Cedar River at Shanty Creek Resorts – Bellaire, MI

Course Details

• Course Type: Resort
• Architect: Tom Weiskopf (1999)
• Par: 72
• Yardage: 6,980
• Rating: 73.2
• Slope: 135

Course Accolades

• Golf Digest: #24 in Michigan
• Golf Magazine: #9 in Michigan
• Golf World: Michigan Course of Recognition
• Top100Courses: #49 in Michigan
• Zagat: America’s Top Golf Courses (2012)

Course Score

• Course Conditions: 9
• Green Complexes: 8
• Amenities: 7
• Practice Facilities: 6
• Service: 6
• Course Design: 9
• Value: 7

Total Score: 7.53

Course Review

The Good: The Cedar River course at Shanty Creek Resorts is another solid Tom Weiskopf Midwest design that has as tremendous “Up North” feel as it is carved beautifully through Michigan Northwoods near Traverse City. A design that is every bit as pretty and interesting as the Treetops courses in Gaylord, it has spectacular Par-5’s (particularly to close each nine) and very nice Par-3’s, but I was most impressed with the design variety and shot value of the Par-4’s. Nicely conditioned as you’d expect for a $100+ resort course, with greens putting true. Nice on-course amenities including a halfway half that is accessible after the 1st and 9th holes. The breakfast sandwiches they make there are incredible! Decent value, particularly if you can get a discounted GolfNow tee-time like I did.

The Bad: As we were playing as a twosome and one of the first tee-times out on a Sunday morning, we can had to contend with the maintenance continuously mowing the greens while were playing. The course shouldn’t be sending twosomes out that early if their maintenance crew can’t keep up. It really ruined the experience of an otherwise fantastic golf course. The clubhouse and practice areas are a little outdated and oddly placed within the resort. No GPS on carts.

The Verdict: The Cedar River course is another Weiskopf Michigan gem that shouldn’t be overlooked amongst the slew of great courses in the greater Traverse area! Despite the lack of service, I’d definitely go back in the future. Just might book a tee-time later in the day just in case!

Best Hole: There are many standout Par-5’s and the 8th hole is a pretty Par-3, but there is something about the look of the “cape-esque” 7th hole. A short Par-4 that requires a drive to carry a small pond with a right fairway bunker that forces you to bite of more than you’d like to chew. The approach is to a peninsula green that is one of the most demanding on the course.