Shanty Creek Resorts - Bellaire, Michigan
Arnold Palmer's Legend Course at Shanty Creek Resorts Celebrates 25 Years
By Brian Weis
Shanty Creek Resorts, one of the premier four-season resort destinations in northern Michigan, is celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Legend Golf Course this year. Designed by Arnold Palmer, The Legend gained much notoriety in the mid-eighties as it helped launch the region as one of the most sought-after golf destinations in the country.
"I feel strongly we should build courses that everyone can enjoy, not just low amateurs and professionals. The Legend is a beautiful, natural and spectacular site that created 18 fantastic holes," said Arnold Palmer during the construction of his first course in the Midwest 25 years ago.
Palmer's words still hold true as The Legend's scenery and playability make it one of the most popular resort courses in the country. Golf Digest quickly ranked The Legend among the top 50 resort courses in the nation when it opened, and it is still considered one of the top courses in Michigan by the leading publication.
To celebrate this historic course, Shanty Creek Resorts is offering special 25th anniversary rates throughout the 2011 golf season. This spring, golfers can play The Legend for just $25 anytime through May 12. In addition, golfers can take advantage of the $25 rate after 4:00pm from May 13 through the end of the golf season.
The Legend weaves its way through beautiful hills and ridges while still offering stunning views of Lake Bellaire and the surrounding northern Michigan forest. The course is highlighted by two of the prettiest holes in the region, the 3rd and 7th. The par 4 3rd hole swings downhill from left to right with panoramic views of Lake Bellaire as a backdrop. The 7th hole is arguably the best par 5 in northern Michigan. Measuring 501 yards, this risk-reward hole doglegs to the right and features a creek that winds around the hole and in front of the green providing excitement for both your drive and second shot.
Shanty Creek Resorts offers 72 holes of championship golf, 53 downhill skiing slopes on two mountains, 30 km of Nordic ski trails, snowboarding and tubing runs. Located on 4,500 acres 30 miles northeast of Traverse City, Shanty Creek features three distinct villages with lodging facilities including the recently renovated Lakeview Hotel, award-winning dining, live entertainment and a full-service conference/banquet center.
Tracks
Cedar River
Designed by PGA player & architect, Tom Weiskopf, Cedar River was named one of America's Top 100 Resort Courses by Golf Week. One of Golf Magazine's "Top Ten in the U.S. You Can Play," this northern Michigan course offers five tees.
Skinny:
Par: 72
4 Tee Boxes: 6989, 6528, 5963 and 5315 Yards
Slope/Rating: 144/73.6
The Legend
Designed by Arnold Palmer, The Legend was awarded 4½ stars in Golf Digest's "Places to Play Directory." Cascading over hilltops with stunning views of Lake Bellaire and into valleys alongside crystal clear waters, The Legend was named one of the top four resort courses in the United States by the readers of Golf Magazine.
Skinny:
Par: 72
4 Tee Boxes: 6764, 6269, 5801 and 4953 Yards
Slope/Rating: 137/73.6
Schuss
Annually named one of the top public courses in Michigan, Schuss Mountain is a challenging course carved into Pure Michigan. Schuss Mountain delivers the challenge golfers seek throughout 6,922 yards of abundant wetlands, rolling hills, and wildlife.
Skinny:
Par: 72
3 Tee Boxes: 6260, 5910 and 4679 Yards
Slope/Rating: 127/73.4
Summit
The Shanty Creek original, this William Diddel design is one of northern Michigan's gems rolling gently across the hills of Antrim County. A long-time favorite among golfers who favor wide fairways and fast greens.
Skinny:
Par: 71
3 Tee Boxes: 6922, 6394 and 5383 Yards
Slope/Rating: 122/72
The Golf Academy
Our instructors, led by Brian Kautz, PGA Pro and Director of Golf for Shanty Creek, demonstrate proper techniques and can quickly identify problem areas in your swing and remedies to improve your driving distance, accuracy, approach shots, hazard saves and putting. For beginners, our pros also explain the rules for playing and scoring golf and the importance of polite golf etiquette.
The Shanty Creek Golf Academy offers individual and group lessons for beginners, intermediate and advanced golfers, and women only. To schedule a lesson, call 866.901.3151.
Restaurant and Dining
Within Shanty Creek Resorts' three villages, choose from a variety of cuisines and environments. Guests can experience a casual quick bite or a romantic wining and dining in luxury overlooking Lake Bellaire.
Lakeview Restaurant
Located in Summit Village, The Lakeview Restaurant features innovative regional fare with majestic views of Lake Bellaire. Voted best steak and best dessert in Northern Michigan by Northern Express readers. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Ivan's
Visit Ivan's at Schuss Village for tavern-style family fun, a pizza and a pint. The place for live entertainment, good times, and great food at a great price! Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Weiskopf's Grill
Weiskopf's Grill at Cedar River Village serves generous breakfasts and lunches certain to satisfy any appetite in a relaxing atmosphere overlooking Cedar River's spectacular 18th hole. Serving breakfast, lunch, and a limited dinner menu.
Arnie's
Arnie's Grill is a hidden-away fun spot in the Summit Pro Shop, catering to golfers on the go. Limited breakfast menu, salads, and sandwiches.
Directions
From Chicago
1. Leave Chicago via Interstate 94 East;
2. At Benton Harbor, MI, take Interstate 196 North to Grand Rapids.
3. Exit onto US 131 North. Continue to Mancelona.
4. In Mancelona, take M-88 West to Shanty Creek Main Entrance.
From Detroit
1. Travel north on Interstate 75 to Grayling;
2. Exit onto M-72 westbound toward Kalkaska.
3. In Kalkaska turn North take US 131 to Mancelona.
4. From Mancelona, take M-88 West to Shanty Creek Main Entrance.
More Information
Shanty Creek Resorts
One Shanty Creek Road
Bellaire, Michigan 49615
http://www.shantycreek.com.
Article Tags: Shanty Creek Resorts, Michigan Golf
Revised: 03/01/2011 - Article Viewed 32,156 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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