Advertisement

Michigan resort plans June opening for new par-3 course on a ski slope, putting course

jason lusk, golfweek
·2-min read

Doon Brae and the Back Yaird, the new par-3 course and putting course at The Highlands in Michigan, will open late this spring. Guests can begin booking play on the short course for a planned June 6 opening.

The lighted, nine-hole Doon Brae is touted by Boyne Resorts as being the first modern golf course built on a ski slope. It will be the 11th course for Boyne, designed by architect Ray Hearn – a Michigan native – on the site of the former Cuff Links par-3 course. The course will feature music, fire pits and food service.

Architect Ray Hearn designed the new Doon Brae par-3 course at The Highlands in Michigan.
Architect Ray Hearn designed the new Doon Brae par-3 course at The Highlands in Michigan.

“The combination of small greens inspired by some of the great green templates from overseas with sod-faced bunkers and tight mowing patterns will be a fun, perfect add-on to the daily golf itinerary,” Bernie Friedrich, director of golf course renovations and development at Boyne Resorts in Harbor Springs, said in a media release announcing the planned opening. “It also provides a wonderful option for families, kids and beginners to try golf for the first time.”

Stretching between 678 and 993 yards, the course moves mostly horizontally across a steep slope to minimize any dramatic uphill hikes. Holes range from 57 to 134 yards in length.

“I wanted to make sure we were creating something fun and unique without being a difficult walk,” Hearn said in the media release. “We also considered all the families taking their kids out to play the short course and then the putting course.”

Doon Brae, built on a ski run at The Highlands, was named for the Scottish words that mean going down into a valley and steep slope.
Doon Brae, built on a ski run at The Highlands, was named for the Scottish words that mean going down into a valley and steep slope.

The Back Yaird (Scottish for yard) will be a 1.5-acre, 27-hole putting course with three nine-hole combinations. It will sit just off the Slopeside Patio of the Highlands Main Lodge.

“Every time I visited Scotland with friends, I was always inspired by the Himalayas (a famous putting course) at St. Andrews,” Hearn said. “We just kept playing it over and over and never got bored. The Back Yaird will provide that kind of experience.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: The Highlands will open its Doon Brae par-3 course in June