Best Golf Courses In Lansing
Not many people outside of Michigan realize that Lansing is the state capital. Lansing is centrally located in the middle of the mitten, but it’s only one-fifth the size of Detroit and smaller than Grand Rapids as well. It might not be the golf capital of Michigan, but for a city its size (roughly 115,000 residents), the best golf courses in Lansing offers plenty of great options.
It helps to have a Big Ten school, Michigan State University, next door in East Lansing. The Spartans have a nice golf facility at Forest Akers Golf Course. The West course is the championship test that for years hosted the Michigan High School Athletic Association state finals. The shorter East course, while still solid, caters to more casual golfers just looking for some fun or learning the game. A 20-acre golf center features 18 heated/covered hitting bays and plenty of space to practice your chipping and putting.
Even more impressive is the golf mecca which contains several of the best golf courses in Lansing which was built by Daryl Kessler in nearby Bath. It all started with 27 fine holes designed by Michigan’s Jerry Matthews at Hawk Hollow. The 2003 debut of nearby Eagle Eye, located across the street, brought a replica island green from TPC Sawgrass to Michigan. In 2017, Golf Advisor reviewers ranked the difficult course fifth in the nation. Eagle Eye also serves as the home for the Michigan PGA. What’s most impressive about Kessler’s empire is its versatility catering to golfers of any age or ability. The Falcon nine-hole course provides a relaxed atmosphere for beginners/juniors and for those who love FootGolf. A recent addition is Woodside, one of only a handful of 12-hole layouts in the country. It’s fast to play and affordable, just what golfers want these days.
Timber Ridge Golf Club, another Mathews gem carved from a tree nursery planted in the 1940s on the outskirts of East Lansing, and College Fields in Okemos both average above four stars ratings and are considered two of the best golf courses in Lansing according to GolfAdvisor. College Fields Golf Club sports some nice rolling land and at 6,600 yards, won’t overwhelm most players. Timber Ridge winds through the forest, giving the layout an “up north” feel without the long drive. Royal Scot Golf Club in Lansing and Pine Hills, a short par 70 of 5,100 yards in Laingsburg, are two unique properties on your radar of local golfers. Pine Hills (24 miles northeast of Lansing) allows disc golfers to play in the same group as regular golfers and everybody seems to get along fine. Royal Scot houses 27 holes and a bowling alley to deliver fun all day and night, all year long.