ACME, Michigan – The structural changes at Grand Traverse were made last year when owners of the 30-year old resort spent $7 million to renovate the tower that is the facility’s centerpiece.

Grand Traverse has three courses on its 1,400 acres and the resort features 660 rooms, diverse restaurants and lounges and 49,000 square feet of dedicated meeting space, unique shops, health club and spa, children’s center and beach club. Last year’s upgrades were – most understandingly – very well received and they’ll keep Grand Traverse in the forefront of U.S. golf destinations for many years to come.

That was last year, this is now.

This year’s big change came in personnel, and it’s a most interesting one. During the winter Scott Hebert, the resort’s director of instruction and head golf professional the previous nine years, opted to move to Traverse City Country Club.

His replacement in both roles is Mark Hill, and his background is much different than Hebert’s. Hebert’s playing record is outstanding. He won the Michigan Open six times and captured the PGA Professional National Championship in 2008 at Reynolds Plantation, in Georgia.

Hill’s strong point is on the teaching side, and that’s a big factor in the new approach to instruction at Grand Traverse.

“We don’t even offer golf schools anymore,’’ said Hill. “People don’t have time to go to three- or four-day golf schools. I’m old school. I really get into playing lessons.’’

In short, Hill is a and one-on-one guy teaching-wise.

Grand Traverse had, for many years, been the Midwest resort home of the high profile Jim McLean Golf School. It’s no longer there, but the indoor and outdoor practice facilities are still busy places.

“The days of golf schools are done,’’ said Hill. “People get in a rut hitting on the range. I see them going backward instead of forward.’’

Hill, like Hebert, is a product of the golf management program at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. Hill has been a PGA member for over 30 years, all of them spent at courses in northern Michigan. He bought one of them, Twin Birch in nearby Kalkaska, in 1999 and enjoyed two successful years before economic downturns in the area led to him selling it.

“I got a little burned out on golf and went outside into teaching,’’ he said. He started working with children with special needs during the school year and kept involved with golf by giving lessons in the summer months at Grand Traverse.

“I absolutely loved working as a teacher’s assistant in the special education room for five years,’’ he said, “and – by working here in the summer months – I had the best of both worlds.’’

When Hebert left in February the job was offered to Hill. He took it and added Shane Hollinsworth as an assistant to go along with Randy Ernst, who was on staff last year. They’re working with director of golf operations Tom McGee and have the luxury of using three quality 18-holers – the Jack Nicklaus-designed Bear, the Gary Player-designed Wolverine and Spruce Run, the original course on the property designed by Bill Newcomb.

The courses offer lots of opportunities for Hill and his staff to give playing lessons. Hill offers them over both nine and 18 holes.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,’’ he said. “We’ve got our Golf Academy going gangbusters. The feedback I’ve been getting has all been thumbs up.’’

Grand Traverse has a double-ended outdoor range and the indoor facility has three hitting bays, a video room and club-fitting equipment. There’s also a putting green that will be expanded in time for next winter’s programs.

BAY HARBOR, Michigan – This is anniversary time for Boyne Golf, the biggest golf course conglomerate in the Midwest. It has 10 courses among its three northern Michigan resorts and two are celebrating milestones in 2016.

The Heather course at Boyne Highlands – the Robert Trent Jones Sr. design that got the golf boom started in the area – is marking its 50th season and the most upscale of the Boyne layouts – Bay Harbor – is marking its 20th season.

For Bay Harbor it’s more than just a case of turning a page on the calendar. On June 15 what is now the Renaissance Inn at Bay Harbor will drop the Renaissance brand and become a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection. That’s Marriott’s highest end property. There are only 100 worldwide and Bay Harbor will be just the second in Michigan.

Though Bay Harbor’s stunning three Arthur Hills-designed nines on Little Traverse Bay won’t change, the overall facility will get a more manageable name (Renaissance will be dropped from the title) and an upgrade in stature. It’s definitely a big deal.

“By being part of the Autograph Collection we’ll be exactly what we need to be without changing to fit a brand,’’ said Erin Ernst, Boyne’s director of communications.

The Inn at Bay Harbor opened in 1998 and joined Marriott’s Renaissance brand in 2003. Members of the Autograph Collection are all uniquely different, and the Inn at Bay Harbor has been working towards that eventuality. A $2 million renovation, in which the lobby area, café and 35 guests rooms were redone, is in the final days prior to completion.

There’ll be two more phases to the renovation. The second will begin in January, when the spa and workout area will be the focus. The final phase will begin in the winter of 2018.

Meanwhile, the celebrating of The Heather’s No. 50 anniversary will be done largely on the course. Bernie Friedrich, vice president of golf and retail for Boyne USA, said a $50 special rate to play The Heather would be offered after 1 p.m. for every Thursday in June. The formal anniversary celebration will take place on Aug. 20 when all the past Heather head professionals (there were only seven in 50 years, and all still live nearby) return to play in an outing with members and guests. They’ll all take caddies for that special occasion.

“The Heather was the first golf course in the area, and when we build another one there’s always the question of whether it’ll be as good as The Heather,’’ said Friedrich. “That’s our measuring stick for all our courses.’’

The Heather certainly has held its own over the years as Boyne Highlands added the Donald Ross Memorial, The Moor and the Arthur Hills Course. Boyne Mountain now has its Alpine and Monument layouts and Bay Harbor – in addition to the Links, Quarry and Preserve nines – has Crooked Tree nearby.

