3962 Wilkinson Road, Gaylord, Michigan 49735, US
(989) 732-6711
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About Treetops Resort

With 81 holes, Treetops Resort in Gaylord is one of the world's largest resorts and one of the Midwest's finest getaways. Treetops offers 226 guest rooms and suites among five separate locations on property. There's also a spa and 25,000 square feet of meeting space. The six different dining options range from buffets to casual dining serving 17 beers on tap and 100 craft beers. Architects Robert Trent Jones Sr. (The Masterpiece), Tom Fazio (The Premier) and Rick Smith (Threetops, The Tradition and The Signature) all took advantage of the rolling landscape to create memorable golf.

Facts

Price Range$$$
Property Class★★★
Acres3300
Year Opened1954
Number of Units100-300

Amenities

RestaurantsCasual, Bar
Room TypesRoom, Suite
Short CourseYes
TennisYes
Fitness CenterYes
Practice FacilityYes
Golf School/AcademyYes
Banquet SpaceYes
SpaYes

Services

Kids ProgramYes

Rules

Is the resort pet friendly?No
Is resort stay required for a tee time?No

Golf courses at Treetops Resort

Reviews

4.8
110 Reviews (110)
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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Underrated

The Tradition does not have the dramatic views that the Premier and Masterpiece do, but is easily the most playable and subtly challenging. Between those three, the Tradition usually plays as the 2nd toughest behind the Masterpiece.

The fairways are generous and can be deceiving, as you still need to play to the right areas of the fairway to approach the greens. Playing an approach from a bad angle makes it tough to get close to the hole, and the greens have enough movement to make putts difficult. Along with the generous fairways, the max length of 6300 yards says easy course, but it's challenging without bashing you over the head like some of the courses at Treetops (*cough cough Masterpiece*).

The lack of cartpaths does make for a bumpy ride through the rough, but that's the natural side effect of not having cartpaths. I'm not a fan of cartpaths, but on the other hand with the course being so far from the clubhouse and the overall resort being heavy on golf cart use, it seems like the decision to make a walking course didn't really fit the location here.

Other than that, the course was in beautiful shape, the best out of the three we played. I thought this course was subtly good the first time I played it, and it confirmed that opinion again this year. I haven't played the Signature, but out of the other Treetops courses I enjoy this one the most.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Wet weather
Used cart

Gorgeous course

This is the most inexpensive of the courses at Treetops. We played between bouts of rain. There were only a couple other groups on the course at the time, so we didn't have to wait for anyone. In fact, we were able to tee off about a half hour early, which was great. The fairways are wide and well groomed. The greens were fast. Everything looked good and I'd definitely come play this course again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Wet weather
Used cart

I'll make the trip to play this course again!

We played between rainstorms, so the course was wet. It didn't change the fact that this course is gorgeous and very challenging. People think par 3's are easy and most times they are, however, this is not a typical par 3 course. The elevation changes from tee to green will have you guessing on your club distances. The hazards on each hole will punish every miss hit. I shot a terrible score, but loved every minute of it. I'll definitely make the drive back to Gaylord to play it again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 46
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great Layout, but the Greens are a Disaster

The short story here is something happened to their greens this year and they are terrible. It looks like a chemical mishap, but the greens are a dark brown/almost black color and many of them are very bumpy. An employee told us it was something they did on purpose and it would be fixed in a few days, but nobody in our group was buying that. It kind of ruins the experience of what is an otherwise beautiful course. f you're coming to Treetops in 2019, I'd highly recommend playing on of their other courses. The other three courses are on a different piece of property and don't appear to have the same issue as Masterpiece.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 46
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Best of the Treetops Courses

I've played the Treetops courses a few times now and Premier is consistently my favorite. They are all great courses, but Premier is the best combination of all the great Treetops features. It has multiple huge drops from tee to green/fairway, the views are fantastic, and the course is in perfect shape. It is difficult, but not overly punishing like some people feel about the Masterpiece. If you're going to play one course at Treetops, I'd recommend Premier.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

An enjoyable beating....

