BOYNE Golf: One Resort, Three Locations, 10 Times the Fun
By Tom Lang
There is no question the last couple of years have altered the way people look at and experience the game of golf.
More people are playing golf than ever before, recorded at 24.3 million golfers nationally, and climbing, with rounds played expanding too.
Women and youth are providing new golfers to total participant numbers as well.
Travel choices have changed as many people stayed closer to home.
In all three categories, and many more, BOYNE Golf has been able to accommodate the game the past couple years as well as anyone I have witnessed.
One shift in particular has been the number of Michigan golfers returning to Boyne that have perhaps traveled elsewhere for their buddy trips or vacations. They are rediscovering why The Heather at The Highlands was voted National Golf Course of the Year in 2019 – or why both Golf Digest and Golfweek have placed Boyne’s Bay Harbor Links/Quarry two 9s on their top 100 Public Courses in America list (at No. 63 and No. 81, respectively in the U.S.).
Arguably the biggest endorsement was FORBES Magazine, with contributor Scott Kramer picking Boyne as one of the top golf resorts in the country, recommending Boyne right along with the likes of Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst, American Club/Destination Kohler, and Kapalua in Hawaii.
Kramer wrote these comments about BOYNE Golf: My favorite of all, this Northern Michigan destination is actually three resorts with collectively ten golf courses spread over a fairly close stretch. There’s Boyne Mountain Resort with two layouts that offer spectacular views; The Highlands with four outstanding courses on-site, as well as a par-3 that plays up and down a ski hill; and the luxury property Bay Harbor Golf Club with 27 simply magnificent and scenic holes—many of them along the shore of Lake Michigan. Within five minutes lies Boyne’s Crooked Tree Golf Club that’s carved through stands of centuries-old hardwood, while perched on bluffs high above Little Traverse Bay. The variety of golf here is collectively refreshing, the scenery amazing, and the staff always welcoming. Go in the fall, when the leaves start changing color—thank me later.
Statistics show that “local” golfers have been giving BOYNE Golf a try again with the increased desire to stay closer to home during the pandemic. Data also shows their friends are flying in from other parts of the country in record numbers to join them, thanks to direct flights from 17 large American cities now coming into the Traverse City Airport. Cities like Phoenix, Dallas, Newark, Minneapolis, Denver, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Orlando, just to name about half. Michigan has always been a popular summertime destination with its mild 70-80-degree weather days for those golfers living in the heat-oppressive South – but recently that influx has blossomed even more.
Whether their buddies get a house together in northern Michigan or utilize Boyne accommodations like the Ross Cottages at The Highlands, Disciples Ridge Condominiums at Boyne Mountain or Crooked Tree Cottages near Bay Harbor, it’s time for Michiganders to rediscover what BOYNE Golf has to offer with its championship-conditioned courses and growing amenities all over resort grounds.
All-New: The Highlands, for men, women and kids
A branding refresh was announced in December for The Highlands at Harbor Springs – Boyne’s long-time property to the north of Petoskey and east of Harbor Springs – which by the way are in themselves two of northern Michigan’s most delightful small towns with a mix of old historic charm and modern conveniences.
The rebranding of The Highlands is part of Boyne’s 2030 Transformational Journey – a plan that continues to reinvigorate founder Everett Kircher’s vision of a grand, 4-seasons resort. While tons of changes and improvements have taken place the last 60 years to separate the property from its former defunct Harbor Highlands ski area, Boyne is taking even further steps this decade to serve golfers and skiers alike.
The recently completed major renovation of 87 rooms in the Main Lodge is a game changer, especially for women and couples seeking a hotel lodging experience that is commensurate with the quality of the courses – plus more room and lobby remodels are on the way.
My recent hotel stay in the updated section of the hotel was impressive. The bathrooms are stunning, and the seating and bedroom areas have improved use of space and style. Information provided by the property explains how the changes took place to blend traditional English countryside with contemporary features, such as classic materials from tufted leather headboards and rich wood built-in cabinetry to wainscoting and metal elements.
Bathrooms feature marble floor and wall tiles, fixtures from British manufacturer Lefroy & Brookes, with hand-casted, forged, polished, and assembled taps, Euro-style toilets, custom designed lighted mirrors, vanity toe kick nightlights, and local art decorating the walls.
Golfers of all age and skill levels can already enjoy the new TrackMan Range at The Highlands’ Ross Golf Center, plus custom club fittings when combined with the popular GEARS technology. There have already been significant upgrades to both the Ross Memorial Course and The Moor (with more stories to come in future magazines), plus new snow-making equipment.
Golf Digest magazine named BOYNE Golf Academy its Editor’s Choice as a Best Golf School and Academy in the U.S. with its BOYNE Golf Academy, the Couples Golf School, and Junior Day Camps – truly a family resource for golf improvement if you’re ever going to find one.
Kids aged 17 and under play golf free with a paying adult after 2:00 p.m. – and during standard tee times, with just a cart fee. On Sundays after 2:00 (Family Fundays) at The Monument, The Moor and at Crooked Tree Golf Club, a family of four (mom or dad, two juniors) can play for free as long as one adult pays the normal rate.
The List Goes On and On:
BOYNE Golf has won so many awards and/or placement on top lists that there is no way to catalogue them all here.
But one that stands out to me the most is being named by Golf Digest as a Top 33 destination for women’s golf trips in 2022. Six tee boxes on every single one of Boyne’s 10 golf courses assure that all participants have choices that fit their comfort level to make it fun to play the game, and, they can all play together.
There is the Women’s Golf School – and for those who don’t want to golf, or do but get aches and pains from doing so – Michigan’s largest spa can be found at Boyne Mountain plus a full-service spa at Inn at Bay Harbor. A few years ago, my wife tried the spa at Boyne Mountain and called it “the best one ever.”
Rounding out potential experiences for families and couples include:
Paved Bike Paths from Boyne Valley Trail from Boyne Mountain to Boyne City and the Little Traverse Wheelway from Harbors Springs, through Petoskey and Bay Harbor, ending in Charlevoix
Avalanche Bay at Boyne Mountain, Michigan’s largest Indoor Waterpark
Depending on the resort, it’s a 30-60 minute drive to Mackinaw City, the gateway to historic Mackinac Island.
If all that is not enough to plan your golfing vacation, visit: www.BOYNEGolf.com or call 866-966-6910 and a BOYNE Guest Experience Agent can help will all kinds of information on resort options, golf courses and activities to formulate your own memorable trip.
