Free golf October 11-17 in the Gaylord Golf Mecca

A great forecast is in order for the Gaylord Golf Mecca's Golf Customer Appreciaton Week, set for October 11-17. Just book a stay at one of the area's many condos or hotels to get a voucher for a free round of golf at any of the local mecca courses. There is a $15 cart fee if you aren't up to walking.

Participating are The Natural, Wilderness Valley and Black Forest, Black Bear in nearby Vanderbilt, Black Lake in Onaway, Marsh Ridge, Michaywe Pines, the Classic course at Otsego Club, Treetops Resort and The Loon Golf Resort. The places to stay are listed below (most prices are for double occupancy):

Lodging Facilities Facility Rate Contact Number
* America's Best Value Inn $45 per person 989-732-5133
* Alpine Lodge $45 per person 800-684-2233
* Baymont Inn & Suites $54 per person 888-808-6331
* Pine-Cone Accommodations $69 per person 866-731-1887
* Marsh Ridge Resort $60 per person includes breakfast 800-743-7529
* Waters Inn $39 per person 800-557-2425
* Great Northern Rentals $69 per person 877-546-2028
* Heart Lake Waterfront Cottages $35 per person 888-595-5081
* Holiday Inn Express $59 per person includes breakfast and a sleeve of golf balls 989-732-2200

Give back to Patriot Golf Day by playing golf over the holiday weekend at participating Michigan courses

Michigan has already played a huge role in Patriot Golf Day.

The Folds of Honor Foundation was founded in May 2007 by Major Dan Rooney, an F-16 Fighter Pilot and PGA Professional who owns Grand Haven Golf Club. A decorated military pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, Major Rooney has served three combat tours in Iraq.

It was after his second tour, while a passenger on a commercial flight, that Major Rooney witnessed an event that would profoundly change his life. As the plane landed in Grand Rapids, the pilot announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have an American hero on board – Corporal Brock Bucklin. And his twin brother, Corporal Brad Bucklin, is accompanying him home from Iraq. As a sign of respect, please remain seated while Corporal Bucklin's family receives him in his final homecoming." Major Rooney watched through the window of the plane as the flag-draped casket was lowered. He saw a family waiting for Brock, and a little four-year old boy waiting for his father. This tragic homecoming inspired Major Rooney to create the Folds of Honor Foundation.

The fourth Patriot Golf Day®, over Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 3-6), will collect donations and raise awareness for the Folds of Honor Foundation. Patriot Golf Day, is the primary fundraiser for Folds of Honor which awards post-secondary educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled while serving our great nation.

Through events across the country since 2007, PGA Professionals have helped raise more than $5.3 million, allowing Folds of Honor to award 1,163 post-secondary educational scholarships.

Golfers are asked to donate at least $1 for each round of golf. Participating private facilities will accept donations. Non-golfers can also participate by making a donation to the foundation at its website at FoldsofHonor.org. As a proud supporter and Official Card of Patriot Golf Day, American Express will match donations made using an American Express® Card during Patriot Golf Day Weekend.

While registration is still in progress, there are currently more than 3,500 facilities registered to host Patriot Golf Day events nationwide, with roughly 120 of those in Michigan.

Here's a comprehensive list of participating Michigan courses compiled on Aug. 31. This list may not reflect a complete list of participating facilities. Many opted out to be promoted on PlayGolfAmerica.com, so contact your local facility to see if they are taking part in Patriot Golf Day.

