Dunham Hills, Hartland, Michigan

This is a small, heavily treed course near Milford.  Most of the holes were "side by side" and therefore a little tight.  Golfers frequently hit the "wrong" fairway.  But there were some really interesting holes also, with hidden water and bunkers.  The fairways were in decent condition and although the greens had already been aerated, they were in fairly good shape also.  Women didn't get too much of an advantage but we didn't really need one because the course was 6291 from the white and 5253 from the red.  The cart girl was very nice and was around frequently, I had a decent bloody mary.   There were port-a-potties but the clubhouse wasn't ever too far away!  We paid $40 which I think was a little too much for this course but senior rates are $27 during the week...still a little high.  Might golf here again, if the price goes down!

http://www.dunhamhills.com/index.html

The Jackal, Brighton, MI

Bought this at groupgolfer.com...well worth it!  When I first drove up, I was a little disappointed...the course was part of a ski slope and looked kind of run down.  But I really liked this course.  Because it was part of the ski area, there were lots of elevations both up & down!  There was also lots of water, sand bunkers, trees and everything else that makes an interesting course.  The pro shop was a little run down but the course was in great condition...fairways were nice and greens were smooth.  Play was a little slow on the back nine because they sent a twosome out ahead of us.  But we really enjoyed the variety and the condition of this course so we will definitely play it again!http://www.jackalgolfclub.com/

Betsie Valley, Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville, MI

We stayed at Crystal Mountain on a package deal and golfed both Betsie Valley and Mountain Ridge.  I golfed at Mountain Ridge last year when we stayed at Crystal Mountain and really enjoyed it so I was glad to do that course again.  Betsie Valley was very different from Mountain Ridge.  There weren't the elevations or views that were on the ridge course but it was a very nice, enjoyable course.  There was water on quite a view of the holes on the first nine and a few on the back nine.  The front nine is pretty flat but there are a few holes on the back that have some changes in elevation.  The course was in good condition, with nice greens.   We returned to the clubhouse after 9, unlike Mountain Ridge which had a halfway house.  There was a cart girl but we didn't see her very often, she might have been doing both courses.  We enjoyed our stay here very much.  The bungalow we stayed in was great, although we got stuck with bunk beds, no closet and no bathroom!  At this time of year, one of the restaurants was closed and the outdoor pool closed at 4pm.  The outdoor hot tub was open as well as the indoor pool and spa.

http://www.crystalmountain.com/