Crooked Tree Golf Club

Stunning views of the fall colors today. God is great!

Seasonal color change makes this course a must. Nick was at the club house grille and he is always polite and friendly.

This was a beautiful course & layout. We played 8 different courses in 10 days, this was our favorite! We’re from Oklahoma and will definitely plan on playing this course again on our next trip!!

Fairways and greens still in great shape. Getting late in the season so a number of tee boxes in bad shape. Fairly expensive for what you get. Probably not worth the cost. Heather and Hills course a bit better.

This was a nice course. Friendly for us as intermediate players. A restaurant /bar would be a nice addition. Also, we never saw the crooked tree. Where is it?

One of the more reasonably priced Up North resort courses. Some wild greens on this course, one of my favorite art Hills courses.

No golf trip to Northern Michigan is complete without a visit to Boyne Resorts near Petoskey, MI. In my mind, no other Michigan golf resort offers the variety of golf courses that Boyne has. Golfers have the opportunity to play ten uniquely different golf courses; stay in a variety of accommodations designed to meet anyone’s needs and dine at some incredible restaurants.

Recently, I was able to play several courses in the Boyne Resorts lineup including one I’ve always wanted to play, Crooked Tree. After many attempts to work Crooked Tree Golf Club into my rotation, I finally succeeded, and rest assured, I was not disappointed! Crooked Tree is situated on bluffs high above Little Traverse Bay. The front nine winds its way through centuries-old stands of hardwood trees which lead to well-manicured, undulating greens. You’ll find significant elevation changes from tee to green with the first four holes playing from well-elevated tee boxes. Some tee shots require a modest carry over marshlands onto wide, receptive fairways. The views of Little Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan make Crooked Tree one of the most photographed golf courses in the state. The 4th hole is handicapped #1 for men. From the Blue Tees, the hole measures 381 yards, so the length is not a big concern. The key to conquering this hole is all in the tee shot, you need to play something that finds the short grass and leaves a direct shot into the green. The fairway bunkers on either side come into play regularly and create a very narrow landing area between them. If you find yourself stymied behind one of the grass mounds in the left bunker, good luck! Pin placement dictates where you want to be in the fairway; the general rule is that with a left pin, you want to be on the right side and vice versa. Trees on either side near the green come into play as well; finding your ball may be the least of your problems! Par is a great score!

Boyne continues to reinvest in the infrastructure of their golf courses which will pay huge dividends down the road and have an immediate impact on their golf courses. For example, work was recently completed on the Central Irrigation installation on Donald Ross Memorial and Arthur Hills courses. This new system can be controlled remotely and is significantly more efficient. There were also upgrades to the pump houses and irrigation systems on several other courses and a brand new system that services The Heather and The Moor courses.

Other improvements include over five miles of new cart path on The Heather, Arthur Hills, and Donald Ross Memorial golf courses, and taking measures to speed up play on a couple of courses.

Perhaps the biggest news at Boyne this year is that during the summer of 2023, construction began on the Ray Hearn completely redesigned nine-hole short course which will be routed across a sloping site set among fescue grasses. Hole length will range from 8 to 120 yards. “Hearn will be recreating nine of his favorite greens from Scotland, Ireland, and England. With no formal tees golfers will have the opportunity to put tees anywhere they want so they can play shots from different lies and angles.

Despite all the ups and downs of the terrain, the course played reasonable. There were a few holes, if you hadn't played it before, you definitely got penalized, however, the GPS cart helps a lot with that scenario. My wife really liked the course as it was not to long like so many courses we play. I'm a 72 year old senior and I've had to move up to the old man tees and I could reach most of the par 4's and all the par 5's, which is rare on many layouts.

Crooked Tree needs to be on your must-play MI courses. From the views of Lake Michigan, the views around the course, the playability, and the staff, this is a true gem. From setting my tee time up, to after my round, everything was seamless. Personally, I would rank it up there with Arcadia in terms of views and overall feel.

The course is challenging but not hard, where you need to plan your way to the green but to me, that makes it fun to play. It is a course where various skill levels are welcome. In fact, the course is so spacious feeling you feel like you have it all to yourself.

As I stated above, this is a must-play MI course. I am already planning my next round this fall to take advantage of the stunning views and fall colors.

Traditional northern Michigan course in a planned community. The final holes on the back nine have scenic views of Traverse Bay. Worth the premium greens fee.

Worst customer service I’ve ever experienced. I was followed around the pro shop like I was going to steal something. I was playing as a single, so I ask if I was paired up with someone. I was told no I was playing alone. I noticed that there were groups in front of me that didn’t have 4 if I could join them to keep pace of play on the course up. I was told no we don’t do that here and there was no room for me. That I would have to play as a single behind 8 groups of 2 and 3 people. I asked if I could get range balls, I was told no at 220pm because the range closes at 3pm. Everyone else was told the same. On the website there is not posted time of when the range is closed. Many people arrived early to be told they couldn’t hit. Behind me the head clubhouse guy let a group of 5 women play together. Course is beautiful but due to the staff I will never come here again.

We enjoyed the day with family.Good all around staff, lay out and condition. We will be back.