The Loon Golf Resort

The Lake course at The Loon Golf Resort in Gaylord, Michigan represents the work of Jerry Matthews and Michael Tellshow, though detailed public documentation of this particular design collaboration remains limited. Gaylord sits in the northern Lower Peninsula, a region that experienced significant golf development from the 1980s onward as developers recognized the area's natural terrain—rolling topography, dense forests, and numerous lakes and wetlands—as well-suited to resort golf. The course name suggests water features play a prominent role in the routing and strategic character. Northern Michigan courses typically incorporate the region's glacial landforms, with fairways carved through second-growth pine and hardwood forests and greens sites that take advantage of natural elevation changes. The growing season is relatively short, with courses generally open from late April through October, and conditioning reflects the climate's constraints. The Loon Golf Resort operates as part of Gaylord's broader golf tourism economy, which attracts players primarily from southern Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana during summer months. The area offers multiple courses within a short drive, and resorts typically bundle accommodations with golf packages. Course difficulty and character vary widely among northern Michigan designs, ranging from accessible resort layouts to more demanding championship-style tests, though specific details about The Lake's yardage, slope rating, and signature holes are not widely documented in major golf publications or databases.