Traverse City at Traverse City Golf & Country Club

Traverse City Golf & Country Club occupies rolling terrain in northern Michigan's Grand Traverse region, an area known for its cherry orchards, inland lakes, and moderate summer climate that has supported golf since the early twentieth century. The course was designed by Tom Bendelow, the Scottish-born architect who laid out hundreds of courses across America during golf's first expansion era, primarily in the 1910s and 1920s. Bendelow worked for A.G. Spalding and later independently, creating accessible designs that often featured straightforward routing adapted to natural landforms.

The layout reflects Bendelow's practical approach to golf course architecture, working with the property's existing contours rather than imposing dramatic earthmoving. The terrain provides natural elevation changes and wooded corridors typical of northern Michigan golf, with mature trees framing fairways and defining playing corridors. The course serves a traditional private membership, offering a walkable test of golf suited to the region's recreational character.

Traverse City itself has grown into a year-round destination, and the club represents part of the area's longstanding golf heritage, predating the resort courses that would later bring national attention to the region. The layout provides a window into early American course design principles, where strategic interest emerged from routing choices and green complexes rather than extensive hazard construction. The club maintains its role as a community institution within a city that has become increasingly recognized for golf tourism.