Doon Brae Short Course at The Highlands
Michigan is one of the best states in the country for a golf trip. The mild summer temperatures combined with the long, sunny days where sunsets can take place after 9 p.m. is the ideal combination for a golf trip.
As the marquee resorts in the state continue to find ways to focus on making golf vacations more enjoyable for their guests, one trend that we have seen is the emergence of the short course and we’ve highlighted a few of our favorite additions in this category throughout the state.
Doon Brae Short Course at The Highlands, BOYNE Golf (Harbor Springs, Michigan)
BOYNE Golf has long been known as one of the best collections of golf courses in the United States. With a variety of layouts at their three main resort hubs of The Highlands, Boyne Mountain, and the Inn at Bay Harbor, this collection of properties has been home to 10 incredible layouts offering a magnificent array of golf at various price points which has long made it one of the marquee destinations in the country.
Never a group to rest on their laurels, the team at BOYNE has managed to further enhance the experience here with the recent addition of the new Doon Brae Short Course that will open on June 6, 2025.
Located on the backside of The Highlands resort, Doon Brae features nine holes that play up, down, and along the hillside on the backside of the resort that serves as a ski slope during the winter season. This creates a multitude of shots you’ll encounter here as the varying slopes alongside some strategic bunkering make for a fun round that will be sure to test your short game.
The longest hole will play 150 yards from the back tees here, and each hole of this Raymond Hearn design was inspired by some of the best courses in the game including the Old Course at St. Andrews, The National Golf Links, North Berwick Golf Links, Royal County Down, and Chicago Golf Club.
This enhancement to the resort also brings the addition of the Back Yaird, a 27-hole Himalayan-style putting course that was also designed by Hearn and located right next to the first tee. These two experiences are the perfect addition to a golf trip to the BOYNE Golf portfolio, and we continue to be impressed by how their team always delivers an incredible experience at an exceptional value.
Doon Brae
Arcadia Bluffs The Dozen (Arcadia, Michigan)
Arcadia Bluffs is one of the most unique resorts in Michigan that has provided two of our favorite layouts in the state with the iconic Bluffs Course, as well as the completely different but equally tantalizing layout of The South Course. These two courses will now have a welcomed sister course known as The Dozen, a 12-hole short course that is set to open on July 1, 2025 and features two 6-hole loops known as The North and The South. Both routings will feature par-3s and par-4s, and the course is designed to be walked but there will be carts available if you so desire. Located about 1.5 miles from The Bluffs and The South courses, The Dozen will feature its own day-style clubhouse and grill to enjoy. In addition to The Dozen short course, there will also be four new four-bedroom, four-bathroom cottages that will be a welcomed addition to the resort.
Arcadia Bluffs The Dozen
The Bootlegger at Forest Dunes (Roscommon, Michigan)
The only non-newcomer to this list, Forest Dunes opened The Bootlegger in 2021 as the perfect addition to one of the best golf resorts in Michigan. Designed by Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns, two disciples of the iconic duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, The Bootlegger offers 10 holes that range in length from 50 to 140 yards. The laid-back style here embraces “the hang” where you can congregate with a large group donning flip flops and cocktails while jamming out to some tunes in the background. It’s everything that is right about the addition of a short course. When you combine that with the Forest Dunes course, one of our favorites in the state, alongside the unique layout of The Loop, a course that’s routing changes daily and plays in reverse from the day before, it makes for a fantastic golf trip destination for your group to enjoy.
The Bootlegger at Forest Dunes
Harbor Shores Wee Course (Benton Harbor, Michigan)
As one of the coolest stories in golf, Harbor Shores Resort was once this once forgotten town that was transformed into a beautiful resort that features a stunning 18-hole layout that first opened in 2010 as you’ll see in our story here. Over the years, this gorgeous course has hosted the Senior PGA Championship six times (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2024) in its short history and they are bringing back the 2014 champion Colin Montgomerie to design the new Wee Course. This 9-hole, pitch-and-putt style course will feature holes that play 60 yards or less, and it will be lit up so golfers can enjoy playing here once the sun sets which is a welcomed amenity on this layout. It’s a great addition to the golf experience at Harbor Shores, and the hope is to have preview play available here before the end of 2025 with the grand opening set for the opening of season in 2026.
Harbor Shores
Garland Lodge & Golf Resort New Reversible Short Course (Lewiston, Michigan)
Known as one as a great affordable golf vacation destination to golfers looking for a lot of fun golf all under one roof, Garland Lodge & Golf Resort is home to four 18-hole layouts and the resort has embraced a new focus on the golf experience here under the watchful eye of new General Manager David Sanderson, an industry veteran who came to Garland after a long stint at The Greenbrier. One of Sanderson’s first initiatives was bringing in Kelly Shumate to design a one-of-a-kind, 10-hole short course that can also be played in reverse! Scheduled to hopefully open in 2025, this course will fit the vibe of the golf experience here and will be very friendly and playable for all golfers.
Garland Lodge & Golf Resort