Time to warm up the swing.
As the weather improves, local courses across northern Michigan are ramping up and welcoming golfers for their first rounds of the 2026 season.
Sugar Loaf The Old Course in Cedar is open for General Manager Kris Wakeman’s 44th season at the helm.
“We’ve been busy making those repairs in the spring. We got a lot of groups and a lot of golf outings,” Wakeman said.
In addition to Sugar Loaf, the nearby Manitou Passage and Suttons Bay’s Bahle Farms opened on Friday, May 1. Meanwhile, Northport Creek Golf Course opened April 22, and the Dunes Golf Club in Empire officially opened April 28.
Manitou Passage general manager Josh Schlump is excited to announce the course's new Yamaha electric carts, equipped with GPS software and providing a quiet ride. Roughly 60 carts will be roaming the Cedar course this year.
“From a comfort and GPS unit standpoint, we are really excited about them ... We got the cart barn ready, putting up new chargers, all that good stuff,” Schlump said.
Other golf courses now open for play include: Northport Creek Golf Course; The Bear Golf Course (Acme); Spruce Run Golf Course (Acme); Traverse City Country Club; The Crown Golf Club; Elmbrook Golf Course (Traverse City); Bay Meadows Family Golf Course (Traverse City); Interlochen Golf Course; Bahle Farms Golf Course (Suttons Bay; opened May 1); Crystal Mountain (Thompsonville); Mistwood Golf Course (Lake Ann); Dunes Golf Club (Empire, opened April 28); Kingsley Club; Wolverine Golf Course; Crystal Downs Country Club; Crystal Lake Golf Club; Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club; Champion Hill Golf Course. Opening dates for some courses may vary; golfers are encouraged to check with individual locations.