They all come under Friedrich’s jurisdiction and he instituted the price-yielding (or dynamic pricing) concept last year. As is the case with so many things in Michigan golf, Boyne was the first to try it.

“We don’t publish green fees anymore,’’ said Friedrich. “We take tee time sheets and blocks of the day – 6 in the morning until 10 at night. When we reach a certain capacity at one price, the price goes up. What it does is it gets people who are price-sensitive to book ahead and that spreads out our tee sheet.’’

Friedrich calls the concept – still not in widespread use nationally — “very successful ‘’ and has the statistics to back it up.

“Two years ago was our best ever in rounds,’’ he said. “We had 8,000 more than in this past year (2015), but in this past year we were much more profitable than we were two years ago.’’

Next new thing on the docket are GolfBoards. Four are in use now at The Moor and the Donald Ross Memorial. Eight more will be coming soon.

“We’ve got a waiting list for them every day,’’ said Friedrich, who is attuned to all the changes in the golf marketplace since his arrival in Northern Michigan in 1975. He notes that Boyne’s clientele isn’t so local any more.

“Fifteen years ago 90 percent came from Detroit or Grand Rapids,’’ he said. “Now probably 20 percent are from outside the state.’’

Michigan has 685 public courses, down from the 700-plus in recent years, but is still second only to California in the number of such layouts.

“In my opinion we haven’t lost anything that shouldn’t have been lost,’’ said Friedrich. “Some of the courses (that are now gone) were poorly run or not very good. Some were sold off for the building of subdivisions, but I’m still bullish. Last year was a really good year, and the whole country is growing in rounds percentages.’’

MACKINAC ISLAND, Michigan – There’s a lot of reasons why people take the 20-minute boat ride from Mackinaw City or St. Ignace to Mackinac Island from May through October every year. The Island is an interesting place. It’s different, and not just because of the boat ride required to get there.

Visitors – up to 15,000 a day during peak times – want to check out the elegant Grand Hotel – even if they don’t spend the night there. They like the shopping and dining options. They like the bike, carriage and horseback rides. They like the historical attractions, notably Fort Mackinac. The list goes on.

Very few visitors consider playing golf a high priority when they head for the Island, but maybe they should – especially the very serious golfers.

Mackinac has a course like no other, one that’s well worth checking out. Its Wawashkamo nine-holer is one of the very few unvarnished courses left from the pre-1900 era when American golf got its start. Golf historians say there are only about a half dozen courses throughout the entire U.S. that have been preserved as close to their original state as Wawashkamo.

The course that its aficionados simply call Wawa was built in 1898 on land that was already historical. A battle in the War of 1812 was fought there and a tree that was on the premises way back then – it was estimated to be 200 to 220 years old when it fell down a few years ago – is still eulogized on the course.

A group of Chicago guys who had cottages on the Island were looking for things to do on their visits, and a golf course was good for starters. They brought in Alex Smith, a Scotsman who was greenskeeper of the Washington Park course in Chicago, to design a one. Smith visited the Island and did a preliminary design before focusing on playing. He went on to win the U.S. Open twice.

The Chicago gang decided on the Indian-inspired name, which means “Crooked Trail.’’ Smith’s design underwent some changes in its early years but it remains very much like the one that Smith designed, and that makes it very historically significant.

“But,’’ said Chuck Olson, the head pro at Wawashkamo for the last five years, “hardly anyone knows it’s there.’’

Motorized vehicles are extremely limited on Mackinac Island, so Wawashkamo’s players get to the course by walking, riding a bicycle or – most of the time these days – taking a horse-drawn carriage ride that takes about 20 minutes from the Grand Hotel.

In the early years players built their own tees, using sand and water, and you can still do that on the first tee at Wawashkamo. You can also rent clubs from Hogan that are from the pre-1935 era. (I did both). Modern day clubs, balls and tees are used by most of the players now however.

They take on a course that has nine holes but can be played as an 18-holer thanks to the availability of alternate tee placements. As an 18-holer the course measurers 5,949 yards. It features cross bunkers and chocolate drops (which are piles of stones) as hazards. Most unusual, though, is the Circus Ring that surrounds one of the greens. In the early years the ring was made up of high grass. It was there to force golfers to loft their approach shots. That became a problem because the golfers who couldn’t do that couldn’t find their balls in the grassy Circus Ring.

Now the “ring’’ is simply a roped off area around the green, and golfers aren’t allowed to set foot in that area.

Olson resides in a house a few steps from the clubhouse, so rarely leaves the premises until the winter weather sets in. He doesn’t get much company from players, since the course gets only about 5,000 rounds a year – from May to October – but Wawashkamo has about 120 members who enjoy the social life there. The outings that Olson organizes for them are a big reason the club can survive financially.

Olson obviously enjoys his job, but he’ll never be around as long as Frank Dufina, one of his predecessors. Dufina was Wawashkamo’s head pro from 1904 until 1967. That’s believed to the longest run by any pro at one club. Olson has carried on the Wawashkamo tradition.

“It’s a great place that has existed for 118 years with little change, and we are very interested in continuing to be good stewards to allow the club to have many more years as a great example of 19th century golf,’’ said Olson.

Mackinac Island has more golf than that offered at Wawashkamo. It’s hard to see most of the holes, though, because they’re off the beaten path. The holes that are easily visible comprise the front nine of the Grand Hotel’s course, which is called The Jewel.

