Escape to Northern Michigan, Where BOYNE Golf Continues Raising the Bar
By Scott Kramer
On a beautiful early evening in June, I was finessing a pitching wedge downhill into the 9th green on the brand-new par-3 Doon Brae course at The Highlands in Harbor Springs, Mich. Beyond the green and the adjacent freshly renovated lodge, I could see for miles as the sun lowered in the sky. Right then, I thought to myself how this creative layout built into a ski slope truly adds a new dimension to the already full golf experience at mega-popular BOYNE Golf.
You can’t visit any top golf resort these days without encountering a short course to complement the full-length tracks. Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst Resort and Pebble Beach all have one. And now you can add this amazing destination to that list. You can play a round on Doon Brae in about an hour. Experienced players will love it, but it’s also a really great venue on which to learn the game. Designed by renowned Michigan course architect Ray Hearn, the first seven holes gradually zig-zag up the hill and the last two back down – it was strategically sculpted to be an easy and steady climb. Each green is inspired by a famous golf green around the world. Officials encourage golfers to play their tee shots from anywhere on the tee box they want. That way, smaller children can enjoy the course even more, while low handicaps can make it an extremely challenging experience. Holes can play from 57 yards and up to 150, depending on where you tee it up. The traps are well placed, too. What I love most: To keep the conditioning top-notch, BOYNE officials mow the grass at the same height as the resort’s other courses – and ensure it’s in amazing condition.
Doon Brae is flanked by the Back Yaird (Scottish spelling for “yard”), a 65,000-square-foot, 27-hole Himalayan-style putting course that also opened in 2025. Inspired by great putting courses like the Himalayas at St. Andrews and Thistle Du at Pinehurst, it features subtle slopes and swales and is a blast to play. It’s just off the back patio of the hotel’s Slopeside restaurant, where our group ordered dinner and then held a putting contest while we waited to be served. I can truly say that of all the massive putting greens I’ve played, this is far and away the most fun and fair.
And honestly, I would expect nothing less from BOYNE Golf. This 11-course, four-location golf resort offers every type of golf experience you can imagine. That June week, I also played the outstanding Alpine and Monument mountainside courses at Boyne Mountain, followed by the Links and Quarry nines along Lake Michigan at Bay Harbor Golf Club (coined by many as the “Pebble Beach of the Midwest” because of the breathtaking holes and views) and then The Heather and Ross Memorial courses, as well as Doon Brae – at The Highlands. I’ve been visiting Northern Michigan to play golf most of my life and feel like BOYNE Golf perpetually offers a collectively amazing golf variety for any visitor. The courses always seem to be in spectacular condition from tee to green, very playable, and with excellent and friendly service all along the way.
Also new for me this year was that a series of famous Donald Ross holes have been updated through the use of amazingly sophisticated technology on the Donald Ross Memorial course, to accurately match the originals in terms of yardage, slopes, and green and bunker size and shaping. The course is billed as a “Greatest Hits” compilation of 18 Ross holes from around the world. These recreations have been getting renovated one at a time since 2020. The latest transformation was the 10th hole – inspired by the 14th at Royal Dornoch Golf Club in Scotland. It’s the sixth hole to be upgraded. Officials modified the mounding on each side, added fescue, more than doubled the green size, and lowered it by 4.5 feet for accuracy. It’s stunning. I may never get to play the original, but now I feel like I’ve at least experienced it.
The thing that strikes me most about my trips here over time is that BOYNE Golf officials never stop making improvements – whether it be to the golf, lodging, restaurants, or amenities. They just always seem to raise the bar, which becomes evident every time I visit.
For example, this time I stayed in all-new rooms at both Boyne Mountain and The Highlands. Both suites were super upgraded, well-appointed, and even had in-depth TV channel offerings, in-room Nespresso machines, and amazingly comfortable beds. Not sure if it was the fresh air up in these parts or the bed — or the combination of both — but I had some of the best sleep all year during my visit. The Highlands’ iconic ivy-covered Main Lodge has undergone the most significant transformation – turning into a high-end boutique hotel. It’s reminiscent of an English country estate with Scottish Highlands charm. And at Boyne Mountain, I found Chalet Edelweiss to be a luxury getaway just steps from a year-round ski lift that I used to check out the mountaintop vistas. Just for fun one day, my friend and I rented e-bikes on the property there and rolled some 25 miles around the area on tranquil, tree-lined bike paths. It was such a nice way to see this beautiful part of the country.
I have no idea what they have planned next, but I can make an argument that this is currently one of America’s best and biggest golf resorts. The golf courses are perpetually maintained to pristine conditions. The variety of holes is expansive. And the destination is also known as “America’s Summer Golf Capital” for its long days and cool summer temperatures. You can easily fit in 36 holes or more daily, playing well into the evening hours.
And I’m guessing that was part of Everett Kircher’s vision when he founded Boyne Resorts back in 1947 by acquiring 40 acres of land with a modest ski hill for $1. Since then, he and his family have built North America’s largest family-owned golf and ski company. In the 1960s, the growing demand for golf warranted a championship layout from a renowned architect, which, at the time, was Robert Trent Jones Sr. So Kircher commissioned Jones to create The Heather course. It opened immediately as one of America’s top public golf courses. That helped catapult the resort to its world-class status today. Kircher’s son Stephen, an accomplished golfer, is in charge these days and continues to further elevate the BOYNE Golf experience.
With air travel being way more accessible now, it’s so much easier than ever to get to Boyne, with nonstop flights from 22 U.S cities now offering service to nearby Traverse City’s Cherry Capital Airport. There are also short connections through Chicago or Detroit to Pellston Airport in Emmet County, or private service directly into Boyne Mountain’s Airport with a 5,200-foot runway that recently underwent a $4 million upgrade. The destination also remains easily accessible by car throughout the Midwest. To score a great golf package – or for more information – visit BoyneGolf.com or call 866-535-0790.
