Latest news with #JoshRichter
Forbes
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Why This Outstanding Golf Resort Played It Short
No. 7 green at Doon Brae with a view Seems as if you cannot visit any top golf resort these days without encountering a short course to complement the full-length layouts. Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst Resort and Pebble Beach all have one. And now you can add The Highlands at Harbor Springs, Mich. to that list. Part of the mega-popular BOYNE Golf in Northern Michigan, the brand-new par-3 Doon Brae course is located on the backside of the main lodge, right across the parking lot from the highly acclaimed Heather course that just hosted the Epson Tour's Great Lakes Championship this month. Doon Brae is the first modern golf course to ever be built on a ski slope.'Short courses have been coming along nationally, and places like ours should have them,' says Josh Richter, senior vice president of golf operations at Boyne Resorts. 'We certainly like to be on the front side of trends. We ultimately selected this site, in part because it's on property with four of our courses and main lodge, where we typically experience the most golf package-related stays. And the uniqueness of this space adds plenty of ambience. Doon Brae gives guests and members the opportunity to play a round of golf in about an hour. It's also a really good golf course for people to learn on, whether that be children or brand-new golfers.' As a seasoned golfer, I can personally attest after playing it this week that it can be challenging and fun for any skill by renowned Michigan course architect Ray Hearn, the first seven holes gradually zig-zag up the hill and the last two back down – it was designed to be an easy and steady climb. Each green is inspired by a famous golf green around the world. A large sign on each tee box displays a map of the hole, as well as a blurb about the green. And it's actually all pretty interesting. Officials encourage golfers to play their tee shots from anywhere on the tee box they want. That way, smaller children can enjoy the course even more while low-handicaps can make it an extremely challenging experience. Holes can play from 57 yards and up to 150, depending on where you tee it up. The traps are well officials here have high hopes for the course, they are mowing the grass at the same height as all of their other courses. The greens were also in amazing condition when I played the course. Yes, there are a couple of crazy breaks because of the hillside, but the greens are deliberately set up to roll a little slower so that balls don't start rolling off the greens on putts encountering undulation. I think my favorite green is on the 9th hole – inspired by the Biarritz at Chicago Golf Club – and has two flagsticks, one near the front and the other in the rear. Very creative and again should enhance the fun. And the views from up top are spectacular – you can see for says the course was planned around the Harbor Springs/Petoskey community as a place where throngs of people visit all summer. In other words, you don't have to be a hotel guest to come play. In fact, the course provides short clubs and a Sunday-stye bag for those who don't have clubs. And if you want to bring your own clubs, you can borrow a throwback Sunday bag, as well. Green fees are priced dynamically between $50 and $60. And to add a nice ambience, music is piped in over speakers. 'It's not just playing golf, it's an experience,' says Brae is flanked by the Back Yaird (Scottish spelling for 'yard'), a 65,000-square-foot, 27-hole Himalayan-style putting course featuring three nine-hole combinations. Inspired by great putting courses like the Himalayas at St. Andrews and Thistle Du at Pinehurst, it features subtle slopes and swales, and is a blast to play. As it's just off the back patio of the hotel's Slopeside restaurant, our group ordered dinner and then held a putting contest while we waited for dinner to be served. I can truly say that of all the massive putting greens I've played, this is far and away the most fun and Links nine at Bay Harbor Golf Club flanks Lake Michigan And honestly, I would expect nothing less from BOYNE Golf. This 11-course, four-location golf resort offers every type of golf experience you can imagine. This week, I played the Alpine and Monument mountainside courses at Boyne Mountain, followed by the Links and Quarry nines along Lake Michigan at Bay Harbor Golf Club, followed by the Heather and Ross Memorial courses – as well as Doon Brae – at the Highlands. I have been visiting Northern Michigan to play golf most of my life and feel like BOYNE Golf perpetually offers a collectively amazing golf variety for any Northern Michigan visitor. The courses always seem to be in spectacular condition from tee to green, very playable, and with excellent and friendly service all along the way. The short course is icing on the cake. No. 8 at the Ross Memorial course