The Jewel is no modern day marvel, either. The front side dates back to the 1920s. Now called the Grand Nine, it was one of the umpteen designs of Tom Bendelow. He inexplicably is not in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but his creations dominated the courses built in the early years of American golf.

Bendelow designed the Grand Nine across the street from the Grand Hotel, which opened in 1887. His nine has views of Lake Huron and Round Island. Unlike Wawashkamo, however, the Grand Nine was renovated by Michigan architect Jerry Matthews in 1987 and Matthews designed a second nine, called The Woods, in 1994. The Woods has views of the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge.

Those two nines are over a mile apart, so a carriage ride of about 20 minutes is required to play all 18 holes.

Jason Horlicks, the head pro for 17 seasons, says The Jewel gets about 14,000 rounds a year, many coming from corporate outings.

“That’s not bad, considering the short season we have and the fact that we close at 6 p.m. each day,’’ said Horlicks. Daylight is available until 9 p.m. for much of the six-month season, and the other courses in Michigan take full advantage of that, but the schedule of events at the Grand Hotel necessitates shorter hours for The Jewel.

The Grand Nine is shorter and tighter than the Woods and both have nice finishing attractions. Together they form a 5,457-yard par-67 course from the back tees. Those going just nine holes can stop off at the Jockey Club for post-round socializing and The Woods concludes in front of the even more unique Bavarian-style restaurant of the same name. The Woods restaurant includes Bobby’s Bar in addition to full-service dining and the oldest duckpin bowling alley in the U.S. is also located in the clubhouse.
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Here’s the latest for golfers who like to travel:

The Heather Course at Michigan’s Boyne Highlands Resort hit a milestone when it opened for the season on Friday the 13th. The 2016 campaign will mark the Heather’s 50th anniversary season. The Robert Trent Jones Sr. design was the first course at Boyne.

Heather opened for the season on the same day as The Preserve and the Quarry/Preserve at nearby Bay Harbor, and that was cause for celebration as well. Bay Harbor, with its three distinct nines, is beginning its 20th anniversary season, and Friday’s openings meant that all of the Boyne courses are now taking players.

Four of them – the Arthur Hills Course at Boyne Highlands, Alpine at Boyne Mountain and Crooked Tree and Links/Quarry at Bay Harbor opened on April 29 and The Donald Ross Memorial and The Moor at Boyne Highlands and The Monument at Boyne Mountain opened on May 6.

Purdue course to open soon

Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind., will soon have two Pete Dye-designed courses. Dye’s Kampen Course hosted the 2003 NCAA women’s championship and the 2008 NCAA men’s championship.

Now the second course at the Birck-Boilermaker Complex will be known as the Ackerman-Allen course. Staffers hope to have it available for the Purdue Club Scholarship Day on June 4.

Ackerman-Allen was previous known as Purdue South. It was designed by Bill Diddle in 1964 and hosted a memorable NCAA men’s championship in 1961 when the host Boilermakers won the team title and Jack Nicklaus was medalist.

That course was modified by Chicago architect Larry Packard in 1968 to accommodate some residential building and the course underwent still more changes from 1996 to 1998, when the Birck Boilermaker Complex was opened.

Reynolds Lake Oconee unveils Quick Six course

The Plantation Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga., re-opened on May 1 after a multi-phase restoration project directed by architect Bob Cupp. A flexible short course routing was added as part of the project.

Cupp’s design also incorporated a Quick Six course within the regular layout. None of its holes are longer than 130 yards. Mark Lammi, Reynolds’ vice president of golf, said the Quick Six will appeal to golfers of all age and skill levels and offer the option of playing a quick few holes as well.

Handa Cup is leaving U.S.

The ISPS Handa Cup matches, a fixture on the LPGA Legends Tour for 10 years, won’t be played in 2016 at the request of long-time title sponsor Dr. Haruhisa Handa. The matches, held last fall at Palm Aire, in Sarasota, FL., were scheduled to return there this year until Handa requested a postponement.

Handa wants to hold the event, which matches a team of American-born Legends players against a squad from around the world, outside the U.S. for the first time. No site for the next Handa Cup matches has been announced, but it’ll likely be held in either late spring or early summer of 2017.

Bits and pieces

The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, has named John Johnstone as vice president of food and beverages. He had been director of club operations at Augusta National.

St. Lucie Trail, which was added to the PGA Village complex in Port St. Lucie, FL., last year, will close on Sunday for aerification work. It’ll re-open on June 4.

Brett Schoenfield has returned to The Omni Homestead Resort in Virginia as managing director. He’ll oversee Homestead’s 250th anniversary festivities.

Crystal Springs, in Hamburg, N.J., has launched a new golf academy featuring instructor Brian Rogish. He had previously work at Turning Stone, in Syracuse, N.Y., and Nemacolin Woodlands, in Pennsylvania.

Wild Dunes, in Charleston, S.C., has announced the completion of renovations at its Boardwalk Inn and new Coastal Provisions restaurant.

Two Canadian resorts – Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and Cobble Beach – were able to open before the first day of May. Jasper Park’s opening on April 30 was its earliest in 10 years.

The Edgewood Tahoe course in Stateline, Nev., has opened for its 48th season. It’s a George Fazio design that was renovated by Tom Fazio. The course will be open through Oct. 16, 2016.

Our latest, extended travels to golf destinations are over now, and they were unprecedented. We were basically on the road for six months – from Oct. 1 to April 10 – and made visits to destinations in Nebraska, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California. Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Indiana.

