Incredible Changes Made to Landscape at Treetops
By Tom Lang
I found a dazzling surprise in October 2025, on a visit to Treetops Resort.
You will, too, when you return.
I found a new golf course.
Okay – it’s wasn’t a totally new property nor a major remodel of holes. Yet I did find the end result of a massive tree harvesting program that made the Smith Signature Course look and feel like a completely new experience.
An absolutely wonderful experience.
If you did not see the Smith Signature during the 2025 season, you are in for a special treat. The 30-year-old course feels new and totally refreshed. Multiple thousands of trees were removed from the hilly layout for two major reasons – give the turf a chance to get sunlight after three decades of tree growth, and to give the golfers new vista views and more shots without huge, overgrown tree limbs blocking the pathway. Basically, any trees inside cart paths were removed, giving way to finding more lost balls than before, among other positives. It’s one way that a restoration took place to get the course back to closer to what designer Rick Smith first created.
Some people want isolation when they play golf and don’t want to see other golfers. That’s fair, but in this case, you really want to see many portions of the rest of the course. Maybe you don’t want to see other humans, but I think overriding that perspective is the golf holes out there are so beautiful that seeing them from high levels and from different angles makes you appreciate Smith’s original design even more. The divergence is stunning and needs to be experienced again if you haven’t been to Treetops recently.
The most noticeable tree removal comes in the final three holes. Now you can see for miles when you’re on the 16th green through 18 – where for years, the only thing in that area was a wrapping of more trees – which is understandable, hence the name Treetops.
A critical distinction is the name was generated from the fact you could look for miles across the tops of trees in the Sturgeon River valley, not from looking at tree trunks 20 feet away. The property is called Treetops for a reason; it’s not named Treeblocks.
You can now look all the way down the 6th hole from high above when you’re on the back of the 17th green and literally look for miles in many other directions. I had heard about the tree cutting progress last year from GM Barry Owens, but if you have not experienced it get your butt up north. It’s crazy good and it’s a completely different experience than the first 30 years of the Signature.
Three of my favorite holes on the course open the round. The lead off hole is all downhill so any tee shot will go further than normal to start you in the right mood. Yet the fairway, while tree-lined, has mounding left and right so if you spray your tee shot off to either side, your chances of the ball kicking back into the fairway are good.
No. 2 is a downhill par 3 with a huge green – one so large that depending on the pin placement there could be a three-club selection difference. The putting surface has a lower tier, and an upper tier in back. When in doubt, aim to the right of the pin as many balls on the green tend to turn more left with gravity. Many trees were removed from behind the green to open up wide views over the valley.
The No. 3 tee is one of the most elevated on the golf course, looking down on a wide-open fairway. It was a highlight of past Pure Michigan TV commercials. There are several bunkers, but they are widely scattered, leaving generous room to pull out the driver for this longer par 4. The second shot is to a very deep green that will also greatly affect club selection. All-in-all, three great holes to begin the round that can put you in a great state of mind right off the bat… but they are no means the end of an entertaining round.
On the back nine, the final 6 holes are fabulous, with my favorite green complex being No. 15, right in the middle. The hole has a flat fairway the first 2/3rds of the way before climbing uphill steeply. The green resembles a saddle. It is comparatively deep front to back (guesstimated at 40 yards), but very skinny side to side (maybe 10 yards), with steep inclines on both sides, so any ball hit right or left is almost guaranteed to kick down to end up on the putting surface (unless the rough is really thick when you play). The uniqueness of the overall shape make it a cool treat to the eye.
Despite my personal praise, the 15th green is the one location I might not have taken out as many trees, unless it was necessary for the health of the turf. The saddleback shape was even more beautiful with the trees that used to be there. But that said, three really large trees were becoming intrusive for many shots into the green, with extremely large branches hanging out due to 30-year growth and blocking approach shots in an already-tight window for shots.
I think the most dramatic visuals for the tree cutting on the Smith Signature is found in the final three holes – making it a beautiful way to end the round. Standing behind the 18th green after my round and looking out over the hole and the valley behind it with a setting sun caused me to pause there for almost 20 minutes just soaking in the beauty.
Mother nature also contributed to some of the trees looking thinned out, especially at the tops of the trees on the entire property due to the ice storm of spring 2025 that blanked the Gaylord region. The end result was most top branches simply snapping off under the weight of the ice, leaving a somewhat ere look as if a 10-mile wide tornado didn’t fully touch down, but rather, came along and gave the tallest trees a rough haircut.
Treetops’ other courses have had thousands of trees removed as well – all for the good of playing golf and improving the health of the turf.
The next day on the Fazio Premier course, I liked the closing four holes of the front nine the most for a series of holes.
The 6th hole is a nice par five that at the end gently turns right to a green surrounded by mounding on three sides and it gives you an advanced glimpse of No. 7, a short par four that is very dramatic because it goes uphill and the fairway is shaped like a scoop or trough to keep wayward balls pushed back into the fairway.
After going uphill on 7, you come to the par three No. 8 tee, which is the most dramatic hole on the Premier in my opinion. It has an elevation drop of at least 100 feet to a green protected in the front middle by a pot bunker.
The 9th hole completes the most dramatic trio of holes. Another fairway that’s elevated on both sides and helps keep balls in play is topped off by a hard dogleg left to a green that is perched at the tallest point of the hole. There is very severe bunkering protecting the face of the hill in front of the green, giving a very daunting look to your approach shot. If you can walk away with a par it will feel like you birdied the hole.
Hole 15 has one of the most unique greens I’ve seen in a long time. The downhill left to right short par 4 has many cool features but when you approach the green, depending on the flag location, you may have to pick between three different clubs. The front part of the green is level with the fairway then it pinches in the middle due to a bunker on the left and then has a lower green area in the back behind a bunker at the midway point. If you’re on the wrong level, chances at a two-putt are almost impossible.
Hole 17 is a medium length par three that is potentially either a birdie hole or a bogey hole depending on where staff cuts the cup that day. It’s a huge green made up of two sections and if you have a flag on the right, there’s virtually no obstacle between the tee and the cup. If they cut the cup back left, golfers have to carry a large, very cavernous bunker in order to then hope that your ball stops on the green without going over the back. It can be a make-or-break hole for your score as you come down the closing stretch.
My October trip was simply a two-day affair, leaving southwest Michigan one morning, playing the Signature, spending the night, then playing the Premier and nine holes of The Smith Tradition before returning home on day two… a great fall mini trip up north that anyone can do – even on short notice.
The hallmarks of The Tradition purposefully mirror more traditional golf. The fairways and greens are firm and fast. The greens have the least amount of undulation of all the Treetops courses. The course is open to the wind after another major tree removal program three-to-four years ago. It’s very walkable if you chose, with the flattest land on the Treetops property. Also, because of that, very few cart paths ar, so it just looks and feels more like old-time, traditional golf.
Treetops Resort was honored in 2025 as the Pure Michigan resort of the year. The Signature (T174) and the Masterpiece (T180) courses remain staples year after year in the Golfweek Top 200 resorts courses in the country.
Go find out why: https://www.treetops.com/summer/golfing/
