The Valleys and Hills of Doon Brae

The making of Boyne’s new par-3 short course

By Al Parker | April 20, 2024

Whether you’re a single-digit handicap or a duffer who doesn’t know a mashie from a niblick, there’s a new northern Michigan golf course where the focus is on fun.

Doon Brae is a new par-3 short course being built in Harbor Springs by Boyne Golf, which operates 10 other courses. This new beauty is just a short stroll from the Highlands Main Lodge and set to open this summer.

“We’re excited by how beautiful and different this course is,” says Bernie Friedrich, director of golf course renovations and development at Boyne Resorts. “As far as I know, it’s the only golf course ever built on a ski hill. There are three or four stacked wall bunkers, and instead of tee boxes, we’ll just have a marker on each hole and let guests play wherever they want.”

The greens are unusual too, in that they are inspired by some of the challenging ones found on historic courses around the world. “They’re not exact copies—we’re not trying to duplicate holes. These are suggested by holes and greens from great courses,” explains Ray Hearn, renowned golf course architect who designed the Doon Brae layout.

Hearn is a long-time collaborator with Boyne Golf and worked with Friedrich and Boyne President/CEO Stephen Kircher to make northern Michigan’s newest golf experience a reality.

The trio have played on 24 courses in Scotland, Ireland, and England on different trips to the United Kingdom. Those venerable courses in the British Isles inspired them to pay homage to famous greens highlighted by The Short at National Golf Links. Other Doon Brae greens are similar to Eden, Punch Bowl, Redan, Reverse Redan, Volcano, Steep Slope, Postage Stamp, and Biarritz.

A Golf Course on a Ski Hill

The plan for Doon Brae has been in the works for years, but Boyne Golf officials were waiting for the completion of the Camelot 6 Chairlift that opened recently.   

Work has been underway on the course right through the relatively mild winter. “We didn’t make any major alterations because it still has to work as a ski hill,” explains Hearn. “But we did make some modifications. We’ve had four or five contractors using equipment, including bulldozers, to move earth.”

“We sodded all the fairways,” adds Friedrich. “And they will be surrounded by tall fescue [grass] for that whisper look and feel. It's going to be 15 to 17 inches high and it’s going to be really stunning.”

The Doon Brae name is Scottish: Doon means going into a valley, while Brae means hillside or steep bank. Despite that translation, the course is specifically designed to be very walkable, says Hearn, who focused on minimizing uphill strolls in his layout. 

“Boyne Golf is one of the top resorts and attracts thousands of golfers every year from all over the country,” says the Michigan native, whose golf course design office is based in Holland, Michigan. “We wanted something fun, something unique without being a real difficult walk.”

Hearn’s routing works. Number 1 is a relatively level hole, Number 2 is uphill. Number 3 is downhill, Number 4 is uphill, while 5, 6, and 7 are kind of side hill holes, with 8 and 9 playing downhill. Eight of the nine holes feature bunkers; Number 2 is bunker-free, while Number 9 is virtually surrounded by sand. 

The longest hole at 136 yards, from the blue tee area, is Number 5. The 88-yard Number 2 is the shortest challenge.

And if all that sounds like too much, just a pitch shot from Doon Brae sits a new 1.5 acre nine-hole Himalayan-style putting course. Its undulating greens will challenge putters of all abilities while offering a comfortable, fun area for golfers and families well into the evenings. The course will be lighted, play music, and feature food services and cozy fire pits. 

The Short Course Craze

Both Doon Brae and the putting course come on the heels of a rise in popularity for the sport. Golf has had a resurgence since 2020 and the start of the pandemic, especially at the Boyne courses, according to Friedrich. “Last year was our best year in 10 years,” he says. “We’re hoping this [Doon Brae] will help.”

The new course is expected to fill a growing niche in the popular pastime. For a long time, nine-hole courses served as the sandlots, or minor leagues, of golf. They were often looked down on, but now seem to be all the rage. Today, the National Golf Foundation reports there are more than 4,000 nine-hole golf courses across the country and more than 8,000 worldwide.

Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, and other PGA pros have gotten into the act of helping to elevate the status of the short course. According to Links Magazine, this is full circle for Tiger, whose first home course was Heartwell Golf Course, a par-3 layout in Long Beach, California. It’s where an eight-year-old Woods made his first hole in one, ran to the green, and celebrated before realizing he’d left his bag on the tee. “Woods has made the short course a staple of his course-design philosophy,” says Links.

Likewise, Spieth developed the Spieth Lower 40, a six-hole par-3 course built on 4.5 acres at the University of Texas Golf Club.

Short courses have been gaining in popularity since they address the challenges that have kept some golfers from enjoying the game. Available time, expense, use of water and pesticides, and convenience are sometimes cited by players who have drifted away from traditional golf. 

“There’s a lot of excitement about short courses,” Friedrich says. “We want to keep people excited about golf. If playing 18 or 36 holes doesn’t fit your schedule, this gives golfers another option. The emphasis is on having fun.”

For updates on the progress of Doon Brae, visit boynegolf.com/the-highlands/short-course.