They need to replicate the Bethpage Black warning sign on thef first tee here. Hardest course I've ever played... simultaneously the most fun I've ever had. Only complaint pace of play was impacted by difficulty.5 1/2 round... But the course was so astonishing I simply didn't care.....staff was awesome course was in pristine shape....I highly recommend this beating..

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 14
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Everything N.MI Golf Should Be

First time playing the Masterpiece, and I will be back for sure. Cart staff was friendly and accommodating. I got to the course early enough to warm up on the range first, and the complimentary range balls were a plus. I played as a single, but was able to play through several groups ahead. Course was in great condition for an early spring round. Greens rolled very true. Bunkers needed some attention, but with a large group of old timers in a league ahead I suspect is was more the groups before not raking than the course. Great layout with scenic views on almost every hole. This track lives up to the hype.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Cold weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 37
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Michigan Advisor
Previously Played
Wet weather
Used cart

Pace of play biggest issue

This not normal for Treetops to have slow pace of play. Course easily played in 4 to 4:15 hours. It took 1 hour to play the first three holes and improved some only after we called the resort, in the end we played in 4 hours 40 minutes which caused us to rush to the Masterpiece. If the ranger had not got the group moving likely would have been over 5 hours. We did have late start due to weather was supposed to 15 minute delay was 45 minutes because the group in front of us couldn't decide on teams and get going. I would like to play this course again with better pace of play instead of hit and wait. Note the amount paid is unknown it was part of package.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Hotel not worth it

We stayed at Tree Tops Resort for our anniversary trip away and golfed two rounds of golf. The courses had some nice elevation views and shots. The staff at the 2 courses we played at were very nice. The ranger was really nice and informative about the pace as it was very slow. But that's about the nicest thing I've got to say about this whole place. The hotel rooms were clean but not impressive at all. The door jams on the outside belcony were falling off. The door to out room didn't shut all the way and you could hear everything from the hallways. The beds were not comfortable. The food at the three restaurants that are at the hotel was way overpriced and not good. The only good part of the food was breakfast because we had free vouchers. The waiter at the hunters had no clue about the products he sold and once he gave us one drink we never seen him again and had to go to the bar to get out tab. I could go on and on but I won't. I just know that for me to spend 1000.00 to stay and play I definitely do not feel it was worth that kinda money. Won't be back

Conditions Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0

It had been too long...

I hadn't played the Jones course since the late 90's. I will not wait that long again. This track was not only the first at Treetops, it was the pretty much the one that put northern MI on the golf map. I've played just about every course in and around Gaylord and this course and the Fazio Premier are still the two finest ones in the area. Unlike some other strong designs in the area (Otsego Club Tribute, Black Forest) this resort continues to maintain the course - conditions on Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend were outstanding. It is still very demanding, maybe the toughest course in the area, but the views tend ease the harshness of the layout. I had my best ball striking stretch of the season on the back nine and still posted a score that's higher than normal for me. Pace of play was ok - 4hrs 35 minutes on Labor Day Sunday, and they were booked solid. We paid retail - $80, but I still don't think that's a bad value considering the experience.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 37
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Michigan Advisor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Good Course/Needs Maintenance/Rangers lie

