GolfBlogger’s Father’s Day Gift Guide: Travel

GolfBlogger’s Father’s Day Gift Guide: Travel

GolfBlogger’s Fathers’ Day Gift Guides: Travel consists of curated, personally reviewed experiences that you can consider for the golfer in your life. In the travel category, are offerings from Pinehurst, Boyne, Rumbling Bald, Forest Dunes and Gull Lake View. I have played these courses and taken in the amenities of the resorts and can personally attest to their excellence.

The older I get, the less I appreciate things, and the more I appreciate experiences. The following experiences are recommended.

Pinehurst Resort

Pinehurst Resort’s Donald Ross Golf Package

I visited Pinehurst for the first time this past spring and was awed by the resort. You can read GolfBlogger’s Pinehurst Resort Reviews at the link.

Pinehurst Resort’s Donald Ross Package is an ideal way to play Coore and Crenshaw’s restoration of No 2, Gil Hanse’s reimagined No. 4 or any one of its nine legendary layouts (plus the sporty, par-3 Cradle short course). 

The popular stay-and-play includes a two-night stay, three rounds of golf, breakfast buffet and three-course dinner, daily. A Pro Tip from Pinehurst Resort Reservationists: you’re mostly likely to find lodging and tee time availability booking Sunday-Tuesday or Monday-Wednesday. 

The Manor was recently renovated and houses private hospitality suites that up-level any golf buddies trip. The North & South Bar in the hotel’s lobby was part of the complete overhaul in 2019 and makes for an optimal stop for a night cap after dinner and drinks at the Pinehurst Brewing Company.  

Boyne Golf – Michigan

Boyne Golf – Michigan

With ten courses, the Boyne Golf Resorts in Northern Michigan likely has more holes of golf than any resort in America. I’ve played them all, and loved every moment.

Boyne Resorts have been recognized among the “Top 100 Resorts” by GOLF Magazine and one of the “Best Resorts in the Americas” by Golf Digest. The Inn at Bay Harbor and Bay Harbor Golf Club, Boyne’s flagship properties, feature 45-holes including three golf course combinations designed by Arthur Hills (Links/Quarry, Quarry/Preserve, and Preserve/Links), and the scenic Crooked Tree Golf Club, with one of the most beautiful and iconic hotels in America, all set along a scenic five-mile stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline.

Boyne Highlands, rated the No. 1 Golf Resort for Value by Golf.com, features 72 holes of premier golf design. The Heather, the 2019 NGCOA Course of the Year, was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., while the Hills Course was crafted by Arthur Hills. In addition, the resort features The Donald Ross Memorial, which is a rendition of the legendary architect’s great holes from around the country, and the always-fun Moor course. The Highlands is the perfect buddy trip destination for golfers who like to play as many holes as they can during the long summer daylight hours northern Michigan features.

Boyne Mountain not only features two fun 18-hole courses (The Monument and Alpine), along with the charming Mountain Grand Lodge & Spa, it is also the leading family friendly golf destination in the region with the Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, junior golf camps, and various kid golf programs. Golf Digest named Boyne Mountain one of its “Top-10 Destinations for Family Golf Trips.”

Rumbling Bald

Rumbling Bald’s Hole-in-One and Ryder Cup Packages

I visited Rumbling Bald on a cold and rainy March day and still had fun on their Apple valley course. In summer and the fall, it just has to be spectacular. You can read GolfBlogger’s Apple Valley Golf Course Review at the link and more about the North Carolina golf trip.

Rumbling Bald is a 36-hole golf retreat at the northern end of Lake Lure, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Starting at $345 per person, the popular “Hole-in-One” package features a two-night stay, two rounds of golf on the Apple Valley and Bald Mountain courses, breakfast both days and complimentary, unlimited range balls. Lodging options abound, including the recently updated Apple Valley Studios and two- and four-bedroom Fairway Villas.

Paying homage to the 2021 Ryder Cup at Destination Kohler’s famed Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Rumbling Bald is offering a limited availability “Ryder Cup Package.” Expert golf vacation planners are available to design an exciting, Ryder Cup team formatted event for golf groups in search of an unforgettable experience. 

The Ryder Cup Package starts at $589 per person and includes: three nights lodging; three rounds of golf scored and handicapped; complimentary replays on either course; a team shirt and hat; private, one-hour opening reception with wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres and unlimited use of the practice facilities.

Forest Dunes 

Forest Dunes

The Weiskopf course at Forest Dunes has been my number one course in Michigan for many years. That’s saying a lot for a state with 600 courses, dozens of which could be among the top courses in any other state.

Nestled on 1,300 acres of heavily wooded land within the Huron National Forest, Forest Dunes has become one of the country’s premier golf experiences. In this pristine setting, Tom Weiskopf designed one of his top layouts featuring rugged native dunes, scruffy sand areas and water features. The course has been consistently ranked among the best courses by the leading golf publications. Golf Digest ranks the resort among the Best Resorts in the Americas and GOLF Magazine places it in the Top 100 Resorts. The original Weiskopf course was Golf Digest’s Best New Course in the Country when it opened in 2002, currently ranks it No. 28 among its top public courses. GOLF Magazine and Golfweek have also ranked it among their Top 100 courses. The unique and reversible Tom Doak design, The Loop, adds a second/third Best New Course, and the Bootlegger short course brings an added fun experience to Forest Dunes. In addition, the property features the beautiful Adirondack style Clubhouse with Sangomore’s restaurant, Lake AuSable Lodge with 14-rooms, new golf villas, and cottages.

To learn more, visit www.forestdunesgolf.com or follow them on Twitter @forestdunesgolf.

Gull Lake View

Gull Lake View

Gull Lake View boasts six courses, including the award winning Stoatin Brae. I make it a point to visit the resort every year to play one or more of their courses. It’s an easy drive from anywhere in Michigan, as well as northern Ohio and Indiana and eastern Illinois.

Gull Lake View features six outstanding courses: Stoatin Brae, the 2021 National Golf Course of the year, along with Gull Lake View East & West, Stonehedge North & South, and Bedford Valley.

The resort offers a variety of Stay and Play golf packages and the best deals on Michigan golf rates, footgolf, and more.

Sixty seven villas at Gull Lake View offer three lodging types, including villa suites, deluxe villas, and luxury cottages.

A variety of dine-in and takeout options to fit your group are available, with two featured restaurants: Blue Stem, which offers a creative approach to modern American flavors and the Charles and Darl’s, which offers a relaxed setting for any meal of the day. For a tasty sandwich any time of the day, try The Stonehedge and Bedford Valley restaurants where excellent service and friendly staff make your dining experience as exceptional as your golfing one

A variety of dine-in and takeout options to fit your group are available, with two featured restaurants: Blue Stem, which offers a creative approach to modern American flavors and the Charles and Darl’s, which offers a relaxed setting for any meal of the day. For a tasty sandwich any time of the day, try The Stonehedge and Bedford Valley restaurants where excellent service and friendly staff make your dining experience as exceptional as your golfing one.

For great deals on Gull Lake View Packages, follow the link.