The 5 Most Scenic Golf Courses In Michigan With Lake Views

Michigan has a lot going for it (I'm from the Upper Peninsula and admittedly very biased). The Great Lakes State has accessible nature everywhere you turn: beaches, dunes, state parks, camping, vineyards, and much more. There's a reason Michigan tourism is rocking. In tandem with the visitors coming for world-class nature, it's also a solid state for golf. It's not one of the five American states with the most golf courses per capita, but Michigan has a huge number of public courses, so you don't need connections to find good golf. You can play modern layouts at resorts, older municipal links, and low-key rural courses within the same trip. Fees are generally reasonable, especially compared with coastal golf destinations, and tee times are usually available outside peak summer weekends.

Not only is Michigan a beautiful state with a variety of accessible courses, but the state has shoreline on four of the five Great Lakes. Naturally, there are a number of scenic courses with views of the largest freshwater lake system in the world. From the shores of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula to nationally-ranked links overlooking Lake Michigan, golfers can find a public tee box on a course with pristine views, rolling terrain, and a walkable feel.

Many Michigan courses are part of larger resorts, but don't feel closed off to more casual, everyday golfers. The only downside might be the long winters, but there's a chance to find a quality course from April to November. We assembled the five most scenic courses in the state with unforgettable views of the Great Lakes, choosing courses open to the public and leaving off private ones.

Tucked just outside Petoskey, way up in the north of Michigan's Lower Peninsula (also known as The Mitten due to its shape), is Bay Harbor Golf Club. It's about a four-hour drive from Detroit or a short hop from a regional airport like Traverse City, a scenic Michigan lake city with Italian vibes and an underappreciated wine scene. It's a gorgeous part of Michigan, and Bay Harbor Golf Club is a destination in its own right. Stay in a suite near the links at the lakeside Inn at Bay Harbor, enjoy the outdoor pool, sandy beaches, full-service spa, and on-site restaurant. And if you're on a group trip, book one of their cottages. The resort experience is worth the trip alone, but, of course, we need to hit the links, and it's easy to get there via the shuttle to the course.

Bay Harbor Golf Club features three distinct nine-hole courses along Little Traverse Bay. These 27 holes were designed by the famous Arthur Hills, and embrace the terrain. Immaculate, deep green fairways roll and dive across the plain before turning to rough and then dropping into a steep forested hill with Lake Michigan a stone's throw behind them.

It's one of the most awarded golf resorts in the Midwest, features jaw-dropping beauty around every corner, and offers a full-spectrum vacation vibe. No matter how you hit 'em throughout the day, stop at the clubhouse restaurant after the 9th hole of The Quarry course. It features patio tables with Lake Michigan views — the perfect spot for a pint and a bite to eat with the foursome.

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan flies under the radar at times. It's understandable since, although it's thirty percent of Michigan's land area, only around three percent of the population lives there. It's remote, rugged, and beautiful, as is the Greywalls Golf Club in Marquette. Designed by Mike DeVries, Golfweek named it the #2 course to play in the state, and it was recognized as one of the top ten new courses in the entire country when it opened. As Lake Superior lies proudly on the horizon, the defining adjective for Greywalls would have to be: dramatic.

It's a course with huge elevation changes, sloping fairways, deep bunkers, and, as its website says, "undulating greens meant to push players to their limits." Hole 1 starts off with a bang, being a 522-yard par 5, with stony outcroppings shouldering the fairway and leading up to a small green that demands a precise approach. Standing on the tee box of the 6th feels like being in an amphitheater, as the trees line the 188-yard par three that dips into a valley and then swoops up with a volcanic wall (there are many, hence the name of the course), a tussle of sloped fairway, and the tantalizing green behind it.

You're going to want to "club up," as they say, because anything short of the green is going to fall back and drain into the valley of thick grass. Hole 9 is a 343-yard par 4, and has gorgeous views of Lake Superior. The green is small, and everything slopes toward the lake. After the round, enjoy a meal at the restaurant or head into the town of Marquette — a small Michigan city on Lake Superior's shores that boasts sailing, hidden waterfall hikes, and tasty dining.

Crooked Tree Golf Club belongs to the same Boyne Golf Group as the Bay Harbor courses, which means it's in northern Michigan on the majestic shores of Lake Michigan, and near Petoskey, a sweet little city with turquoise bays and fossil-filled beaches. This rolling course is built atop bluffs overlooking Little Traverse Bay, with the front nine weaving through thick pine and hardwood forests, and the back nine offering grand lake views.

