Michigan is the most underrated public golf state in the country.
With more than 650 public courses spread across the Lower and Upper Peninsulas, it offers more accessible tee times, more variety, and more genuinely spectacular golf than most golfers ever give it credit for. The reason it stays underrated is simple: the season runs from May through October, which keeps it out of the year-round conversation dominated by Arizona, Florida, and the Carolinas. But that compressed calendar is also what makes northern Michigan so compelling. Operators who only have five months to earn a year's worth of revenue take conditioning and service seriously, and the results show.
The real draw is the Lake Michigan bluffs corridor in the northwest Lower Peninsula. Here, the collision of freshwater shoreline, sandy glacial terrain, and persistent west winds creates conditions that produce some of the most visually striking and strategically interesting golf in America. Arcadia Bluffs sits at the top of that list and, by most objective measures, sits among the five best public golf experiences in the United States. Bay Harbor Golf Club adds a polished resort alternative 90 minutes north. And a deep supporting cast, including Forest Dunes, Treetops, and the remote gems of the Upper Peninsula, means a serious golfer can spend a week in Michigan and never run out of quality options.
Arcadia Bluffs
Arcadia Bluffs is a two-course destination built into the Lake Michigan bluffs near the small town of Arcadia, roughly 25 miles south of Frankfort. The property has no hotel attached to it, which is part of what keeps the experience focused on the golf itself. You come here to play, and everything about the operation points in that direction.
The Bluffs Course is the main event. Designed by Rick Smith and opened in 1999, it routes across open clifftop terrain with Lake Michigan visible from most of the property. The wind is not an occasional factor here; it is a permanent playing condition. Holes shift between downwind and into-the-wind depending on routing, and club selection changes by four or five clubs from one hole to the next. The course rewards shot-shaping and punishes straight-line thinking. Walking is not just permitted but encouraged, and caddies are available for golfers who want the full experience. The best holes include the par-3s that send tee shots toward the bluff edge, and the closing stretch that turns back toward the water for a finishing sequence that rewards patience. Golf Digest consistently ranks the Bluffs Course among the top 50 public courses in the United States, and the ranking holds up under scrutiny.
The South Course, opened in 2018, plays a completely different game. It is more sheltered and tree-lined, routed through terrain that feels more like classic American parkland than an exposed links. Conditions are typically excellent and the design is more approachable for players who find the Bluffs Course's wind exposure punishing. For groups traveling with players at different skill levels, the South Course is the practical answer for a second day, and it is a genuinely good course on its own terms, not a consolation prize.
The best comparison for the Bluffs Course is the linksland experience you would get in Ireland or Scotland: walking, wind, clifftop routing, views that reward looking up from your scorecard. The difference is that Arcadia Bluffs is a four-hour flight closer for most Americans, and peak pricing is a fraction of what a comparable overseas trip would cost.
When to go: July and August are peak season. Expect the Bluffs Course to sell out on weekends four to six months in advance during those months. September is the local's choice: rates drop meaningfully, fall color starts building in the surrounding forests, and conditions remain excellent through mid-month. October is cheap and beautiful on good days, but the weather becomes a gamble.
Cost (2025 rates): The Bluffs Course runs $175 Monday through Thursday and $190 Friday through Sunday during peak season (June 1 through early October), with twilight rates at $150 after 4pm. Shoulder season drops to $125 in May and $165 in October. The South Course runs $115 to $125 during the peak window and $95 in shoulder season. A three-day trip in September playing both courses twice runs approximately $900 to $1,100 per person including green fees and lodging in nearby Frankfort or Beulah. The same trip in July runs $1,200 to $1,600 per person depending on how you book.
Read our Arcadia Bluffs full review for hole-by-hole notes and lodging recommendations near the property.
Bay Harbor Golf Club
Bay Harbor Golf Club sits on Little Traverse Bay near Petoskey, about 90 minutes north of Arcadia Bluffs along US-31. Arthur Hills designed all 27 holes, organized into three nine-hole loops called the Links, Preserve, and Quarry. The property combines into three distinct 18-hole experiences depending on which nines you pair, and each combination plays differently enough that repeat visits feel fresh.
The Links nine has the strongest Lake Michigan exposure. It runs along the top of a bluff with views across the bay, and the routing creates several holes where water is the dominant visual and strategic element. The Quarry nine is the most unusual: it threads through the walls of a former shale quarry, with 40-foot stone cliffs framing several holes and elevation changes creating approach shots that require genuine commitment to a yardage. The Preserve nine is the most conventional of the three, routed through wetlands and deciduous forest, but it serves as a useful counterpoint to the drama elsewhere on the property.
