Treetops Resort

You see how your jaw just dropped onto the keyboard? We’re going to need you to pick that up now. Treetops Resort really needs no introduction or additional accolade. The name is synonymous with Northern Michigan golf and world-class instruction. Treetops Resort boasts 81 championship holes, a Top-25 golf academy, the award-winning Treetops Spa, a recognized child development center and is often considered to be the mind, body and spirit of the Gaylord Golf Mecca. Best of all, today’s feature is laden with karma-filled value.

At Treetops Resort, it’s not hard to lose yourself in the pure serenity of the moment. Offering five courses in all — including three phenomenal tracks meticulously crafted by world-renowned golf guru Rick Smith, the last Michigan course designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, Sr. and home to the only Tom Fazio design in the state — let’s just say these tracks are sweeeeeet.

Jones claimed The Masterpiece as his crowning glory, and with good reason. The resort’s name came to fruition when Jones saw nothing but treetops as he stood on the same ground now home to the signature No. 6’s 120-foot vertical drop. Definitely the most challenging Treetops course when playing from the tips, The Masterpiece will take you on a 7,060-yard journey through majestic hardwoods and pines. It makes it easy to understand why The Masterpiece is ranked 4½ Stars by Golf Digest and was ranked #2 Best New Resort Course upon opening.

The 4½-Star Tom Fazio track, The Premier, followed suit and claimed the #3 spot in its inaugural season on Golf Digest’s Best New Resort Course rankings. Pacing off at a bit more forgiving 6,832 yards from the back tees and having large, rolling fairways, The Premier is the epitome of what a resort course should be. In fact, when Fazio was asked to name a signature hole, he appropriately replied, "All of them."

Instructor extraordinaire Rick Smith designed the legendary Threetops, an annual selection among multiple publications as the #1 Par Three Course in America. While it may be best known for Trevino’s hole-in-one during the 2001 ESPN Par 3 Shootout, the stunning elevation changes, raw beauty and international acclaim, combined with some of the most intimidating 9-irons you’re ever likely to hit, make Threetops a great 1½ hour snapshot of your life.

Rather than bask in the glory of Threetops accolade, Mr Smith went back to work and created his first 18-hole shrine to golf, The Signature. Keeping with family tradition, The Signature ranked #4 on that same Golf Digest list and is among the Top 50 Courses for Women, making it an ideal excuse for a golf-filled romantic getaway. The Signature is also ranked 4½ Stars, the norm for all Treetops courses, which places the resort in a special class of its own.

To complete the resort, Mr Smith designed the newest, yet most classic of Treetop’s courses, The Tradition. Complete with wooden pins and pennant-shaped flags, The Tradition is a phenomenal walking course and pays respect to the history of the game. Set amongst roughly 3,500 highland acres of Northern Michigan topography, The Tradition is perfect to cap off your stay at Treetops Resort.

Mr Smith didn't quit there either. Instead, he built one of the most respected instructional golf programs in the world. The Rick Smith Golf Academy is consistently ranked among America’s Top 25 Golf Schools, due in large part to the quality of its numerous PGA Professional Instructors, resulting in an incredible 2:1 student/teacher ratio. Rick Smith himself has been ranked a Top Five Golf Instructor in the World seven times since 2000. Bottom line: If you can’t learn from this group, your only hope to lower scores is a bigger eraser. As Michigan golfers, we are truly blessed to have an academy of this magnitude in our backyards.

So, shake off the stress and head north. Go enjoy a couple days in the promised land at Treetops Resort. This is an opportunity to do something great — for you and the military families of this country.