Top public and private courses in Michigan

For a state that’s buried under snow for much of each year, Michigan offers a stunning – and surprising for many – lineup of golf courses. From the shores of the Great Lakes to the forests in the state’s interior, there awaits course after course that would top the lists of best layouts in many other locales.

On the public-access side of Michigan’s golf ledger, the Bluffs Course at Arcadia Bluffs blows your socks off with views from atop cliffs above Lake Michigan, while Marquette Golf Club’s Greywalls Course offers long sightlines of Lake Superior and close looks at sheer rock walls that come into play on several holes. At the center of the state is Forest Dunes’ The Loop, a genius reversible feat of design that plays forward or backward depending on day of the week and thrills in both directions.

Something old? Don’t miss Belvedere – we mean that, do not miss Belvedere, a recently renovated classic. Something new that harkens back to the old? The South Course at Arcadia Bluffs isn’t as famous as its older sibling just up the road, and it doesn’t offer the same views, but the routing, classical shaping and firm conditions are sublime – another can’t-miss. The list goes on and on. There’s even one resort operator, Boyne, that offers 10 courses under one umbrella.

Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.

Also popular are the Golfweek’s Best rankings of top private courses in each state, and that list for Michigan’s distinguished private offerings is likewise included below.

MORE: Best Modern | Best Classic | Top 200 Resort|
Top 200 Residential | Top 100 Best You Can Play

(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960
(c): Classic course, built before 1960

Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses. 

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