Arcadia Bluffs GC
Arcadia, MI (Northern Michigan, an hour SW of Traverse City)
Golf Digest Review, Senior Travel Editor Matt Ginella, 9/09:
Think of Arcadia Bluffs as the Pebble Beach of Michigan, and Forest Dunes as its Spyglass Hill. Designed by Warren Henderson and Rick Smith, Arcadia Bluffs has a stunning stretch of holes along a 180-foot cliff leading down to the lapping waves of Lake Michigan. Had I been blindfolded and dropped onto the property unaware of the setting, I would've been certain it was an ocean. The 594-yard 11th, the 431-yard 12th and the 190-yard 13th make up Arcadia's version of Amen Corner -- my favorite stretch of three consecutive holes on this trip. Given that Arcadia Bluffs is ranked No. 10 among the 100 Greatest Public, I decided to play it twice.
If I had a mulligan, I'd play Forest Dunes twice instead. I've always thought Spyglass Hill, from start to finish, is a better course than Pebble Beach. Likewise, I would contend that Forest Dunes is a more complete course than Arcadia Bluffs, though it's not nearly as impressive visually.
T&L Golf Review, July/Aug '04
ARCADIA BLUFFS GOLF CLUB
Arcadia; 800-494-8666, www.arcadiabluffs.com. Yardage: 7,300. Par: 72. Slope: 143. Architects: Warren Henderson and Rick Smith, 1999. Greens Fees: $75-$175. T+L GOLF Rating: ****
It's coastal. It's roller coastal. Arcadia Bluffs, named for its 3,100 feet of shoreline high above Lake Michigan, features water views from every hole. That's the good news. The bad: This sprawling, vertiginous track can mulch your ego with its humps, hollows and 245 acres of uneven lies, its elephant-graveyard greens and its forced carries. By the time you reach the 12th hole, a 431-yard par-4 along the bluff, you may have the urge to hurl your clubs over the precipice toward Wisconsin. Still, for big-game hunters, Arcadia is irresistible with its sod-walled bunkers with stairs, collection areas for imprecise approaches and one green (#5) so diabolical, a two-putt should merit a free round. It may win more beauty contests than playability points, but Arcadia is an imaginative design with some of the finest scenery in the Midwest.
Best Bar Nearby: The bar at Arcadia Bluffs was named as one of Golf Digest's 50 Best 19th Holes in 2009. "At the Sunset Grill, perched above the 18th, it appears you can see "all the way across Lake Michigan to Whistling Straits."
"Drinks, Lakeside
Unless you're an A-list celebrity, there aren't too many bars in America where you'll need your sunglasses, but it's a good idea to keep them handy for a post-round cocktail at Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club in Michigan. As one of Golf Digest's 50 Best 19th holes, the outdoor bar is a sunbather's delight. Attached to the clubhouse, it sits atop a hill overlooking the links-style course and Lake Michigan. With patio tables (umbrellas optional) and glass partitions to cut down on chilly breezes, it's the perfect spot if the idea of a dark, indoor bar after a long day in the sun sounds unappealing. "You can't describe how cool it is; you have to see it," says golfer Nick Behland of Chicago, who enjoyed a cigar and watched the sunset last summer from one of the Adirondack chairs positioned for nature's show. Watch a video on how the Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club's house cocktail--a "Lake Breeze" -- is made."