Charlevoix Golf Club Review

Charlevoix Golf Club Review

Charlevoix Golf Club
Charlevoix, Michigan
Grade: A
Teachers’ Comments: A nine-hole Willie Watson design as a muni? Yes, please.

Bethpage is a muni. So are Torrey Pines and Chambers Bay. In spite of their sometimes underwhelming reputations, munis can serve as golf’s biggest stages.

Charlevoix Golf Club isn’t in the same league as those US Open venues. It was, however, a delight to play as a well-kept, classic course.

The course dates to 1896 with a design by Scottish architect Willie Watson. Herbert James Tweedie is listed in some sources as co-designer.

Watson is perhaps best known for his work on Olympia Fields, Olympic Club, Interlachen and Harding Park. His design at the nearby Belvedere (a ten minute drive away) is among the best in Michigan. Belvedere has hosted forty Michigan Amateur Championships.

Charlevoix Golf Club began as a nine hole course, expanding to eighteen in 1903. The club was sold for $1 in 1937 to the city of Charlevoix, which has maintained it as a nine-hole course ever since.

Built on sandy soil, Charlevoix GC is entirely flat, but for a small rise at the green of the second, and the tee box of the third. Most of the holes are relatively straight shots, but with the greens often set at slight angles to the fairways.

With no water, sandy areas off the fairways are the primary hazard with the tall fescue and clumps of vegetation that grow there. The greens are well bunkered.

Holes one, seven, eight, and nine are on the south side of Petosky Avenue (US 31). To get to two through six, you must cross the avenue (there is a golfer crossing), and go half a block past a residential street.

Charlevoix Golf Club has no riding carts, and no tee times. I called for a tee time, and was told to just show up and get in line.

It’s a little weird, but that just adds to the charm.

My favorite hole was the 375-yard par 4 eighth. It’s a staight, flat shot from tee to green, but wayward shots find sandy fescue areas.

Closer to the green, the fairway pinches to a narrow entry, with the green at a slight angle to the center of the fairway. A very large bunker encircles the right half of the green, with a smaller one to the left.

I just loved that bunker. It even has a small wood path across it for walkers and their pull carts.

From the tips, Charlevoix golf club comes in at 3, 008 yards and plays to a 122/34.4.

Tee	Yards	Rating	Slope
Blue	3, 008	34.4	122
White	2, 775	33.9	120
Red	2, 278	33.5	110
Yellow	1, 319

Conditions on the day I played were quite good for a muni. There was clover amongst the grass in the fairways but it was all tidily mown. Greens, tee boxes and the bunkers were all in good shape.

The tall fescue in the rough areas create a beautiful contrast to the fairways and greens. Wooded areas on the middle holes were well-trimmed and neat.

Charlevoix takes care of its golf course.

The price is right, too. You can play all day for $30. A season membership is $425.

I would have gone around again, but I had another round scheduled later that afternoon elsewhere. I will certainly return, though. It was a lot of fun. I have this notion of going there on the longest day of the year, starting at dawn and seeing how many holes I can get in. I’ll take a Sunday bag.

The Charlevoix Golf Club golf course review was first published January 4, 2024 from notes and photos taken on a round played in the summer of 2023. For all of GolfBlogger’s Michigan Golf Course Reviews (as well as golf course reviews from other states), follow the link.

A photo gallery of the Charlevoix Golf Club follows