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The Legend at Shanty Creek
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About
The Legend Course is one of four championship golf courses at Shanty Creek in Bellaire, one of northern Michigan's most popular golfing destinations. The Legend might be the most well known of the four since it is the club's Arnold Palmer design. It has been ranked as one of the top four resort courses in the country and the best resort course in the Midwest. It is definitely a challenge but Palmer incorporated generous fairways and true-rolling greens that allow golfers to play to their handicap. The golf course features elevated tee areas and slightly raised, heavily bunkered putting complexes. Water hazards also come into play on five holes. The 12th is one of the most challenging holes and also one of the most scenic. There is water to the left and a treacherous bunker waiting on the right.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 72 | 6764 yards | 73.2 | 137 |
| Blue | 72 | 6269 yards | 71.0 | 131 |
| White | 72 | 5801 yards | 68.8 | 129 |
| White (W) | 72 | 5801 yards | 74.4 | 132 |
| Silver | 72 | 5017 yards | 64.6 | 115 |
| Silver (W) | 72 | 5017 yards | 70.0 | 123 |
| Red (W) | 72 | 4895 yards | 69.3 | 121 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black M: 73.8/141 W: 80.9/153 | 496 | 350 | 433 | 181 | 402 | 410 | 501 | 379 | 178 | 3330 | 404 | 415 | 173 | 569 | 379 | 190 | 442 | 382 | 480 | 3434 | 6764 |
| Blue M: 71.7/131 W: 78.2/148 | 459 | 303 | 412 | 152 | 380 | 370 | 474 | 351 | 168 | 3069 | 370 | 393 | 156 | 528 | 333 | 167 | 425 | 367 | 461 | 3200 | 6269 |
| Blue/White M: 70.8/129 W: 77.0/146 | 459 | 303 | 388 | 135 | 380 | 347 | 474 | 331 | 154 | 2971 | 350 | 363 | 142 | 528 | 333 | 146 | 425 | 322 | 461 | 3070 | 6041 |
| White M: 69.4/129 W: 75.7/142 | 416 | 273 | 388 | 135 | 357 | 347 | 432 | 331 | 154 | 2833 | 350 | 363 | 142 | 504 | 312 | 146 | 411 | 322 | 418 | 2968 | 5801 |
| White/Silver M: 67.7/122 W: 73.1/134 | 416 | 273 | 334 | 106 | 326 | 282 | 432 | 331 | 112 | 2612 | 301 | 329 | 124 | 504 | 312 | 121 | 382 | 322 | 418 | 2813 | 5425 |
| Silver M: 65.4/119 W: 70.7/126 | 377 | 240 | 334 | 106 | 326 | 282 | 394 | 276 | 112 | 2447 | 301 | 329 | 124 | 455 | 253 | 121 | 382 | 285 | 320 | 2570 | 5017 |
| Red M: 64.8/117 W: 70.1/125 | 373 | 234 | 328 | 100 | 322 | 272 | 386 | 270 | 107 | 2392 | 293 | 321 | 120 | 450 | 247 | 118 | 378 | 281 | 295 | 2503 | 4895 |
| Handicap | 5 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 6 | |||
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 3 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 8 |
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Reviews
Reviewer Photos
Fantastic Course
I love this golf course even though it is probably one of the most difficult in my personal opinion. The fairways are narrow so it leaves you with minimal room for error off the tee. The greens, tee boxes, and fairways are in great shape. The layout and difficulty is what has me coming back to this beautiful golf course. Additionally, extremely friendly staff.
Going Downhill
It was not in good shape. Greens aerated still and in generally rough shape, fairways with browned out spots all over, just not what it’s been previously when I’ve played here in 2018 and 2019. Hoping it’s better when I come back in September and will update if so. Not at all worth the money as it stands. The restaurant/grill is also in serious need of an overhaul.
We're glad you enjoyed your 5-star experience with us. Please comment or reach out to our team in the golf shop to let us know more about your round at The Legend at Shanty Creek!
More Like The Myth
First review I have ever posted.
I know it’s early in the season but it should be unrealistic to pay more than $30 for a course that has aerated greens, especially if they don’t fill the holes with sand. Unfortunately every green at this course was under these conditions. On top of that the course appears to not have been well taken care of in a couple years, although the back nine was in slightly better shape. I’ve grown up hearing how amazing this course is and yes the course layout and views are spectacular but currently the course is not.
I do want to point out that the people that worked there were as nice as I’ve encountered golfing but I would advise anyone to golf somewhere else until the conditions improve.
Hello. Thank you for taking the time to review and leave your feedback on your recent round with us. It is always our utmost goal to provide our golfers with a fun and enjoyable time and we apologize if we missed the mark. Please feel free to reach out to our staff in the pro shop with any additional concerns. Thanks for choosing The Legend at Shanty Creek.
Last round for the year
Legend has some great challenging holes and always like it for demanding you bring your game.
Sadly, due to level of heavy rain and ppl who have no respect for the course… chewed up sections with the carts…
Till next year…
Copied part of my 6/6/21 review
Returned to Shanty for some fall golf. Had some very nice weather. On my next visit to the area I'll probably just skip playing Legend.....HawksEye was already closed for the season....would much rather play that instead. Legend is definitely not a 5 star and it's simply not even a 4 star for the overall conditions and what they charge.