Quail Ridge Golf Club Ada MI 49301
Pine River Country Club Alma MI 48801
Gull Lake View Golf Club Augusta MI 49012
Hawk Hollow Bath MI 48808
Cedar Farms Golf Club Battle Creek MI 49015
Battle Creek Country Club Battle Creek MI 49015
Cedar Creek Golf Course Battle Creek MI 49015
Hawk's Eye Golf Resort Bellaire MI 49615
Boulder Creek GC Belmont MI 49306
Blythefield Country Club Belmont MI 49306
Point O'Woods Country Club Benton Harbor MI 49022
Katke GC/FSU Big Rapids MI 49307
Falcon Head Golf Club Big Rapids MI 49307
Bloomfield Hills Country Club Bloomfield Hills MI 48304
Lost Dunes Golf Club Bridgman MI 49106
Brookwood Golf Course Buchanan MI 49107
Orchard Hills Country Club Buchanan MI 49107
IMA Brookwood Golf Course Burton MI 48509
Fellows Creek Golf Course Canton MI 48188
Pheasant Run Golf Club Canton MI 48188
Charlotte Country Club Charlotte MI 48813
Reddeman Farms Golf Course Chelsea MI 48118
The Golf Connection Clarkston MI 48346
Golf Club of Coldwater Coldwater MI 49036
Corunna Hills Golf Course Corunna MI 48817
Springfield Oaks Golf Course Davisburg MI 48350
Copper Ridge Golf Club Davison MI 48423
Rogell Golf Course Detroit MI 48219
Rouge Park Golf Course Detroit MI 48228
Chandler Golf Club Detroit MI 48213
Eagle Eye Golf Club East Lansing MI 48823
Escanaba Country Club Escanaba MI 49829
Glen Oaks Golf & Country Club Farmington Hills MI 48334
Tyrone Hills Golf Club Fenton MI 48430
The Coyote Preserve Fenton MI 48430
Apple Mountain Golf Club Freeland MI 48623
Wilderness Valley Golf Club Gaylord MI 49735
Otsego Club Gaylord MI 49734
Gaylord Country Club Gaylord MI 49734
Genesee Hills Golf Course Grand Blanc MI 48439
The Jewel of Grand Blanc Grand Blanc MI 48439
Grand Haven Golf Club Grand Haven MI 49417
Thousand Oaks Golf Club Grand Rapids MI 49525
The Mines Grand Rapids MI 49534
Watermark Country Club Grand Rapids MI 49546
Cascade Hills Country Club Grand Rapids MI 49546
Stonewater Country Club Grand Rapids MI 49518
Sunnybrook Country Club Grandville MI 49418
Fox Run Ctry Club Grayling MI 49738
Wicker Hills Golf Club Hale MI 48739
Diamond Springs Golf Course Hamilton MI 49419
Birchwood Farms Golf & CC Harbor Springs MI 49740
Hillsdale Golf & Country Club Hillsdale MI 49242
Faulkwood Shores Golf & C Club Howell MI 48843
Rackham Golf Course Huntington Woods MI 48070
Kalamazoo Country Club Kalamazoo MI 49008
Grand Prairie Golf Course Kalamazoo MI 49006
Chisholm Hills Country Club Lansing MI 48911
Garland Resort Lewiston MI 49756
Lost Lake Woods Club Lincoln MI 48742
Spring Meadows Country Club Linden MI 48451
Whispering Willows Golf Course Livonia MI 48152
Idyl Wyld Golf Club Livonia MI 48154
Fox Creek Golf Club Livonia MI 48152
Red Oaks Golf Course Madison Heights MI 48071
Deer Run @ Lakes of the North Mancelona MI 49659
Manistee Golf & Country Club Manistee MI 49660
Emerald Vale GC Manton MI 49663
El Dorado Golf Course Mason MI 48854
Branson Bay Golf Course Mason MI 48854
Golden Sands Golf Course Mears MI 49436
Menominee River Golf Club Menominee MI 49858
Sandy Ridge Golf Course Midland MI 48642
Currie Municipal Golf Course Midland MI 48640
Northwood University Midland MI 48640
Monroe Golf & Country Club Monroe MI 48162
Lincoln Golf Club Muskegon MI 49445
Whittaker Woods Golf Club New Buffalo MI 49117
Black Lake Golf Club Onaway MI 49765
Lakewood Shores Resort Oscoda MI 48750
Scenic Golf and Country Club Pigeon MI 48755
Timber Trace Golf Club Pinckney MI 48169
The Inn at St. John's Plymouth MI 48170
Hilltop Golf Club Plymouth MI 48170
Brae Burn Golf Club Plymouth MI 48170
Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Ctr Plymouth MI 48170
Bird Creek Golf Club Port Austin MI 48467
Gull Lake Country Club Richland MI 49083
Brookwood Golf Club Rochester Hills MI 48309
Forest Dunes Golf Club Roscommon MI 48653
St Clair River Country Club Saint Clair MI 48079
Berrien Hills Golf Club Saint Joseph MI 49085
Selfridge ANG Golf Course Selfridge MI 48045
Stoney Creek Golf Course Shelby Township MI 48316
Hidden Valley Golf Club Shelbyville MI 49344
HawksHead Links South Haven MI 49090
St. Ives Golf Club Stanwood MI 49346
Plum Brook Golf Club Sterling Heights MI 48312
Klinger Lake Country Club Sturgis MI 49091
Tecumseh Country Club Tecumseh MI 49286
Bay Meadows Golf Course Traverse City MI 49684
Treetops Resort-North Course Treetops Village MI 49735
Sanctuary Lake Golf Academy Troy MI 48085
Stonegate Golf Club Twin Lake MI 49457
Black Bear Golf Club Vanderbilt MI 49795
The Orchards Golf Club Washington MI 48094
Yankee Springs Golf Course Wayland MI 49348
Woodlands of Van Buren Wayne MI 48184
Twin Beach Country Club West Bloomfield MI 48323
Wuskowhan Players Club West Olive MI 49460
White Lake Oaks Golf Course White Lake MI 48386
White Lake Golf Club Whitehall MI 49461
Lyon Oaks Golf Club Wixom MI 48393

