Golfweek Magazine has chosen, Manitou Passage Golf Club, located near the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore in the Leelanau Peninsula, just west of Traverse City, as one of its "Best New Courses" in 2010. The recognition of the 40 top new courses in the country appears in the October issue of the magazine.
Golfweek’s course evaluators grade courses all over the country on a 10-point scale to identify the country’s finest golf courses. Raters take into account factors such as routing of the course, feature shaping, greens, variety and memorable holes, conditioning, maintenance, and landscape management. Manitou Passage joins Harbor Shores Golf Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus, as one of the two Michigan courses to make the Golfweek’s best new list.
Manitou Passage Golf Club is a signature Arnold Palmer design that has gone through a major renovation and restoration project to complete and update the design that was originally envisioned by Palmer.
When a group of golf devotees purchased the course over a year ago, they did so with the goal of creating a new destination course featuring exceptional playing conditions and unmatched service. That group, lead by Bob Kuras, president of The Homestead, brought the Arnold Palmer Design Company, Peridian International, and the Wadsworth Golf Construction Company in to assist with the renovation efforts.
The Palmer and Peridian work included scores of minor and major changes. Under the direction of Kuras and his son James, Wadsworth completed the majority of the changes recommended by Palmer. Renovations included the repositioning, adding and squaring off of tee-boxes, widening of fairways in key landing areas, renovating bunkers, lengthening some holes, restoring areas with native grasses and clearing of trees and brush to open vistas to the area’s natural beauty.
"We’re honored to have been chosen by Golfweek Magazine and pleased to be in the company of other great courses," said Kuras.
One of the most dramatic (and, most talked about) changes was on hole No. 8, now one of the region’s prettiest and most challenging par 5’s. The tee boxes were re-positioned and trees removed, which opened up one of the signature views in all of Northern Michigan, including Lake Michigan, the Manitou Passage, sand dunes and a lighthouse.
For more information about Manitou Passage Golf Club and to experience the areas premier destination course, visit manitoupassagegolfclub.com or for packaging information visit thehomesteadresort.com.