Summer in full swing in Michigan

With July 4th having been celebrated, we are in the heat of the summer golf season in Michigan. The next two months will make or break the bottom lines of many area golf clubs. Let's hope the weather holds up for a fine summer.

Here's a few notes to keep up on the Michigan golf scene:

1, Greg Johnson of the Grand Rapids Press beat me to the punch in writing about the new men's golf coaches at Michigan (Chris Witten) and Michigan State University (Casey Lubahn). I'll let him tell the story how these two Grand Rapids high school standouts are good friends but still rivals. See his story here.

2, With the Michigan Open just around the corner, I got a chance to check out The Orchards, the Washington Township course that hosted the 2002 U.S. Publix Championship. This is the first of back-to-back Michigan Opens for the Robert Trenton Jones Jr. course that opened in 1993. The track should be a fine test for the state's top pros July 11-14. When I played the course in June, it was already in tournament shape. The greens roll true. Above is a picture of the pond guarding the 18th green. Orchards head professional Jeff Stalcup will have his hands full, not only helping run the tournament but he'll be playing as well. "I don't have any expectations," he said when asked about his chances of playing well.

3, For players looking for some competitive action, a new event, the Michigan Pro-Am at Shanty Creek, should get the juices flowing.
The Golf Connection's first stateside Destination Pro-Am will be held September 7-11. This premier pro-am event will showcase the beauty and appeal of northern Michigan for professionals and amateurs from the United States and Canada. Entries are now open at www.michiganproam.com
“The Michigan Pro-Am and Shanty Creek Resorts will allow us to provide our attendees with a destination golf experience unlike anything we currently offer in the Caribbean,” says Tom Jaronski, Tournament Director and President of The Golf Connection. “Our September event dates are perfect for U.S. teams from the Sun Belt looking to escape the heat of a long summer, and a great way for Canadian clubs north of the border to extend their tournament season.”
The 54-hole event will be contested over Shanty Creek Resorts’ The Legend, designed by Arnold Palmer, the Tom Weiskopf-designed Cedar River Golf Club, and Schuss Mountain Golf Club.
All players and guests will enjoy the hospitality and northern charm that Shanty Creek Resorts offers including the newly renovated Lakeview Resort and Conference Center at Summit Village, which overlooks Lake Bellaire and northern Michigan’s beautiful landscape.
Tournament packages, which start at $1,749 per person (double occupancy) if booked by August 1, include four-nights lodging, all meals, three tournament rounds plus additional unlimited golf, evening dinner receptions with hosted beer and wine, tournament favors and more! Visit www.michiganproam.com for more details.
“We are very excited to showcase Shanty Creek Resorts to club professionals and amateurs from around the country”, said Chris Hale, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Shanty Creek. “Our location in northern Michigan and the quality of championship golf courses make Shanty Creek a natural fit for the Michigan Pro-Am and to showcase northern Michigan as one of the top golfing destinations in the country.”
With the support of the Michigan PGA Section, golfers in need of a Club Professional will be paired up with an in-state PGA Club Professionals. The Golf Connection LLC welcomes entries from individual players and teams without host professional, providing all amateur players meet the entry requirements outlined on the tournament website.
"We welcome PGA Professionals from Michigan and across the country to enter a team and participate in this exciting event,” said Kevin Helm, Executive Director for the Michigan PGA. “We will also arrange for any of our local Michigan PGA Professionals to play with groups that do not have a host Professional. Our Section Members are proud of what our state has to offer and look forward to the opportunity to host and participate with amateur players coming to experience golf in northern Michigan."

Shanty Creek Resorts an up north winter wonderland

I'm always amazed at the transformation that occurs at Michigan's top golf resorts in winter.

Some don't look like golf resorts at all. They look like they were made to be ski resorts down to every last detail.

Take Shanty Creek Resorts for instance.

I’ve always viewed Shanty Creek Resorts in tiny Bellaire through green-colored glasses. Shanty Creek’s The Legend and Cedar River are two of my favorite golf courses in the entire state.

I never knew the uphill driving range at Cedar River transformed seamlessly into a fun, speedy six-lane race course for tubing (see below). It even has its own ski lift of sorts, a rope that pulls riders sitting in their tube to the top of the hill. I call it luxury sledding because you get to skip the worst part of the whole activity: walking uphill dragging your ride.

Nor did I realize that the hillside leading to the first fairway at The Legend – which tumbles dramatically downhill – serves as a makeshift home for youngsters sledding. Where were those beautiful golf courses I adore? Buried in bunches of snow.

My “oh wow” moment at Shanty Creek Resorts came while standing atop the slopes behind the Lakeview Hotel & Conference Center.

On the horizon, out past the snowy Summit Village’s ski slopes, the setting sun hung over Lake Bellaire like a night light, shimmering hues of orange, pink and yellow. It was a cool northern Michigan lightshow (see top photo).

I got to experience the resort from a new perspective on a blustery February weekend – with skis instead of golf clubs, with white ski trails instead of green fairways. It was a real treat.



Shanty Creek’s two mountains, the Summit and Schuss, deliver thrills and spills with 53 well-groomed runs and 450 feet of vertical terrain. Snowboarders can ride through four terrain parks and a half-pipe. Cross-country skiers can revel in 31 kilometers of trails.

Shanty Creek’s three villages – Summit, Schuss and Cedar River (see the bottom photo) – ensure there’s something for everyone. Staying at the Summit village is perfect for younger and beginner skiers like those in my family. The slopes aren’t as steep as they are at Schuss, and there’s an indoor pool and hot tub to relax in. The hotel is fresh off a $10 million renovation. The timber-laden Grand Lobby and the Lakeview Restaurant & Lounge, good for fine dining or a casual breakfast buffet, overlooks the slopes and Lake Bellaire. Our spacious, modern room had a fireplace and kitchen. We could have stayed there a week and not felt cramped, crowded or homesick.