The Legend simply put is getting a tad "long in the tooth" with age. It desperately needs a solid rehab or renovation in a number of areas. Especially the cart paths.....many are crumbling and for a resort course of this stature it's really been neglected. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy playing Legend but Shanty needs to pay attention and invest some funds in to what was their featured 18 holes years ago....otherwise they'll start getting real push back for what they charge to play it. It's a 50/60 course at most right now....definitely not towards the c-note range. The clubhouse/bathroom facilities for the Legend/Summit courses are also is old, smelly and tired. The pretty Legend flower logo in the hillside at the first tee only goes so far guys. Recommend play however Cedar River (and now Hawk's Eye) are the courses not to miss at Shanty. 3.75 stars. Legend is downgraded from my 4 star plus plus previous reviews.
Hello, thank you for leaving us a review. We are sorry to hear your experience was anything short of 5 stars, but we hope you will give us another try in the future. Thank you for choosing The Legend at Shanty Creek.
Course Awesome - Arnie's Grill HUGE Disappointment
The Legend golf course continues to be one of the best courses in Michigan.
Unfortunately, the clubhouse facilities have suffered from a lack of investment and reflect very poorly on Shanty Creek and The Legend course.
Restrooms - dumpy
Arnie's Grill - IS NOT A GRILL. It's like an old cafeteria that nobody takes care of. The patio, which has a great view over the Summit course, is a mossy, paint peeling, AstroTurf bummer.
Layout
The layout changed and the painted markings could be better. The course was awesome! Definitely coming back.
The course felt like we were playing in a swamp
I've never before played on a course as wet as this. It wasn't just parts of the course that were wet, it was the entire course including the sand bunkers, some of which still held water. The small amount of rain we had did not justify the water on the course. I suspect there is a lot of clay under the soil and there are obviously drainage issues. The tee boxes and fairways were like wet sponges, although the large and difficult greens were still fast and unreceptive. We were advised that due to the wetness of the fairways, the carts must stay on the cart path, so there was a lot of walking during our round that we hadn't anticipated. I've played this course before when it was drier, but today the course should have been closed; playing on a course this wet and difficult takes the fun out of golf.
Hello, thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. Your feedback about the course is important to us. We with the recent rain we are working to get everything up to par. We have projects ongoing to recover the fairways and greens from the water on the course. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve. We are going to escalate your feedback to our team so we can make improvements before your next game. We will continue to work towards an excellent experience by using your comment for guidance. Thank you for playing The Legend at Shanty Creek. We hope to see you again soon.
Perfect conditions
Glorious day. accommodating staff wonderful weather highlight of golf weekend great finishing hole
First time
Condition was pristine. Course was a challenge but fair. We loved it! Very amenities which is probably lack of staff at this time. Could have used a course ranger other than that great experience.
Gorgeous and challenging!
Gorgeous and challenging course! Well maintained (cart path was a little rough) but the course itself is beautiful. Nice layout with challenging hazards, hole #7 is a beast. Definitely a shot placement course, fun, and will definitely play again!
Pace of Play
Beautiful course but the pace of play was glacial. The starter indicated that the course was busy so expect to play in about 4.5 hours, which is slow. We were at 4 hours and waiting to play hole 12. Hadn't seen a ranger so called the clubhouse and was told that the ranger said everything was on pace. About 45 minutes later someone from the course came out and said sorry about the pace but they didn't have a ranger - what is it, the ranger said everything is on pace, which it wasn't, or we don't have a ranger? We played behind 4 guys that didn't bother teeing off until we were at the same tee and there was nobody in front of them. On the last tee they were trying trick shots while we waited. For the price we paid to play The Legend you would think the course would provide excellent service and pace of play. Have played all the other courses at Shanty Creek with a great experience but The Legend was real disappointment.
We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We are going to pass on your feedback to the teams in charge so they can work to make changes.
Your feedback helps us do better. We are looking into this issue and hope to resolve it promptly.
Thank you for visiting The Legend at Shanty Creek. We hope you'll give us another try in the future.
It is very pretty.
It was wet from all the recent rain. Cart path only so we walked 4 miles. Still a great venue.
Beautiful course, friendly staff!
Course is beautiful and the staff were excellent. From the woman behind the bar to the starter, we had nothing but a great experience at this course!
The Legend was a great experience
Booked the course to play for our vacation, the staff was very impressive and friendly, course conditions were great. Fairways, greens and tee boxes were in great shape. Only complaint would be that a few of the bunkers were a little wet and played more like clay than sand. Other than that no complaints at all. We had a great time, on a truly beautiful course.
Shanty Creek Stay & Play Package
Destination Kohler - Champions' Trail Golf Package
Hello, thank you for taking the time to review us, and for the 3 stars. We're sorry to hear the course may not have been in the best shape on the day of your round. We appreciate your feedback as we work to make any necessary improvements. Thank you for choosing to golf with us, and we look forward to seeing you again soon at The Legend at Shanty Creek.