The Heather at The Highlands (Boyne)
600 Boyne Highland Drive
Harbor Springs, Michigan 49740
Emmet County
Phone(s): (888) 281-8082, (231) 526-3029
Fax: (231) 526-3095
Website: boynehighlands.com/the-heather
Harbor Springs, Michigan 49740
Emmet County
Phone(s): (888) 281-8082, (231) 526-3029
Fax: (231) 526-3095
Website: boynehighlands.com/the-heather
The 18-hole The Heather at The Highlands (Boyne) in Harbor Springs, MI is a resort golf course that opened in 1966. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., The Heather at The Highlands (Boyne) measures 7154 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 141 and a 74.6 USGA rating. The course features 6 sets of tees for different skill levels.
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Golf course details
- Holes: 18
- Designed by: Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
- Public/Private: Resort
- Year opened: 1966
- Golf Season: Open: 5/12 Closed: 10/8
- Guest Policy: Open
- Tee times welcomed: Yes
- Fairways: Bent Grass
- Greens: Bent Grass
Facilities
- Pro in house: Yes
- Driving range: Yes
- Rental clubs: Yes
- Rental carts: Yes - included in green fees
Green fees price ranges
- Week days: $90 - $163
- Weekends: $96 - $176
- Check prices
Course policies
- Metal spikes allowed: No
- Dress code: Appropriate golf attire is required for all players.
- Credit cards accepted: VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Length, slope and rating for each tee
| Tee | Par | Yardage | Slope | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purple | 72 | 6647 | 143 | 72.7 |
| Orange | 72 | 6207 | 139 | 70.3 |
| Brown | 72 | 7143 | 147 | 75.4 |
| Green | 72 | 5743 | 130 | 68.3 |
| Silver | 72 | 4845 | 120 | 64 |
| Green (W) | 72 | 5743 | 137 | 73.9 |
| Silver (W) | 72 | 4845 | 123 | 68.6 |
| Blue | 72 | 6013 | 135 | 69.4 |
| Blue (W) | 72 | 6013 | 140 | 75.4 |
Reader Ratings / Reviews
- For a classic northern Michigan golf experience, it's tough to beat this course. Walker-friendly and offers caddies for $15 extra. It's vintage RTJ Sr. golf with raised greens and splashed bunkers. Tight doglegs put a premium on accuracy. Wonderful finishing hole with a fairway impossible to miss but really tough approach over water.
Recently, I was able to play several courses in the Boyne Resorts lineup including two of my favorite Highlands courses, the Arthur Hills Course and the Robert Trent Jones-designed Heather Course. The Heather Course was Boyne’s first golf course and is as challenging today as it was then. Having hosted numerous state and national championships, the Heather has earned its reputation as one of the finest championship courses in the entire United States. In 2019 it was named “National Golf Course of the Year” by the National Golf Course Owners Association). Number 18 is my favorite hole on the Heather Course; I can remember the first time I played it. It’s a long par 4 that requires a well-struck drive followed by a long approach shot over a lake into a green that slopes back to front. It may not be the toughest hole on the golf course but it sure is memorable!
Boyne continues to reinvest in the infrastructure of their golf courses which will pay huge dividends down the road and have an immediate impact on their golf courses. For example, work was recently completed on the Central Irrigation installation on Donald Ross Memorial and Arthur Hills courses. This new system can be controlled remotely and is significantly more efficient. There were also upgrades to the pump houses and irrigation systems on several other courses and a brand new system that services The Heather and The Moor courses.
Other improvements include over five miles of new cart path on The Heather, Arthur Hills, and Donald Ross Memorial golf courses, and taking measures to speed up play on a couple of courses.
Perhaps the biggest news at Boyne this year is that during the summer of 2023, construction began on the Ray Hearn completely redesigned nine-hole short course which will be routed across a sloping site set among fescue grasses. Hole length will range from 8 to 120 yards. “Hearn will be recreating nine of his favorite greens from Scotland, Ireland, and England. With no formal tees golfers will have the opportunity to put tees anywhere they want so they can play shots from different lies and angles.