Hole 6 is a long 537-yard par 5, featuring a dog-leg-left corner with imposing bunkers that challenge daredevils to carry a drive. No matter the plan, lay up or go for it, accuracy off the tee box is key. Hole 7 is a par 4 that cranks right, because who doesn't love back-to-back dog legs? It's a solid 394-yarder with an elevated green that makes it tough to gauge the distance. Hole 8 is a dramatic par 3, where you have to make sure you properly play the breeze coming off of Lake Michigan and get over the wetlands situated between the tee box and the green.

The most iconic Crooked Tree hole has to be number 16 on the back nine. It runs parallel to the lake, so the views are unmatched, but if you slice one right, it's going in the drink. The key is taking it in two parts, making sure you're in a good position off the tee box for the approach shot, because the green is protected with a pond and slopes toward the water. Playing later in the evening means that as you finish the round, you're gifted with world-class Lake Michigan sunsets that'll surely brighten the mood if you've spent the day chunking beaver tails, fighting thick grass, and four-putting every green.

Going back all the way to 1901, Manistee Golf and Country Club is one of the oldest courses in the state, and golfers have been enjoying these links overlooking Lake Michigan for over 120 years. Scottish golf course architect Thomas Bendelow designed the original 9 holes, which were then expanded into a full 18 holes in 1931. With a total length of 5,614 yards, it's a slightly shorter course, but makes up for its brevity with challenging bunkers, well-placed water hazards, rolling greens, and any wind coming in off of Lake Michigan.

When it comes to scenic lake views, Manistee delivers, with one-third of the holes perched up on bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan and the harbor. The par 4 hole number 3 starts with an elevated tee box, with the fairway stretching 358 yards out to the green and the deep blue lake behind it. The approach shot is critical as the green is nestled between a front bunker and the shore.

The back nine can be tough, starting with a 533-yard par 5 with an undulating fairway that arches right, making the first two shots critical. It also features a string of holes that run towards or away from the lake, like the 14th, which is a par-3 and could be a birdie depending on the pin position of the large green with the gorgeous lake behind it. And, of course, the 18th runs up towards the historic clubhouse and the Knickers Pub, where you can enjoy fish tacos in the sun after an eventful afternoon on the course. Or head into Manistee, a cozy city on a sandy stretch of Lake Michigan's shoreline and an underrated, beautiful charmer.

Any conversation about golf in Michigan inevitably comes to the pristine and nationally recognized Arcadia Bluffs, where a world-class golf course and uncrowded beaches collide. A quick glance at pictures of the course, and it's no surprise it's in the top 100 public courses in the U.S. (The Bluffs Course 14th, and The South Course 52nd). The landscape is world-class, with undulating, wavy terrain of golden wild grass, interrupted with deep green, immaculate fairways lined with trees and dotted with perfectly cut sod-walled bunkers. To top it off, Lake Michigan lies serenely on the horizon, providing a steady backdrop to it all.

Arcadia Bluffs is a vacation-worthy destination in itself. It features high-level accommodation options, with cottages and various-sized guest rooms in the Nantucket coastal-style lodge. There are three separate courses, the two aforementioned and best-in-the-nation 18-hole courses, as well as The Dozen, a twelve-hole course. Each of these golfing areas has its own casual dining spot with patios and memorable views.

Of course, there are many unforgettable and artfully crafted holes that challenge and inspire wonder with their ingenuity and craftsmanship. On the highest-rated Bluffs Course, hole 5 is a short par 4 with picturesque lake views, and hole 8 is a visually pleasing uphill par 4, but hole 11 is the most Instagram-worthy of them all. It's a par 5 that slopes toward the lake, with narrowing fescue rough leading to the green, and Lake Michigan rippling in the distance. Hit the course in the evening and catch the bagpiper who plays Thursday through Sunday around sunset during warmer months. Enjoy quiet tunes echoing across the course, the wash of the waves, and hopefully a decent scorecard to end the day around a table with friends and scenic views.

The process of formulating this list of the top golf courses in Michigan with lake views was pretty straightforward. First, we looked at lists of top golf courses in Michigan from places like Golf Digest and GolfMichigan.com, then correlated them to various online rankings of the best public courses in the state. It was important the locations were accessible to everyday golfers, so pristine but private links like Lost Dunes Golf Club in Bridgman weren't considered. The next step was the location. Of course, we needed the five to have scenic views of one of the Great Lakes — sorry Forrest Dunes — but also a bit of geographic spread, as it would be easy to only choose courses between Traverse City and Petoskey. The final factor was Google reviews, and consulting one golf-obsessed Michigan relative.