Five Michigan Resorts Honored by Travel & Leisure Golf
 

        Bloomfield Hills, MI- Travel & Leisure Golf, a high-end golf publication read by golf aficionados nationwide, has selected its first annual listing of top golf resorts around the country and five of them are from Michigan.
       Known by golf travelers as "America's Summer Golf Capital," Michigan had more resorts selected in the top 25 than any other state in the region, which included the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.
       Those honored were Bay Harbor, Boyne Highlands, Treetops, Shanty Creek and Grand Traverse Resort.
Travel & Leisure Golf developed its list through an online survey for its readers. Participants were asked to rate resorts in such categories as best family resort, best course conditions, best staff, best service, best food, best for a golf-intensive buddy trip, most underrated resorts and best public courses.
    "Given all the development and renovation of recent years, we thought it would be interesting to see how our readers saw the brave new world of golf resorts. And indeed it was," explained John Atwood, editor in chief of Travel & Leisure Golf. "I think their picks show a lot of savvy, and anyone planning a high-quality golf vacation should take a look."
All five Michigan resorts were selected in the top 25 in all resort categories.
On the Lake Michigan shoreline, west of Petoskey, the Inn at Bay Harbor and Bay Harbor Golf Club are both luxurious properties located on a the site of an old limestone quarry and cement factory. The Victorian-style condominium hotel borrows its elegant style from San Diego's Hotel Del Coronado. The Bay Harbor Golf Club, just down the shore from the Inn, offers three distinct nine-hole challenges -- The Links, Quarry and Preserve.
       Across Little Traverse Bay, in the historic waterfront community of Harbor Springs, Boyne Highlands lures golfers with 72 holes of championship golf,  led by the acclaimed Heather course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. Joining the Heather are the new Arthur Hills course, the popular Donald Ross Memorial, which is a rendition of famed Ross holes, and the Moor Course.
       "Boyne USA Resorts is proud to have two of its Michigan Resorts named among those recognized in the Midwest," said Stephen Kircher, president of Boyne's Eastern Operations. "Michigan continues to gain national attention for the quality and quantity of golf offered. We provide great diversity in terrain, scenery and experiences.  Michigan certainly seems to be living up to its name as 'America's Summer Golf Capital."
Treetops Resort in Gaylord is an award-winning resort long known for exciting and memorable golf. It is perched high above the Pigeon River Valley and offers majestic views of Northern Michigan. Famed teacher Rick Smith is the managing partner.
       Treetops' golf  inventory includes four championship courses and a tough par-3 tract, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., Tom Fazio, and Rick Smith. It is one of the best collection of golf holes on one property in the country. The Premier course is Michigan's only Fazio-designed layout.
       The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, overlooking Traverse Bay near Traverse City, has three courses, including The Bear designed by Jack Nicklaus and The Wolverine laid out by Gary Player.  This complex includes both a hotel and condominiums, some on the golf course and some on the bay.
       In nearby Bellaire, the five-year-old Cedar River Golf Club and Lodge at Cedar River is the centerpiece of the sprawling 4,500-acre Shanty Creek Resort and Club. The Cedar River golf course was Tom Weiskopf's first design in Michigan.
       The Shanty Creek resort complex has three distinct villages: Cedar River, the Summit and Schuss Mountain. The Legend course, designed by Arnold Palmer, is located at the Summit Village. It winds through beautiful hills and ridges, offering stunning views of Lake Bellaire and surrounding forests.
       "Having five of our top resort destinations selected among the best in the region by Travel & Leisure Golf shows the quantity and quality of great golf destinations in Michigan. These rankings, along with the Ryder Cup coming later this year, further solidify the State of Michigan as one of the leading golf destinations in the world," said George Zimmermann,- Vice President of Travel Michigan.
       Also included in the survey was a list of the top public courses in the region. Michigan courses listed included Arcadia Bluffs, Bay Harbor (Links/Quarry), Pilgrims Run, Lakewood Shores-Gailes, and Tullymore Golf Club.
       There are few destinations in America that can match Michigan's resort country for world-class golf. Combine that with the Ryder Cup event in 2004 and golf aficionados will have an opportunity to experience both great golf-watching at Oakland Hills and playing at some great resort courses. Visit www.michigan.org/golf. 

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