The Heather #18 - Boyne Highlands Resort

Getting To Know: The Heather @ Boyne Highlands Resort

An Insightful Interview With David R. Trudell, Head Golf Professional

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with David R. Trudell who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Boyne Highlands is the perfect place to experience a pure Michigan vacation with so many activities and lodging options such as hotels, cottages and condominiums, there is a perfect fit for every family. The resort features the most skiable acres in Michigan, unique dog sledding experiences, and zip line adventures. Along with numerous winter activities the resort is also known for it's championship golf courses surrounded by the majestic beauty of northern Michigan.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
BOYNE's very first golf course, The Heather by Robert Trent Jones has stood the test of time as an elite, best of the best, championship course. Its wonderful test of golf, combined with some of the most premier playing conditions in the mid-west, is why the Golf Association of Michigan selected The Heather as the host site for the 100th Michigan Amateur in 2011.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
As with most classic golf course architects, shot placement is always at a premium. Fairly wide landing areas accept well struck tee shots, however great bunker placement around the green complexes will provide challenging sight lines. Best to play all your approach shots from the fairway as the greens are typically firm but receptive.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Ranked as one of the "Top 100 Courses You Can Play " by Golf Magazine, and "50 Best Courses for Women" by Golf for Women.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Hole 18 Par 4
451 yards

One of the most memorable finishing holes anywhere, the tee shot on the last hole of the Heather is straight down hill to a very wide fairway. Long hitters may run out of room and into the pond ahead. The fairway then narrows to just a few steps wide and continues around the edge of the pond to the left. The approach is then all carry, across the pond to the green that is quite large with big bunkers waiting to catch any balls that are hit too far.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It? Hole 14 Par 4
418 yards

A deep bunker on the right side of the fairway should be avoided at all costs. The green is surrounded by four well placed bunkers requiring a well struck shot to hold this very shallow green that slopes back to front. This is one of those short par 4's that offers a lot of challenge.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Take a few moments at the end of you round to enjoy your favorite sandwich or beverage from the patio located outside the 19th tee at the Heather. This patio overlooks the 18 hole and will undoubtedly provide entertainment as other golfers try to navigate/circumnavigate the pond on this great finishing hole.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7154
Slope: 141
Rating: 74.6

More Information
The Heather @ Boyne Highlands Resort
600 Highlands Drive
Harbor Springs, MI 49740
231-526-3029
www.boyne.com

Revised: 09/24/2013 - Article Viewed 32,048 Times - View Course Profile

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.