We covered about 14,000 miles on this all-driving odyssey and hit 18 destinations with a lengthy stay in Winter Haven, FL., in between – a period during which we tested a number of golf facilities in the Orlando area. All were chronicled in my reports and Joy’s photos.

All in all it was a worthwhile, educational and productive journey in which we had lots of fun, saw old friends, made many new ones and hopefully provided helpful information for your golf travels.

Here’s a sampling of what’s new for golf travel aficionados, starting with a report from the last of our recent stops — long-time favorite French Lick Resort in southern Indiana.

The big news at French Lick has centered on its spectacular Pete Dye Course in recent years, but not this time. Director of golf Dave Harner and his staff turned more attention to the Donald Ross Course this time.

“We recognized that it’s not an easy course for women or players with 25 handicaps or higher,’’ said Harner, “so we added 11 new forward tees and they’ll shorten the course for those players by about 900 yards. It’ll enhance the playing experience for those players, speed up play and open us more to family golf.’’

The Ross will also be the exclusive site for July’s Indiana Open, the first time that has happened at one of the Hoosier state’s most historic courses since 1962. Both the Dye and Ross layouts were used to host that tournament in 2012.

All three French Lick courses will be used to host the Indiana Junior Age Group Championship in July and the LPGA Legends Championship will be the big event of the season at the Dye, from Aug. 19-21. Harner said the fourth playing of that event “will be bigger and better than ever.’’ The pavilion at the Dye Course clubhouse has also been doubled in size to allow for more social events there and the club has a new head professional in Andy Fortner. He moved over from the Ross Course, with Rob Koontz taking over the head job there.

A DEAL AT PINEHURST: Want to play Pinehurst’s historic No. 2 course (as well as No. 8) for only $19.75? And, you could play the resort’s other layouts for free – if you opt to join the Private Residence Club at the newest of the Pinehurst courses, called either No. 9 or simply The National. It’s a Jack Nicklaus design.

Obviously there’s a catch. You have to buy in to The Cottages at National but this unusual offering is an enticing deal for those able to spend at least three weeks a year at Pinehurst. There are seven cottages, each with either two or four bedrooms, and the Private Residence Club falls somewhere between a time share and home ownership. It’s a substitute for buying a second home, according to creator Dave Hanna. He’s been at Pinehurst since 1992 and can tell you how it all works.

MEXICO-BOUND? KemperSports has kicked off a hole-in-one promotion called UNO! Golfers who make an ace at one of Kemper’s participating facilities have a chance to win a seven-night trip for two to Vidanta Resort in Mexico. Vidanta has courses designed by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. KemperSports also announced that it has added Mahopac Golf & Beach Club in New York to its management portfolio.

IT’S A GO IN KOHLER: Two of the courses are now open in Kohler, Wis. – the Irish Course at Whistling Straits and the Original Championship Course at Blackwolf Run. The Straits Course at Whistling Straits will open later this month. The Original Championship Course – used for the 1998 and 2012 U.S. Women’s Open – will be available through April 22. The Original is comprised of select holes on both the River and Meadow Valley courses.

AND ITS FREE: Six courses in Gaylord, Mich., will offer free golf with a paid night’s lodging at one of the participating hotels from April 22-24. The nearby Boyne resorts also are planning some major promotional events to spotlight the 50th anniversary of the Heather course at Boyne Highlands and the 20th anniversary of Bay Harbor.

CHECK YOUR WATCHES: The Omni Homestead Resort in Virginia turns 250 years old (yes, even older than the U.S.) this year. To celebrate the resort will celebrate at 2:50 p.m. every day from Memorial Day to Labor Day with the serving a different flavor of cake.

COME ONE, COME ALL: Registration has opened for he 33rd World Amateur Handicap Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The event, to be held Aug. 27-Sept. 2, generally draws about 3,500 entrants from all 50 states and some foreign countries.

NEW DIRECTION: Reynolds Plantation Oconee, in Greensboro, Ga., has transformed its instruction program. It’s now the Reynolds Kingdom of Golf, presented by TaylorMade and will be a full game improvement facility operated by Reynolds Lake Oconee. Reynolds also announced that it will host one of the premier national junior tournaments, the Rolex Tournament of Champions, from June 28 to July 1. It’s an invitational event for boys and girls in the 12-18 age group.

SITE CHANGE: The Web.com Tour Championship has been moved within the Jacksonville, FL. Area. It had been held at Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass from 2013-15 but construction on the entire TPC property led to officials looking for a different site. This Oct. 3-9 the event will be held at Atlantic Beach Country Club, a former site of the PGA Tour’s Greater Jacksonville Open.

WINTERGREEN, Virginia – Let there be no mistake about it. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Wintergreen Resort is a destination for skiers – but it’s also quite a bit more than that.

Wintergreen also has 45 holes of golf available and, while it’s not unusual for resorts to have both ski slopes and golf courses, this one is notably different. It’s possible to enjoy both sports on the same day during the winter months at Wintergreen.

And another thing sets this place apart. Frequently at places where both golf and skiing are offered one gets the edge over the other in terms of facilities. That’s not the case here. Wintergreen has 24 ski trails and is probably better known for that sport, but the golf is just fine, too.

