|
Michigan Fall Golf Packages - By L'Anse Bannon 
Autumn golfers in Michigan often are rewarded with crisp mornings and dry, sunny days. Our waters seem cleaner, our skies clearer, our meadows more beautiful as our forests begin their annual transformation to a palette of magical colors.
Some time during the month, cool air begins to creep in from the north, spill across our border and visit places such as Timberstone, Wild Bluff, Hessel Ridge, The Rock at Woodmoor and the Jewel on Mackinac Island.
As fall seeps across the bridge linking our peninsulas, the foliage on trees surrounding the courses of the Mackinaw City area, Boyne Country, St. Ives, Hidden River, the Gaylord Golf Mecca, Garland and the Sunrise Side begin to explode with the yellows, oranges, browns and reds that create the scenes which end up in so many cameras, camcorders and memories.
Fall seems to halt there for a bit, but when the first snow hits the Upper Peninsula, the curtain of color continues to drop down onto the courses of Traverse City, Cadillac and Oscoda. It then continues its relentless push into the Tri-cities, Grand Rapids, Flint and on and on until it exits through our southern tier of counties of Lenawee, Monroe, Cass, St. Joseph and Berrien.
This year, fall is more than just a typical shoulder season for our courses and resorts; it is a chance to regroup from a brutally wet spring and a hot summer. For resorts that offer skiing as well as golf, the late spring was easier to accept because the winter had brought record skiers to their slopes. Michelle McWilliams of the Michigan Ski Industries Association (MSIA) indicated that the ski industry had one of its best years last winter. However, non-ski resorts have had a more difficult time of it this year.
UPPER PENINSULA
Hessel RidgeRapids (http://www.hesselridge.com)
Autumn visitors to the U.P. are invited to play Hessel Ridge at a seasonal rate of $32, which includes 18 holes and use of a cart.
Wild BluffRapids (http://www.wildbluff.com)
Wild Bluff will extend its wildly popular $99 midweek golf package to weekends beginning Sept. 23. Go to the club's website for particulars, but basically, you get one 18-hole round of golf with a cart, a one-night stay in the new waterfront hotel, a $15 dining credit at any of the resort's restaurants, a roll of quarters for the casino, free drink coupons, and $20 in blackjack matchplay at the casino.
LOWER PENINSULA - NORTHWEST
Boyne Country
Peter Fitzsimons, Executive Director of Petoskey Boyne Harbor Spring Convention and Visitors Bureau likes long name tags and great deals on golf. When you check into participating lodging properties in Boyne Country they will give you $5 in script to apply to your golf round during your stay. You may want to ask them for the script as you check in or make your reservations for golf lodging. You can check out their fall Boyne Country prices at their website, http://boynecountry.com
Crystal MountainRapids (http://www.crystalmountain.com) 
Fall golf packages can be found at this resort's website under Internet Lodging Specials. If you have any questions, give Dee Dee Lentz a call at (800) 968-7686 ext. 2502, or email her at deedeelentz@crystalmountain.com.
Fox Run-Grayling
Ron Koutnik, says that they have a fall golf special that includes golf and cart for $30 Monday through Thursday and $35 Friday through Sunday.
Golf Big Rapids (http://www.communitylink.com/ghtri-it/golf.htm)
Golf Big Rapids has 36- and 54-hole packages with The Rose, Katke, Meceola, St. Ives, Tullymore, Pilgrim's Run and Falcon Head available this fall. The courses partner with the Holiday Inn, Super 8 and the Outback Lodge. | 
