Traverse City & NW Michigan Golf Courses & Tee Times

Who runs public golf in Traverse City & NW Michigan

There is no city or county golf system here; public golf is daily-fee courses and resorts. A-Ga-Ming in Kewadin has Sundance and Torch, the original 1970s 18 that Chick Harbert redesigned. Manistee National has two par-71 18s, The Retreat (Gary Pulsipher, 1993) and The Revenge (Jerry Matthews), plus a nine-hole short course added in 2023. Manitou Passage in Cedar is an Arnold Palmer design owned by a group of Leelanau County golfers. In Traverse City, Bay Meadows is a family-owned course with a regulation nine and a par-3 nine, and it runs a summer PGA Jr. League for kids 17 and under.

Public courses worth knowing in Traverse City & NW Michigan

• Sundance at A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort: Jerry Matthews design, opened 2005, between Torch Lake and Grand Traverse Bay. The Michigan Golf Course Association's 2023 Michigan Golf Course of the Year and a Michigan Junior State Amateur host.
• Manistee Golf & Country Club: Thomas Bendelow laid out the first nine; the club held its first tournament in 1901. W. Bruce Matthews' 18 opened in 1931.
• Manitou Passage Golf Club: Arnold Palmer design in Leelanau County. The name comes from a Lake Michigan view between Pyramid Point and South Manitou Island opened up on No. 5.
• Manistee National Golf & Resort: Two 18s: Pulsipher's Retreat (1993) and Jerry Matthews' Revenge, plus a short course added in 2023.
• Crystal Lake Golf Club: Father-and-son Matthews course in Beulah: Bruce Matthews' front nine opened in 1970, Jerry Matthews drew the back.
• Interlochen Golf Course: 18 holes seven miles west of Traverse City, open since 1965, with a Betsie River tributary running through.

Why tee times in Traverse City & NW Michigan are hard to get

Golfers in Traverse City & NW Michigan get maybe six months of good weather, and they all want the same weekend mornings. Demand bunches up from May to September.

Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.

When tee time cancellations happen

Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.

How to get a tee time in Traverse City & NW Michigan

Doing it by hand? Here's what works.

1. Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
2. Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
3. Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
4. Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
5. Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Bay Meadows Family Golf Course - Bay Meadows Blue Course (Executive) and Bay Meadows Family Golf Course - Bay Meadows Green Course (Par-3).

Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked