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The Michigan Road: Top Spots For Golf, etcetera

Tuesday July 31, 2007 | 10:37:42 838 words, 1942 views
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Now that I am a full three weeks removed from the Michigan Trail, I can reflect back on the best of the best, what each place and space had to offer to which type of traveler. Here is my “Best” list from the seven properties that I visited.

Best Single Golf Course:
Tie between Tullymore and Arcadia Bluffs. They stood out beyond the other fine courses. If Bay Harbor’s three nines had a 3500-yard set of tees, they would be listed beside the other two.

Best Group of Courses:
Boyne Highlands. With four courses on site and 1.5 just up the road (not to mention the two at Boyne Mountain), the quality and quantity at Boyne surpases all the other properties, although Treetops and Shanty Creek were not far away.

Best Lodging:
Tie. Crystal Mountain and St. Ives. The Kinlochen building had everything under one roof (pub, dining, pro shop) and a suite to die for. Since it rained only once in Michigan (our day at Crystal), we strongly debated the merits of staying inside by the fire and watching The Golf Channel. Ultimately, and for the better, we ventured out to play Mountain Ridge. If this joint builds the world-class course they have planned, watch out! St. Ives’ inn is located a wee hill down from the clubhouse and St. Ives first tee, with Tullymore up the road a piece. Huge room, Murphy bed in the wall, separate sleeping quarters, continental breakfast, just a major calm about the whole spot.

Best Conference Center:
Shanty Creek. There’s something that the French call an “I-don’t-know-what” about Shanty Creek that lets you know they mean business (metaphorically and literally.) There is a tightness to the properties, an adult (in the best sense of the word) feeling to the place. They have Schuss Village for family getaways, but Cedar and Summit have that bring-your-clients or bring-your-team feel to the place. The Cedar Village suite traded the cozy feeling of Kinlochen for the efficient feel of the corporate world.

Best Golf Atmosphere:
Treetops. You can tell that a golf professional runs this place. Everything about the North Clubhouse at Treetops oozed golf, from the grill room to the electricity in the air to the enthusiasm of the employees. If the lodging were up by the North Clubhouse, this just might qualify as heaven.

Best Welcome:
Tie. Shanty Creek and Crystal Mountain. I was met by an executive team from Shanty Creek, fresh off plans to gut and reinvigorate the Summit Lodge, who wanted to know my every thought on the entire, massive property. As far as Crystal, when their rep slogs his way through 18 soaked holes with you, that’s a welcome!

Best Relief Pitcher:
Arcadia Bluffs. I was warned that no one gets preferential treatment at Arcadia Bluffs, and I was right. Cart girl made her first visit to our group on hole # 16 (my line of the day: too bad we didn’t see you earlier, when we were thirsty), ranger instructed us to catch up (we were four minutes behind), even though the group behind us was not within sight, and the group ahead of us was pretty close. We made it our goal to fry the GPS by playing so fast it wouldn’t know what to do (ended up 20 minutes under time–whoo hoo!) Ranger caught up on ten tee with a cold draft for me, along with an apology for being so prickly. Funny thing was, he had no idea who I was.

Best Ride:
None of them. If Michigan lacks one thing, it’s an east-west highway. If you love back roads, this is the place for you.

Best Storm:
Bay Harbor. This witch came in off the lake with such furry, we hid in a cart tunnel under a road, between the third green and fourth tees of the Links Nine. With six other carts. In a tunnel that almost flooded (we were up on the curbs, on our toes.) When we went back out, at least five trees had been knocked down, including three that completely blocked the cart path to the fifth tee. Crazy storm! Passed through in twenty minutes… lightning and everything. Their In-Cart, GPS monitor worked perfectly, telling us when to get the hell off the course and when to go back out.

Best Reason To Leave Your Room:
Room at Boyne Highlands. French alps ambience, two single beds in one room, four bunk beds in another. Talk about an efficiency unit. I was never in the military, but this felt like the next best thing to a barracks. Since they have so much great golf, my guess is that a renovation of the inn is high on their list of priorities.

Best Place To Take Your Kids:
Crystal Mountain. So much to do, from the traditional “day camp” bead and paint activities to a mini-water park (no slides) to a faux-village atmosphere. Plans include an improved fitness center which, beyond the new golf course, might be all they need (maybe a water slide or two.)

Comments:

Comment from: Brandon Tucker [Member] Email · http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker
Wow, being a dick to the cart girl - That's big of you Ron Mon.
Permalink 07/31/07 @ 11:47
Comment from: Ron Mon [Member] Email
Is that all you could come up with? Being a d&^k? This is a family blog. Try again. Reread and make a better comment. By the way, playah, I'm guessing that hitting on the cart girl is much worse than criticizing her poor business acumen.
Permalink 07/31/07 @ 11:53
Comment from: BV [Visitor]
Oh Ron-Mon, there's not a DARN thing wrong with hitting on the cart girl! Especially if you catch her attention and interest - at the very least you see her more often...and the "best" thing is (well, you DID say it was a "family blog"...lol)....
Permalink 07/31/07 @ 12:59
Comment from: Ron Mon [Member] Email
Actually, the best cart girl from a beverage-service standpoint was at Boyne. She was not the traditional "hire," and the other guys I played with, sex-obsessed pigs all, had very little nice to say about her. I found her to be refreshing, personable, and a lot of laughs. She found us at least four times during the day, the guys warmed up to the idea of a "non-traditional cart girl," and made their fair share of purchases.
Permalink 07/31/07 @ 13:22
Comment from: Shanks [Member] Email · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/shanks
Nice re-cap, Ron Monster. Will have to put Michigan on my future-trips list, thanks to you and B-Tuck. Like with any great golf destination, I guess the most difficult thing is deciding just where to play.
Permalink 07/31/07 @ 15:14
Comment from: Ron Mon [Member] Email
Our big mistake was too many hotels in too few days. I would suggest a three nights at Shanty, three nights at Treetops, three nights at Boyne-type of thing. St. Ives really only needs one night (Tully one day, Ives the next, then down the road.) We were constantly moving in and out, driving two-three hours, and it wore us down. By the end, we were cannibals.
Permalink 07/31/07 @ 15:24
Comment from: Chris Baldwin [Member] Email
Best Ron Mon paragraph ever:

Ranger caught up on ten tee with a cold draft for me, along with an apology for being so prickly. Funny thing was, he had no idea who I was.

He didn't even know who you were Ron Mon. Imagine that. The great Ron Mon went unrecognized. That's like Tom Cruise walking down Broadway hand-in-hand with a naked Paris Hilton and nobody stopping them.

Who exactly are you Ron Mon? Please enlighten us all to your greatness.

And I have to agree with BTuck on the cart girl. Why would you hit her with some smart alec comment? It's not her fault if they only have one cart girl out there, or if she was due for a break and took it.

Have some guts and go to the GM or head pro if you have complaints on their setup rather than forcing your wit on a girl just trying to earn a few tips.

You did answer the question if you're as annoying in person as you are in blogs though.






Permalink 08/01/07 @ 01:27
Comment from: Kiel Christianson [Visitor] Email
Funny story: I called to set up a review of St. Ives about 10 years ago, and was told by the dir. of golf that I needed to come up to show him my "portfolio" before he could Ok a review. I said forget it, and continued reviewing more MI courses than just about anyone in any publication. A few years later, I got an invite to the grand opening of Tullymore, and told the guy about the previous incident. Rarely have I seen anyone so sheepish.

The point? It's more fun to make a big-time director of golf feel bad than a cart girl or a ranger.

Permalink 08/01/07 @ 02:07
Comment from: Shanks [Member] Email · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/shanks
Now I can say I've finally heard it all. Baldy called SOMEBODY ELSE annoying. Imagine that!
Permalink 08/01/07 @ 08:25
Comment from: Ron Mon [Member] Email
Well, Chris, as usual, you're right about everything. I cannot believe, clouded by my abject hubris, that I did not see myself for whom I truly am. Are you my conscience?
Permalink 08/01/07 @ 08:38
Comment from: Ron Mon [Member] Email
Kiel, I don't believe for a second that the cart girl cared one way or another. She was off to the races with all her loot or her disinterest to find customers. Reality is, she is in the service industry, no matter the level of responsibility, and should keep tabs on all her customers. My goal was not to make her feel badly (I have much more sarcasm in the tank for people like Chris, et al), but to alert her to a situation. I just thought it was a funny line, but I guess my words are weightier than even I knew.
Permalink 08/01/07 @ 08:42
Comment from: Ron Mon [Member] Email
Shanks, he never answers the question that he posed. As to whether I am more annoying in real life than in blog-dom, he leaves us hanging. CB should be writing scripts in Hollywood, rather than keeping TG and WG afloat from his palace in VeGas.
Permalink 08/01/07 @ 08:43
Comment from: Shanks [Member] Email · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/shanks
Sounds like fodder for a good Top Ten list: Top 10 Reasons for the Cart Girl to be MIA.

10. Waiting for my nails to dry
9. Ran out of ice
8. Fending off sexual advances from Balwin's 4 some .....
Permalink 08/01/07 @ 10:01

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