This is how things fit together. The crew at the older of Wintergreen’s two courses, Devils Knob, begins the transition from golfers to skiers in early fall. Golf play ends in late October so that the ski slopes can be ready in time for a hoped for opening on Thanksgiving weekend.

After the ski season ends, usually in mid-March but sometimes later, Devils Knob is given a later spring opening date than most courses. It’ll open for play on April 16 this year, though it was probably playable a few weeks before that. Skiers never touch the course but the climate is different than it is down below, where Wintergreen’s other golf facility – 27-hole Stoney Creek – is located.

They’re about nine miles apart, but Stoney Creek remains open all year long – though occasional snowfalls admittedly preclude play at various times in the winter months. Fred Biggers is superintendent for both golf facilities but isn’t involved with the ski slopes. His winter duties, though, include helping out with snow removal.

I’m no fan of driving on the steep, winding roads in the Wintergreen area, but getting from Devils Knob to Stoney Creek isn’t much of a problem and the courses are comparable in terms of terrain and the challenges offered. Though Stoney Creek is on much lower land, its elevation changes aren’t much different than the stunning ones that would be expected on the higher, more mountainous terrain of Devils Knob.

Biggers, a 6-handicapper, believes that Devils Knob is a bit more challenging but that doesn’t appear to be a universally held opinion. At an elevation of 3,851 feet at its No. 15 tee, Devils Knob is the highest course in Virginia. Temperatures there are generally 12-18 degrees cooler than they are at Stoney Creek.

A milestone 40th anniversary for Devil’s Knob is closing in; it opened in June of 1977 so it’s 11 years older than Stoney Creek. Devil’s Knob also has a big edge on Stoney Creek as far as historical interest goes. It’s the first of 17 course co-designed by the father-son team of Ellis and Dan Maples.

The Maples clan is legendary in golf circles, especially in their native North Carolina. Five generations of Maples have been involved in golf, with two others being head professionals and two more working as superintendents. Ellis, who died at age 73 in 1984, and Dan are both in the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame. Dan started his own design firm after his father’s death and his portfolio of courses is now approaching 50.

As for Devils Knob, Ellis — who was also an outstanding player — and Dan set foot on 1,000 acres of thickly wooded hillsides after landing what was then a prize assignment. In the mid-seventies a golf course designer generally received about $3,000 per course. Devils Knob was a $50,000 project for the Maples.

“It was unusual because the land was so high and rocky,’’ said Biggers, who doubts that the course could be built today because of probable environmentalists’ concerns.

But it was built in the mid-seventies at roughly the same time the ski slopes were created and the first resort and lodging facilities went up. Ellis routed the first nine holes and Dan did the second. Now Devils Knob limits play to members and resort guests.

As Wintergreen grew in popularity the second course, Stoney Creek, was deemed a necessity. It consisted of what is now the Monocan and Shamokin nines. A third nine, Tuckahoe, was added in 1990 just before Biggers arrived as superintendent. In addition to the stunning elevation changes offered at Devils Knob, these courses have a babbling brook running through the property.

All three nines were designed by Rees Jones, best known for all the work he has done getting courses tweaked to host U.S. Opens. Players don’t need to be staying at the resort to play it.

Both golf facilities are fun, and so is the journey between them. Wintergreen has its own added attractions, most notably the Copper Mine Bistro at the Mountain Inn, the resort headquarters. Take the drive down from there to Stoney Creek and you come across some other adventures.

Devils Backbone Brewery is an interesting place, a restaurant in a spacious setting that allows for outdoor socializing as well.

And a little further down the road is the Bold Rock Cidery. Its appearance is similar to Devils Backbone but the beverages of choice are built around apples. This place has both an interesting history and a promising future.

John Washburn, a Virginia resident, purchased the eight acres on which Bold Rock sits 30 years ago. He didn’t do much with it until 2012, however. Then, rather than go the traditional routs of building a brewery or winery, he joined forces with Brian Shanks, a New Zealander, to create a company that produces hard cider. Bold Rock now has four sites, and this one is the flagship.

Lindsay Dorrier, a University of Illinois grad who is Bold Rock’s director of retail operations, says the alcohol content in the ciders ranges from 4.7 percent (similar to a lite beer) to 6 percent (similar to a craft beer) to 6.9 percent (which approaches the wine level).

A broad range of Virginia apples are used in the manufacturing process and the cider is offered in 12-once bottles that resemble beer bottles as well as various sizes of growlers. This isn’t just a place to buy cider, though.

Bold Rock is housed in a big wood-frame barn and caters to a lunch crowd with its gourmet sandwiches and appetizers. It also has a big backyard that encompasses the Bold Rockfish River. Kids can play there while adults can sit around a fire pit or try their hand at corn-hole boards. All in all, it’s a very pleasant atmosphere, whether golf is part of the day or not.

As for the golf, Wintergreen just announced new spring Stay & Play packages that start at $79 (double occupancy) or $109 (single occupancy). Check the resort website for more information.

OUTER BANKS, North Carolina – The Outer Banks of North Carolina had been a mystery to us, and apparently we weren’t alone.

A golf buddy of mine who lives in North Carolina, who had been there and liked it, told me that “most people in North Carolina don’t know about it.’’ A much bigger portion of the visitors to the Outer Banks come from Virginia, which is only an hour away, and all points north.

Fortunately the Outer Banks is no longer a mystery to us after we spent a week checking out many of the things the area has to offer. Since our travel destination invitations over the years have been almost entirely golf oriented, the Outer Banks represented a big change. And it turned out to be a refreshing one.

