An Arcadia Bluffs golf trip

This trip is for golfers who want a few days on the Lake Michigan shore with a famous round at the center. Arcadia Bluffs has two 18-hole courses and a 12-hole course on the bluffs south of Arcadia, and Golf Digest ranks both 18s among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses. Manistee, a short drive south, adds two more courses and a town to eat in.

Getting there. Fly into Manistee County Blacker Airport, which has daily jet service to Chicago O’Hare and rental car counters in the terminal. From there, Arcadia Bluffs is roughly 30 minutes by our estimate. The larger Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City is roughly an hour and 20 minutes away, also an estimate. Driving in, Arcadia is roughly 2 hours 50 minutes from Grand Rapids.

Day 1: Manistee. Play an afternoon round close to the airport. Manistee Golf and Country Club, founded in 1901, welcomes public play, and many holes sit high above the lake. Or head to Manistee National in the national forest south of town, with two 18s and a nine-hole par-3 course for a warm-up. Finish with a walk on the riverwalk and dinner on River Street.

Day 2: The Bluffs Course. Play Warren Henderson’s original layout, a links-style course with native grasses, wide fairways, big greens and lake views throughout. If you have legs left, The Dozen is a walkable 12-hole course of par threes and fours. Drive north on M-22 to the Arcadia Overlook for the sunset.

Day 3: The South Course, then the beach. The South Course, by Dana Fry and Jason Straka, is a nod to early American classic design, with few trees and bold bunkering. Spend the afternoon at Arcadia Beach, or walk the Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes.

Alternates. Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville has two 18s, one across the ski slopes (carts required) and one in the Betsie Valley that is open to walkers. Chestnut Hills, a family-run course in the woods inland from Arcadia, is the relaxed local round.

Where to sleep. Stay on site in the Arcadia Bluffs lodge rooms or cottages, at the Manistee National inn, at Crystal Mountain, or in Manistee.

The tradeoff. Arcadia is a small village, so evenings are quiet. For more choice at dinner, base in Manistee.

Book ahead. Reserve tee times and rooms together. The club lists its season as April into fall, with the South Course closing before the Bluffs Course, so check dates if you are coming late in the year.