Thunder Bay Golf and Elk Tour
A golf weekend experience like no other
By Tom Lang
One year ago, I took part in one the most unique golf weekend experiences I have ever had, and a bonus was taking my wife along and – even though she is not a golfer – she enjoyed herself very much.
In other words, automatic bonus points.
As people think about fall golf, and even activities for the wintertime, this month seemed like a good opportunity to re-introduce this property. Thunder Bay Resort, located in Hillman, is due west of Alpena on Michigan’s ‘sunrise side.’
Thunder Bay Resort not only includes good golf – along with package deals that combine Red Hawk Golf Club in Tawas City and Black Lake to the north – but the main attraction on this eastside swing is Thunder Bay’s award-winning Elk viewing carriage ride. It is complete with gourmet dinner and wine tasting inside a modernized yet rustic-looking cabin in the woods. In the winter, the Belgian horse-drawn carriage is changed over from rubber tires to be fitted with sleigh runners and people bundle up under their own blanket for the tour through the 160-acre Elk nature preserve on the way to dinner.
‘Over the River and through the Woods’ is not just a music lyric in this case.
It’s what you literally experience as the Thunder Bay Resort Elk tour meanders through the only wild Elk preserve within range of dozens of states. In non-Covid years, thousands of travelers come in from other regions across the U.S. to participate.
“Some people think the Elk are tame, and we can get quite close to totally wild Elk as well, but most of these animals have never been touched by a human being – we keep them as close to totally wild as we can,” said the original and current property owner at Thunder Bay, Jack Mathias, age 80. He first developed the front 9 of the now 18-hole course in 1971 – meaning this is the property’s 50th anniversary year.
The ride is an excellent look at, and history lesson for, the Elk habitat in Michigan. On the Saturday evening we went along, up to three dozen Elk were easily seen, with one coming up to within 15 feet of the carriage to graze. At the time in 2020 it was only the second carriage ride of the season due to prior Covid restrictions, so a few other Elk that were initially close by were spooked to see humans for the first time in several months and scampered away.
The dinner was very good and – although the spouse and I rarely touch wine – the wine tasting was done well and my wife found an ‘Ice Wine’ from Modern Craft Winery in Au Gres, MI that she fell for.
Accommodations at Thunder Bay Resort were built in the early 1990s. They are roomy and comfortable and according to my spouse (she has the sensitive nose) they smelled fresh, without any hint of mustiness. The overnight choices range from condominium style Chalets to Suites in 2-and 3-story buildings along the second hole. There’s approximately 70 bedrooms on the property.
There is also an RV Park that on our trip was filled with many high-end motor coaches, from Texas, Florida and Alabama.
“The second most inquiries we get from the website come from Texas,” Mathias said. “We’re the only people doing something like the Elk Tour that’s east of the Rockies. We get rave reviews, and almost everybody says we exceeded their expectations. Our word of mouth is very good, and when it comes to couples’ golf getaways, I am reasonably confident that we can compete with just about anything you can do anywhere.”
For two years running, the Elk Tour has been recently awarded the "Best of the Best" in the "Adventure" category by Destinations Magazine.
“Some people think the Elk are tame, and we can get quite close to totally wild Elk as well, but most of these animals have never been touched by a human being – we keep them as close to totally wild as we can,” said the founder and current property owner at Thunder Bay, Jack Mathias. He first developed the front 9 of the now 18-hole course in 1971 – meaning the property is more than 50 years in operation.
The sleigh ride is an excellent look at, and history lesson for, the Elk habitat in Michigan. On the Saturday evening we went along, at least three dozen Elk were easily seen, with one coming up to within 15 feet of the carriage to graze.
The dinner was very good and – although the spouse and I rarely touch wine – the wine tasting portion was done well and my wife found an ‘Ice Wine’ from Modern Craft Winery in Au Gres, MI that she fell for.
