There are all sorts of explanations why the Michigan Golf Show at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi was a hit last weekend.
The weather was mild and sunny, giving everybody a good excuse to get out of the house after a long winter. The Detroit Free Press reported that Sunday's temperature of 58 degrees was last experienced in the area Nov. 29. That's a long three-month stretch of cold solitude.
As the largest consumer golf show in the country, the Novi show has been popular stop for the past 19 years. Working at the Michigan Golf Magazine booth on Saturday, I was amazed at how many golfers drove in from Canada and Ohio just to check out the shenanigans. Courses and resorts were giving away their usual promotional rounds of free golf. Savvy fans printed out sticker labels with their names, e-mail and address on them so they could swoop from booth to booth in seconds for their shot at the prizes.
But the No. 1 reason for the show's success? The bargains were everywhere. The package prices if you signed up early and on the spot were insanely low. I'd never seen Boyne USA Resort packages so affordable.
Everybody who stopped at the Arcadia Bluffs booth were disappointed its prices were remaining the same, but the No. 1 course in the state can get away with that tactic, even in this economy.
I've been going to the show for more than a decade and Saturday's robust crowd was the busiest I've ever seen it. I doubt that will translate into a booming year for course owners and operators, but the signs that people want to play golf are at least encouraging.
John Hover, owner of True North Golf Club in Harbor Springs, said this show didn't have the gloom-and-doom feel of the past couple Michigan Golf Shows. He said the weather was a big reason for last summer's struggles.
If only that sun will shine a little stronger in 2010, everybody would be a lot happier ... bad economy or otherwise.
Showing posts with label Arcadia Bluffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arcadia Bluffs. Show all posts
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday, October 19, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Top Michigan golf courses worth every penny
If you didn’t know already that Michigan is among the best states in the country for the value of your golf dollar, a recent Golf Digest story just confirmed it.
In its feature about best municipal golf courses in the country, the magazine ranked the top 100 public courses by price, from least expensive to most. Amazingly, Michigan had four entries among the top 11 least expensive top-ranked courses. They were:
· No. 2 (tie), Shepherd’s Hollow in Clarkston at $60. The Arthur Hills designed 27-hole course is ranked 42nd among public courses in the country.
· No. 4, the Gailes at Lakewood Shores Resort at $65. The links-style course is ranked No. 69 among public courses.
· No. 9 Blake Lake in Onaway at $80. The Rees Jones layout is ranked No. 34 in the country among public courses.
· No. 11 (tie) Eagle Eye in Bath at $89. The course with an island green is ranked No. 47 among the country’s best public courses.
Four other Michigan courses are also among the top 52:
· No. 35 (tie), Tullymoore in Stanwood at $140. The Jim Engh design ranks No. 15.
· No. 37 (tie), Forest Dunes in Roscommon at $150. The Tom Weiskopf design ranks 18th.
· No. 46, Arcadia Bluffs at $180. The scenic gem ranks No. 10.
· No. 52 (tie), Bay Harbor in Petoskey at $199. The combo of the Links-Quarry nines ranks No. 62.
Most Michigan courses were already great buys, a byproduct of the competition of 800 public courses, the most in the country. But prices in the state have gone down dramatically the last three years, following the tumble of the auto industry. To keep customers coming in, courses have had to discount their rates. Some more than 15 to 20 percent at off-peak times.
Dave Richards, a golf marketing specialist, says that the golf packages Boyne USA Resorts has been advertising this summer for Boyne Highlands or Boyne Mountain are among the most value laden in the country for resorts of their caliber.
There are many ways to find a discount. The best one is to join a course’s e-mail marketing system. Owners and operators usually dole out impressive specials to the inboxes of loyal customers. Whether owners like it or not, discounted golf is here to stay in Michigan. It’s the best way to combat the rising unemployment and sour economy in this state.
In its feature about best municipal golf courses in the country, the magazine ranked the top 100 public courses by price, from least expensive to most. Amazingly, Michigan had four entries among the top 11 least expensive top-ranked courses. They were:
· No. 2 (tie), Shepherd’s Hollow in Clarkston at $60. The Arthur Hills designed 27-hole course is ranked 42nd among public courses in the country.
· No. 4, the Gailes at Lakewood Shores Resort at $65. The links-style course is ranked No. 69 among public courses.
· No. 9 Blake Lake in Onaway at $80. The Rees Jones layout is ranked No. 34 in the country among public courses.
· No. 11 (tie) Eagle Eye in Bath at $89. The course with an island green is ranked No. 47 among the country’s best public courses.
Four other Michigan courses are also among the top 52:
· No. 35 (tie), Tullymoore in Stanwood at $140. The Jim Engh design ranks No. 15.
· No. 37 (tie), Forest Dunes in Roscommon at $150. The Tom Weiskopf design ranks 18th.
· No. 46, Arcadia Bluffs at $180. The scenic gem ranks No. 10.
· No. 52 (tie), Bay Harbor in Petoskey at $199. The combo of the Links-Quarry nines ranks No. 62.
Most Michigan courses were already great buys, a byproduct of the competition of 800 public courses, the most in the country. But prices in the state have gone down dramatically the last three years, following the tumble of the auto industry. To keep customers coming in, courses have had to discount their rates. Some more than 15 to 20 percent at off-peak times.
Dave Richards, a golf marketing specialist, says that the golf packages Boyne USA Resorts has been advertising this summer for Boyne Highlands or Boyne Mountain are among the most value laden in the country for resorts of their caliber.
There are many ways to find a discount. The best one is to join a course’s e-mail marketing system. Owners and operators usually dole out impressive specials to the inboxes of loyal customers. Whether owners like it or not, discounted golf is here to stay in Michigan. It’s the best way to combat the rising unemployment and sour economy in this state.
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