The resort context at Bay Harbor is different from Arcadia Bluffs. The Bay Harbor village has restaurants, a marina, and a walkable main street. The Inn at Bay Harbor is the primary lodging option and anchors a stay-and-play experience that keeps everything within a short distance. The overall vibe is polished and upscale compared to Arcadia Bluffs, which leans more rugged. Neither approach is wrong; they just suit different types of groups. Arcadia Bluffs is better for golfers who want the course to be the entire trip. Bay Harbor works better for groups that want golf to share the schedule with good dinners and a marina walk.
Cost: Bay Harbor green fees typically run $100 to $160 per round depending on the season and time of day, with resort packages available through Boyne Golf that bundle lodging and play. Happy Hour tee times after 4pm start at $155 for 18 holes. September rates drop compared to peak summer pricing.
See our Bay Harbor golf trip guide for routing recommendations and package booking tips.
Other Notable Michigan Golf Destinations
Northern Michigan has more quality golf than most itineraries can absorb in a single trip, and several properties deserve specific mention for travelers who want to extend beyond Arcadia and Bay Harbor.
Treetops Resort in Gaylord operates 81 holes across multiple courses, including Tom Fazio's Masterpiece Course and several Robert Trent Jones Sr. designs. It is the best option in northern Michigan for groups that want volume: four or five rounds in three days without repeating. Green fees typically run $50 to $100 per round depending on the course and season, making it the strongest value play in the region. The property also has on-site lodging, which simplifies logistics for larger groups. See our Treetops Resort guide for course-by-course notes.
Forest Dunes in Roscommon deserves its own section in any serious Michigan golf conversation. Tom Doak designed The Loop, a reversible course that plays clockwise on one day and counterclockwise on the next, creating two genuinely different experiences on the same 18 holes. No other facility in American golf offers the same concept at the same level of design quality. The Loop has received national recognition since opening, and premium pricing around $150 to $200 per round when it is in operation reflects that. If you are already in northern Michigan, this is worth a detour to Roscommon.
Greywalls at Marquette Golf Club in the Upper Peninsula sits on dramatic Lake Superior bluffs, with a remote setting that rewards golfers willing to make the drive north across the Mackinac Bridge. It is among the most visually impressive courses in the Midwest and plays into the romantic appeal of the UP as a destination. Budget a full day of travel to get there and treat the course as an anchor for a broader UP road trip rather than a quick stop.
Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, on the southwestern edge of Michigan near the Indiana border, is a Jack Nicklaus design that hosts the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. It is consistently underrated in national rankings and offers a strong option for golfers flying into Chicago or Grand Rapids who want world-class golf without driving five hours north.
How to Plan Your Michigan Golf Trip
Michigan's golf season runs May through October, with the window tightening somewhat in the northern reaches of the state. May is a value month with soft conditions and light crowds, though some facilities open late depending on winter snowpack. July and August are peak in every sense: best weather, highest prices, most demand. September is the sweet spot that experienced Michigan golfers protect jealously. Rates drop 20 to 30 percent compared to August, fall color builds across the bluff corridors, and course conditions remain excellent through the first half of the month. October is available and cheap but carries real weather risk, particularly north of Traverse City.
For flights, Traverse City (TVC) is the primary gateway for northern Michigan, with service from Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis. From TVC, Arcadia Bluffs is about 45 minutes south on US-31, and Bay Harbor is about 90 minutes north. Grand Rapids (GRR) works better for the southwestern Michigan courses including Harbor Shores. Detroit (DTW) is the fallback for travelers without direct service to TVC and adds three hours of driving for northern Michigan destinations.
A well-constructed northern Michigan itinerary anchors two rounds at Arcadia Bluffs (one on the Bluffs Course, one on the South Course) and adds a day trip to Bay Harbor, Boyne Golf, or Crystal Mountain. Four days and three nights in September gives you three to four rounds without feeling rushed, and the drive up from Traverse City along M-22 is one of the better stretches of highway in the Midwest, following the Lake Michigan shoreline through small towns and fruit stands.
For trip planning methodology, see our guide to how to plan a golf trip. For comparison against other Midwest destinations, see our breakdown of the best golf trips in Wisconsin.
Michigan rewards the golfer willing to look past the marquee states. The Arcadia Bluffs Bluffs Course is among the five best public golf experiences in the country at any price point, and the surrounding region fills out a full week without repetition. Browse our golf trip rankings to compare Michigan against other top destinations and find the right fit for your group.