A golf weekend experience like no other
By Tom Lang
I have had the humble pleasure of enjoying many different types of golf trips over the years – from Hawaii to historic Williamsburg, to California and South Carolina and many locations in between. One of the nicest took place just a few weeks ago at Thunder Bay Resort, located in Hillman, due west of Alpena on Michigan’s ‘sunrise side.’
It was a fun and unique enough experience that my spouse said, ‘let’s go back in the winter.’ 
Huh, to golf you ask?
Well, no, not to play golf when the snow flies – rather to participate again in the resort’s award-winning Elk viewing carriage ride, complete with gourmet dinner and wine tasting inside an updated but rustic-looking cabin in the woods. In the winter, the Belgian horse-drawn carriage is changed over from rubber tires to be fitted with sleigh runners and people bundle up under their own blanket for the tour through the 160-acre Elk nature preserve on the way to dinner.
‘Over the River and through the Woods’ is not just a music lyric in this case.
It’s what you literally experience as the Thunder Bay Resort Elk tour meanders through the only wild Elk preserve within range of dozens of states. In non-Covid years, thousands of travelers come in from other regions across the U.S. to participate.
“Some people think the Elk are tame, and we can get quite close to totally wild Elk as well, but most of these animals have never been touched by a human being – we keep them as close to totally wild as we can,” said the owner, Jack Mathias, age 79, who first developed the front 9 of the now 18-hole course in 1971 – meaning next year is the property’s 50th anniversary.
The ride is an excellent look at, and history lesson for, the Elk habitat in Michigan. On the Saturday evening we went along, up to three dozen Elk were easily seen, with one coming up to within 15 feet of the carriage to graze. It was only the second carriage ride of the season due to prior Covid restrictions, so a few other Elk that were initially close by were spooked to see humans for the first time in several months and scampered away.
The dinner was very good and – although the spouse and I rarely touch wine – the wine tasting was done well and my wife found an ‘Ice Wine’ from Modern Craft Winery in Au Gres, MI that she fell for.
Accommodations at Thunder Bay Resort were built in the early 1990s. They are roomy and comfortable and according to my spouse, smelled fresh, without any hint of mustiness. The overnight choices range from condominium style Chalets to Suites in 2-and 3-story buildings along the second hole. There’s a rough equivalent of 70 bedrooms on the property.
There is also an RV Park that on our trip was filled with many high-end motor coaches, from Texas, Florida and Alabama.
“The second most inquiries we get from the website come from Texas,” Mathias said. “We’re the only people doing something like the Elk Tour that’s east of the Rockies. We get rave reviews, and almost everybody says we exceeded their expectations. Our word of mouth is very good, and when it comes to couples’ golf getaways, I am reasonably confident that we can compete with just about anything you can do anywhere.”
For two years running, the Elk Tour has been recently awarded the “Best of the Best” in the “Adventure” category by Destinations Magazine. 
Speaking of Golf:
Three golf experiences are included in the Getaway Package – at Thunder Bay, plus Red Hawk and Black Lake – three courses designed as a loop to hit Red Hawk in Tawas on the way north, two nights at Thunder Bay, then finish at Black Lake to the northwest on day 3. But they can be played in any order golfers desire.
Thunder Bay doesn’t have a famous designer’s name affiliated with the layout, but it’s a nice parkland style course surrounded by trees, outside of Hillman. The first three holes start out with tree-lined fairways before Holes 4-7 open up on a piece of land across the street with wider fairways and large greens. Once the routing goes back across the same residential road, you’ll never encounter a straight fairway again, sans the par 3s. Every hole 8-18 has some amount of turn in them that in all but one case hides the green from view of the tee box.
Ponds dot the course to serve as drainage and hazards. Reaching the 3rd, 8th and 11th greens requires going over the edge of ponds, while 12 and 17 require full-flight approaches over water.
Although it was abundantly clear Thunder Bay is a buddies’ trip destination, lots of couples were also out playing together, a refreshing change from most courses.
Red Hawk is an excellent Arthur Hills design north of Tawas situated on a gorgeous track of land. Holes 2-4 might be my favorite run of holes, but that certainly doesn’t mean the fun stops early.
The second hole is a drivable par 4 to an elevated green surrounded by bunkers so if your sand game still needs work it’s best to layup off the tee. No. 3 is a stunning par 3 with a huge drop off from the tee. It’s tempting to club down for that very reason but it’s still a good poke to get your ball there. No. 4 is a beautiful par 4 that turns right to left as it glides downhill – just a picture-perfect setting (which honestly can describe plenty of holes on the course).
Black Lake was designed by Rees Jones at the UAW property near the top of our mitten. Jones might have created the routing and some green complexes, but God did the land design. A handful of holes have ravines to clear off the tee, which also highlights the several elevation changes on site.
As long as accuracy is maintained in your golf game, the sand bunkers can be viewed as artistry instead of hazards. Several greens have two-tiers offering multiple pin placements, with the 12th hole par 3 the most dramatic in the two different levels to conquer par. All in all, a great place to culminate a fun weekend getaway.
Special Offer from Ohio Golf Journal
Win a Golf Trip for four people to Thunder Bay complements of Ohio Golf Journal. Package includes two-nights stay and a round of golf at each of the three Thunder Bay courses. Fill out the registration form: https://americangolfjournal.com/registercontest/
