After an enjoyable round on the South Course, my friend and I headed over to the Bluffs Course. The Bluffs Course was the course I was most excited about on this trip and happily, it exceeded my high expectations. Everything about our time there was great. Including the conditions and the weather, which were perfect.

For those that may not follow course rankings much, the Bluffs Course is usually highly ranked among the top 100 public courses in America. Most of the courses on the lists are probably worthy of being there but their order could easily be changed, depending on who you ask. If you ask me, I’d argue that the Bluffs Course is underrated – much like how I feel about Chambers Bay in Washington State.

Speaking of Chambers Bay, I thought the Bluffs Course and Chambers Bay had many things in common. To me, the Bluffs Course was a wilder and crazier version of Chambers Bay. For example, both courses occupy a large, steep hillside that slopes down towards a large body of water. Chambers Bay overlooks the Puget Sound while the Bluffs Course overlooks Lake Michigan. Both courses also have a links look without trees, dramatic bunkering and play through massive dunes.

The two opening holes on the Bluffs Course play inland before you reach a stretch of three fun, downhill holes with views of Lake Michigan. The 3rd – 524 yards from the blue tees – and the 5th – 578 yards – are two of the Bluff’s five par-5’s. Each hole has an elevated tee shot and is well bunkered. The 3rd has a cool looking infinity green while the 5th has probably twenty gnarly bunkers that need to be avoided. The 4th is a mid-length par-4 with a punchbowl green and has one of the course’s many steep-lipped bunkers.

The back nine has more of the same where the uphill holes play away from the lake and the downhill holes plays towards it. The 10th through the 13th were my favorite holes on the back. The 10th, a 424 yard par-4, and the 11th, a 594 yard par-5, are downhill holes that play in their own small valley. I’m not the longest hitter but managed to hit my tee shots almost 300 yards on each hole thanks to all the roll. The 11th green sits at the edge of the lake, with a steep drop down to the water.

The 12th and 13th are probably the signature holes on the Bluffs Course. The 12th is a par-4 along the lake with two greens. The left green reminded me of a hole you’d find at Bandon Dunes, but that green was closed for our round. We played to the inland, right green – not as dramatic. The 13th is a long par-3 that plays over a ravine with the lake to the left.

I played the blue tees which are 72.7/140/6868 and as you might imagine from some of my hole descriptions, the Bluffs Course is a tough one. The land moves a lot which results in many blind landing areas and wacky bounces one way or the other. So, I rarely knew where the ball ended up. The mounding is severe, so stances anywhere on the course – even in the fairways – are going to be uneven. The fescue is thick. The greens have a lot going on. It is a course you’ll need to play a number of times to figure it out.

Overall, I thought the Bluffs Course was awesome and well worth the trip to Michigan to play. The twilight green fee was $130 this time of year, which was very reasonable. I’ve been fortunate to have played some incredible courses and the Bluffs Course is one of those. It is always difficult for me to rank courses, but I’d put the Bluffs Course somewhere in my top 15 to 20 favorites.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):