NWO Golf Links September 2016

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During the golf boom days of the 1980’s
auto workers from Detroit and vacationers to
northern Michigan were seeking the perfect
place to enjoy Michigan’s outdoor activities
and also get in a little golf. Located on I-75
the main corridor to Mackinaw City, the Bridge
and the Upper Peninsula, Gaylord became
the perfect location for creating a unique golf
destination.
Harry Melling, the late owner of a ski resort
in Gaylord, was aware of other Michigan ski
resorts adding golf courses to stretch their
season and increase lodging revenues. This was
the beginning of Treetops Resort and started
what would become the Gaylord Golf Mecca.
As the golf industry grew in Gaylord, Otsego
Club’s Keith Gornick led a group of local
golf course owners to hire Paul Beachnau
and oversee the local Tourism Bureau. They
modeled their marketing collaboration
after Myrtle Beach, which had become the
destination of choice for golfers from all over
the country.
Stay & Play packages were originally offered at
seven locations around the Gaylord area and
today that number has grown to four resorts, plus
five golf courses with a total of 15 golf courses to
satisfy even the most discerning golf palate.
Some of the country’s best designers have used
the sand dunes and majestic pines to create
masterful works of golfing art. Robert Trent
Jones Sr. was the first to be enticed to Gaylord,
when Melling engaged him to build the first
course at Treetops.
Next year the Gaylord Golf Mecca will celebrate its 30th anniversary
offering the best golf values and venues to northernMichigan visitors.
NWO Golf Links