What is the story about?
The best golf courses in Michigan are spread far and wide, from Lake Michigan to the west, to Lake Superior Up North, to Lake Huron to the east and Lake Erie to the southeast.
Since moving here in 2014, I've set out to experience the best Michigan golf courses: Hidden gems tucked between our towering trees, upscale resort courses and the ordinary looking track off the highway that has a special history and place in its community.
I had a goal, for the second year in a row, to get my first taste of five public golf courses in Michigan. Once again, I hit only some of them, but ventured to a few others along the way.
Here are the five Michigan public golf courses I played for the first time in 2026, with a brief summary on what to know and how each
looked. (More dollar signs mean higher greens fees.)
Sugarbush Golf Club, Davison
- When I played: Mid-June.
- Conditioning: Very good.
- Price: $$.
- Buzz: Sugarbush, 15 minutes east of Flint and laid out in 1995 by Michigan Golf Hall of Famer Larry Mancour, has grand ambitions under new management, which also runs operations at sister course The Captain’s Club in Grand Blanc. The goal, general manager Sandy Davison said, is to keep Sugarbush in great condition and be among the best publics in the state. A ranger added they "do a lot of little things most courses don't do." Mancour – who died in February – would be proud as that effort shone through during a round that weaves through forests with no homes around, interrupted only by wildlife. It's not claustrophobic off the tee, but tree-lined fairways are a staple here, where the conditions from tee to green were excellent. The straightaway 646-yard par-5 13th is among the longest holes in the state, carved through the trees and opening up to an elevated green protected by a bunker short right. Small ponds come into play on a few holes, but not Potter Lake, which sits to the east of the course guarding the left side of the 18th fairway. Bonus birdie for the clubhouse restaurant, STIX, which features three full-screen indoor hitting bays.
Grande Golf Club, Jackson
- When I played: Late July.
- Conditioning: Good.
- Price: $$.
- Buzz: The Grande, opened in 2001 and designed by Holland's Ray Hearn, follows its name – it is a grand canvas, with wide fairways and large, undulating greens with big humps and tiers. The par-5s (Nos. 11 and 14) are tough on the back nine, with both being a three-shot hole requiring a second-shot carry. The front's par-5s provide a better opportunity to score. The fourth hole is tighter off an elevated tee with a tree-lined fairway, but reachable in two, and the eighth is also a fun hole, where the green is hidden about 10 feet beneath the end of the fairway. The par-3s are visually interesting and, crucially, different lengths. The practice area is one of the best around, with swaths of green for putting and short game work.
Eagle Eye Golf Club, Bath Township
- When I played: Mid-August.
- Conditioning: Very good.
- Price: $$$$.
- Buzz: Eagle Eye, opened in 2003 and designed by Chris Lutzke in collaboration with his mentor, the legendary Pete Dye, has dotted lists ranking the top public courses in the state and country for years. I finally learned why this summer. Right from the first few holes, this place looks different from most courses in Michigan: tall heather off fairways, a mixture of pot bunkers and tucked pins over water guarded by bulkhead wood retaining walls. It actually feels like a "championship course." This is an approach-shot test, with a set of memorable par-3s, including No. 17 – a replica of Dye's iconic 17th at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, home of The Players Championship. During our round, we even had the same far-right Sunday pin location as the pros; we came away down a ball but with a tidy up-and-down from the scary drop zone 80 yards away. Eagle Eye is pricier than most non-resort courses in Michigan – we’re lucky here to have really nice courses at extremely affordable rates – but worth the experience.
Pine Trace Golf Club, Rochester Hills
- When I played: Late September.
- Conditioning: Good.
- Price: $$$.
- Buzz: Pine Trace, built in 1989 by prolific Hall of Famer Arthur Hills, re-opened in June after a 21-month makeover. The holes are generally the same, but everything below ground and above ground, from the tees to bunkers to greens to drainage, was redone, the club said. One major change was getting rid of a creek that ran in front of the 18th green, replaced by a pond guarding the left side. The greens are new and need time to grow in, but the rest of the course was in great shape. There's variety in the holes with some short par-4s, challenging doglegs turning each way and guarded by bunkers (with soft sand according to a playing partner who was in them all day) and elevated tees, including the par-3 17th. The closing hole is memorable, with an uphill, blind tee shot over a cresting hill. I'm always in favor of short grass in spots around greens, giving golfers shot options instead of just hacking out of rough every time, and Pine Trace has that on some holes. The range and putting green should be completed before next season, with a new clubhouse coming soon – all of which should help establish Pine Trace as a higher-end course in southeast Michigan.
Tyrone Hills Golf Club, Fenton
- When I played: Early October.
- Conditioning: Good.
- Price: $.
- Buzz: You've likely passed by Tyrone Hills, designed by another Michigan architect (Bruce Matthews) in 1961, off U.S. 23 in Fenton numerous times. The hole that you see along the highway – the straightaway, flat par-4 second – belies how the rest of the round unfolds. There are elevation changes on nearly every hole and little outside noise. The seventh has to be one of the most challenging par-3s in the state, with a mid-iron into a hard green that runs off on every side, including a massive drop-off in the back and a false front. Someone in your foursome, if not everyone, will be playing ping pong – you've been warned. The greens were fast and the course was otherwise very playable, with few hazards.
Check back with us in 2027 for more Michigan golf adventures.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: I played 5 Michigan golf courses for 1st time in 2026. How each looked