The Outer Banks is a beach area that is big on family activities. Golf is – in varying degrees — a lifestyle thing at some of our nearby stops in Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Pinehurst, N.C. It’s not a lifestyle thing in the Outer Banks. Golf is simply an amenity here – but it is a very good amenity.

We visited the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, the town adjacent to Kitty Hawk where Wilbur and Orville became the first to put an airplane in flight in 1903.

We tested the shopping in the quaint little town of Manteo. We climbed the 220 steps to the top of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse and enjoyed the scenic views from there. We went on the Wild Horse Adventure Tour — a two-hour Hummer ride in search of the wild horses roaming about the more remote parts of the northern barrier island (we couldn’t find any of them, but the bumpy ride was fun anyway).

There wasn’t time to try some of the other popular attractions here – kite-flying, cycling, birding, surfing, paddleboarding. We didn’t use the beautiful beaches much, either, but we quickly realized there are plenty of entertainment options. The Sanderling Resort, in particular, has an array of activities that will enhance family vacations and you can’t beat the views and close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and Currituck Sound from there.

And then there were the restaurants. The oldest one in North Carolina is here – 70-year old Owens Restaurant in Nags Head. Then there’s the Lightsaving Station No. 5 at the Sanderling Resort; the Sugar Shack and Basnight’s Lone Cedar Café in Nags Head; Aqua Restaurant and Spa in Duck; the Black Pelican Oceanfront and Ocean Boulevard Bistro & Martini Bar in Kitty Hawk; the Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills; and Poor Richard’s Sandwich Shop and Full Moon Café and Brewery in Manteo.

That list goes on and on and — if you didn’t want to go out for a formal breakfast — there was Duck Donuts. There’s three locations providing the best donuts anywhere (their claim, as well as mine).

And, of course, there was the golf. That, as always, was our main focus for coming and the Outer Banks didn’t disappoint.

Golf in the Outer Banks is good, but different. For one thing, wind comes significantly into play on a daily basis on all the courses, whether the course is on the water or not.

Only two of the courses have nationally known designers, but don’t look on that as a negative. The layouts of Tom Steele, Bob Moore, Dan Maples and Russell Breeden are just fine. They’re pretty much regional guys who brought golf to life on the Outer Banks in the last 20 years or so.

Arguably the best course we played was designed by a big-namer, Rees Jones’ Currituck Club in Corolla. Opened in 1996 there’s lots of great holes here, the course is in good condition throughout and has a most comfortable clubhouse with good dining. It’s also a popular wedding destination.

Kilmarlic, on the Currituck mainland in Powells Point, was a close second. One of the few courses in the area that has been frequently tournament tested, it hosted the North Carolina Open in 2004 – two years after its opening – and again in 2009. The Old Dominion/Outer Banks college tournament has also been played there the last four years.

Only the second course designed by Steele, it has all the other area courses beat with its four-bedroom cottage for on-site lodging and 18 more of them are to be built in front of the course this fall. That may well make Kilmarlic one of the best golf getaway options in North Carolina when you combine the course with the other amenities.

Best views on the Outer Banks courses came at Currituck’s sister course, Nags Head Golf Links. Nos. 5, 9, 15 and 18 are all on the water and the sunsets there are outstanding. This is a cozy, fun course that is ideal for walking.

As far as conditioning goes, The Pointe – less than a mile from Kilmarlic – is as good as any in the area and it has a unique bridge on the 16th hole. The Pointe is user-friendly and its sister course, Carolina Club, sports the always challenging island green on its No. 7 hole. Breeden is the designer of record on The Pointe and worked with Moore on Carolina Club. The Pointe opened in 1995 and Carolina Club, in Grandy, three years later.

There’s some other good golf options out here, too. Scotch Hall Preserve joins Rees Jones’ Currituck Club as having a big-name designer. It’s an Arnold Palmer Signature Course that can stretch to 7,254 yards with a hefty 76.0 rating and 145 slope. Opened in 2008 in Merry Hill, it is one of the Outer Banks’ newest facilities.

The Pines, in Elizabeth City, was updated with a massive renovation in 2004. The Sound, in Hertford, is a Maples design dating to 1990 that has a beautiful finishing stretch. The last three holes overlook the Albemarle Sound.

While the Outer Banks offers a variety of entertainment options, it has enough good courses to make it a good destination for golf getaways as well. Trips there will be both affordable and memorable, no matter which courses or accommodations you choose, especially in the spring and fall.

PINEHURST, North Carolina – Make no mistake. Pinehurst is at the very top of the world’s golf resorts. That hasn’t changed. The nine courses there — coupled with the other amenities provided at its Carolina Hotel, Holly Inn, Manor Inn and related condos — make Pinehurst a very special destination.

The term Pinehurst, though, doesn’t refer to just one golf resort in the eyes of most golfers. Pinehurst is an area as well that encompasses the neighboring towns of Southern Pines and Aberdeen. With their restaurants and other golf communities, they also enhance the overall Pinehurst experience.

Regular visitors may already be aware of this, but it’s possible to get as good (or maybe even better) a golf experience by visiting the other facilities nearby as it is to stay just at the big resort.

Some of the others have joined forces to offer golf packages as well. For instance, how about a three-round trip in which you play Dormie Club, Mid South and Talamore? They’re all within a few miles of the big resort and – though none have a famous course like Pinehurst No. 2 – their layouts are plenty good.

