This summer, the golf professionals at BOYNE had a vote for our favorite holes from the 162 that we offer. We broke it down to the favorite first hole from each course, then our favorite from all of the second holes, and so on. The result..... A Par 73 course that plays 7135 yards! Check to see if your favorites made our list!
BOYNE's Dream 18
Hole #1 - #1 The Heather Par 4 - 383 yards
A great opening hole, your tee shot should not stray to far to the right, which may be a natural reaction. Instead, something to the middle of the fairway will set up a short iron approach to this very well bunkered, undulating green.
Hole #2 - #2 Donald Ross Memorial Par 4, 336 yards
A replica of Hole #4 Plainfield Country Club; Plainfield, New Jersey
A delicate par 4 which gains its drama from the interesting and formidable contours in the tee shot landing area. Pine trees play a key role in forming a thick vertical on the left side of the hole forcing play toward the valley on the right. The small green is well bukered and slopes to the back, making it difficult to hold the green on the second shot.
Hole #3 - #3 The Links - Bay Harbor Golf Club Par 4 - 380 yards
Here is your first real decision of the round. The split level fairway rolls down from the landing area on top right to the bottom of the swale o the left. Longer hitters will often try and either draw a shot off of the hill or make the forced carry on the bottom shelf. Though this will result in a shorter approach, it also makes for a blind shot to an elevated green. Playing out to the right will add a club or two, but the shot is from a similar elevation to the green. A huge bunker in front can be torture.
Hole #4 - #4 The Links - Bay Harbor Golf Club Par 3 - 178 yards
Soak it in. The view from this magnificent par three is truly incredible. Those that are not completely distracted by the views of Little Traverse Bay will need to play their tee shot to the proper side of a two level green for the best shot at birdie. Be aware of the natural slope that runs through the center of the green, falling from top right to bottom left. Too far left here and it won't matter if you are shaken or stirred... you'll simply be on the rocks!
Hole #5 - #5 The Arthur Hills Par 4 - 481 yards Arguably the toughest par 4 at BOYNE. This hole is just long. Smash a drive between the stripes and at all costs avoid the rows of pines that frame the outer edges of the hole. The green is well bunkered and falls off hard to the right, creating a number of different ways to play from. None of which are very easy.
Hole #6 - #6 The Alpine Par 4 - 447 yards
Perhaps one of the best par 4 holes at BOYNE. A corridor of trees opens up to the fairway which is guarded by fairway bunkers down the left. The towering trees to the right provide additional headaches, but give you somewhat better odds of saving a par than the left side does. The green has some tricky breaks so make sure you walk around the entire hole before committing to a line.
Hole #7 - #7 The Links - Bay Harbor Golf Club Par 5 - 500 yards
Regarded by many as one of the finest golf holes anywhere, the seventh is a par 5 that stretches all along a cliff, high above Lake Michigan. A good tee shot seems to fly out into the water, but never fear, there is plenty of room. What will be a challenge are the moguls and bunkering on the left side of the fairway. An aggressive play to go for the green here is all uphill, but there is enough room short of the green that makes a nice safety net if your shot is not struck well. It is much easier to find yourself below the hole on this green that slopes from left to right, back to front.
Hole #8 - #8 Donald Ross Memorial Par 3, 181 Yards
A replica of Hole #11
Charlotte Country Club; Charlotte, North Carolina
Designed by Ross in 1913 and opened in 1926, the Charlotte Country Club was renovated by Robert Trent Jones in 1960. In 1968, the greens were converted from Bermuda grass to bent in preparation for the 1972 U.S. Amateur Championship.
Like most par 3s at Charlotte Country Club, the 11th is relatively short. This is the first hole on The Ross to use water as a design feature. The golfer must carry a small lake to reach the green. Several tees located at different elevations offer many different looks and lengths to this par 3 gem.
Hole #9 - #9 Bay Harbor Golf Club - The Preserve Par 3 - 186 yards
Out of the hardwoods and back to the coast. The green has a giant slope to the left, allowing a shot to be played to the right side and funnel down to the hole. With Lake Michigan to the left, a fairway bunker is the only thing stopping your ball from a watery grave.
