Treetops
Golfers from the southwest region of the United States have been taking advantage of the opportunity and arriving in Michigan to beat the heat, while visiting places like Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, or the Gaylord Golf Mecca— featuring a collection of 15 golf courses and 11 lodging partners. Paul Beachnau, executive director of the Gaylord Golf Mecca, said they welcomed the first flight in June with balloons, information, and excitement. “The Gaylord Golf Mecca can be enjoyed easier, because travel became easier to this region and from that region of the country,” Beachnau said. “The reaction Brian Walters photography
we are getting from the golfers is they are amazed at what they find here, especially the number of great courses to choose from in the Mecca.” Tim Norman, general manager at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, said people from Dallas and the southwest are greatly surprised there is Caribbean-clear-like water in Michigan, and that they can enjoy the resort experience with summer days lasting until nearly 10:00 p.m. The new services between Dallas and Traverse City are supported through the United States Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service De-
velopment Program. The grant is valued at $750,000 from the USDOT, and supplemented by nearly $305,000 in funding from community partners. The golfing industry in northern Michigan will also benefit from the anticipated addition of a daily service toand-from New York and Newark from TVC, which is expected to begin this summer as well. American Airlines also offers customers convenient direct service to TVC from its hub in Chicago, or ORD.
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