Grand Traverse Resort – Spruce Run Golf Course Photos

I’ve gone back and forth on how to write about our round at the Spruce Run Course.

We stayed at Grand Traverse Resort in early October, shortly after the pandemic, for a little fall golf getaway. We played both Spruce Run and The Wolverine Course while we were there.

It should have been exactly the kind of golf weekend we enjoy.

Unfortunately, our experience was a little disappointing.

To be fair, the timing probably had a lot to do with it. The hospitality industry was still dealing with the effects of the pandemic, services were limited, staffing was a challenge just about everywhere, and I’m sure Grand Traverse Resort was dealing with many of the same issues.

So I’ve never been comfortable assuming our experience was typical.

But it was our experience.

For a resort with the reputation and price point of Grand Traverse Resort, we expected the golf operation to feel a little more polished than it did during our visit. The course didn’t feel like it was in the condition we expected from resort golf, and pace of play became an issue without much apparent oversight on the course.

It just wasn’t the experience we had pictured when we booked the weekend.

There were still things I enjoyed about Spruce Run.

The course has been around for a long time and was designed by former University of Michigan golf coach William Newcomb. The layout gives you rolling terrain, plenty of trees, water to think about, and some holes that definitely got my attention.

And Mother Nature cooperated with us for the most part.

It rained while we were there, but somehow managed to do most of it while we weren’t actually golfing. The mist and fog hanging around the resort also gave me some pretty cool pictures of the tower looking a little ghostly.

Considering it was October, the timing was perfect.

We haven’t been back to play Grand Traverse Resort since that trip.

Part of me would like to return because enough time has passed that I’m curious how different the experience would be today. I also know plenty of golfers who have had great experiences at the resort.

The other part of me looks at what a golf weekend there costs and thinks about how many other Northern Michigan courses I could play for the same money.

So, for now, it remains on the “maybe we’ll try it again someday” list.

Golf courses can change. Conditions change. Management changes. And our visit came during a very unusual time.

That’s why I wouldn’t tell someone else not to play Spruce Run based on our experience.

I can only tell you about the round we had.

And someday, maybe we’ll give it another one. ⛳