Hole #10 - #10 Donald Ross Memorial Par 4, 422 Yards
A replica of Hole #14
Royal Dornoch Golf Club; Dornoch, Scotland
Designed by renowned Tom Morris, this hole from Royal Dornoch Golf Club adds a wonderful dimension to The Ross. It was where Ross learned his trade as a club maker and golf professional. And where under the tutelage of Morris and John Southerland, Ross developed many of his ideas about golf course architecture.
Not as well known as other British courses which host the British Open, Royal Dornoch Golf Club is ranked by many experts as being among the ten greatest courses in the world. Playing it for the first time, Tom Watson described the experience as "the most fun I’ve ever had playing golf in my life".
The 14th may be its most recognizable hole. The hole calls for a slight draw off the tee. The approach shot onto the green favors a high ball flight and slight fade.
Hole #11 - #11 Heather Par 5 - 550 yards
Fairway bunkers on the right off the tee and to the left in the second landing area will need to be respected when plotting your route to the eleventh green. Some will try to go for it in two, but with bunkers on every edge of the green, the crafty veteran will try to leave a full wedge shot from the left hand side of the fairway.
Hole #12 - #12 Alpine Par 5 - 517 yards
Enjoy the view of the "Alpine Valley" all the way down to Deer Lake. A tempting par 5, the tee shot can carry the traps along the left to set up an opportunity to reach in two. Be sure to check your lay-up yardage as the pond in front can sneak up quickly. There is a collection area in the back so don't be afraid to take one extra club here.
Hole #13 - #13 Arthur Hills Par 5 - 570 yards BOYNE's Everest! If you've ever wondered what it would be like to hit a driver as hard as you can from the top of one of our ski slopes... here is your chance! Arguably a signature hole for all of Northern Michigan, the fairway is wide enough to let the next three groups play through, together. Further down the hill, some will go for the green in two, some will lay up short leaving a wedge shot approach. The green slopes inward from most of the edges, creating a bowl effect. This can filter balls closer to the hole, but make for trickier putting. Get a good read and go for it.
Hole #14 - #14 Alpine Par 4 - 403 yards
Bunkers down the right side can be very penalizing. The fairway really narrows in the landing area requiring a precise or long shot that clears everything. This huge green can play up to three clubs different depending on the hole location.
Hole #15 - #15 Moor Par 4 - 410 yards
Position is very key to having success on the fifteenth. A long tee shot can take on the pond that is down the right side. If a shot is played too straight, it can be in the bunker to the left. Two more water hazards hide the green with their natural cattails, revealing only a sliver of hope. The entire green moves from back to front.
Hole #16 - #16 Donald Ross Memorial Par 5, 568 Yards
A replica of Hole #10
Pinehurst Country Club, Pinehurst #2; Pinehurst, North Carolina
Pinehurst’s 10th is an example of several Ross design principles. The tee shot landing zone is generously wide, supporting Ross’ conviction that the longer the shot the more margin for error the player should be allowed.
The hole tightens for the second shot, however, right along with the player. A cross bunker guards a smaller landing area. The long, the skilled and the brave have the option of flying it, setting up a short third. Those of lesser skills should opt to aim to the right of the bunker, the prudent way to go. This option leaves a longer approach, but compensates by presenting an elevated view of the green.
This hole was the turning point in a victory by Ben Hogan in a Ryder Cup match when Hogan birdied the hole and went on to win the match.
Hole #17 - #17 The Quarry - Bay Harbor Golf Club Par 3 - 172 yards
Bay Harbor's answer to the seventh at Pebble Beach. A downhill par 3 with nothing behind it but an indescribable panorama of Little Traverse Bay. Club selection can vary by up to 3 or 4 clubs more or less than normal depending on the wind. Any balls that miss short will splash straight into a boulder faced pond. Putting to hole locations toward the back of the green will probably have some nasty snap to it.
Hole #18 - #18 The Heather Par 4 - 451 yards
One of the most memorable finishing holes anywhere, the tee shot on the last hole of the Heather is straight down hill to a very wide fairway. Long hitters may run out of room and into the pond ahead. The fairway then narrows to just a few steps wide and continues around the edge of the pond to the left. The approach is then all carry, across the pond to the green that is quite large with big bunkers waiting to catch any balls that are hit too far.
