GolfPass Rankings Will Surprise Many
Top Courses in the country and the state of Michigan
By Tom Lang
From time to time, MI Golf Journal shares what others feel about the best places to play golf in the Great Lakes State.
Typically, the large national magazines will have their annual lists compiled by raters from across the country who in most cases attend specialized retreats and training. I once was a GolfWeek rater for 7 years.
This month we share another option that will look starkly different from the ‘typical’ rankings – this one coming from NBC/Golf Channel’s GolfPass ratings system.
GolfPass incorporates feedback from the more average/ everyday golfer, if that’s even a fair categorization at all?
In determining the final rankings for the year, GolfPass staff weighed several factors of golfer feedback, each of which correspond to the way its reviews are structured:
Overall Rating
Value
Conditions
Layout
Pace of Play
Staff Friendliness
Off-Course Amenities
GolfPass provides green fee information with these course rankings, too. They also note that as you peruse the list, it should provide some context as to the way golfers view individual courses. Lower green fees (the reason a few of these made the list) tend to denote a more value-oriented course that consistently exceeds golfers' expectations, while the top-dollar courses on this list are resort or high-end public layouts that deliver on the promised experience.
GolfPass’ top 20 golf courses NATIONALLY include FOUR from Michigan – that’s 20 percent of the nation!
The No. 1 rated course nationally was Mauni Lani Resort, South Course in Hawaii. The list’s price ranges went from a low of $34 for The Traces Golf Club (No. 7) in South Carolina, to the TPC Sawgrass – Dye’s Valley Course in Florida (No. 6) at $300.
Here are GolfPass’ top 20 National courses located in Michigan, followed by the top 25 within just our state:
No. 16, Old Channel Trail, Montague
No. 14, St. Ives Golf Club, Stanwood
No. 9, Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor
No. 8, Stonegate Golf Club near Muskegon
Top 25 Michigan-only:
Michigan golf courses reviewed in 2022: 330
Golfer reviews of Michigan golf courses in 2022: 6,519
25: The Ravines Golf Club, Saugatuck
24: Eldorado, Cadillac
23: The Hills at Boyne Highlands, Harbor Springs
22: Fazio Premier at Treetops, Gaylord
21: The Fortress, Frankenmuth
20: Plum Brook, Sterling Hgts.
19: Signature at Treetops, Gaylord
18: Woodland Hills, Sandusky
17: Forest Dunes, Roscommon
16: Northville Hills, Northville
15: Prairies Golf Club, Kalamazoo
14: Bucks Run, Mt. Pleasant
13: Wild Bluff, Brimley
12: Island Hills, Centreville
11: Forest Dunes, The Loop Black, Roscommon
10: Diamond Springs, Hamilton
9: Greywalls, Marquette
8: Gladstone Golf Club, Gladstone
7: Heritage Golf Club, Paw Paw
6: Stonehedge South at Gull Lake View, Augusta
5: Black Lake, Onaway
4: Old Channel Trail, Montague
3: St. Ives Golf Club, Stanwood
2: Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor
1: Stonegate Golf Club, Twin Lake
