California, behind only Wisconsin, in a recent Golf Digest ranking of the “Best States For Public Golf Courses.” This entire Michigan Golf Odyssey took eight days, covered more than 800 miles, included 153 holes of some of the finest golf imaginable and did not require schlepping golf clubs through an airport. Last Leg: Heading Back South Two hours south of Belvedere sits Arcadia Bluffs, home of two fantastic and completely opposite style courses. The Bluffs Course, ranked 64th on Golfweek’s Top 200 Modern Courses built after 1960, is links-style built adjacent to Lake Michigan. A little over one mile away lies the South Course, an architectural homage to Chicago Golf Club. The fact that these two courses co-exist at the same resort is reason enough for a visit. The Bluffs features wide, rolling fairways, spacious and challenging greens and deep bunkers strategically placed in fairways and around greens. Being on a sand bluff high above Lake Michigan, the winds are normally an issue. The views from the holes that play along the elevated sand bluffs over Lake Michigan are more than worth the price of the green fees. If you play in the late afternoon, the sunsets over the lake, along with the bagpiper make for a perfect round of golf. While the Bluffs has spectacular views of Lake Michigan, the South Course gives players a look backward into the creative imaginations of Chicago Golf Club designers C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor, whose genius of the 1890s continues to inspire today’s golf course architects, especially South Course designers Dana Fry and Jason Straka. Built on farmland, the South, like Chicago Golf, is flat compared to its sister course, The Bluffs. There are no trees or water hazards. Wide fairways and huge greens make the course look easy on first glance, be warned, it isn’t. Thoughtful players are asked to make strategic decisions starting from the tee all the way to highly contoured greens. The brilliant white Nantucket-style clubhouse and veranda at the Bluffs course is the perfect place to catch a Lake Michigan sunset. On-site accommodations include, the Lodge and the Cottages, both of the highest quality, as are the formal dining room and menu options.
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