Virtually every weekend on the year-round calendar has Elk rides with dinner and wine. Occasionally the resort offers ‘Murder Mystery Weekends’.
Accommodations at Thunder Bay Resort were built in the early 1990s. They are roomy and comfortable and according to my spouse (she has the sensitive nose) they smelled fresh, without any hint of mustiness. The overnight choices range from condominium style Chalets to Suites in 2-story buildings along the second hole. There’s a rough equivalent of 70 bedrooms on the property.
There is also an RV Park for summertime, that on our trip was filled with many high-end motor coaches, from Texas, Florida and Alabama.
“The second most inquiries we get from the website come from Texas,” Mathias said. “We’re the only people doing something like the Elk Tour that’s east of the Rockies. We get rave reviews, and almost everybody says we exceeded their expectations. Our word of mouth is very good, and when it comes to couples’ golf getaways, I am reasonably confident that we can compete with just about anything you can do anywhere.”
Here’s a sampling of TripAdvisor ratings I found online:
January, 2022:
“It has been a childhood wish to ride a horse drawn sleigh in the snow. This was such a relaxing two-night package. My husband and I enjoyed the room, the resort bar and grill. Good cocktail selection. The ride included elk viewing and dinner. The weekend exceed expectations.”
Valentines Weekend, rater from Grosse Pointe Farms:
“It was pretty nippy (below zero) the night we went on the sleigh ride, but we were kept warm by sitting on a wool blanket and having one thrown over our laps (both provided by the resort). This trip was so worthwhile because it's rare to do this kind of thing without having to go out West. We've done a similar sleigh ride/dinner in Snowmass, Colorado, and this one is just as lovely. Lucky for Michiganders to have this right in our backyard!”
When Spring Arrives for Golf:
Three golf experiences are included in the summertime traditional Getaway Package – at Thunder Bay, plus Red Hawk and Black Lake – three courses combined as a loop to hit Red Hawk in Tawas on the way north, two nights at Thunder Bay, then finish at Black Lake to the northwest on day 3. But they can be played in any order golfers desire.
Thunder Bay doesn’t have a famous designer’s name affiliated with the layout, but it’s a nice parkland style course surrounded by trees. The first three holes start out with tree-lined fairways before Holes 4-7 open up on a piece of land across the street with wider fairways and large greens. Once the routing goes back across the same residential road, you’ll never encounter a straight fairway again, sans the par 3s. Every hole 8-18 has some amount of turn in them that in all but one case hides the green from view of the tee box.
Ponds dot the course to serve as drainage and hazards. Reaching the 3rd, 8th and 11th greens requires going over the edge of ponds, while 12 and 17 require full-flight approaches over water.
Although it was abundantly clear Thunder Bay is a buddies’ trip destination, lots of couples were also out playing together, a refreshing change from most courses.
Red Hawk is an excellent Arthur Hills design north of Tawas situated on a gorgeous track of land. Holes 2-4 might be my favorite run of holes, but that certainly doesn’t mean the fun stops early.
No 2 is a drivable par 4 to an elevated green surrounded by bunkers so if your sand game still needs work it’s best to layup off the tee. No. 3 is a stunning par 3 with a huge drop off from the tee. It’s tempting to club down for that very reason but it’s still a good poke to get your ball there. No. 4 is a beautiful par 4 that turns right to left as it glides downhill – just a picture-perfect setting (which honestly can describe plenty of holes on the course).
Black Lake was designed by Rees Jones at the UAW property near the top of our mitten. Jones might have created the routing and some green complexes, but God did the land design. A handful of holes have ravines to clear off the tee, which also highlights the several elevation changes on site.
As long as accuracy is maintained in your golf game, the sand bunkers can be viewed as artistry instead of hazards. Several greens have two-tiers offering multiple pin placements, with the 12th hole par 3 the most dramatic in the two different levels to conquer par. All in all, a great place to culminate a fun weekend getaway.
For more information and pricing, visit: www.thunderbayresort.com
