Boyne Highlands — Heather

Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed over 500 golf courses during a career that spanned six decades, and the Heather at Boyne Highlands, which opened in 1966, carries the hallmarks that made his work recognizable across all of them. The greens are large and contoured. The bunkers are positioned to penalize the timid shot that falls short rather than the aggressive one that goes long. The par 3s are demanding and varied. The overall test, at 7,143 yards with a slope of 147, is serious golf presented in a resort setting.

The Heather is the flagship of Boyne Highlands' four courses, and recent renovations have sharpened the design without altering its fundamental character. The course plays through northern Michigan hardwood forest with enough elevation change to keep the terrain interesting without making the walk exhausting. The trees frame the holes tightly on several par 4s, creating driving corridors that reward accuracy, while the par 5s open up enough to allow the longer hitter to think about reaching the green in two.

Jones's green complexes are the most distinctive feature. They are built to accept a variety of approach shots but punish the one that arrives on the wrong side. The contours push balls toward collection areas that leave difficult up-and-downs, and the speed of the putting surfaces magnifies any error in distance control. Golfers who take the time to identify the correct quadrant of each green before selecting a club will save strokes throughout the round.

The resort context is important. Boyne Highlands operates as a full-service golf resort with on-site lodging, dining, and additional courses. Stay-and-play packages through Boyne Golf are the most common way to book the Heather, and they typically bundle the green fee with accommodation at rates that represent better value than the standalone tee time. Green fees of $90 to $176 cover the range from shoulder-season value to peak summer pricing.

The conditioning at the Heather reflects the investment that Boyne Golf has made across its portfolio. The fairways are well maintained through the season, and the greens putt true at speeds that are appropriate for a resort course. The course does not attempt to replicate tournament conditions, which is a sensible choice for a layout that serves golfers on vacation as much as competitive players. The maintenance strikes a balance between challenge and playability.

The Heather works well as the centerpiece of a multi-course stay at Boyne Highlands, paired with the Donald Ross Memorial or one of the resort's other layouts. It is the most challenging course on the property, and playing it first sets a standard against which the other courses can be measured. Boyne Highlands is located near Harbor Springs, roughly 80 minutes north of Traverse City. The drive follows the Lake Michigan shoreline through Charlevoix and Petoskey, passing through some of the most attractive small towns in the region. For golfers interested in mid-century American golf design, the Heather offers a well-preserved example of Jones Sr.'s work in a setting that does justice to it. The season runs from May through October, with June through September offering the most reliable playing conditions.