 71 Eagle Eye in Bath, $71.25-$120.

• No. 94 The Gailes at Lakewood Shores in Oscoda, $42-$78.

I’ve seen or played all of these courses, except Belvedere and Diamond Springs. But if they’re anything remotely close to as good as the five others on the list, there’s no question they deserve this accolade.

Belvedere has been on my bucket list for a while and I promise to play it before the end of next summer, if my boss approves my time off. And my wife says it’s OK. And my kids aren’t too busy. And we can find a dog sitter. And we aren’t up to the Omega variant by then. So, by the end of 2023 for sure!

The top course on the list is … go ahead and take a guess. If you picked Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, you get a cookie! It runs $39-$150, depending on your residency status.

My guess would have been Torrey Pines’ South Course, but I’ll bet it didn’t make the cut because it tops out at $252 for non-San Diego residents. Ouch! (Pro tip: I’ve been to Torrey. At that price, skip it. I’d rather sell a couple kidneys and pay $575 to play Pebble Beach).

Golf.com didn’t mention courses that just missed out on the ranking. But I’m sure the price cutoff kept revered Michigan courses like Arcadia Bluffs, Forest Dunes, Bay Harbor and Greywalls off the list.

The ranking only provided comments for the top 20 courses, so here’s a sampling of what the editors thought of Belvedere and Stoatin Brae.

Belvedere: “Thanks to how Golden Age architect William Watson incorporated meandering creeks, dramatic valley walls and gorgeous Michigan rolling landforms into his routing here, the golfer wants for nothing.”

Editors also lauded Belvedere for being a private club that allows outside play. “As a big believer in the notion that great architecture should be shared, I tip my hat to the club,” Morrissett wrote.

I couldn’t agree more. We’ll meet one of these days, Belvedere.

Stoatin Brae: “Much of the front nine traverses a plain, and then, starting at 10, the land goes crazy — a topsy-turvy six-hole stretch that you won’t soon forget. It is one of the best stretches on this entire list, even though a lot of people don’t know about it.”

Being named national golf course of the year for 2021 won’t keep Stoatin Brae a secret much longer. I also found some tee times (in August) starting at $39 with a cart, but don’t tell anyone.

I love golf and I can find something to enjoy about any course I play. Last week, I went on a golf vacation with friends and family from Pennsylvania. We played a Robert Trent Jones Sr. and an Arnold Palmer course at Oglebay Golf Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia.

The courses were beautiful and challenging. There were too many sidehill lies for my taste, but we were on a mountain, after all.

As much as I loved the golf and the camaraderie, there was one thought that kept coming back to me. I wished I was playing golf in Michigan, where I’ve always known the courses are majestic and the value can’t be beat.