(WXYZ) — Boyne Golf, one of Michigan's largest golf and resort destinations, announced plans to build a 9-hole short course and putting course.
The 9-hole short course will be designed by Ray Hearn, and it will include an adjacent Himalayan-style putting course near the Main Lodge at The Highlands resort property in Harbor Springs.
It will be Boyne's 11th course, and comes amid a rise in the popularity of short courses. Famous short courses include The Cradle at Pinehurst, The Hay at Pebble Beach, Bootlegger at Forest Dunes and more.
“The new short course at The Highlands will add an entirely new dimension to our portfolio. We have plans to build short courses at our other facilities in upcoming years, as well," Josh Richter, the senior vice president of golf operations for Boyne Resorts, said in a statement.
According to Boyne, the new course will be lit up so it can be played at night, and will be on the site of the former Cuff Links 9-hole par-3 course.
There will be a variety of shots from downhill, sidehill, flat and more. There will be only two heights of grass – fairway and green – surrounded by a sparse secondary rough grass. There will also be two to three fairway options per hole, wit shorter-length options offering fewer hazards.
Construction on the new short course is expected to be completed by the fall of 2023 and the opening is scheduled for 2024.
“My favorite part of the project are the famous approximate green complexes I was able to create. Drawing inspiration from some of my favorite greens in Scotland, Ireland, and America (Eden, Punch Bowl, Short, Redan, Reverse Redan, Partial Volcano, Steep Slope, Postage Stamp, and Biarritz) that I have played and studied over the years. I was able to create fun, ‘kinda-sorta’ scaled-down versions of the originals and route them along the ski slope with uphill, downhill, and sidehill holes creating some thrilling golf shots," Hearn said in a statement.
