travel Neal Kotlarek t was, to say the least, an unlikely scenario. On a hot, muggy July afternoon in 1994, I stood under a canopy in Petoskey, Mich., holding a glass of champagne while shaking hands with the state’s governor. We were located on the grounds of an abandoned quarry that once was home to a massive cement plant. The occasion was an implosion ceremony to knock down one of the factory’s smokestacks that still towered over a five-mile stretch of land on the shores of Little Traverse Bay. State dignitaries and local leaders all stood under the canopy with me. The highway across from us was lined with curious Petoskey residents. The plan was to convert this barren stretch of earth into an elegant golf community to be named Bay Harbor. When the dynamite charge went off and the smokestack didn’t budge, I couldn’t help but wonder if this wasn’t an ominous sign of this project’s future. I was wrong. Today, as I walk across the pristine grounds of Bay Harbor and its elegant hotel, cafes, shops, and magnificent 27-hole golf course, I can’t even quite place where that smokestack once stood 28 years ago. It is truly one of the most amazing stories of all my decades covering the Midwest golf scene. Bay Harbor is just one property of the portfolio spanning ten championship golf courses and three elegant Northern Michigan resorts known as Boyne Golf. The courses were designed by some of the world’s premier architects, including Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Bill Newcomb and Arthur Hills. One course serves up 18 holes celebrating great golf holes built by Donald Ross, one of the game’s legendar y architects. Two others go up, down, and around massive ski hills. Another towers above Little Traverse Bay to serve up amazing views on almost every hole. And yet another drew its inspiration from the design styles of Dr. Alister Mackenzie, Pete Dye, Donald Ross, and other premier architects. Combine the quality of the designs with impeccable conditioning and luxury accommodations and the result is a perfect destination for your next golf getaway.
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Michigan’s Boyne Resorts Serving Up Magnificent Golf “As everyone knows, golf has experienced a boom in recent years,” said Ken Griffin, director of sales and marketing for Boyne Resorts in a recent interview. “We’ve seen new interest in golf by couples, women, juniors, and groups. Golf has always been a social game of inclusiveness. We have responded to these new channels with an entire reimaging of our properties, including expanded spa ser-
The Quarry
The Highlands Ross No. 8
vices, new luxury accommodations at The Highlands at Harbor Springs and Boyne Mountain Resort, and food offerings that span all preferences from grab-and-go to fine dining.” Along with amenities that include swimming pools, an indoor waterpark, ziplining, horseback riding, and Segway tours, the resorts continue to expand with a European Spa and a steakhouse in
