By Fred Altvater
In Michigan, golf courses and resorts do double duty. There is no better place to play golf than Northern Michigan in the summer months, but in the winter, while fluffy white snow covers golf courses, skiing becomes the sport of choice.
BOYNE Resort
Everyone knows that BOYNE Resort with its 10 magnificent golf courses and is one of the premier golf resorts in the nation. In the winter it is also one of the largest ski resorts. With 60 ski runs at the Mountain Resort and another 55 runs at the Highlands, they can serve several thousand skiers every day.
Evert Kircher, along with two partners, purchased 40 acres on BOYNE Mountain in 1947 and the Kirchner family has operated the property, since that time.
When he purchased the Highlands property in the mid-1960’s, Kircher commissioned Robert Trent Jones to build the Heather course and now BOYNE Resort features ten championship golf courses at the Highlands, the Mountain and Bay Harbor.
Treetops Resort 
It all began, when Ouelette “Lin” Meade opened the Sylvan Knob Ski Area in 1954. Harry Melling purchased the property, from Meade, in 1983. Standing on a plateau overlooking the Pigeon River Valley, on what is now the sixth tee of the Masterpiece Course, Melling could see nothing, but trees extending to the horizon, thus the name Treetops was born.
With every outdoor activity available in the Gaylord area, Treetops is a sportsman’s dream come true. Skiing in the winter, plus golf, fishing, hiking, biking and any outdoor activity you can think of is all available at Treetops.
Caberfae Peaks
Caberfae Peaks is the oldest ski slope in Northern Michigan and the fourth oldest ski slope in the United States. It can even boast that a former President, Gerald Ford was one of its early financial backers.
In 1937 a group of avid ski and snow buffs, convinced the Forest Service to construct a ski slope at Caberfae, just outside of Cadillac. The first ski lift, a rope tow, was powered by a Ford Model A engine, which was later replaced by a Packard engine.
In 1939, operation and control of the area was turned over to a newly created group, the Caberfae Winter sports Club, formed by the Caberfae Ski Club and the Cadillac Chamber of Commerce.
Billed as the “Largest Ski Resort in the Midwest” in the 1950’s Caberfae fell upon hard times in the 1980’s and was purchased out of bankruptcy. It has continued to grow and satisfy ski enthusiasts, since that time.
A nine-hole golf course was built at Caberfae in 1995. It boasts a maximum distance of 2,600 yards from the Champions Tees and sits at the base of the mountain. It can be enjoyed April through September.
When the golf course is covered in snow thousands of skiers enjoy schussing down the slopes.
Snow Snake
The Snow Snake ski area, located at Clare, opened to skiers in 1948 and offered snow enthusiasts from down state a shorter drive to find good ski conditions.
Jeff Gorney designed the 18-hole, Snow Snake Golf Course in 1994. It lays along the base of the ski slope and maximum yardage from the Blue tees is slightly over 6,100 yards. It is always well maintained and a joy to play.
Pine Mountain
Timberstone Golf Course at Pine Mountain in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula offers a great golf experience, plus it has the only Olympic Ski Jumping Slope in Michigan.
In 1939, Pine Mountain began, when Fred Pabst, of Pabst Brewing, opened the ski area for Chicago and Wisconsin skiers to enjoy winter sports. The ski jump is the tallest man-made slope in North America and has hosted several high-profile ski jumping events over the years.
Timberstone Golf Course was built in 1996 at a cost of $12 million and is annually rated as one of the best tracks not only in the U.P, but also all of Michigan.
Shanty Creek
In the summer golfers enjoy hacking it around on Shanty Creek’s five championship courses. The Summit Golf Club was the first course to open at Shanty Creek, in 1965 and the Schuss Mountain Course followed in 1972. The Legend Club designed by Arnold Palmer opened for play in 1986 with the Tom Weiskopf’s Cedar River added in 1999. The final course, Hawk’s Eye was built in 2004, and was the final piece of the puzzle at Shanty Creek. These five distinctive courses are all top-shelf and will test every part of a golfer’s game.
In the winter, Schuss Mountain at Shanty Creek combines a variety of terrains, and well-maintained ski slope conditions with friendly guest service with everyday low rates, to create a spectacular winter getaway.
Add alpine tubing, over 28 kilometers of cross country trails, and a host of family-friendly winter activities, you’ll find Schuss Mountain at Shanty Creek Resort delivers phenomenal value.
The Homestead
Originally established as a Christian Science camp for boys in the 1920s, the 225-acre Glen Arbor resort property would eventually become as The Homestead, when it was purchased by Robert Kuras in 1975.
The Homestead Resort is a year-round resort offering summer, as well as, winter activities. In the summer resort guests can play the par-3 executive course that plays up and down the steep slopes. Be sure to take along your camera to capture the views of Lake Michigan, Sleeping Bear Dunes and Glen Lake.
The Arnold Palmer designed, Manitou Passage Golf Club is a parkland style championship course.
In the winter skiers schuss down the slopes, plus cross-country skiing is also a favorite pastime.
Michigan is Perfect in Winter, or Summer
Michigan ski operators learned long ago that the great ski conditions in the winter yield to sunshine and fantastic golf opportunities for the summer months.
There is no place on earth better to be in either Winter, or Summer.
Learn more about Pure Michigan’s bountiful outdoor activities at: https://www.michigan.org/
