Plan Your Gaylord Golf Trip in 60 Seconds
Michigan's Golf Mecca — dozens of courses on one I-75 exit
Northern Michigan's golf capital: Treetops Resort alone packs 81 holes by Robert Trent Jones Sr., Tom Fazio, and Rick Smith, and a dozen more designer tracks (Otsego, Black Forest, The Loon) cluster within 20 minutes. Cheap, abundant, and built for a high-volume buddy trip.
The rotaCourses
Treetops Resort — Masterpiece (RTJ Sr.)PremiumDESIGNER CLASSIC
Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s dramatic, elevation-charged signature course — the one that made Gaylord famous
$90–$175
Par 71 · 7,060 yds
mountain
Treetops Resort — Premier (Fazio)PremiumDESIGNER CLASSIC
Tom Fazio's only Michigan design — a 4.5-star Golf Digest track winding through hardwood ridges
$85–$160
Par 72 · 6,701 yds
mountain
Treetops Resort — Threetops (par 3)PremiumHIDDEN GEM
Rick Smith's famed par-3 course — host of ESPN's old Par-3 Shootout and a money-game classic
$40–$75
Par 27 · 1,400 yds
mountain · walkable
Black Forest at Wilderness ValleyPremiumDESIGNER CLASSIC
Tom Doak's brawny early design — big, bold, and one of the toughest tests in northern Michigan
$60–$110
Par 73 · 7,044 yds
mountain
Otsego Club — The TributePremiumLOCALS' FAVORITE
Sweeping valley views and dramatic elevation changes overlooking the Sturgeon River Valley
$55–$100
Par 72 · 7,349 yds
mountain
The Loon Golf ResortSolidBEST VALUE
Friendly, well-conditioned value track — great for the round where you just want to score
$45–$80
Par 72 · 6,700 yds
parkland
Where to Stay
resort houseSleeps 8–20
$250–$700 /night
Treetops and Otsego Club cottages and chalets — stay-and-play packages bundle rooms with tee times
on-site golfski-in cottageshot tubmultiple restaurantsfire pits
cabinSleeps 8–16
$200–$550 /night
Lake-area cabins around Otsego Lake and Gaylord, minutes from the courses and I-75
full kitchenlake accessdeckgrillfire pit
Dining
Treetops — Legends Restaurant
$$$steakhouseResort steakhouse with valley views for the group's big-dinner night
BLT's (Big Buck Brewery)
$$brewpubGaylord's iconic Big Buck Brewery — house beers, burgers, and a huge group room
Diana's Delights / Mary's Tavern
$$casualClassic up-north tavern grub and breakfast to fuel a 36-hole day
Bennethum's Northern Inn
$$$upscaleLong-running northern-Michigan supper club — whitefish, steaks, and a fireplace room
Nightlife
Big Buck Brewery
Late nightbrewpubGaylord's brewery institution — pours, pool, and the natural 19th-hole HQ
Treetops Sports Bar
sports barOn-resort sports bar to settle bets and watch games after the round
The Iron Pig Smokehouse bar
Late nightpatioBBQ-and-bourbon bar with a patio for a relaxed Gaylord evening
Activities
Pigeon River ATV / off-road tour
atvhalf day$90–$180/pp
Ride the trails of the Pigeon River Country State Forest — elk country and big northern woods
Sturgeon / AuSable River fly fishing
fishinghalf day$100–$250/pp
Blue-ribbon trout streams minutes from town for the anglers in the crew
Call of the Wild / downtown brewery crawl
brewery2-3 hours$25–$60/pp
Big Buck plus Alpine Tavern and downtown Gaylord's Alpine-themed Main Street
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