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6 hours ago
- Sport
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Best Michigan private golf courses ranked: Alister MacKenzie gem still No. 1
Michigan has dozens of excellent private golf courses and country clubs. Some are among the best in the United States and the world. Golfweek (part of the USA TODAY Network like the Detroit Free Press) has released its highly anticipated 2025 rankings of each state's best private golf courses, including the top 15 in Michigan. Advertisement And the names at the top are among the most celebrated in all of golf. Crystal Downs retains the title as No. 1 golf course in Michigan. Finished in 1933, it is a top-50 golf course in the world, according to According to Crystal Downs, the owners convinced the world's most renowned architect, Alister MacKenzie, to detour his train trip from the West — after finishing work on Cypress Point Golf Club in California — to the East Coast on his way home to England. MacKenzie, traveling with his associate Perry Maxwell, wasn't all that enthused and perhaps more annoyed than anything, but his demeanor changed when he saw the dunesland in Frankfort overlooking Lake Michigan. Dr. Alister MacKenzie, Scottish golf course designer in the sport's Golden Age of architecture. "For roughly 10 days, he worked feverishly with Mr. Maxwell, selecting the course routing, painting green complexes and creating the eighteen-hole design that remains essentially unchanged today," the club's website says. "Mr. Maxwell returned in the spring to supervise the commencement of the course construction, and subsequently returned each summer, living in a farm house aside what is now the 8th fairway, until 1933 when the back nine was finally completed." Advertisement TRENDING: World-class designer bringing talent to metro Detroit for golf course rebrand Crystal Downs remains unaltered from its original design, according to the club. It is one of two MacKenzie course designs in Michigan; the other is at the University of Michigan, ranked in 2022 by the Detroit Free Press as the No. 1 course in metro Detroit. The top five private golf courses in Michigan, according to Golfweek, stayed the same as 2024. The restored Oakland Hills (South) in Bloomfield Township is No. 2, Kingsley Club in Kingsley is third, Dunes Club (nine holes) in New Buffalo fourth and Franklin Hills in Franklin fifth. See the entire top 15 below. Advertisement Golfweek's rankings come from a rating panel of hundreds of everyday golfers, who evaluate courses from 1-10 based across 10 criteria, and file a single, overall rating on each course. Criteria include routing, greens, variety and memorability of par 3s, 4s and 5s, and course conditions. Those overall scores are averaged to produce Golfweek's annual Best Courses lists. If you're looking for Michigan's best public golf course options — from the more than 650 to choose from — we already covered Golfweek's top 20 in Michigan. Find the complete list of Michigan's top 15 private golf courses, as ranked by Golfweek. RANKED: Michigan's best 20 public golf courses for 2025 Michigan best private golf course rankings for 2025 by Golfweek Advertisement T14. Point O'Woods Golf and Country Club, Benton Harbor (14) T14. LochenHeath Golf Club, Williamsburg (N/A) Dropped: Country Club of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Farms (13). Check out Michigan's best 20 public courses, and read more from Golfweek's best private courses. Stay connected and stay informed. Become a Detroit Free Press subscriber. Marlowe Alter is an assistant sports editor at the Detroit Free Press and spraying golf aficionado. You can reach him by email: malter@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Best Michigan private golf course rankings for 2025: Top 15
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6 hours ago
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Michigan's best 20 public golf courses rankings: Arcadia Bluffs remains No. 1
It's our little secret: The state of Michigan continues to have some of the best public golf courses in the United States. Yes, much of the golf world is starting to recognize The Mitten state has lots to offer with a wide variety of resorts, lakeside views, isolated forests, epic rolling terrain and farmland. Advertisement Trying to narrow the more than 650 Michigan public-access golf courses into a top 20 is daunting, but that's just what Golfweek, part of the USA TODAY Network just like the Detroit Free Press, has been doing for many years. Golfweek on Monday, June 2 revealed its full state-by-state rankings for public-access golf courses, and Michigan's top courses were distilled into the 20 best. To no surprise, the top spots remain unchallenged. The original course at Arcadia Bluffs stays No. 1, and the one-of-a-kind Greywalls at Marquette Golf Club in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is firmly No. 2. Forest Dunes' two courses in Roscommon — The Loop and the original Forest Dunes — remain Nos. 3-4, with Arcadia's South Course sticking at No. 5. Advertisement One newcomer to this year's ranking is a familiar name: the Jones Masterpiece at Treetops Resort in Gaylord. How do the rankings come to pass? Golfweek uses hundreds of course raters to analyze 10 different criteria on a scale of 1-10 at each place to produce an average course rating. Those categories include routing, conditioning, greens, and memorability and variety of golf holes. Raters also file a single, overall rating on each course, which are averaged to produce all of Golfweek's Best course rankings. To qualify, a course must allow public play in some fashion. "If there's a will, there's a tee time — no membership required," Golfweek's creative director and travel editor Jason Lusk writes. Here is Golfweek's top 20 ranking for Michigan golf courses as of 2025: Advertisement GET OUT: 5 public golf courses in Michigan I can't wait to play for first time Michigan best public golf course rankings for 2025 by Golfweek *Indicates location in Michigan's Upper Peninsula 1. Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs Course), Arcadia (last year's rank: 1) 2. *Marquette Golf Club (Greywalls), Marquette (2) WORTH THE HYPE: Greywalls feels like a time warp back to Jurassic era OLD SCHOOL GEM: This might be Michigan's most underrated golf course THE BEST: No. 1 public golf course in metro Detroit brings some of The Masters to Michigan Dropped: Diamond Springs, Hamilton (19) Find the rest of Golfweek's state-by-state rankings, and check back for more rankings in June. Marlowe Alter is an assistant sports editor at the Detroit Free Press and spraying golf aficionado. You can reach him by email: malter@ Advertisement Stay connected and stay informed. Become a Detroit Free Press subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Best Michigan public golf course rankings for 2025: Top 20
