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The Group Travel Leader Going on Faith Select Traveler

Meet the Heartland’s Golf Resorts

Shanty Creek Resorts

Bellaire, Michigan

People who live in New York City go to the Hamptons or Martha’s Vineyard for vacations. For people in Detroit and Chicago, “this is the part of the world they go to for their getaways,” said Chris Hale, vice president of sales and marketing for Shanty Creek Resorts in Bellaire, part of the resort region of northern Michigan.

Shanty Creek covers 5,000 acres east of Grand Traverse Bay with three separate villages and four golf courses, including The Legend course designed by Arnold Palmer. Across the property, the resort has over 400 lodging units and 36,000 square feet of function space. With that much room and that many amenities, “we can easily accommodate large groups,” Hale said.

Summit Village is home to the Lakeview Hotel and Conference Center, the resort’s main lodging and meeting venue, with 183 guest rooms and 16,000 square feet of event space that includes two renovated, flexible ballrooms. The hotel was built at the top of the hill overlooking the ski slopes and delivers “miles of pretty much untouched vistas,” Hale said.

Cedar Village is home to the 85-unit Cedar River Suites, with additional meeting space, as well as the Cedar River Golf Course.

The resort can arrange for group golf lessons as well as shotgun starts, and can even spread players across its four courses. Eagle Ridge also offers an alternative for attendees: While some people golf, others can take the resort’s half-day tour of the area, with stops in quaint towns and nearby wineries and craft breweries.

www.shantycreek.com

Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa

Galena, Illinois

Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa sits in the northwestern corner of Illinois in a region known as the Driftless Zone because it was untouched by ice age glaciers that leveled much of the rest of the state.

The resort is wrapped in 6,800 acres of “probably the most beautiful topography you’ve seen in the Midwest” with rolling hills, gentle valleys and a blanket of trees that produce unbelievable fall foliage, said Colin Sanderson, director of sales and marketing.

Bricton Hospitality took over the property in 2013 and has been investing ever since. The company revitalized the resort’s four courses, which include three 18-hole championship courses and a nine-hole course. In November, the resort wrapped up the renovation of all 80 guest rooms, but it also has 200 rental homes ranging from one-bedroom condos to 11,000-square-foot, six-bedroom conference homes that groups can use for overnight stays, team-building activities or meetings.

Bricton renovated its 15,000 square feet of meeting space, all in the main lodge. The IACC-certified meeting space has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lake Galena and the surrounding woods, and all meeting rooms have doors that lead to adjoining patios. The resort also sets up its three-season tent between April 1 and November 1 for receptions and dinners.

Groups can arrange for golf lessons before playing a round, opt to play foot golf or play on the new golf simulator. Team building can also include fishing trips; renting pontoon boats, kayaks, canoes and paddleboats; and zip lining at nearby Long Hollow Canopy Tours.

www.eagleridge.com

Golf Club of Dublin

Dublin, Ohio

In Dublin, Ohio, everyone is Irish, and everything is green, especially its greens. Dublin is home to 10 public golf courses, and nearly all them have meeting or event space.

History has it that the town’s founding family worked with an Irishman who named the new village in honor of his birthplace. But Dublin fully embraces the heritage that comes with the name, and one of the best places for visitors to feel like they’re playing a round on the Emerald Isle is at the Golf Club of Dublin. The resort’s Tudor-style clubhouse, Dublin Manor, which resembles an Irish manor home surrounded by stacked stone walls and rolling, links-style greens, can accommodate events for up to 200 guests.

The 1,850-square-foot Manor Room has floor-to-ceiling windows and french doors that deliver views of Pot-o-Gold Lake. Attached is the 680-square-foot Hearth Room, with a brick fireplace and walnut wood paneling; Mulligan’s Pub is a traditional Irish-style pub.

www.visitdublinohio.com