First I like playing Premier very challenging course and excellent layout (second the amount is not correct since we paid past part of package). I would say Management needs to review the sand traps and have relined/repaired. They have large stones in them which too me is unacceptable for course of this quality and with how much they do charge. Second we had an encounter with Ranger saying we were 25 minutes off pace (hole 9) and we were 4 holes behind the next group, in addition there were three groups waiting on number 8 the hole we had just previously played.. Some minor protest by us we continued and sped up our play (which wrecked our game for awhile). After review we looked at our approximate start tee time and 4 hour 35 minute of pace of play we were off pace maybe few minutes. If we used the Ranger's time we were perhaps maybe at most 5 minutes off pace. In regards to the 3 groups waiting on the 8th hole that was false as our second group said no one came up on them when they were teeing off (which would be required if groups stacked up). We also waited for our second group on 18 and no one came on the tee why they were on the green or as we added up scores. We also spoke to group that played the Signature around the same time and received the same information word for word. My recommendation is mark your start of the first ball you hit on your scorecard and when you see them getting after you about pace of play you can in whatever politeness you would like to use tell them to leave you alone. If I play this course again and receive the same treatment I will let the Ranger know to leave and stop bothering us (I may consider slowing down). I may not be very kind with my rebuttal the next time approached by Ranger at Treetops with off pace of play if not off pace.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 29
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Classic course in great condition

My golfing experience at the Fazio Premier course was outstanding. The condition of the course was excellent with a variety of different elevations and challenges to enjoy during the 18 holes. The course is fair, not tricky, and pays dividends for good shots. Like many Fazio courses, all of your attention is on the hole that you're playing with no distractions from other holes. The layout is beautiful with some really outstanding par 3's, in particular. I can't wait to play it again!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 20
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Michigan Advisor
First Time Playing

The Avocado of the North

Brought 16 gentlemen out to play this track as we had heard great things and I tell you what, we love avocados.

Great layout and in fantastic condition. The fellas and females know what they're doing at the entire TreeTop facility.

Fairly open so let that big boy eat and watch them fly.

Somewhat hard to find on the gps to get to the facility, rectify that please.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 761
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Golf Advisor
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Threetops - a bonanza for buddies

Threetops isn't so much a "learn the game" par 3 course as it is a showcase of the natural beauty of northern Michigan for buddies looking for more golf without the added cost or time of a full round.

It's spectacular visually and great fun. There's nothing better than counting five seconds or more while your ball is in the air dropping to a green well below the tee.

Some of the greens might be a little too severe but that's the challenge. This is big-boy golf just on a smaller scale. It's a must on any trip to Gaylord, whether you are staying at Treetops or elsewhere.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 378
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Walked

Threetops among the country's best par 3s

As memorable as any experience there is at Treetops, this par 3 course proves that you don't have length or a four-hour round to find a memorable golf experience. Every hole is unique, and conditions are as good as any premium golf course. Designed by renowned teacher Rick Smith, this former site of the ESPN Par 3 Shootout, also boasts panoramic views of the mountains. Any trip to Treetops has to include this wonderful short course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 324
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Texas Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played

Few if any better Par-3 courses in America

I played this course last in 2011 as part of a northern Michigan golf binge. On this particular day, we played 45 holes on a long, summer day in the north. Every tee shot is really neat. You can't walk it because the hills are too steep, which is a bummer, but it's still a lot of fun, and trying to figure out what club to hit to greens well below is certainly a challenge. If you're in Gaylord, Treetops is a wonderful golf mecca and be sure to sneak in a round at Threetops, in the afternoon after a full 18.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 15
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

A Perfect Par 3 Course

This is NOT your average Executive Course, it is by far that. Every hole has extreme elevation changes which challenges even the Pro's. This #1 Par 3 Course in America should be on your bucket list.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 25+
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great course with fantastic views

Not quite as challenging as Masterpiece at same resort but a really good course. The weather was perfect and pace of play was just under the expected 5 hours. As other courses at Treetops: rolling hills, sand traps, and elevation changes are the name of the game. Fantastic place, great conditions, and makes me wish I lived closer.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 25+
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Toughest yet most gorgeous course I've played

Played from the whites and shot in the 120s. Played in afternoon after overnight and morning rains soaked everything in the area. Elevation changes and rolling hills make this a very tough course but the scenery and beauty is amazing. Expected way worse from a state where Detroit is located. The staff and facilities are very good for a public golf resort. Ended up re-playing the front 9 as a scramble (2 vs 2) and added some team competition into it.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
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