Heading into WiscoGolfAddict’s recent BOYNE Golf trip to northern Michigan, I knew very little about the destination aside from the high-profile Bay Harbor Golf Club. I knew there was a lot of golf offered by the resort (TEN courses!), but I had no idea what to expect in terms of the level of quality and course characteristics.

After playing seven rounds and spending four nights on property, though, I can now say that BOYNE Golf is vastly underrated, as the golf was nothing short of spectacular from start to finish over the duration of our trip.

The track that shattered my expectations the most was the Arthur Hills course at The Highlands resort, a late 90’s design by, as the name suggests, Arthur Hills. With a routing that cuts through dense forests and wanders up and down towering hills, it occupies a truly remarkable natural setting while providing an exemplary test of golf.

Hills’ architectural style has always struck me as understated relative to his contemporary peers, with many of his properties presenting smaller features and subtle strategic elements at a time when bold and heroic design was in vogue. Case in point is his Wisconsin gem, Washington County, where you’ll find a similar landscape but more subdued style than that of nearby modern heavyweight Erin Hills.

At BOYNE Highlands, though, Hills took a different approach. Here, he installed intimidating features on a mass scale to match the grandeur of the landscape. In some spots I felt like I was playing a Pete Dye layout with monstrous bunkers lining entire sides of fairways before playing to elevated, multi-sectioned greens flanked by runoffs.

The Arthur Hills course wanders deep into the forest, making this the most secluded and natural setting of all of Boyne’s ten courses. In fact, I don’t recall seeing a single house during our round. The flatter front nine reminded me of parts of Minocqua Country Club with intimidating-looking yet spacious corridors lined by deep woods, marshes and ponds. On this side, you’ll find the boldest bunkering which also adds to the challenge considerably.

The back nine rightfully steals all the attention, however, featuring a high-wire act from holes 12 through 15 traversing some extreme northern Michigan topography. With golf holes jumping through dramatic elevation changes, this stretch reminded me of parts of Wild Rock, and my playing partners also mentioned that it was reminiscent of Timberstone in the Upper Peninsula.

We played the Arthur Hills course as the second round of the day, following a wonderful experience on the neighboring Donald Ross Memorial course that morning. These two experiences paired extremely well together to offer fantastic variety, a combination of classic-inspired architecture (Ross) and maximalist modern design (Hills).

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Course Overview

The Arthur Hills Golf Course at The Highlands Resort

Harbor Springs, MI

Architect: Arthur Hills (1995)

Par 73, 7312/6919/6352/6127/5615/4811 Yards

Course/Slope Rating: 75.4/144, 73.3/140, 70.3/132, 69.3/128, 67.3/122, 63.4/114

Course Highlights

After four solid, yet straightforward holes to kick off the round, the fifth cranks up the drama and doesn’t let down until the end. This is one of two par fours on site that are located in cathedrals of tall pines. The aesthetic of the pines in the background is spectacular, but at well over 400 yards from the back tee positions this is also a beast.

While plenty of room exists to the right on approach, mounding on that side will make a recovery shot tricky. We were happy to escape this challenge at just two over par as a group.

The eighth is another stout par four, doglegging right to a small, elevated green. A sea of sand to the left is a mega-feature that one should take great care to avoid, as any shot from this pit will face a daunting climb up the slope to an unreceptive green. While I found the sand, I was fortunate enough to get a nice lie and salvage a bogey.

The short par four tenth is also cut straight out of a mature pine forest, but unlike the lengthy fifth, its short yardage presents several options off the tee. At 285 yards from the orange tees, longer hitters may be tempted to go for broke, but a gaping bunker just short of the green makes this a very difficult play. A more prudent route up the right side will leave a tricky pitch, but this is still the preferred strategy for most.

The back nine is one big crescendo as it ascends into the hills, with the 12th being the last moment before a massive reveal. This mid-length, dogleg right par four features a gaping bunker up the left side followed by an uphill approach to a narrow green. After my tee shot unfortunately found the sand, my round started to turn for the better as I made a nice escape and found a way to save par.

The par five 13th features one of the most dramatic tee shots I’ve had the fortune to experience, dropping more than 10 stories downhill with miles of northern Michigan landscape in the backdrop. When I first saw this spot during morning photography (from the bottom side), I was stunned that a golf hole could traverse such surreal terrain.

We decided to play one ball from the tips (at the very top of the hill) and one from the orange (middle) tees and play the better of the two. Who said we had to play strictly by the book on a golf trip, anyway? This was a highlight moment of the whole week and one of the better photo ops we had all day.

At 516 yards from the orange tees and with the elevation change, this is a reachable par five for most. Even after a short tee shot, I managed to get into wedge position and convert a birdie with a putter that was just starting to heat up.

The par three 14th continues the ride downhill with a dramatic, mid-length tee shot through the forest. DO NOT miss short/right here, as I did, lest you’ll find an extreme slope that will pull your ball at least 30 yards from the green to set up a brutally tough recovery.

The 17th is a choose-your-own adventure par four, literally with two holes in one. With dual fairways divided by trees in the middle and two separate teeing grounds, this will either be a dogleg left or right depending on the mood of the superintendent that day. Either route presents a demanding, narrow tee shot followed by a tricky approach to a shallow green fronted by a trio of bunkers.

The Arthur Hills course concludes with a classic risk/reward par five featuring a lake down the left side. With the water encroaching just 250 yards or so from the tee, longer hitters should take care to aim down the right.

I’m a shorter hitter, so I blasted one up the left side without worry. From there, the distance to the green was minimized but it was still 200+ yards out and all carry. Coming into the 18th on a hot streak, I was able to place my second shot near the green and secure a stress-free par to wrap up an excellent back nine.

Closing Thoughts

In a highlight-packed week featuring seven underrated courses, the Arthur Hills course at Boyne Highlands was solidly my second favorite venue of the trip, second only to the spectacular Links/Quarry combo at Bay Harbor.

This was some of the best Arthur Hills work I’ve seen, with engaging golf holes carved out of a stunning natural landscape utilizing the grand topography of northern Michigan. With an unusual par of 73 and wide playing surfaces, this was the most “resort-style” layout we saw all week, and it was a joy to play.

This course rated much higher in my personal course rankings than I ever could’ve expected, and will place well within my updated Top 50 at season’s end. On a BOYNE Golf trip or visit to the area in general, I’d highly recommend prioritizing a round here.

The Highlands at Harbor Springs Website

All original photography in this article by Brian Murphy, Paul Seifert, Troy Giljohann and Rich Bauer for WiscoGolfAddict