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6 hours ago
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2024 Rocket Classic runner-up Akshay Bhatia commits to 2025 classic
Akshay Bhatia came so close to winning last time he played in Detroit, and he'll now get an opportunity to make up for his disappointing final round. After finishing as the runner-up in the 2024 Rocket Classic, the world's No. 34-ranked Bhatia has committed to participating in the 2025 Classic, taking place at Detroit Golf Club from June 25-29. Advertisement Bhatia is a two-time PGA Tour winner, winning the 2024 Valero Texas Open in San Antonio and the 2023 Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California, just north of Lake Tahoe. He achieved his highest world ranking (No. 21) on March 16 and made the cut for the 2025 PGA Championship in May. The 23-year-old left-hander led throughout most of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, not recording a bogey through the first 54 holes of the tournament. He ran through a little adversity on the final day, but still found himself in position to win on the final hole. However, he three-putted the 72nd hole − his only three-put of the tournament − to give Cam Davis his second Rocket Classic win. Bhatia finished the 2024 tournament 17-under and tied for second place with David Thompson, Min Woo Lee and Aaron Rai. Advertisement Davis, who is the only two-time winner of the Rocket Classic (2021 and 2024), has committed to the 2025 event, along with former champions Rickie Fowler (2023) and Tony Finau (2022). The world's No. 4 ranked Collin Morikawa is also scheduled to participate. The Rocket Classic had its first tournament in 2019 and has become a fan-favorite event for Detroiters. The 2025 Classic will be held from June 26-29 at Detroit Golf Club, with tickets available at You can reach Christian at cromo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2024 Rocket Classic runner-up Akshay Bhatia commits to 2025 classic
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6 hours ago
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U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun pulls out of Rocket Classic
J.J. Spaun said he would take some time to enjoy his victory at the U.S. Open, and he's making good on his word. But it means that he won't participate in Detroit's biggest golf event. As confirmed by tournament officials, Spaun, who won his first major at the 2025 U.S. Open on Sunday, June 15, pulled his name off the commitment list ahead of the 2025 Rocket Classic in Detroit. Advertisement Spaun is currently playing at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, but was 5-over par through 14 holes in Round 2 and near the bottom of the leaderboard for the no-cut event. With the U.S. Open win, Spaun rocketed 17 spots up the world rankings, currently at No. 8. That made him the second-highest-ranked golfer committed to the Rocket Classic after Collin Morikawa, who announced his commitment on May 19. Recent commitments to the Rocket Classic have included Akshay Bhatia, the runner-up in the 2024 Classic, and former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, the No. 11 golfer in the world. MORE GOLF NEWS: World No. 11 Hideki Matsuyama commits to 2025 Rocket Classic in Detroit Advertisement Tournament officials shared this statement regarding Spaun's participation: 'We congratulate J.J. Spaun on his win at the U.S. Open. While he won't be competing at this year's Rocket Classic, we're proud of the incredible momentum building around the tournament. The Rocket Classic continues to be one of the most exciting stops on the PGA TOUR – a place where top players compete and rising stars break through. Our field is shaping up to be one of our best yet.' Past tournament champions participating in the event include two-time champion Cam Davis, 2023 champion Rickie Fowler, 2022 champion Tony Finau and 2019 champion Nate Lashley. The 2025 Rocket Classic will take place from June 26-29 at Detroit Golf Club, with tickets on sale at You can reach Christian at cromo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun pulls out of Rocket Classic in Detroit
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14 hours ago
- Business
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Detroit mayor candidate said my bakery, Sister Pie, is out of business. It isn't.
In the WDIV-TV Local 4 and AARP-hosted mayoral debate on June 16, candidate James Craig stated that Sister Pie, the bakery I founded in Detroit in 2012, "went out of business." That is an incorrect statement. Indeed, Sister Pie has faced many challenges in the last five years due to multiple, intersecting factors. The business has struggled to balance revenue with wages and benefits, and the ability to thoughtfully grow and maintain our triple-bottom-line mission of "people, planet, profit" became especially difficult with the stress and demands of keeping the daily operations afloat. I know we're not alone ― small businesses all over are hurting right now for many of the same reasons. More from Freep Opinion: Detroit's business landscape has changed. It's still tough for entrepreneurs. In May, we widely and carefully announced our plans for a summer interlude to rest, reconfigure the business model and envision a more sustainable future for Sister Pie in Detroit. Over the summer, we'll offer baking classes, fulfill special orders, sell our baked goods at Eastern Market, and work on a vision for the future. By slowing down and taking stock of what we've learned so far, we are mindfully re-committing to our neighbors and great city for years to come. Lisa Ludwinski The writer is the founder and owner of Sister Pie This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sister Pie isn't out of business. James Craig got it wrong. | Letter
