Take advantage of Michigan's great fall golf rates

Fall means cheap golf.

The falling temperatures, shorter days and deteriorating course conditions (usually due to frost and aeration) force operators to discount their rates in the fall, a bonus for those of us who believe the season runs until the snow flies.

The best way to find out about all the fall specials going on around you is to go to a course’s or resort’s website and sign up for its e-mail club. You’ll get every promotion conveniently e-mailed to you, including the new fall rates. Sometimes, the course owner or operator will even e-mail out a special price for those loyal enough to sign up for the list. Here are some e-mail deals that have caught my eye in the past two weeks:

· Play Fox Run Country Club in Grayling this fall and get a free green fee voucher for next spring.

· Yarrow Golf Club in Augusta runs just $25 on weekdays and $35 on weekends beginning Oct. 1.

· Grand Haven Golf Club boasts $35 Tuesdays.

· Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville has fall escape and spa packages for $139 a night per person.

· College Fields in Okemos is $29 weekdays anytime and after 1 p.m. weekends and $35 on weekend mornings.

· Mystic Creek in Milford has cheap-skate Mondays for $21 and tee times ranging from $29-$35 on weekdays depending on the day and time.

· Stonebridge, an Art Hills course in Ann Arbor, runs $33 before 3 p.m. and $25 afterward on weekdays. Weekends are $42 descending to rates as low as $25 as the day goes on.

· Marsh Ridge Resort in Gaylord has a $189 fall retreat package that includes golf, an overnight stay and a gourmet meal and breakfast for two.

· Northville Hills, a fun Arnold Palmer layout, has all-you-can-play for $35 during this week.
· The Loon in Gaylord has all-you-can-play specials for $25 during the week and $36 during weekends through September.

Crystal Spa great edition to Crystal Mountain Resort

I don't care how dedicated a golfer you are.

I'd trade a good round of golf for a great spa treatment any time.

Now you can have both at Crystal Mountain Resort (crystalmountain.com) in Thompsonville. The resort's latest amenity, the Crystal Spa, opened last winter, blending the green philosophy of the resort's owners with a serene, relaxing atmosphere. The northern-Michigan-themed spa features 12 treatment rooms, private locker rooms for men and women, a manicure and pedicure area, and an outdoor meditation garden with a hot tub.

The spa is the Midwest's only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified spa that fully incorporated green building practices. It cost $4 million to build the 13,000 square-foot expansion to an existing indoor pool and fitness area, but guests will find the experience priceless.

An array of spa services, extensive fitness programming and healthy cuisine from Crystal’s Peak Performance menu emphasize health and wellness. I chose to unwind with a relaxing Aromafusion, a treatment that begins with a massage on a specific area of the body followed up with steaming hot towell wraps. It awakens your senses and puts you at ease, all at the same time.

I made sure to arrive early and stay late. The men's lockerroom is one of the bigger, more comfortable facilities for men I've seen in a spa. Kudes to resort president Jim MacInnes for going to bat for men not ashamed to spend a day at the spa. Lounging in the steam and sauna rooms was a perfect escape from reality.

I'm not one who has the patience to relax, but the meditation room, with its stone fireplace, cozy chairs and cold towels for your neck or head, worked its magic. The cucumber-mint water and trail mix served there were light and refreshing to snack on.

I didn't have the energy to try the fitness center after all that down time. A quick walk-through, though, showed me that, with four flat-screen TVs and all new equipment, it's a state-of-the-art gym. The indoor and outdoor exercise rooms are spacious enough for intimate classes. I bet the indoor pool and hottub are hopping on rainy or cold days for families with young children.

Crystal Mountain has always been a great vacation spot. These additions really ups the ante. It's grown into one of the Midwest's premier resorts. Doesn't matter your tastes or your age. It has something for everyone.