The Heather at The Highlands (Boyne)

As modern golf design tastes shift away from the boom-decades of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s, I find myself looking for examples of that era’s golf that remain relevant even today. I believe the Heather, the best of the three courses I played at Boyne Highlands, to be one.

My admiration starts with the course’s enjoyably walkable routing (an unfortunate rarity among its contemporaries) and extends to the mix of meadow, wetland and parkland settings it traverses before climbing up to the climactic elevated 18th tee overlooking the base of the resort’s ski hill and plunging toward the pond use to produce its snow. Along the way, par 5s at 5 and 9 and par 3s at 4 and 6 build momentum, while the inward half has its own enjoyable mix of holes.

The Heather plays out of its own, quaint clubhouse across from the resort’s main Lodge. Walking across the street to prepare for my round as the sun came up over Northern Michigan will remain a highlight of my golf year.

You won’t find much of its namesake here as most holes are lined with trees, but it’s a fine course regardless. Course was in great shape, staff was nice and it was about 2 minutes from our stay n play condo.

Greens are tough on approach as bunkers excellently protect the greens and will also demand accuracy to avoid fairway bunkers. A tad unimpressed as The Heather is consistently ranked a top tier Michigan course, it’s very nice but Boyne, The Highlands, and Bay Harbor boast a couple better courses in my opinion. Worth the play for sure

The Heather is not a bomb and gouge course, it's more of a classic shotmakers route. If I recall correctly there are only 3 (non-par 3) holes on the course that don't have some degree of dog-leg to them... and - while it is straight - 18 presents it's own set if shot making decisions. As an example, on the par 4 3rd and hit 7i off the tee and on the par 5 ninth, I led with a six... and parred both holes (it's worth noting that if I had played one tee box back, I probably could have hit a bigger club on #3, there is a corner to cut, but I couldn't reliably get my driver high enough fast enough, and it was short enough to par with the 7i anyway... but... there are a few holes that might actually be a little easier to play from the back tees, something to consider). To me, this never got boring and I enjoyed having to think as much about my first shot at my approach.

The course itself is beautiful, excellently maintained and framed with trees most of the way around.. There is plenty of water on the course, although not much of it really needs to come into play (you'll ned to carry it on a couple of the par threes, but it's all right in front of you and none of them are long enough to make you question if you can make the shot). What was particularly cool about the water (as you can see in a couple of my pics) is in the morning it can get very pretty with the "smoke on the water." Even the slightly smokey skys played into the scenery, and made the sunrise a bit more dramatic.

As mentioned, the courses primary defense is angles; however, there are some large and occasionally deep bunkers to contend with around the greens as well. Fortunately, the sand is terrific and plays exactly as it should, so these shouldn't be too big of a problem if you are comfortable from the sand (I was 1/2 on sand saves).

It's worth noting that the service we received was top notch all the way around... up to and including the grounds crew who we caught up to on (I think) the 12th hole (we play pretty quickly... the entire round took about 2:35). They were very accommodating and worked with use to make sure our experience wasn't compromised while we worked through the holes they were busy maintaining.

The 18th hole is an interesting example of having to make decisions even on a straight forward hole. The large pond that protects the green is certainly reachable to the right (and everywhere to a big hitter) so I elected to skirt the left edge and allow for a big hit to play through to a slivery of fairway that runs to the left of the pond. My ~250 yard drive (which probably would have been wet if it had been to the right) left me about 175/180 to the center of the green about 165 of which was carry. Fun hole, but I can see a lot of ways to have ti ruin a round if you don't carefully consider each shot.

#9 is an interesting hole as well, and might be my favorite on the course just because of the strategy options available.I opted for a pair of six irons which allowed me to navigate the somewhat narrow fairways (most of the Heather is wide in the landing areas, #9 was a little more challenging) and left me a pretty stock (145) pitching wedge into the green. There's certainly an option to try a bigger club off the tee and try to reach the relatively short par 5 in two, but this seemed like an "easy 5, or... a 7" type of hole to me and I opted for the 5.

I had a ton of courses to choose from on my vacation to Northern Michigan, I can say without any regret I'm glad I chose The Heather as one of them. I'd absolutely recommend it to a friend and will probably include it in future trips back to the area.

We play here every year as part of our annual golf outing (32 players this year) and as always, it never disappoints.

The course remains in pristine condition. The rough is thick but not too long. The fairways are impeccable and the greens run true.

Plenty of dog legs (to the right and left) and keeping it in the fairway on your tee shots as opposed to having it run out into the rough is key.

9th hole is always the toughest hole for me, but I escaped with a bogie. The 18th is a classic finishing hole with the pond in front of the green.

Don't know the exact price we paid as it was part of an overall package with lodging and was handled by our commissioner.

The Heather is a must play course for those traveling to Petoskey / Bay Harbor!

The Heather is a classic Robert Trent Jones Sr. course. The course is set at the base of ski slopes and is framed by mountains and is now my 5th favorite mountain course all the time. While the majority of the year this course is a ski track it becomes a golfers getaway in the summer months. While relaxing The Heather is moderately challenging as it weaves through tall mature trees and the majority of the holes are doglegs that require proper distance and position to advance to the green. The course has minor elevation changes but the elevated greens are usually guarded by large and deep bunkers. Note to golfers coming from warmer summer climates, bring some light colder weather gear, The Boyne Courses can start in the 40s before they reach the perfect 70s as it did with my morning tee time. The fairways while tree-lined were generous in size and good for a wide range of golfers, especially from the correct tee box.

Course was in fantastic shape. We played right before a storm rolled through and flew around in around 3 hours. The finishing hole is perfection. Knowing where the mountain is certainly helps when trying to read putts. Highly recommend playing this course!

This is the first Boyne course I've played, and I was very impressed. Right off the bat, this was a fun round because we were able to use golfboards to carve our way through the course.

With the exception of the very shaded second hole, the course was in excellent condition. The greens are well guarded and I ended up in quite a few green-side bunkers. Second shot accuracy is very important on this winding track. The layout is pretty memorable and the greens roll very true.

Swing by Boyne Highlands and add a very enjoyable round to your northern Michigan golf experience. I had a blast playing at the Heather (I even parred the famous long par 4 18th!) I can see why this track ranks so highly in Michigan year after year.

This course was fine. In good condition. Friendly staff. Greens a little slopey. I just found the layout uninspiring. Some of the holes a little tight as almost every hole was a dogleg. Need to be able to work the ball. It’s a very ok course, just did not get my juices flowing.

Best golf resort in the Mid West. Courses are in PGA condition. Very playable, greens are quick and true, for sure.
I can hardly wait to play these courses again. Fall golf is a great time to play Boyne and enjoy the colors.

The first Boyne course is still the best. RTJ Sr.'s ode to northern Michigan is a pure treat to play. The par 3s are tricky tough, so be sure to take an extra club whenever you see water in front. The doglegs provide different looks and good variety.
It all builds up to the climax of the 18th tee when the nerves kick it up a notch. No matter how good your tee shot is, the irrigation pond guarding the green looks more like a lake. Forget about par. Staying dry is the only goal to finish the round in style.

I love this golf course. Not enough to give it five stars, but almost. Here's what I like: All the holes are interesting and most are memorable. It's not overly difficult, but isn't a pushover either. It's almost always in great shape. The scenery is terrific. And I love the par 4 18th. With the irrigation lake on the tee shot and approach, its formidable. Always plays longer than advertised. Overall, super enjoyable.