That’s just one option. Here’s a synopsis of what you’ll get if you try out nearby facilities that don’t include Pinehurst Resort’s nine layouts.

DORMIE CLUB – This layout, four miles north of the village of Pinehurst, has been rated the second-best public course in North Carolina by Golf Digest magazine, behind only Pinehurst’s legendary No. 2. As most of you know, I don’t take all the formal polls as gospel, but Dormie Club does stand out from the other area courses.

The design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed this one, which opened in 2010. Its most defining feature is the 80 feet of elevation changes. You don’t get that in many places in the Carolinas.

Couple the elevation with the natural lakes, pine forests and sandy waste areas that were incorporated into the design and you have a most memorable golf experience on a course that doesn’t quite reach 7,000 yards from the tips. The course has a rustic, natural look with beds of pinecones defining many of the areas between greens and tees.

The clubhouse is a very modest one, and that’s as much a part of the charm as the understated logo and limited signage around the place. The fairways are generous and the greens huge, but there’s no letup. This is a challenging layout all the way around.

Challenging is also a term for describing of the course’s history. The original plan was for a walking-only private club that had a $140,000 initiation fee. That changed in tougher economic times, and the course has been opened to the public and carts are available. Reverting back to a private club isn’t out of the realm of possibility, however.

MID SOUTH CLUB

This may be the best course in Arnold Palmer’s design portfolio. (It’s definitely the best of the many that I’ve played).

Located in Southern Pines, it’s a beautiful course with a clubhouse to match in a very pleasant gated residential community. Nos. 9 and 18 share the same green, and that makes for a great view from the clubhouse above. The course, which opened in 1993, has hosted qualifiers for the U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Amateur.

Both the course and practice areas at Mid South were in excellent condition during our early spring visit and the layout, which could play anywhere from 4,773 yards to 7,003, offered something for all level of golfer. Without doubt Mid South is one of my very favorite courses in all of the Pinehurst area.

TALAMORE

This is the sister course for Mid South, a user-friendly Rees Jones design that opened in 1991.

Jones later fine-tuned Pinehurst No. 2 for the U.S. Opens of 1999 and 2005 but Talamore is much different that the area’s premier championship venue. Its most unusual feature are the three llamas fenced in between the No. 13 green and No. 14 tee. About 10 years ago llamas were used as caddies at Talamore and they remain part of the club’s logo. More recently the club added the Llama Pen Bar & Grill as part of a major series of upgrades.

In fact, few courses in all of Pinehurst have made as many upgrades as Talamore, which is one of the host courses for golf and lodging in the U.S. Kids World Championship that is played at a variety of area courses.

One of the most significant upgrades at Talamore is yet to come. Following the lead of nearby courses Mid-Pines, Tobacco Road and The Legacy, Talamore will convert its bentgrass greens to Bermuda in May.

PINE NEEDLES/MID PINES

I mention these together because the two Donald Ross-designed layouts were both ranked in the Top 25 of GolfWeek magazine’s ranking of the Top Resort Course in the USA. The only other places to have two courses in that Top 25 are Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes, Whistling Straits and Streamsong.

Pine Needles is a popular tournament venue, probably No. 2 behind Pinehurst No. 2 in that regard in the area. Pine Needles hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 1996, 2001 and 2007 and will be the site of the second U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2019. It is also the only course in all of Pinehurst to offer the new GolfBoards to its players.

LONGLEAF

Big plans are being made for this club since the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation purchased it last year and renamed it the Longleaf Golf & Family Club. For starters it has been named the home of the new U.S. Kids Golf Academy and the Foundation made immediate capital improvements to underscore the change in focus at the facility.

A state of the art practice area was among the upgrades and it included a 10,000 square foot putting green with a nine-hole putting course. This may be the area’s best spot for a family golf getaway.

SUNSET BEACH, North Carolina – I’m frequently being tipped off about “hidden gem’’ golf courses. They’re in all parts of the country and are said to be great courses that are off the beaten path enough so that many golfers don’t know about them.

The last such course brought to my attention was Thistle Golf Club, a 27-hole facility that opened in 1999. Whether it fits the “hidden gem’’ category is a matter of opinion.

Without doubt it is a gem. We will get to that later.

Hidden? I’m not so sure. Granted it is a bit separated from the heart of Myrtle Beach, the American golf mecca. Thistle isn’t even in the same state. You have to cross state lines to get to Thistle, though it’s barely into North Carolina.

From that point it might be considered “hidden,’’ but a lot of golfers seemed to know all about it on our early-March visit. We had an 8:30 a.m. tee time and the parking lot was already buzzing when we arrived a half-hour ahead of that.

Thistle is an interesting place. All 27 holes were designed by Tim Cate, a staunch Myrtle Beach guy. He’s not widely known beyond that area, and Thistle is not his best known creation within it. An architect’s profile, however, isn’t what determines course quality in the end. It’s what the players of all abilities think, and they clearly liked Thistle during our visit.

Cate’s first design was Panther’s Run, at nearby Ocean Ridge Plantation. Since then Cate designed three other courses at that location.

His best known courses are, like Thistle, just across the North Carolina line. Leopard’s Chase was Golf Digest’s Best New Course in America in 2007 and Tiger’s Eye has been included in Golf Digest’s Top 100 twice.

