Play the Best Golf Courses in Southwest Michigan
World-renowned golfers have sunk game-clinching putts on Southwest Michigan courses. There’s no question we have some thrilling course designs for low-handicappers. But our choices also keep the game fun for beginning golfers and those who simply like to play.
Below are suggestions for filling two days with perfecting your drives and spending time with family or friends who share your passion for the sport.
Between April and October, you can usually get the dates and tee times you want. Just call the clubhouse or reserve your tee time online. For additional course choices, browse through this list.
Day 1: Finesse Your Game
Spend the day perfecting your game on a course that is fun for first-timers to seasoned golfers. Then unwind with good eats, drinks and incredible Lake Michigan scenery.
Brookwood Golf Course
(approximately 4 hours)
Play this Buchanan course where history merges seamlessly with championship-quality play. Established in 1965, many notable sports celebrities have graced its fairways and you and your friends will quickly understand its attraction. Its 18-hole world-class layout is hilly and woody on the first nine. Its rustic clubhouse is a renovated dairy barn featured in the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.
1339 Rynearson Road
Buchanan, MI
Round Barn Brewery & Public House
(1 to 1-½ hours)
One of Southwest Michigan’s most popular places to get a classic pub meal with locally crafted beers, award-winning wines and delicious cocktails and spirits. The wait staff will let you know the daily specials. There’s an option to chill in their beer garden, too.
Tiscornia Park & North Pier Lighthouse
(approximately 1 to 1-½ hours)
Built into dunes, Tiscornia Park’s soft sand beach is along 16 acres of Lake Michigan shoreline. Walk out the North Pier to the historic lighthouses. Bring a pole and tackle box to reel in yellow perch, coho, brown and lake trout, steelhead and more. Or take a seat along the St. Joseph River and watch sailboats and giant freighters come and go. If you are part of a larger golf outing, reserve the park’s picnic pavilion which holds up to 40 golfers and their families.
Pleasant Street Plaza
(approximately 1-½ to 2 hours)
Between Main Street and Court Street, this vehicle-free zone is part of the St. Joseph Social District. Stop by to chill, listen to live music, play games and thoroughly enjoy the tastiest libations and foods from The Market, 221 Main Restaurant & Cocktail House and Silver Harbor Brewing Company. Walk across Main Street to catch a Lake Michigan sunset from Lake Bluff Park before retiring to your hotel. Wake up rested for more golf tomorrow.
Stay Overlooking the Water
(approximately 8 hours)
Choose from three nearby hotels with waterfront views — the Inn at Harbor Shores, The Boulevard Inn or the newly renovated Silver Beach Hotel. Or find lodgings with the amenities and rates you want within minutes of your tee time tomorrow. Book Your Stay.
800 Whitwam Drive
St. Joseph, MI
See You In The Morning
You will find more fun to enjoy tomorrow.
Day 2: Play By Lake Michigan
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to play on a championship course with a spectacular view of Lake Michigan. Then end your day on a putting green inspired by the Himalayan in Scotland.
The Copper Pot Breakfast Cafe
(approximately 1 hour)
Oh, what a beautiful morning when you wake up to a fluffy omelet, five varieties of waffles, eight choices of pancakes, fresh-brewed coffee or a mimosa, espresso martini or a Bloody Mary. This downtown St. Joseph cafe has this and much more on its menu.
Pipestone Indoor Country Club
(Approximately 1 hour per person)
Golf, rain or shine, playing 18 holes on state-of-the-art Golfzon Vision simulators. Choose from over 180 world-famous courses to take your skills to the next level. It is a fun bonding activity for all ages and abilities.
59 Territorial Rd
Benton Harbor, MI
Lunch at The Grille and Greenside Bar at Harbor Shores
(approximately 1 to 1-½ hours)
The Grille and Greenside Bar present simplistic fare, done exceptionally well, and an extensive selection of spirits, wines and local craft beers. Share your golf stories indoors or on the patio. You are just steps away from your afternoon golfing destination.
Two other close-by lunch options are North Pier Brewing Company where you can try their Belgian-inspired ales and bring over takeout from the North Shore Inn across the street. Or go to the Kingfisher Cocktails & Tacos to savor the refreshing, beach-inspired drinks and flavor-popping street tacos, salads, wraps, rice bowls and more.
201 Graham Avenue
Benton Harbor, MI
Harbor Shores Golf Course
(approximately 4 hours)
This first-in-its-class championship course is a destination for the most passionate golfers. It's a Jack Nicklaus Signature design and, for a historic six times, was the biennial site of the KitchenAid® Senior PGA Championship until May 2024. This is the only Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course along Lake Michigan and you can see this freshwater sea from Hole 7. Beginners and casual golfers should not be intimidated by the caliber of players that have walked these greens. The course keeps the game fun for all skill levels.
201 Graham Avenue
Benton Harbor, MI
Journeyman Distillery and Welter’s Folly
(approximately 1 to 1-½ hours)
Before returning home, visit this Three Oaks distillery housed in a former Featherbone Corset Factory. Take a behind-the-scenes distillery tour and learn the grain-to-glass, organic process. Taste the renowned spirits and find your top choices. Eat at the Staymaker Restaurant. Then, play a round or more on Welter’s Folly,
This 18-hole, family-friendly putting course brings a wee bit of Scotland to the rolling hills of Southwest Michigan. Sip your favorite Journeyman spirits while playing this course inspired by the famous Himalayan putting green in St. Andrews. Cheers to a great golf getaway!
109 Generations Drive
Three Oaks, MI
Thanks for joining us!
We hope you enjoyed your travels throughout Southwest Michigan. Check out other trips that you can take on our itineraries page.
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