Take advantage of free golf day around metro Detroit Aug. 31

Free golf?

Sounds like a great way to end the summer.

At least a dozen of Southeastern Michigan’s finest golf clubs have signed on to participate in this year’s Free Day at the Links on Aug. 31, a “thank you” gesture by radio and television golf show host Jeff Lesson to the golfing community who have supported his Lesson On Golf program for many years.

The second annual free day will benefit the First Tee of Detroit program and the presenting sponsor is Ameriprise Financial Services Inc.

"Our first year was such a tremendous success, given the free golf, quality of courses and The First Tee as the beneficiary, it was a no brainer to do it again" said Lesson, a golfing enthusiast who founded the Lesson on Golf program and writes a newspaper column. "The First Tee does so much for these kids we are just thrilled to be a part of this."

Golfers must call the participating course of their choice to register for a tee time. Those who prefer to walk the course will do so free of charge. Cart riders will pay a minimum donation of $20 that will go to the First Tee program. Lisa Woodcox, executive director of The First Tee of Detroit commended Lesson for coming up with an idea that gives so much back to the community.

"We are so appreciative of Jeff Lesson for creating this day that benefits local golfers, golf courses, and youth participants in the First Tee of Detroit," Woodcox said. "It's wonderful to see the Metro Detroit's golf community support a program that has so positively impacted the lives of thousands of children over the past 12 years through our life and skills programs."

The courses committed so far to offer a free day include:
Tanglewood, South Lyon. 248-486-3355
Moose Ridge, South Lyon. 248-446-9030
The Majestic at Lake Walden, Hartland. 800-762-3280
Lyon Oaks, Wixom. 248-437-1488
The Westwynd, Oakland Township. 248-608-7820
Whispering Pines, Pinckney. 734-878-0009
Springfield Oaks, Davisburg. 248-625-2540
Fox Creek, Livonia. 248-771-3400
Whispering Willows, Livonia. 248-476-4493
Idyl Wyld , Livonia. 734-464-6325
Strategic Fox, Fox Hills. Plymouth 734-453-7272

There are plenty of other deals around the state to keep in mind the rest of the season.