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Epson Tour heads to new territory in Michigan this week
Epson Tour heads to new territory in Michigan this week HARBOR SPRINGS, Michigan — Northern Michigan in the summer transforms into a golfer's paradise. Well, summer feels like it's arrived, and come this Friday to Sunday, June 13-15, some of the best women's golfers in the world will hope to turn The Highlands of Harbor Springs Heather Course into paradise. The inaugural Great Lakes Championship at The Highlands presented by Johnnie Walker and part of the Epson Tour will tee off this weekend on The Heather Course. The Epson Tour, once known as the LPGA Futures Tour, is the official qualifying tour for the LPGA Tour, much like the Korn Ferry Tour for the PGA. Events are taking place throughout the week by BOYNE Golf and The Great Lakes Sports Commission, including a pair of Pro-Am events on Wednesday and Thursday, June 11-12. 'The Highlands and BOYNE Golf are honored and excited that the Great Lakes Sports Commission and the Epson Tour have selected The Heather golf course at The Highlands to host the Great Lakes Championship,' said Josh Richter, Boyne Resorts' SVP of golf. 'The Heather was the first BOYNE Golf course and is widely credited as the spark that started the golf boom in northern Michigan. "The Heather launched the region as America's summer golf capital and has hosted many prestigious championships, including five Michigan Amateur Championships since it opened in 1966. We look forward to the test it will provide the outstanding golfers on the Epson Tour on their journey to the LPGA.' From Epson to LPGA: Here are 15 of the most successful LPGA players to graduate from the Epson Tour since 1999, including two Hall of Famers Play will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The Great Lakes Championship will feature a field of 144 golfers competing for Epson points, of course, as well as a $250,000 purse, of which $37,500 goes to the winner. The field will be cut from 144 to 60 on Sunday, with a 5 p.m. awards ceremony and trophy presentation taking place. General admission is free to attend the 72-hole tournament, though there is a VIP ticket package available at $100 per day or $250 for the full weekend. Slots for the Pro-Am event are full. More: Michigan's best 20 public golf courses rankings: Arcadia Bluffs remains No. 1 More: Best Michigan private golf courses ranked: Alister MacKenzie gem still No. 1 It comes as the third Epson Tour event taking place in Michigan, following the recent FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, along with the Island Resort Championship in Harris to follow, with the three making up the new Pure Michigan Cup. The highest points earner within the three events receives extra prize money from the Epson Tour. 'Bringing the Epson Tour to The Heather Golf Course at The Highlands at Harbor Springs will have a big impact on the Petoskey area and the northern Michigan region,' said Great Lakes Sports Commission Executive Director, Eric Marvin. 'The expansion of the Tour's Michigan stretch will not only showcase the unparalleled beauty and unique charm of northern Michigan but also promises to create significant economic impact and international exposure. We are confident that adding another high-profile Epson Tour event will enhance our reputation as a premier destination for golf and we look forward to welcoming the world's top women's golfers to northern Michigan in 2025.' The inaugural field of the Great Lakes Championship will feature many of the top Epson Tour's current top points leaders, including the top five. Current No. 1 with 1,176 points, Gina Kim, will be included in the field, with two wins to her credit already this season. The field will also include second ranked Sophia Schubert and third ranked Laetitia Beck, both with over $200,000 in career earnings. Yana Wilson, an 18-year-old with four career top 10 finishes and a May victory to her credit, will also be in the field, along with No. 5 ranked Minji Kang, who currently leads the Epson Tour with five top 10 finishes in eight events. All-Americans: Golfweek's 2024-25 Women's College Golf All-Americans Michigan natives will also take part in tournament, including BOYNE Golf ambassador and East Kentwood graduate, Sarah White. With an average driving distance of 270.48 yards, White is currently the Epson Tour leader. The former Western Michigan and Texas State golfer earned a 2014 MHSAA Division 1 state championship at East Kentwood and has been with the Epson Tour since 2020. Many of the current top golfers of the LPGA Tour have made their way to the top ranks through the Epson Tour, including current LPGA No. 1, Nelly Korda. Korda has 15 career wins and over $15 million in career earnings. LPGA standouts Inbee Park and Lorena Ochoa are also former Epson Tour competitors, among others. More information on the Great Lakes Championship can be found at: Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@ Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
