The Chief Golf Course
About
The Chief Golf Course, nicknamed the Spirit of the North, is one of northern Michigan's premier courses. The championship course tumbles across rolling hills, providing dramatic elevation changes throughout. If you're a fan of mountain golf then this is the golf course for you. By far the toughest challenge golfers will face is the carefully sculpted mounding that borders most of the greensides. The mounds can create difficult angles for pitching and chipping. There are also a slew of strategically placed bunkers throughout. Strong mid and short iron play is important since accurate approaches are the key to this course. The unique design definitely makes it a course for shot-makers. The layout finishes with one of its most challenging holes, a par 4 with water to the left and bunkers and mounding to the right.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 71 | 6482 yards | 72.3 | 145 |
| White (W) | 71 | 6033 yards | 76.2 | 142 |
| White | 71 | 6033 yards | 70.3 | 134 |
| Gold | 71 | 5390 yards | 66.2 | 127 |
| Gold (W) | 71 | 5390 yards | 72.0 | 133 |
| Red | 69 | 4527 yards | 65.8 | 120 |
| Red (W) | 69 | 4527 yards | 67.1 | 122 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue M: 72.3/145 | 365 | 542 | 428 | 364 | 407 | 178 | 314 | 214 | 446 | 3258 | 384 | 395 | 315 | 203 | 523 | 387 | 365 | 135 | 517 | 3224 | 6482 |
| White M: 70.3/134 W: 76.2/142 | 333 | 521 | 397 | 337 | 395 | 160 | 302 | 197 | 420 | 3062 | 369 | 377 | 306 | 172 | 474 | 364 | 328 | 128 | 453 | 2971 | 6033 |
| Gold M: 66.2/127 W: 72.0/133 | 295 | 504 | 362 | 302 | 365 | 154 | 292 | 121 | 374 | 2769 | 295 | 338 | 288 | 150 | 427 | 292 | 290 | 121 | 420 | 2621 | 5390 |
| Red M: 63.5/121 | 258 | 407 | 301 | 273 | 294 | 96 | 248 | 87 | 317 | 2281 | 256 | 249 | 278 | 130 | 402 | 278 | 265 | 111 | 372 | 2341 | 4622 |
| Handicap | 7 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 11 | |||
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 71 |
| Handicap (W) | 13 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 5 |
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Course Details
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Policies
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Bar, Grill, RestaurantAvailable Facilities
ClubhouseReviews
Reviewer Photos
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Hole 4 Photo submitted by wmoller on 06/29/2025
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Photo submitted by u183373765 on 08/27/2022
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Photo submitted by u183373765 on 08/27/2022
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Photo submitted by noahjurik on 09/24/2018
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Photo submitted by noahjurik on 09/24/2018
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Photo submitted by noahjurik on 09/24/2018
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Photo submitted by noahjurik on 09/24/2018
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Awesome sign! Photo submitted by TheWeaz on 09/25/2012
Great day on a great course!
Great day; course in great condition. Pace of play was good; there was a group of about 8-9 on the front nine that slowed play on the last couple of holes? Not sure why they allow that on a Saturday?
Good things are happening
I like the changes being made to the course. Holes now laid out so you come back to the club house at the turn! Also, changes to make the course more playable makes it more enjoyable, the changes aren’t complete yet but are going to be nice when done.
A challenging beauty
On a whim I decided to play the Chief, and I'm very happy I did. It's a beautiful northern Michigan course that challenges you in many ways throughout the round. There are a lot of blind tee shots and forced carries for people playing the back few sets of tees. The greens are some of the smallest I've seen, but can be stuck pretty easily (if you have the accuracy.) A lot of the experience here is about accuracy, so if you're a pretty inaccurate golfer, I suggest maybe playing someplace a little less challenging.
The elevation changes and gorgeous views make this round worthwhile, as well. The pro shop and restaurant have a great selection; It's some of the best golf course food I've had.
The only negative thing I can think of is some of the conditioning on the greens and a few spots in the fairway. Other than that, the course is in great shape. Also, I know it's not something people normally write about in reviews, but the bridges on the course are very well built and made me feel very safe.
I'd suggest adding the Chief to your northern Michigan golf trip- it''ll add a fun challenge and you'll get to see how beautiful a course in the middle of a hardwood forest can be!
Well worth the trip
If you enjoy elevation changes, challenging holes, and a great view, you will love this course.
Tee boxes were in bad shape and sand was not fluffy or groomed.
Quirky course, premium on second shot
This course is unique/quirky. For the most part your driver and stay in bag other than just a few holes. Many dog legs requiring 150 to 180 yard approach shots up hill. The sand traps need redoing removing rocks. Sand racks were extremely lacking in some cases there were none and certainly wasn't waste area. This is also course that playing the first time could be struggle as it is more of shot makers course. The restaurant at the club is excellent and staff was very good. Overall I would still play again and see if second time changes my appreciation for the course.
Great deal
Got a great deal to play here for $25. Course layout was pretty challenging with lots of intimidating tee shots. Good variety of holes that require different clubs off the tee. Scorecard and the provided guide book were nice features for first time players. One downside is that once you tee off there isn't any place to grab a snack or a drink. We played on a Thursday and there was nothing other than a few water coolers available on the course. Load up at the clubhouse before you head out. Overall it was an enjoyable round.
Decent
Course is slightly suffering from dryness, but they were working hard to keep it watered on every hole. Good experience overall
Excellent Course!
Excellent course, extremely challenging if you don't stay down the middle! Fairways were in terrific shape. Greens were good, except fairly small, and undulating. Will continue to play here!
A Challenge, But Rewarding, Too!
A Challenge for all skill levels. Rewards shot placement, penalizes errant shots. Beauty of northern Michigan on almost every hole. Forward tees and "beginner" tees accommodate the less skilled quite nicely, while middle and back tees raise the bar significantly for those who want to challenge the layout.. Bring extra balls if you can't hit 'em straight! After the round, have a draft or a snack or a great meal at the Pelicans Nest right on property! Great food and ambiance dining outdoors!
Toughest course
This corse demands that you be able to place your ball if you expect to score well. The corse conditions were good, there weren't very many golfers there on a Sunday afternoon so pace of play was good. I would recommend this corse foe boggy or better golfers.
Poorly maintained
Very poorly maintained. Never saw them cut the greens in 3 days staying on the course. Actually never saw any mowers at all Some of the holes were so beat up from being in the same location for days. The layout is so quirky barely used a wood off the tee. Super tight like 20 yd fairway and 2yrd rough then basically a forest or unplayable area. There were a couple holes that were nice like #6 and 7 but that was about it. The rest were so tight and not fun. I'm a 5 handicap and thought it was unfair and really poorly set up. Plenty of other courses in the area that are much nicer.
Cool Track
Local mom and pop feel to clubhouse and bar. Nice people running the shop as well. We played on a rainy day and had a good time. Very demanding layout and very scenic. Pretty good shape condition wise. Fair price and would return for sure.