The Grand Nine – The Jewel & The Woods Golf Course Review

A friend of ours recently asked me what we look for when we are searching for a golf course to play. He wanted to know if we researched the history of a certain course or the background on who designed the course before we played it. It was a great question and one I really hadn’t given much thought to.

Because to tell you the truth – when we look for a course to play, our only goal has been to ensure we play in each of the 50 states. After that, I hadn’t given it much more thought.

That is until now……

We have been spending a few weeks in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and I have been researching what golf courses there are in the area. I have found several, with most of them pretty straight forward – public courses, reasonably priced, all offering enough variety in their design to satisfy this recreational golfer.

As I was surfing through the internet and my tourist books, I was reading about Mackinac Island and wondered if we could play golf on the island.

For those that are curious – the answer is YES!!

Mackinac Island has two standard golf courses to choose from. And that’s where the original question comes into play for me.

Of the two – which one would be the most interesting to play? The only way to answer that was to do a little bit of reading. Which is exactly what I did.

And here’s what I found:

• There are approximately 15,000 golf courses in the United States. Yet, only one involves a scenic mile-and-a-half, horse-drawn carriage ride between nines.
• And…..only one is laid out on a battlefield where American soldiers died in a failed attempt to take control of the Great Lakes from the British.

And to my surprise….BOTH of those courses are on Mackinac Island, which is smaller than four square-miles yet boasts two iconic, one-of-a-kind golf courses. Who knew?

Now to choose – which one to play. I was looking for something different and unique. Since I am not that much of a history buff and I do lean more toward romance (read horse drawn carriages), the choice became pretty simple.

The Grand Nines @ the Grand Hotel!

We had no problem securing a tee time. The next step was figuring out how to get to the course. There are two forms of transportation to and from the island: by ferry or by plane. Being on a “fixed income” ruled out travel by plane.

We were able to book ferry tickets through our RV park and caught the early transport for our 9:00 a.m. tee time.

So we did what the locals do – we hailed a “taxi” and headed to the course!

As soon as we disembarked from the ferry, I felt as though we were transported back in time. Back to a time when horse and buggy were the primary source of travel.

Upon arrival at the pro shop we were greeted by Grant, a very nice gentleman who welcomed us with a big smile and a friendly hello. He filled us in on the local knowledge of the track and what we needed to be aware of to have a good round and sent us on our way.

One of the unique things I found myself liking about this course is that it has two distinctively different, and beautiful 9-hole courses. 

The Jewel and the Woods. The front nine of the Grand Hotel golf course, which is the original 9-hole course near town – called the Jewel – was designed circa 1901, and has been complemented by nine newer holes a mile-and-a-half away in the interior of Mackinac Island – called the Woods.

The front nine plays along the waterfront with spectacular elevation changes and incredible views of Lake Huron and the Grand Hotel resort.

Though short at 5445 yards, I found the Jewel to have a beautiful layout over a rolling terrain, with some interesting shots that range from secluded fairways to dramatically elevated tee areas.

Along with the captivating holes, each new tee box on the Jewel spotlighted dramatic views of Lake Michigan and the Mackinaw Bridge. The doglegs and elevation changes created some challenging shots for me and certainly tested my accuracy.

I know I am repeating myself, but the Jewel is a beautiful course – fun to play and relatively easy to score on.

Let’s not forget the main attraction of the course for me….the 20-minute, horse-drawn carriage ride to the back nine!

When you’re playing all 18 holes, you get from the Jewel to the Woods by taking a leisurely 20-minute, horse-drawn carriage ride that gives you sights of the island most visitors never see.

The relaxing ride traveled along a quiet road that offered a different experience from other courses I have played. We rolled passed Fort Mackinac, along tree covered lanes, and other island attractions.

Although the trip to the the Woods can be a nice way to rest in between nines, for me the long ride was a slight detriment to my game. I felt I had too much time for my muscles to tighten up. Full disclosure – Marc seemed to be a bit stiff as he teed up for the Woods as well.

As I teed up on the 10th tee box, it was like I had arrived at a completely different golf course – there was that much difference between the designs.

On the front nine I had views of the entire Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge. But the back nine gave me a view of the Upper and Lower Peninsulas AND the bridge!

The first noticeable difference on the back nine was the heavily wooded and longer fairways. Longer fairways are always better for Marc, who has much more fun in a round when he can use his “HAMMER OF THE GOLF GODS” – what us mere high-handicap golfers call a driver – when he is on the tee box!

The Woods does have a few water hazards mixed in too! The putting surfaces throughout the Woods are large and mildly undulating and often flanked by trees on both sides. But to be sure – it didn’t matter if I was on the front nine or the back nine – all my putts broke toward the lake!!

I couldn’t help but notice the many raised tee boxes for the lower handicap players.

This is a most unique golf experience in Michigan. If you are going to be visiting Mackinac Island and want to play some golf, I recommend you play The Grand Nine – The Jewel and The Woods Golf Course.

Based on our score card rating – I would rate the Grand Nine a Birdie Course!

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting

Written By Kathy Festa

COURSE REVIEW SCORE CARD

Course: The Grand Nine – The Jewel & The Woods

Type: Public Course  

Date Played: 07 June 2023