Manitou Passage Golf Club Open to the Public

King's Challenge-a classic Arnold Palmer design on the Leelanau Peninsula-has been reworked and renamed, and will be open to the public again after years as a semi-private course.

Named the Manitou Passage Golf Club (after the nearby Lake Michigan waterway that runs between the Manitou Islands and the Sleeping Bear Dunes) the "new" course actually represents the long-delayed completion of Palmer's original design, which wasn't entirely in place when the course opened in 1998. To ensure that continuity, the reworking was carried out with help from Palmer's own design firm and two other giants of golf course construction: Peridian International and Wadsworth Golf Construction.

Players who know and loved the old course are going to be delighted with the changes, said resort owner Bob Kuras, who heads the group of local investors that acquired the club last year.

Set amid green meadows and rolling, hilly hardwood forests typical of the Sleeping Bear Dunes country, the course was already challenging and beautiful, but Palmer and Peridian had scores of recommendations for its improvement: tee-boxes were repositioned and squared off, fairways in key landing areas were widened, bunkers renovated and holes lengthened. Natural areas were planted with native grasses, while trees and brush were cleared from some sites to create more open vistas that showcase the course's natural beauty.

Hand in hand with the golf course work was a complete renovation of the clubhouse facilities, entry drive, parking area, cart storage and starter's plaza.

With 971 golf courses (only Florida and California have more) Michigan is one of America's leading golf states. But the best of the state's course designs are located in an arc around the resort community of Traverse City, which markets itself as a "complete golf destination," stressing the region's beautiful beaches and the picturesque wine country of the nearby Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas, as well as its quaint shopping districts, fine dining and casino gaming.

Details can be found on line at www.visittraversecity.com/golfdeals or by calling 888.499.4503.