* Treetops Resort in Gaylord hosts "Philanthropic Tuesdays" every week after 1 p.m. for the remainder of the season: any 9-Hole Round costs $25.00 per person with $5 donated to the charity, church or school of your choice. Enter the promo code 'CHARITY9' when booking. Any 18-Hole Round costs $45.00 per person with $10 donated to charity. Enter the promo code 'CHARITY18' when booking. Golfers will need to provide Treetops with the name and address of the charity that they wish to donate to at the time of check-in at the Pro Shop.
On Patriot Golf Day Wednesdays, the same rules apply to raise money for Patroit Day, founded to help those families who have lost loved ones in battle. Tee times after
1 p.m. cost $25 for nine holes (with $5 donated) and $45 for 18 (with $10 donated). Enter the codes PATRIOT9 and PATRIOT18 when booking. Visit treetops.com for more.

* There is still time to sign up for the Golf Association of Michigan Golf Days for the chance to play these private clubs: At Polo Fields Country Club in Ann Arbor on Aug. 30 and on Sept. 13; Spring Meadows on Sept. 20 and the Country Club of Jackson on Sept. 24. Your $60 Golf Day entry fee includes 18 holes of golf, cart, range balls and prizes. To register, visit GAM.org.

* Public players get the chance to play the private TPC of Michigan with the Nature Valley qualifier Sept. 13 at the prestigious Dearborn course. The 2010 Nature Valley Amateur, a June-September series, includes qualifying events in 18 coast-to-coast markets, from Washington state to Florida. Four players from each qualifying event will advance to the two-day Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Nov. 5–6, 2010, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. “We’re inviting America’s best amateurs to play like a PGA TOUR pro on award-winning courses designed specifically for this elevated type of competition,” said Travis Trembath, Nature Valley marketing. “Nature Valley, for a fourth summer, is excited to bring an authentic, adrenaline-packed sporting experience to hundreds of golf enthusiasts.”
Men and women with an established USGA handicap index between 0 and 24 are eligible. Each qualifying event will play host to four flights, with each flight winner earning the chance to compete in the championship weekend. Visit naturevalleygolf.com for more.

Michigan voted as America's 11th-best golf destination

A top 10 would have been nice.

But considering the competition, it's not too shabby that Michigan was just voted the 11th-best golf destination in America by readers of Golf World. My personal vote would probably put it somewhere in the top eight in heated competition with places like northern California (Pebble Beach), Pinehurst, N.C.; Florida, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Kohler, Wisconsin; the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama and Bandon, Oregon.



Considering that most of those other places have a year-round golf season, it's a miracle that Michigan is even in the mix at all. It speaks volumes to the quality and depth of Michigan's product. With more than 800 public courses, Michigan is the public golf capital of the world.



I read in Golf Digest a few years back that only California had more four star courses than Michigan. Both had more than 100. Think about that. You could spend 5 or more summers trying to play the best the state had to offer and still not see them all.


Forest Dunes Golf Club in Roscommon also made headlines during the reader survey, taking top honors for the most popular public course category. That's amazing considering how far out of the way the course is. Yet the effort to find the Tom Weiskopf course is rewarded with a stunning clubhouse and one of the most pure golf experiences in Michigan. The waste bunkers bring the best of the North Carolina sandhills to meld with the pristine woods of northern Michigan for some great golf. The management by Troon Golf ensures that every guest is well cared for.



With any readership poll, there are some quirks in the rankings. Arcadia Bluffs ranked 16th in the public course category (fair enough), but the unheard of Cedar Chase course in Cedar Springs made the list at No. 23, followed by Eagle Eye in Bath (27th), Bucks Run in Mount Pleasant (30th), Pilgrims Run in Pierson (31st) and Shepherd's Hollow (tie for 4oth). Maybe some ballot-box stuffing was done for Cedar Chase, but the others are all worthy candidates.



In the resort category, the Resorts of Tullymore checked in at No. 27, high praise for a resort still in the development stages, beating out rivals like Treetop Resort in Gaylord (32nd), the Inn at Bay Harbor in Petoskey (38th) and the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme (45th).



