Crooked Tree Golf Club, Petoskey, MI

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.

The owner of crooked tree is a real prick, a self righteous @$!*% to say the least. Wouldnt waste money money on this course.

Shot makers course. Greens are a bit challenging. Scenery is great and I enjoyed the elevation changes and so called "blind shots." Personnel not the friendliest like at other Boyne courses.

Just played this course and think it may be the worst reasonbly-expensive resort-style course I have ever played. Eight of the 13 par 4 and par 5 holes have severe doglegs. The course has numerous forced carries, both off the tee and sometimes into the green. Therefore, if you struggle off the tee, or if you are hitting into the predominant wind, this course can be very difficult. Way too many blind shots. The greens have an unbelievable amount of undulation. Miss the green in the wrong place or leave your approach shot in the wrong place on the green, and it can be impossible to leave your chip or putt within 20 ft of the hole. No GPS on carts, which is OK, but pin placement information from club house differed from information provided by cart personnel. Both of which were incorrect. Not sure I would ever play this course again.

What a tough track, especially if you have not played it before. Great views, nice warm up for Bay Harbor. This course had tremdous undulating greens, the most challeging of the 4 Boyne courses we played. Beautiful course, but has too many blind shots and lateral hazards: I bombed a drive only to hit wedge in order to get across a huge ravine on my third shot, which I went in anyway, waste of a drive! A second or third time on this course would really get a player knowledge of the blind shots and lateral hazards and for the better players, where to put their approaches onto the green.