Inn at Bay Harbor

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Located in and around the remains of a massive shale quarry, this one-of-a-kind course boasts some of golf's most dramatic features — from 40-foot gorges and stone cliffs to natural ponds and a gentle waterfall.

The Preserve is a members' favorite. Nestled into the hardwood forest that hugs the Lake Michigan shore, it's nothing short of a sanctuary. The Arthur Hills course winds through a classic northern Michigan landscape, taking players through wildflowers, lush grass, and native wetlands filled with abundant wildlife. The sounds of breaking waves are always within earshot.

The course finishes dramatically with a spectacular par-3 on Lake Michigan's shore.

A short starting hole, your tee shot should be negotiated down the left center to prevent the trees on the right from inhibiting your approach. The green has a natural dune area to the left and a bunker protecting the front.

Quarry 1

A wild par 3 that features huge slopes on and around the green. The only miss here is all the way at the bottom of the slope on the front left. Everywhere else is either hazard or it might as well be. Leaving here in three shots is always a good thing.

Quarry 2

Enter 'The Quarry'! This is where things get really interesting. Conservative play is recommended, but with so many visual distractions, the PGA tour star in all of us will be sure to come out and try the improbable. The best route here is to just get something in the fairway and then aim your second shot to finish at the boulder on the side of the hill. There is a collection area at the front of the green that will give you a little room, but it is at the bottom of a 30-foot-high hill! The green has two tiers that will play further havoc for those that are not on the appropriate level.

Quarry 3

Avoid the right-hand side fairway bunkers or hit it way over to the other side of them, which is also the fifth fairway. The green has a large pond that will claim anything to the right side. There are mounds to the left and behind the green that can make for a slippery chip shot back towards the water.

Quarry 4

From most tees, you will be faced with a forced carry over water. The green will still not be in view for the second shot, and the fairway jots to the left of a pond as you approach the green. A giant cliff with a waterfall behind the green creates yet another picturesque memory of Bay Harbor Golf Club. The green has a few different ridges that create a challenge for putts that travel across one or more of them.

Quarry 5

The biggest risk at Bay Harbor, the green is a mere peninsula amidst the wetlands of the bottom of the quarry. From the back tees, it takes a blast of 300 yards to reach the green with accuracy being just as important as distance. Pull it off, and you could make an eagle. If the wind is not in your favor or you simply want to take the sensible route, position your tee shot down the fairway and set up a short iron approach. But c'mon, you didn't come here to lay up, did you?

Quarry 6

Yet again, a forced carry awaits you off the tee. You will see a large bunker that is an island in the center of the fairway. The safest route is to play to the right of this bunker. Some will be able to carry their ball over it, and some will play to the left, which will leave the shortest shot to the green but will also require the longest carry from the tee.

Quarry 7

Bay Harbor's answer to the seventh at Pebble Beach. A downhill par 3 with nothing behind it but an indescribable panorama of Lake Michigan. Club selection can vary by up to 2 or 3 clubs, more or less than normal, depending on the wind. Any balls that miss short will splash straight into a boulder-faced pond. Putting to hole locations toward the back of the green will probably have some nasty snap to it.

Quarry 8

Take a peek at how far the end of the fairway is from the tee before you select a club. Some may not need a driver. The fairway falls downhill at the landing area, adding yardage to most drives. The approach shot is all downhill to a thin green that is guarded by a bunker on the front right. Most everything on this green will break toward the lake. Just be sure you consider every angle as you should on every putt at Bay Harbor.

Quarry 9

A very good opening hole that begins to introduce you to the hardwoods at Bay Harbor Golf Club. A well positioned tee shot will avoid the fairway bunkers and leave a short iron approach to a green that is guarded on the front right by a bunker. If in doubt here, play to the front left approach, which is a fair place to get it up and down.

Preserve 1

Take a careful look at this tee shot. Some longer hitters will find that choosing a driver here can get you into the hazard that is through the fairway. A huge double-green always seems to have tricky lies around it. You'll want to find the putting surface here, even if it means a slightly longer putt.

Preserve 2

There is no excuse to miss the fairway on the third. The hole shares a fairway with hole number 7, creating a landing area that is over 100 yards wide! However, the green is around to the left. This leads to a longer shot the further to the right you are. The green hides behind a steep undulation in the front left and is easiest to play from the front right if you happen to miss.

Preserve 3

There are a few different routes to the 4th hole. A large fairway bunker splits the fairway, providing an area that is high to the left and low to the right. If you play to the left, you will have a much better look at where you are going to play next. Playing to the right will create a blind second shot. Setting up a short iron or wedge third shot is very important as the green has a pond in front and falls away to the back. Reaching this green in two would be a very impressive feat.

Preserve 4

The first par 3 on the Preserve, the fifth green sits perched on a ridge that falls into bunkers short and left, with a hazard all down the right. Getting up and down here is no treat. The green, which is blind from the tee, slopes mainly from the back to the front.

Preserve 5

Focus on hitting your tee shot at the boulder in the fairway. From here, you will need to avoid an enormous bunker that sees plenty of action greenside. Miss here and we'll see how much you've been practicing your short game.

Preserve 6

You may feel like you have already played the seventh, and you may be right. This is the hole that shared the green with #2, as well as the fairway of #3. If you can carry the top of the hill, you will see the green. If not, take a walk up and find the top of a tree to aim at. The short right is perhaps the easiest place to play from around the green. Long here is gone.

Preserve 7

One last fairway to hit on this nine. Consider playing a long iron or fairway wood here if you are able to hit it far enough to find the fairway and set up a short second shot. The green has plenty of slope, so be careful when you are reading the putt to consider all sides of the break. A quality approach could set up a great chance at birdie.

Preserve 8

Out of the hardwoods and back to the coast. The green has a giant slope to the left, allowing a shot to be played to the right side and funnel down to the hole. With Little Traverse Bay to the left, a fairway bunker is the only thing stopping your ball from a watery grave.

Preserve 18

Quarry/Preserve

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The Past Reclaimed

Quarry/Preserve

Quarry 1