Schuss Mountain had one amenity – the Magic Carpet – that my children missed when skiing at Summit. It’s so much easier to step onto the moving escalator than trying to arm-wrestle a tow rope. Schuss is also home to Ivan’s, a tavern-style restaurant that serves all the comfort foods people crave when on vacation. At night it’s a hoppin’ joint with live music or a deejay and dancing.

We didn’t have time to explore all the trappings of the resort in winter. Friday nights, there’s free popcorn and hot chocolate and family movie night in the Lakeview lobby. Dog sled rides, sleigh rides, music/magic shows – all at Schuss Mountain – and the Summit Scavenger Hunt provide nonstop action on Saturdays. (Sleigh rides are Sundays, too.). Snow schools were packed the weekend we visited.

All this comes at affordable prices. Shanty Creek touts the “Midwest’s Most Affordable Ski Package,” including the Summit Ski package starting at $75 per person on weekends and the Midweek Ski package starting at $54 per person. Both require a two-night minimum and include lodging in a condo guestroom, two-day ski passes and complimentary skiing on your arrival night. Children under 8 ski free and those under 12 eat free. Day passes to ski at Summit can cost as low as $18.

I’ve always thought of golf as the ultimate family sport, but every time I go skiing with my wife and two kids, I start to realize how much more bonding occurs on the slopes than the fairways. My children, ages 6 and 8, are in their second seasons of skiing, so it’s been fun teaching them the few tricks I know. I can’t take my 6-year-old golfing, so skiing already has a leg up on golf in that regard.



By the looks of things around here, winter isn’t going away anytime soon. There’s still plenty on tap at the resort:

March 5-6, Mardi Gras and Slush Cup Weekend: An up north Cajun celebration on the slopes of Schuss Mountain with bead bobbing, a frozen-fish toss, shovel races, dummy darts, Mardi Gras Party and much more. Included in this celebration is Shanty Creek’s most popular winter event – a racecourse on an icy 40′ pond.

March 7–11, Friends of Facebook Week: “Friends” of Shanty Creek Resorts on Facebook will be privy to exclusive deals.

March 12–13, Irish Weekend: All things Irish will fill this weekend plus the annual downhill Cardboard Classic. Utilizing only cardboard, glue and tape for their sleds, contestants will race down the ski slopes at Schuss Mountain.

March 14–18, Canadian Week: Our friendly neighbors to the north can score some deals.

March 26, The Schuss Mountain Snow Challenge: This unique and exciting off road truck race, in its third year, features side-by-side racing up the snow covered face of Schuss Mountain’s Good Knight run. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes will participate. The cost for competitors is $20.00 per vehicle entry.

It took me years to figure out – I gave up skiing for 10 years before taking it up again last year – that it just doesn’t pay to fight Mother Nature. A mid-winter visit to Shanty Creek might help you learn appreciate the cold, too, even if you’re secretly waiting for the snow to melt. Like me.

Visit Shantycreek.com for more.

Consider Traverse City's Great Wolf Lodge for a fun family golf vacation

Over the past decade, water parks have sprouted up all over Michigan. Even so, the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City continues to stand above the competition.

This ultra-cool indoor water park, one of a family scattered nationwide, isn’t known as a golfer’s haven. I’m here to argue otherwise.

It’s a no-brainer for a golf trip/family vacation, a perfect place for guilt-free golf. While you’re off playing a round at any of the area’s great courses, the family you left behind will hardly notice you’re gone. Great Wolf Lodge is a wonderland for children. Throw in a massage at the onsite Elements Spa or some downtime for your significant other to create a great getaway for all.

The lodge in Traverse City sits off a main drag near a Meijer store but its northern woods décor gives off the vibe of an out-of-the-way escape. You never have to leave to be entertained or fed (the food is high quality with menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Many of the unique suites sleep a family of 4 to 8 people comfortably. The KidKamp suites my family of four stayed in recently featured a main room with a couch, bed, TV and fireplace. The “den” where the children slept was enclosed with a bunk bed, a third bed and another television so we didn’t have to fight over the remote. A kitchenette with a fridge, sink and microwave were convenient additions.



During the spring and fall -- when the weather is good enough for golf, but iffy for the beach -- the constant climate of 84 degrees at the indoor water park seems like a perfect way to spend a day.

You can get wet any way imaginable on the four-story Fort Mackenzie, but the most dramatic way is when the 1,000-gallon bucket on top the play structure dumps its load. The walk-in kiddie pool is perfect for toddlers with a slide and climbing playhouse on a smaller scale. The bigger pool offers leap pads and a giant snake to play on with a separate area for water basketball. The lazy river attracts younger children, while the more adventurous love the speedy waterslides.

The outdoor water park and putt-putt course with animatronics open between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Since he’s not much of a swimmer, my son probably liked the dryland activities the most, the arcade and an addictive game called Magiquest, an interactive scavenger hunt where players gather pixie dust and slay dragons. It’s great fun for the crowd ages 7-14.



At Christmas time, the “Snowland” festivities celebrate the holidays in style. It really snows three times a day inside the polar-themed lobby, thanks to snow-making machines hidden in the rafters. My two children loved that they could decorate Christmas cookies and send letters to Santa.

As for the golf, Traverse City is loaded with great courses … the three at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa are the headliners. The Bear is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Six more fab courses at A-Ga-Ming Resort and Shanty Creek Resorts are less than 45 minutes away.

Golf and goggles … it doesn’t get much better than that for a family that wants it all on vacation.