Timber Wolf at Timber Wolf Golf Club

Timber Wolf Golf Club sits in the wooded terrain of Kalkaska, a small community in northern Michigan's lower peninsula known for its forests and rolling topography. Designed by Bruce Matthews and opened in the mid-1990s, the course occupies land characteristic of the region—dense stands of pine and hardwood, sandy soil, and moderate elevation changes that provide natural movement through the routing.

Matthews routed the eighteen holes through corridors carved from the forest, creating a layout where tree-lined fairways and strategic positioning off the tee define much of the challenge. The design incorporates the property's natural contours and native vegetation, with holes that turn through the woods and occasionally open to clearings where greens are framed by the surrounding landscape. Water features appear on several holes, adding variety to the shot-making demands.

The course serves both local golfers and visitors exploring northern Michigan's golf offerings, which include numerous daily-fee and resort courses built during the region's golf development boom of the 1990s. Timber Wolf operates as a public facility, accessible to travelers passing through Kalkaska on routes connecting Traverse City to the northwest and Gaylord to the east. The setting reflects the quiet, forested character common to courses in this part of Michigan, where golf takes place amid the natural environment rather than heavily manufactured landscapes.