Again, like I wrote a few weeks ago, rankings are subjective and worth noting but hardly worth living by. Any Michigan course or resort that made these lists are worthy of a visit. Choosing which one you like best is part of personal preference and part of the fun of it all.

Free golf up north!

Free golf? Where?

Well, as we all know, nothing is free. But these promotions for great golf in northern Michigan are as close as it gets.

The Gaylord Golf Mecca's FREE Fall Golf Weekend is set for Oct. 16-18. Visitors who book an overnight stay at one of the participating hotels will be able to play a FREE round of golf on one of the participating Gaylord Golf Mecca courses. Golfers simply call one of the participating hotels to book your room and mention you would like to participate in the FREE Golf Weekend. The hotel will then make the tee-time and present a golf certificate to golfers upon check in. The certificate is then presented to the golf course in order to get the FREE round of golf.

If you've been reading this blog you know my love for Gaylord and its mix of 21 different courses. It's a convenient destination right of of I-75 and there's a price point for everyone, from standard hotels to the more golf-centric resorts like Treetops Resort and the Otsego Club and Marsh Ridge.

Also to note, the Hawk's Eye Resort in Bellaire will hand out free golf on The Chief for the remainder of the season starting Oct. 5. All it costs is the $20 cart fee Monday thru Thursday or $30 on the weekend. I've only played The Chief once and the shortish John Robinson design ate me for lunch. I thought I could drive up north, hop out of the car after five hours and tangle with a course that measures just 6,600 yards from the tips. How wrong I was. About 8 holes into my round, I moved up a tee box. The Chief isn't the real draw here, but for that price, it's a steal. The Hawk's Eye course is one of the top 10 courses up north.

As I write this post, the weather outside -- it's pouring rain on my roof -- reminds me why golf courses up north are dying for your business. They're trying to squeeze in a couple more rounds before they close for the season. But if the weather breaks, you could be the one smiling.

Gaylord Golf Mecca continues to amaze

I've been playing golf in Gaylord for more than a decade now.

The amazing thing is I still haven't seen all the courses. It seems every time I visit there's something new to discover and explore. That's what's so cool about a golf destination stocked with 21 golf courses and 20 lodging options.

Last week, I teed it up at two Gaylord stalwarts I'd never seen before, Black Forest at Wilderness Valley and the Fazio course at Treetops Resort. Funny I've never played them before, because they are two of the best.

I've always been told the Rick Smith Signature course is lauded as superior by the critics and The Masterpiece by Robert Trent Jones is the toughest course at Treetops but surprisingly I've never heard much about the only Fazio in Michigan. It might be the most fun track at the resort. There are some shocking features -- mammoth ridges in several greens and greens that require elevators to reach in regulation.

Black Forest, an early Tom Doak design, is a bit too penal to be a regular stop for most Gaylord golfers. Yet it's a visual stunner, rich with forest and bunkers.

After golf, I got my first taste of the improvements Osprey Golf has made to the Otsego Club & Resort. I stayed in the new Hilltop Lodge, which features all the advancements of modern technology like flat screen TVs and wireless internet. Yet it still melds seamlessly with the other log Alpine lodges that give the resort its charm.

Even if you have seen every course, the Gaylord Golf Mecca, the self-proclaimed "America's summer golf capital," never gets old. I've played the Pines at Michaywe more than any other course in Gaylord and it's always a treat to tee it up on a course easy enough to enjoy but tough enough to pique your interest.

I didn't get to play at Marsh Ridge Resort this time around, but owner Larry Bowden, a mover and shaker in the Gaylord golf scene for more than a decade, hosted a fabulous meal at Jac's Place, showing off the resort's talented chef and varied menu.

Even if you've seen Gaylord, it's time to go back. There's always something more in store. Even if your budget is tight, consider the free golf weekend Oct. 16-18. That's a deal almost too good to be true.