The employees at Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club have an inside joke. They call their
8-year-old links-style layout a “state park” because more people come to look at
the course than actually play it. There is good reason for that.Sitting on a
bluff 180 feet above Lake Michigan, the former cherry orchard provides views and
a setting reminiscent of southwest Ireland. Designed by Warren Henderson and
Rick Smith, who exposed the native contours rather than invent new ones, Arcadia
Bluffs takes advantage of the land’s westward tilt and elevation, with views of
the water on every hole.
In addition, the duo ensured that each shot was a
separate and distinct challenge. Put it all together, and Arcadia Bluffs is the
jewel of Northern Michigan’s abundant public golf landscape.
On the 633-yard
11th hole, the wind off the lake adds to the challenge, often counteracting the
200-foot drop in elevation from tee to green, toward the lake. Standing on
the tee, wind in your face and looking out over a fescue-bordered fairway that
winds and tumbles toward the water, it’s hard not to think that you could be at
Ballybunion or Waterville. Even if you’re just here for a look.
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,300
Year founded: 1999
Architects: Rick Smith and Warren Henderson
