The Golf Club at Harbor Shores

About The Golf Club at Harbor Shores

Harbor Shores is a public Jack Nicklaus Signature course, and the round moves through four kinds of ground. Holes 1 to 6 are inland, 7 through 9 go out into the white sand dunes with Lake Michigan in view, 10 to 13 wind through hardwoods, hills and ravines, and 14 to 18 finish along the Paw Paw River, Ox Creek and their wetlands. GOLF Magazine called it short but stern when it ranked it third on its 2010 Best New Courses You Can Play list, and it made Golf Digest's list of the Top 100 public courses in America for 2023-2024.

Water is the thing to plan for. The map survey counts water on 12 holes, 8 forced carries, 78 bunkers and trees along 16 holes, and some holes rise or fall about 67 feet from tee to green. Bring extra balls if your long game wanders. Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data.

The site is the story. Nicklaus has said there was a factory where the first tee is now; more than 3 million square feet of derelict buildings came down and over 140,000 tons of waste came out of the Paw Paw River and the rest of the property. It's a not-for-profit development, and revenue above operating costs goes back to the community for job training and education. Each hole is named for a native plant and has a metal-and-glass sculpture by Benton Harbor artists marking one of Nicklaus's majors.

It opened in July 2010, and at the grand opening Nicklaus holed a 104-foot putt playing alongside Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller. In 2012 it brought the Senior PGA Championship to Michigan for the first time, and it has hosted it six times since. Three holes run through part of public Jean Klock Park, which local residents fought in court; the Michigan Supreme Court ruled for Harbor Shores.

It's one of 20 courses Yoink watches in the Southwest Michigan area, and the closest alternative is Paw Paw Lake Golf Club, about 11 miles away — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

What it's like to play The Golf Club at Harbor Shores

There's real elevation change: some holes rise or fall about 67 feet from tee to green. Water comes into play on 12 of 18 holes, and you carry it on 8 of them. Keep the ball in front of you. It's a sand-heavy layout, with about 78 bunkers.

Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data (ODbL).

Booking a tee time at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores

Book online through the resort site or call the golf shop at 269-927-4653; if your time isn't open, join the virtual waitlist. 2026 rates run from $135 in spring and fall to $245 from June 26 to September 7, with the cart, GPS and range balls included. Carts are mandatory, so there's no walking. Cancel more than 48 hours out or the card on file is charged in full. Expect a 4-hour-10-minute pace.

How to get a tee time at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores