Black Lake Conference Center

About Black Lake Conference Center
Not everybody realizes that the Black Lake Conference Center - also known as the Walter and May Reuther UAW Family Education Center owned by the United Auto Workers - is open to the general public. It was built in the 1970s on roughly 1,000 acres of remote, idyllic property in northern Michigan. Accommodations range from 228 rooms in the Lodge to a selection of condos, apartments and camp sites. With a massive auditorium, Black Lake is perfect for conferences, retreats, weddings, family vacations and reunions. Rees Jones added the award-winning Black Lake Golf Club in 2000. Other recreation includes exploring the surrounding forests hiking and biking or fishing in Burt Lake, Mullett Lake or its namesake Black Lake, teeming with walleye, bass and perch.Facts
Amenities & Services
Rules
Golf courses at Black Lake Conference Center
Images from Black Lake Conference Center
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
Challenging
I enjoy the course, the layout and the nature. I wish #1 would start off with a little more space to land and less trouble to ease one into the round. Any errant shots will put you in big trouble on a lot of the holes. One thing I’d like is for the staff to add reflectors to the pins so it’s easier to use a range finder.
Not what it once was or could be again.
It's a shame what has happened with this once top 10 in the state golf course 😥
The course conditions are abysmal, there is not a single green out of the 18 that does not have some sort of damage due to lousy maintenance and add to that the numerous ball marks that are not repaired by the golfers and not to mention the sunflower seeds spit out on the greens....idiots!
Other noted problems:
1. Numerous divots that not repaired, and sand traps not raked out by the golfers.
2. Lack of staffing, inside and out, especially with maintenance which the condition of the course indicates, and you
never see a Ranger to fix the slow play problems.
3. Length of rough and pin placements could help with pace of play problems, especially on busy weekends. Why no
secondary cut that transitions from fairway to rough?
4. Not enough golf carts on the too busy weekends, carts dying on the course. Golfers driving the carts wherever they
please.
5. Some sand traps and waste bunker not kept up like they once were, Poa grass taking over the bent grass greens,
weeds in the fringe. I'm certain Rees Jones would be saddened to see what this once pristine course has become.
Bottom line...I guess it's all about the bottom line...would rather see higher prices with fewer rounds for this caliber of a golf course. Come on UAW step up your game and take care of this wonderful asset!
DON'T Play This Course on the Weekend!
We love this course and have a cottage on the lake 2 miles from the course. We have played it for years. The course is always in amazing condition, HOWEVER the service and pace of play is terrible on weekends.
This was especially true on Saturday, Aug 26. There was no ranger to be found. Our first 9 took 3 1/2 hours. Unacceptable! Luckily we were paired with a very nice couple and the time was enjoyable. HOWEVER, it was their first experience and will likely never come back.
At the turn, I mentioned this to the lady in the pro shop (who was absolutely delightful) and she profusely apologized and offered that we could play the first 9 again vs. struggling through the back 9 with slow play.
For us this was a great option, however for the couple that wanted to experience the full course, this was frustrating.
Evidently there were two groups ahead of us that were not experienced golfers.
1) they were playing in jeans (signal #1 - problem)
2) we happened to finish at the same time and they were completely trashed (problem #2)
3) they spouted off about how they lost a whole box of balls on the course (problem #3)
Evidently the ranger left early and felt that the course "police's itself". (AKA - I don't want to deal with a bunch of drunk guys that all play from the blue tees and think they are amazing.)
Seriously, the rest of us suffer when there is no accountability.
Black Lake Golf Course
Every hole could be on a post card. The holes are lined with trees, but fairways are wide enough to be fair.
Northern Michigan Gem
I wanted to leave a bad review so no one would come up and play….the course is well maintained and absolutely gorgeous. Course is tough but playable. Woman’s tee placement were excellent. Staff was super friendly.