Contact: J. Michael DeAgostino, Public Relations Manager - 800-748-0303 - publicrelations@gtresort.com

PROFILE OF GOLF AT GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT & SPA

Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, one of the the Midwest’s finest full-service, year-round resort and conference destination, is located in the northwest corner of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, along the shores of Lake Michigan’s East Grand Traverse Bay, just six miles northeast of Traverse City.

The Resort, which opened in 1980, was the site of the National Governors’ Association Conference in 1987, the Ameritech Senior Open in 1990, and has been the host site of the Michigan Open, one of the most prestigious state golf championships in the nation, every year since 1981. Grand Traverse Resort & Spa is the Midwest home of the renowned Jim McLean Golf Schools.

In 2006, the Resort achieved certification by he Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program. In 1997, Grand Traverse Resort & Spa was certified as a Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International. The Resort also received the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Environmental Steward Award in 1998.

The Resort has 54 holes of championship golf.

~ The Bear, a Jack Nicklaus signature course opened/dedicated in June 1985.

~ The Wolverine, a Gary Player signature course opened/dedicated in June 1999.

~ Spruce Run, designed by William Newcomb and opened/dedicated in 1979.

A state-of-the-art clubhouse, which serves as a hub for all three courses and is within walking distance of the Hotel and Tower, opened in May 1999. The clubhouse, designed by Architect James Nordlie of the Archiventure Group in Denver, Colorado, is the hub for The Bear, The Wolverine, and Spruce Run.

Grand Traverse Resort & Spa features a fleet of 225 golf carts with canopies, windshields, and ball washers; 120 electric, 105 gasoline. Golf club and shoe rentals are available. The Resort’s full-service golf staff and a virtual army of greens keepers make Grand Traverse Resort & Spa one of the nation’s finest golf experiences. Excellent service and tournament caliber conditions are hallmarks of the quality golf experience. Golf outings and tournaments for groups may be arranged by contacting the golf staff. Other on-course amenities include beverage carts on all courses and a turn-stand/halfway-house on The Bear called the Afternine, which serves sandwiches, beverages, and snacks.

Key Golf Staff
Director of Golf - Tom McGee
Director of Golf & Grounds - Paul Galligan, GCSAA
Jim McLean Golf School Director of Instruction - Jason Jenkins, PGA

PROFILE OF THE BEAR

The Bear, Grand Traverse Resort & Spa’s best-known golf course, was designed by Jack Nicklaus. It officially opened on June 17, 1985, and is credited by some with sparking the explosion of designer golf course construction in northern Michigan. The Bear is home to a variety of wildlife and has been the home of the state’s oldest and most prestigious tournament, the Michigan Open, since 1985. The Bear hosted the Ameritech Senior Open in 1990 and the Michigan Bell Showdown Skins Tournament from 1986-1992.

Often described as one of the toughest golf courses in the state, The Bear has a reputation for living up to its name. It is an 18-hole, par 72, links-style course which features Scottish-like terraced fairways, tiered greens, deep grassy roughs, moguls and mounds, and deep pot bunkers. Other features include lakes and ponds, nestled among hardwood forests, streams, and fruit orchards. A true test for even the finest golfers, The Bear plays to 7,065 yards from the championship tees. It has four lakes and ten holes with water hazards.

Jack Nicklaus said, “We call it a happy course. And the people who play here are going to have a challenge and also have some fun, whatever level of golfer they might be. With rolling land, trees, lakes, streams and flatland, you have a mixture of different features that people will see in different places, but rarely on one golf course. That’s what makes this course unique. No two holes are similar.”

Chi Chi Rodriguez, winner of the 1990 Ameritech Senior Open, played on The Bear said, “(The Bear) is one of the great golf courses we play. The thing that makes this course so great is that it can be set up as tough as you want. This course challenges you on every shot. This is the way golf courses should be designed.”

