Dunmaglas Golf Course - Charlevoix, MI
The Quiet Northern Michigan Masterpiece
By Brian Weis
A golf experience at Dunmaglas can be summed up in several memorable phrases; elevation changes, amazing views, Scottish links, Northern Michigan setting, and did I say elevation changes?!?
Off the beaten path in Northern Michigan lies an impressive 18 hole masterpiece. In 1992, Dunmaglas opened and quickly established itself as a brutally tough course. Forced carries on every hole, tight fairways and jaw dropping elevation changes punished area vacationers to the point they stopped playing the course. In 1995, new owners "softened" the course with renovations that added a tee box, removed 30+ bunkers and widen numerous holes. Today, Dunmaglas is a fair test of golf with spectacular views and immaculate conditions.
Memorable Holes
#3 - The dog leg left par 5 climbs nearly eight stories to a two tiered green. A black pin placement will have you grabbing 2 to 3 extra clubs on your third shot. While only 499 yards, this hole feels 100 yards longer.
#7 - Teaching Professional, Kevin Whitmore's favorite hole because if you bomb it the ball will run forever. Off the tee accuracy and distance is needed to thread the sand traps and reach the down slope.
#14 - If the views of Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix don't leave you speechless the tee shot will. From the tee box your landing area is nearly 7 stories below. Swing easy on this short 383 yard hole to keep your ball in play. Big hitters might want to grab a fairway wood or iron.
The Skinny
5 Tees: 6776, 6359, 5980, 5175 and 4873 yards
Slope/Rating: 73.4/137
Rates: $89 in season
Accolades
Dunmaglas was voted one of the "Top 5 Resort Courses" in 1992 and the readers of Golf Digest have given the Dunmaglas experience four stars.
Best Time To Play
Golf in the spring and see the Apple trees blossom or golf in the fall to see changing colors with Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix as backdrops.
Lodging
New for 2011, The Cottages at Dunmaglas are open for Stay and Play vacationers. The fully furnished condo units offer balcony views of the 18th green. For more information call (231) 547-4653
Dunmaglas Golf Course
09031 Boyne City Road
Charlevoix, MI 49720
(231) 547-4653
www.dunmaglas.com
For more information about great Michigan golf, visit Michigan.org.
Article Tags: Dunmaglas Golf Course
Revised: 01/13/2011 - Article Viewed 30,680 Times
About: Brian Weis
Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.
As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.
Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.
In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.
On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.
Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.
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