Donald Ross Memorial at The Highlands (Boyne)

Enjoyed the changes to 1,2,13, 15 & 16 BUT the staff neglected to tell us that we could only play 17 of 18 holes since the 10th (Royal Dornoch) was closed for renovations.It would have been nice to be told by the pro shop, those at the cart coral or the starter as opposed to a member group playing in front of us telling us about it at the first tee.

Very enjoyable up north parkland course. Course is an amalgamation of recreations of Donald Ross’ best golf holes. Not sure of how they decided to recreate them as many of the holes do not seem to have the same style of bunkering of a Ross Course or do not have similar elevation / land movement as the original. They may be changing this as it appears they are redoing the course (one of the homes was closed).

If you take the course as a solid parkland course with a good routing and great conditions, you will enjoy yourself.

The Donald Ross Memorial Golf Course is an absolute gem. The course is in impeccable condition, reflecting the meticulous care and attention it receives. Golfers will find themselves challenged at every turn, particularly due to the strategically placed sand traps that add an extra layer of difficulty to the game.

One of the standout features of this course is the greens. They roll true and are in superb condition, providing a smooth and consistent putting experience. Although Hole 10 is currently closed for renovation, the rest of the course more than makes up for this temporary inconvenience.

What truly sets the Donald Ross Memorial apart is the ambiance. The sound of your clubs reverberating through the dense tree line is nothing short of magical. With no homes around to disrupt the natural beauty, it feels like a golfer's paradise, offering a serene and immersive experience.

Adding to the allure, playing the Pinehurst holes after watching the US Open is an exhilarating experience. It’s incredibly fun to test your skills on these iconic holes, feeling a connection to the professional golfers who have navigated the same challenges. The recreation of Pinehurst provides a thrilling opportunity to immerse yourself in the history and strategy of championship golf.

Whether you're a seasoned golfer or a novice, the Donald Ross Memorial Golf Course promises an unforgettable round of golf. It's a must-visit for anyone looking to enjoy the game in a pristine and tranquil setting, with the added excitement of playing Pinehurst-inspired holes.

Improvement opportunity: More water stations. Only one station at the turn.

Beautiful course, friendly staff great food! We would definitely play again!

Tribute golf courses are tough to pull off. Transplanting the concept of a particular golf hole hundreds or even thousands of miles, to a totally different environment, can lead to an uncanny-valley feeling. On top of it all, taking inspiration from a dozen or more distinctly different golf courses complicates matters exponentially; such a course risks feeling like a hodgepodge rather than a coherent unit.

The Ross Memorial is a bit of a mixed bag. Its namesake architect’s work is world-renowned, so the impulse to pick the greatest holes from his oeuvre is understandable. In the end, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. The course is currently undergoing a multi-stage renovation, and naturally, the holes that have received the most work are the most enjoyable – the par-4s 1st (Seminole) and 15th (Aronimink) holes are especially striking. But then there’s the par-3 8th (Charlotte Country Club), which has no discernible Ross character and just looks like a pleasant but mundane hole that could exist on thousands of other courses. None of the holes are offensive by any means and there are plenty of genuine highlights (in addition to the same pristine conditioning that Boyne Golf guests know and love), but I left wondering whether the best tribute to Ross here would have been more interpretive than 18 attempted straight-up replica holes.

This was our first time up here for any of the Boyne Highlands courses.We played the Donald Ross Memorial course, and it was an excellent choice.. Everything exceeded our expectations . Layout, greens staff all were great.
Thanks for having me, I will be back again and again.

The Donald Ross used to be one of my favorites but apparently Boyne Management decided to ruin a really good thing. Taking out over 80 Michigan trees on Hole 1 to try to recreate FLORIDA!! OMG! The result is a Florida like junk sand pit and they’ve killed another 30 trees plus on 15 which is still closed.

When you imagine a course that commemorates a great Golf Course designer, you don’t try to retrofit environs that destroy your local environment and waste money. And only a year ago they had patted themselves on the back for Environmental Stewardship with the Heather. What a joke!

Donald Ross would roll over in his grave to see this abortion that they’ve done to this course. Play it if you like. For my money there are plenty other non-Boyne courses to enjoy at lower costs.

Go ahead and let the chain saws and bulldozers roll! I guess they’ve lost sight of the Environment and Golf in favor of Land Devastation. Fore!!

The course is under repair and actually had a hole closed. If you; are going to pay 600.00 for a group of 4 I would steer somewhere else.

I have no criticism of the golf course. However, there is not one sign indicating the Donald Ross Memorial golf course. Therefore, they got course was extremely hard to find. Not withstanding, the course was in excellent condition and since all of the holes were the best of Donald Ross design, there is not one bad hole on the course.

Course was in great condition, played later in the day and I was the only one on course. Only con I can think of is that after 4 it seems you can’t get any food on the course, but seems to be norm at any courses in up north MI.

There are lots of great options in Harbor Springs and over the years I have played most of them, but not the Donald Ross Memorial. It just seemed less exciting than the others for some reason. This was a mistake waiting so long! I loved it! Donald Ross designs are obviously amazing examples of classic architecture golf and I was amazed at how well that translated to this piece of property. It doesn't have as dramatic elevation changes as the Hills course, but it still has great holes going both up and down. Conditioning was excellent as it always is at Boyne and I'm kicking myself for not having played the Ross sooner.

After having been recommended by a friend, we looked forward to playing this course all summer. The course was in great shape. Donald Ross apparently loved sand with hole designs that included sand traps in the fairways as well as guarding most greens. Count on additional strokes.

Staff was friendly and attentive to keeping balls on the driving range. Our only complaint was pace of play. We had fairly long waits on most holes and starting at hole 10, groups were stacked 4 deep on some holes. We did not expect this on a course in the Boyne collection.