Mistwood Golf Club

Mistwood Golf Club's Blue course sits in the rolling, wooded terrain of northwestern Michigan's Grand Traverse region, a few miles west of Traverse City near the small community of Lake Ann. Designed by Jerry Matthews and Ray Hearn, the course opened in the mid-1990s as part of a semi-private facility that takes advantage of the area's natural topography—hardwood forests, elevation changes, and sandy soils typical of the glacial landscape. The design fits the routing through corridors of mature trees, with fairways that move over moderate hills and around natural wetland areas. The Blue course plays as one of two eighteen-hole layouts at Mistwood, sharing the property with the Gold course. Matthews and Hearn, both Michigan-based architects active in the state during the 1980s and 1990s, worked to preserve the wooded character while creating playable corridors for a range of skill levels. The layout features a mix of risk-reward opportunities, with doglegs that reward accurate positioning and greens that incorporate subtle contouring. Water comes into play on several holes, and the tree-lined fairways demand thoughtful club selection off the tee. Mistwood operates as a semi-private club, welcoming both members and daily-fee play during the northern Michigan golf season. The facility serves the Traverse City area's robust golf market, which draws seasonal visitors to the region's concentration of courses along the Lake Michigan shoreline and inland lake country.