Thistle, though, is something else. It has three nines – the Stewart, the MacKay and the Cameron. They are used interchangeably to set up 18-hole rounds. We played the Stewart and MacKay. The two longest nines – MacKay and Cameron – would not quite create a 7,000-yard course. They’d be three yards short.

Still, we found a well-conditioned, well-run facility that offered an unusual mix of holes. The Stewart nine had three par-3s and two par-5s and there was a stretch of four holes (Nos. 3-6) without a par-4. All the nines have five sets of tees and are basically equal in difficulty. MacKay/Cameron has the highest rating (74.3) but Cameron/Stewart has the top slope (138).

There are other noteworthy items at Thistle, starting with the scorecard. It claims the facility has roots in Leith, Scotland in 1815. That’s a stretch, but the very pleasant clubhouse has some interesting historical relics and it’s obvious that Cate wanted the holes to have a Scottish feel just like the clubhouse.

The atmosphere inside is very friendly, especially in the dining area. A real touch of class, though, came in the men’s lockerroom, where a flat-screen TV carried The Golf Channel above every urinal. I had never seen that before.

If Thistle is really a “hidden gem’’ it shouldn’t be. Thistle has a special feel and is well worth driving a few extra miles if you make a Myrtle Beach visit.

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina – I love Myrtle Beach. There, I’ve said it again. With 100 courses in a very condensed area, there’s no golf destination quite like it.

After about a half dozen visits spread over several years there’s one thing I don’t quite understand about this golf mecca yet, however. None of the professional tours stop there, and only one prominent player, Dustin Johnson, calls Myrtle Beach home.

Why is that? I have asked around. The big pro tournaments, I’ve been told, cost too much money. The last one here was the Senior PGA Tour Championship, which ended a seven-year run in 2000 after losing its sponsorship.

My guess, though, is that the real reason the pro stops aren’t on the calendar is because Myrtle Beach doesn’t need them for promotional purposes. Besides, this area on the Atlantic seaboard near the North Carolina line is a place to play golf – not watch it.

Not only that, but Myrtle Beach does have a big event – the biggest in fact. The World Amateur has been played here for 32 years and draws over 3,000 players annually. More on that event later.

Perhaps more junior golf programs would stimulate more pro tour players, but Johnson is as big-time a player as there is in the game. He hasn’t won a major title yet, but he’s come close with runner-up finishes in both the 2011 British Open and 2015 U.S. Open. At 31, Johnson has nine wins on the PGA Tour and is currently No. 9 in the World Golf Rankings and he’s demonstrated his devotion to the community where his golf game blossomed.

Though he grew up in Columbia, S.C., Johnson established himself golf-wise as a college student athlete at Costal Carolina in Myrtle Beach. He spent much of his time then at the school’s General James Hackler Course as well as at TPC Myrtle Beach and the TPC connection continues to this day.

Basically Johnson has had a 10-year relationship with Myrtle Beach. He hosted the inaugural Dustin Johnson World Junior tournament in February and the Dustin Johnson Golf School is based at TPC Myrtle Beach, which also has a big display of Johnson memorabilia in its clubhouse. Through his charitable foundation Johnson has contributed $250,000 to junior golf in South Carolina and the World Junior is at his home club.

Even though he lives more in Florida and California now, Johnson still plays out of Myrtle Beach when he enters a tournament. TPC Myrtle Beach is a good fit for him. Designed by Tom Fazio with Lanny Wadkins acting as a consultant, that course opened in 1999 and hosted the last of Myrtle Beach’s PGA Tour stops the following year, Tom Watson winning the Senior PGA Tour Championship there.

TPC Myrtle Beach, located in Murrells Inlet, it a great track but not necessarily the best course that the area has to offer. Ranking them all is a very subjective thing, and my order of preference keeps changing. Right now top five would be: 1, Caledonia; 2, TPC Myrtle Beach; 3, Dunes Club; 4, True Blue; 5, Dye Course at Barefoot Resort. But that could change tomorrow.

What about Grande Dunes, Heritage, King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, the Moorland Course at Legends Resort or Tidewater. They’re all good, and there’s a lot more that I haven’t played. (Just give me time).

One misconception about Myrtle Beach to be noted: there’s plenty of other things to do besides golf. It doesn’t have to be all golf, by any means.

Brookgreen Gardens, for instance, is a beautiful and most interesting place with its stunning sculptures. You could be entertained a whole day there.

Then there’s there beautiful beaches, all varieties of lodging, lots of children’s activities (which include elaborate miniature golf attractions), a minor league baseball team and tons of memorable restaurants. Ours included Sea Captain’s House, Wicked Tuna and Old Vienna Café. The first two offer ocean-front views.

The nearby Hammock Coast area, which includes the communities of Murrell’s Inlet, Pawley’s Island, Litchfield Beach, Garden City, Georgetown and Andrews, offers more diversions in the way of history, shopping, antiques, art galleries, water sports, dining and nature activities.

Though you don’t have to play golf every day to enjoy Myrtle Beach – hitting the links would never be a bad option.

The next big event golf-wise at Myrtle Beach will be the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am at the Dye Course at Barefoot. A huge annual party, it’ll be played on April 11.

A much bigger deal comes up in August with the 33rd playing of the World Amateur About 35 courses will be used for the week-long event, to be played Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, and tournament coordinator Scott Tomasello expects about 3,500 players to participate. The only state that didn’t have a player in last year’s World Am was Idaho, and the entries included golfers from about 25 foreign countries as well. Early registration for that event starts on March 29.