Our last round in Northern Michigan on this short trip was on the Fazio Premier Course at Treetops Resort. There are four regulation courses and a par-3 course here. The par-3 course is pretty famous as it hosted the ESPN Par-3 Shootout.

Treetops has been on my Michigan list for quite some time now. We didn’t have time to hit any other courses here this trip, but I certainly would consider a return visit. I was impressed with the setting. The area is quite hilly and wooded. Unfortunately, we learned that a nasty ice storm took out many trees earlier this year. The cleanup is still ongoing.

I guess I’ll get the bad news out of the way first. The round took an eternity to finish – and I really didn’t expect to cruise around quickly on a weekend. But, a 5 hour 15 minute round just isn’t acceptable. That’s my only complaint. I enjoyed everything else about the Treetops experience, including the Fazio Premier Course.

I usually walk away liking a Tom Fazio design and the Premier is no exception. We played the black tees which are 73.3/142/6701. Even though the slope is fairly high, I thought the course’s playability was good. There are a mix of challenging shots and then holes where someone can chop it around and still save a par or bogey. I’m not sure there is a weak hole here.

The Premier opens with a long downhill par-4. From the tee box you get a good view of the landscape of Northern Michigan. The 4th hole is a downhill par-3 (161 yards) with a small green that sits in a depression. The 5th is a short par-4 with a two-tiered green. All sorts of options from the tee. The 8th is another fun par-3 that drops a couple clubs. 

The back nine has some interesting holes as well. The 11th  continues the theme of quality par-3’s. The 11th plays 194 yards over water. There is a big hill to the left to catch the bailout shot. The 12th is a par-5 with another two-tiered green and the 15th has a “C” shaped green. Fun stuff.

The Premier is well bunkered. The bunkers and tall grass give everything a rugged look. The course felt a bit like a softened Mike Strantz design. The yardages of the holes vary. As you can tell, I like a bunch of course’s design elements.

The green fee was $130 and after paying a lot more than that the last few days, Treetops felt like a good value. The conditions were nice, maybe not quite as nice as The Highlands, but very playable. The greens rolled well, just at a medium pace.

Michigan continues to deliver top notch golf. I was impressed with the Fazio Premier Course at Treetops and would like another visit to play the other courses. I have no problem recommending a round here.

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