
White Lake Course
White Lake Golf Club
About this course
White Lake Golf Club sits along the eastern shore of White Lake in Whitehall, Michigan, a small lakeside community on the state's western coast near Muskegon. The course traces its origins to the early twentieth century, with design contributions from both E. E. Roberts and Tom Bendelow, two architects active during golf's formative expansion era in the Midwest. Bendelow, a prolific designer who laid out hundreds of courses across America in the 1900s and 1920s, typically created straightforward, playable layouts suited to the land and local membership. Roberts, less widely documented but active in Michigan during the same period, likely contributed to the course's evolution or routing adjustments. The layout occupies rolling terrain characteristic of western Michigan's glacial landscape, with mature tree-lined fairways and modest elevation changes that add interest without severe difficulty. White Lake itself provides both scenic backdrop and strategic influence on holes near the shoreline, where wind off the water can affect play. The course serves a traditional membership and reflects the unpretentious character common to small-town Michigan clubs—golf focused on enjoyment and community rather than championship ambition. White Lake Golf Club represents a piece of regional golf history, preserving elements of early American course design while adapting to modern maintenance and play standards. The setting offers a quiet, natural golf experience typical of Michigan's lakeshore communities, where the game remains accessible and the surroundings emphasize the state's abundant water and woodland beauty.
Quick facts
- Location
- Whitehall, MI, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1916
- Designer(s)
- E. E. Roberts, Tom Bendelow
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 71
- Length
- 5,739 yards
- Difficulty
- 72.9/133
Getting there
Most visitors to White Lake Golf Club arrive through Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, roughly an hour's drive to the southeast, though Chicago's O'Hare serves as the gateway for those traveling from farther afield, adding another two and a half hours westbound across Lake Michigan's shoreline. The route from Grand Rapids traces US-31 north along Michigan's Gold Coast, where farmland gradually yields to dune grass and glimpses of blue water, before turning west into Whitehall - a quiet harbor town where the White River meets White Lake. The final miles slip past marinas and summer cottages, the air carrying that distinct Great Lakes freshness, until the road delivers you to a layout that has drawn golfers to this unassuming corner of Muskegon County since the Roaring Twenties.

FAQ
Common questions about White Lake
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
White Lake was designed by E. E. Roberts and Tom Bendelow.
Yes. White Lake is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at White Lake is 71.
White Lake plays 5,739 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at White Lake is 133.
White Lake is a 18-hole course.



