Public · 18 holes · Beulah
Crystal Lake Golf Club
An 18-hole public course on Fairway Drive in Beulah, listed by the Benzie County Chamber of Commerce and open for the 2026 season.
Benzie & Sleeping Bear
Golf · Private club · Frankfort
Crystal Downs Country Club
A private MacKenzie and Maxwell course on high ground between Crystal Lake and Lake Michigan, ranked No. 1 in Michigan by Golf Digest.
Private club. Play is generally limited to members and their guests. Check with the club.
Crystal Downs sits on the hills north of Frankfort, on the strip of land that separates Crystal Lake from Lake Michigan. Golf Digest credits the design to Alister MacKenzie and Perry Maxwell, noting that Maxwell lived on the property while building the course to MacKenzie’s plans. The 18 holes opened in 1931, and the magazine describes fairways that tumble over glacial ground and steeply contoured greens on a course that is short by modern standards.
This is a private club, so visitors cannot book a tee time. It is included here because it ranks among the top courses in the country on Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest and has held the top spot in Michigan for years.
Fly in
Estimated drive times from OpenStreetMap routing data, without traffic or stops. Arrange ground transport with the airport or FBO.
- Frankfort Dow Memorial Field (FKS)
General aviation: private and charter aircraft
about 15 min by car, about 7 miles
- William B. Bolton Airport (Y87)
General aviation: private and charter aircraft
about 25 min by car, about 17 miles
- Manistee County Blacker Airport (MBL)
Airline service and private aircraft
about 55 min by car, about 36 miles
Places to stay near Frankfort
Hotels and inns
Mid-range
The Hotel FrankfortListed by the Benzie County Chamber of Commerce
Search all hotels in Frankfort: Booking.com · Expedia · Hotels.com · Google Hotels
We don’t take bookings or earn anything from these links. Rates, availability and any booking problems are handled by the booking site.
More places to stay in Frankfort
- Benzie County places to stay (Traverse City Tourism) · The county visitor site's list of hotels, resorts, cabins and other lodging across Benzie County, including the Frankfort and Beulah areas.
Vacation rentals
- Agape Vacation Rentals · agapevacationrentals.com
A Beulah-based rental manager with homes and cottages around Crystal Lake, Beulah and Frankfort, plus other parts of Michigan.
- Northland Vacation Rentals · northlandvacationrentals.com
A Traverse City rental company tied to Century 21 Northland, with cottages and homes in places such as Frankfort and Glen Arbor.
- Visit Up North Vacation Rentals · visitupnorth.com
A Traverse City rental company with homes, cottages and condos across Leelanau, Glen Arbor, the Benzie area and nearby Arcadia and Bear Lake.
Location
Map of Crystal Downs Country Club
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
More golf nearby
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Public · 18 holes · Benzonia
Pinecroft Golf Course
An 18-hole course on a former fruit farm and Christmas tree plantation above Crystal Lake, with rolling greens among mature pines.
Benzie & Sleeping Bear
Public · 18 holes · Beulah
Champion Hill Golf Course
An 18-hole highlands-style course on 350 acres of rolling Benzie County hills, with distant views of Lake Michigan, Crystal Lake and Platte Lake.
Benzie & Sleeping Bear