Manitou Passage Golf Club

Description

Formerly known as Kings Challenge Golf Course.

Christened the Manitou Passage Golf Club (after the nearby Lake Michigan waterway that runs between the Manitou Islands and the Sleeping Bear Dunes) the “new” course actually represents the long-delayed completion of Palmer’s original design, which wasn’t entirely in place when the course opened in 1998. To ensure that continuity, the reworking was carried out with help from Palmer’s own design firm and two other giants of golf course construction: Peridian International and Wadsworth Golf Construction.

Set amid green meadows and rolling, hilly hardwood forests typical of the Sleeping Bear Dunes country, the course was already regarded by golfers as secluded, scenic, and as serenely beautiful as it was challenging and rewarding to play. But Palmer and Peridian had scores of recommendations for its improvement: tee-boxes were repositioned and squared off, fairways in key landing areas were widened, bunkers renovated, and holes lengthened. Natural areas were planted with native grasses, while trees and brush were cleared from some sites to create more open vistas that showcase the course’s natural beauty.

It was one of those vistas that inspired the new owners with the course’s new name. While working on new tee boxes for the eighth hole, they discovered a splendid view of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Passage. According to Kuras, it was an immediate connection: “The grandeur of the passage would portray what we are doing here: creating a world-class golf experience on a course designed by one of the greatest golfers to play the game,” he said.