Black Tees Yardage: 7,065 USGA Rating: 76.8 USGA Slope: 146 Par: 72

Blue Tees Yardage: 6,651 USGA Rating: 74.0 USGA Slope: 145 Par: 72

White Tees Yardage: 6,176 USGA Rating: 72.7 USGA Slope: 144 Par: 72

Red Tees Yardage: 5,281 USGA Rating: 73.1 USGA Slope: 137 Par: 72

- Jack Nicklaus design, opened officially on June 17, 1985 - Bentgrass tees, greens & fairways - Rolling terrain, terraced fairways, tiered greens - Deep pot and sand bunkers - Mounding and moguls which define the holes, deep grassy roughs - Scottish influence links design through pines, hardwoods, and fruit orchards - Signature Hole: #13, par-3, 167 yards from blue tees, over water. - Wildlife: deer, ducks, geese, blue herons, swans, muskrat, and fox

PROFILE OF THE WOLVERINE

Gary Player’s first signature course in the state of Michigan, The Wolverine officially opened on June 8, 1999. Groundbreaking was in May of 1997.

Flexibility, versatility, and playability are designed into The Wolverine. Four sets of tees allow the course to be set-up to accommodate golfers of all abilities. The course will be challenging for low handicap golfers, yet playable and enjoyable for high handicappers, and is capable of being set-up to be a true test for professional tournaments.

Each nine is distinctive. The front nine is constructed on lowland terrain with water and wetlands. Existing wetlands were enhanced and interweave with several holes on the front. The back nine is constructed on highland terrain with hardwoods, rolling hills, and views of East Grand Traverse Bay.

Other course features include strategically placed, distinctly visible bunkers, several large lakes, rolling fairways, and gently contoured greens.

The Wolverine’s forgiving features include generous fairways with broad landing areas. Golfers will be able to chip and run from fairways to greens.

The entire course was completely seeded by the end of July 1998. Fairways and greens were seeded with Providence Bentgrass, tees were seeded with Penncross Bentgrass, and the rough was seeded with Bluegrass and Fescue.

Gold Tees Yardage: 7,038 USGA Rating: 73.9 USGA Slope: 144 Par: 72

Blue Tees Yardage: 6,568 USGA Rating: 71.2 USGA Slope: 135 Par: 72

White Tees Yardage: 5,986 USGA Rating: 67.8 USGA Slope: 125 Par: 72

Red Tees Yardage: 5,029 USGA Rating: 68.1 USGA Slope: 121 Par: 72

- Bentgrass tees, greens & fairways - Undulating greens - Water comes into play on 13 holes - Wildlife: ducks, geese, blue herons, swans, muskrat - Views of East Grand Traverse Bay

PROFILE OF SPRUCE RUN

Grand Traverse Resort & Spa’s original resort course, Spruce Run, began as the nine-hole Acme Public Golf Course, which was expanded to 18 holes in the late 1970s. It was redesigned as a 6,741-yard, par-72 course in 1979 by former University of Michigan Golf Coach, William Newcomb, and renamed The Resort Course. It was given the name Spruce Run in 1992 as a reflection of the numerous fir and spruce trees that line its fairways and undulating greens. During creation of The Wolverine, designed by Gary Player, Spruce Run was shortened to a par-70 course.

More forgiving than The Bear, Spruce Run is fun to play, yet still provides a challenge. It winds among the rolling hills surrounding the Hotel overlooking East Grand Traverse Bay. Water comes into play on 13 holes. The Michigan Open was played on Spruce Run from 1981 through 1984. The nines were reversed for the Michigan Open to provide a tougher finishing hole and a better view of the finish for the gallery and press from the clubhouse.

Blue Tees Yardage: 6,304 USGA Rating: 70.8 USGA Slope: 130 Par: 70

White Tees Yardage: 5,696 USGA Rating: 68.1 USGA Slope: 126 Par: 70

Red Tees Yardage: 4,726 USGA Rating: 68.2 USGA Slope: 125 Par: 70

- William Newcomb redesigned in 1979 - Bentgrass tees, greens & fairways - Numerous fir and spruce trees - Undulating greens - Water comes into play on 13 holes - Wildlife: ducks, geese, blue herons, swans, muskrat - Views of East Grand Traverse Bay

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