As you may well know from my top 21 list I have played some incredible golf courses. Rarely does a course completely exceed my expectations...the next course on my countdown did just that. Honestly, Arcadia Bluffs completely blew me away. It is #5 on my top 21.



Visually stunning is the immediate reaction when I arrived on property. Visually it is really not comparable to anything else I can think of...it is so grand in scale it is difficult to put into words. Bunkers as deep as 20ft, 60 ft sand dunes surrounding hole adds visual stimulation to what is a premier world class golf course with no weaknesses. I stayed on property for 2 nights, I could have easily stayed a week.

Here is a pic I took of the par 4 10th hole at sunset, this is a great example to the dunes to the right and a huge bunker fronting the green. For context, the dunes on the right are bout 60 feet high.


This is a random photo I found on the internet, but it helps illustrate just how huge and nasty the bunkers are at AB.



It is incredible golf. Rick Smith and Warren Henderson laid out 18 great holes. There is not a boring hole among the bunch, all with great width and multiple strategic options in play. I believe that great golf courses will reward you if playing well and punish you if you play poorly, this is certainly the case with Arcadia Bluffs. My first round I was dialed in and despite a double bogey on 18, I managed and eagle and two birdies while avoiding the deep crevasse bunkers and awkward sand dunes to shoot a 75. My second round started promising with a birdie on the first, but I limped my way to a 84 with a back 9 46. I got stuck in a deep green side bunker (it took me 3 shots to get out!) and decided to tour the sand dunes for a few holes.

For me, golf like this is addictive. Risk-reward and strategy is the name of the game here. When a green-side bunker is 15 feet deep or a shot long of the green drops 30ft down the hill, you really must focus on playing your strengths and putting yourself in the right position on every shot. It's one reason why I typically play better on harder golf courses.

The first par 3 on the golf course #2 is a great example. A large nasty waste area bunker awaits shots that are short right. If the pin is back right you have to take this bunker on to have a chance. Hit on the front of the green when the pin is back and you will likely three putt up a few tiers to the pin. Overly cautious golfers avoiding the waste area may find issues with the large tree on the left.


A more extreme example is the uphill par 3 17th, you have to pick a club and commit to it...obviously a shot up the left side is good here, and shots played left may even bounce on the green, but double or triple bogey awaits a ball that falls 30 ft down the hill right. Short is no cupcake either.



One thing that I love about this golf course is that there are 5 par 5's, 3 in the first 5 holes. So it is a great opportunity to start your round off on a positive note.

View from tee of the par 5 3rd hole.



The par 5 3rd, 5th and 11th are three great par 5's Easily the most scenic trio I have ever played on the same golf course.

The 5th hole is my personal all time favorite par 5. It is is the ultimate risk reward par 5 where going for the glory over the dunes to a 55 yard long green could give you an eagle put, or ruin your day. It is 580 yards from the blue tees but plays considerably downhill and finishes on a cliff, 200 feet above lake Michigan. If you don't go for the green you must lay up with a mid iron further down the fairway and hit your third about 125 yards over the waste area bunkers. I eagled this hole the first time I played it after hitting a 5 wood to 8 feet. I came up short in the sand the second time and was lucky to make bogey.

5th tee. You can see the fairway down the right, with the green in the distance on the left.


5th green on the edge of Lake Michigan, surrounded by waste area bunkers


The 7th hole is the hardest on the golf course, a long uphill par 4 473 yards from the tips. The fairway is actually nice and wide, but the long second shot up to a difficult green can give you fits.



The 8th hole is a fun golf hole and a great example of using width in strategic golf design. A high handicapper will like this hole because the fairway is 100 yards wide. However, this hole presents challenge to the low handicapper as well. Too far left and this short par 4 has now become long. Tee shots to the lower tier below the green call for a difficult uphill approach. A good tee shot just left of the pot fairway bunker will put you on the upper tier of the fairway with an easy shot into the green.




The 11th is perhaps the most dramatic downhill par 5 you will ever see. It drops 200 feet from tee to green and winds down to a cliff on the banks of Lake Michigan.

View from the fairway of the 11th hole, you must hit your second down this chute between sandy dunes toward the green.


View of the 10th hole (bottom) and 11th hole (top)


My favorite par 4 is the 12th hole. The left bunker is there to intimidate you to hit the ball too far right, it's not really in play. A shot right over it's center is the line on this 430 yard stunner. If you play Arcadia Buffs it is tradition to tee up and extra ball and pump it into lake Michigan here. It's a cool experience, being some 200 ft above the lake it is crazy how long it takes your ball to hit the water.



aerial view behind the 12th green


the 13th hole is another visually intimidating par 3 over an abyss. 240 yards from the tips, 190 from the blues. There really is a lot more room in front of the green than you realize. Play a shot toward the right side and you should carry the cliffs easily. This is a fun hole.




Great drone shot of the lake side holes. You can see the par 5 5th and par 3 13th greens on the left, 12th hole along the cliff and the par 5 11th hole on the far right side.



Every great course needs at least one great short par 4. The best at AB is the 14th. Just 300 yards this hole is begging you to go for it. That could spell disaster as this hole narrows considerably near the elevated green that is blind from the tee. A hybrid or mid iron out to the right side of the fairway is the smart play here.


The 18th hole is a solid finishing hole back up to the club house.


It’s easy to see why Arcadia Bluffs is so highly regarded, rated 13th you can play in USA by golf digest. But I would argue it's underrated. Many consider it the best public course in the Midwest, even over whistling straits and Erin hills. I recommend going out of your way to play this course, more than once. Stay a few days if you can, I am glad I did.