King's Challenge now called Manitou Passage Golf Club

First came the chocolate golf ball in the mail, a mysterious gift signaling something was brewing on the Michigan golf scene.

The next day, the mystery was solved when another package arrived ... a Manitou Passage Golf Club hat revealed the new logo and name for the former King's Challenge Golf Club in Cedar.

The changes officially signal a new era for the club, which was purchased last year by a group of investors, led by Bob Kuras, the president of The Homestead, a fabulous resort in Glen Arbor.

I was the first golf writer to visit the site for a tour of the potential changes (read more here) to the course last June, while construction of the new clubhouse was in full swing. The plans were ambitious but necessary to revive the neglected property. The course opened last July but continues to undergo changes, and more TLC, to enhance the Arnold Palmer-designed course.

"While working on the new tee boxes for No. 8, we discovered a view of Lake Michigan's Manitou Passage," Kuras says. "Immediately, we realized that name was the tie to Leelanau County."

The new Web site, manitoupassage.com, is still under construction, but a message on the front page hints at a grand opening this summer and a $5,000 sweepstakes to celebrate the event.

Those who attend the Grand Rapids Golf Show this weekend can stop by The Homestead booth for the club to find out more about tee times and rates this summer.