Where a ski hill took up golf, over 18 holes by Jones.
The Heather is the course that turned a northern Michigan ski hill into a golf resort. Everett Kircher, founder of BOYNE, bought the struggling Harbor Highlands ski area in 1961 and reopened it as Boyne Highlands in 1963; three years later Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s The Heather opened as the resort’s first course. The resort is now called The Highlands at Harbor Springs, a name announced in December 2021, but the course still carries its original name and remains the resort’s championship 18.
The Heather at The Highlands green fees and tee times.
The Highlands sells tee times online through its golf shop, linked from highlandsharborsprings.com, and BOYNE Golf takes calls on 855.688.3286. BOYNE says non-resort guests can book, and it runs tee-time deals through the season. No standard green fee is published. The Heather sits outside the basic Stay & Play package: that covers a round after 10am on The Moor or Donald Ross Memorial for each night, and moving up to The Heather, Arthur Hills or Bay Harbor costs extra. The five-night Michigan’s Magnificent 11 package includes The Heather in its unlimited golf. Cancellation is free more than 48 hours ahead; after that, BOYNE charges half or all of the green fee.
The round, in perspective.
The Heather is par 72 from every tee. From the Brown tees it measures 7,143 yards with a 75.4 rating and 147 slope, and the Orange tees play 6,207 yards with a 139 slope. The resort’s history page says it was on Golf Digest’s top-100 list by 1971. The closing hole asks for a carry over a lake to the green; the course page says a local rule for players worried about that carry is posted under the bench by the tees. The National Golf Course Owners Association named The Heather its National Course of the Year in 2019. It is an inland, parkland test, with none of the bluff-top lake views you get at Bay Harbor.
Know before you go.
Access
Open to resort and non-resort golfers
Packages
Surcharge on Stay & Play; included in Magnificent 11
Cancellation
Free 48h+; 50% at 24–48h; 100% inside 24h
Carts
Available; path only near tees and greens
Club hire
US$70 per set; limited supply
Group size
Four maximum without approval
Make the trip work.
Book The Heather first and build the rest of your stay around it, because the package rounds on The Moor and Donald Ross Memorial are easier to place. Start-time rules matter here: Stay & Play rounds begin after 10am. The resort also has Doon Brae, a walking-only short course that package guests can add for US$42. BOYNE asks golfers to arrive 20 minutes before the tee time, and its dress code rules out T-shirts, tank tops and athletic shorts more than 4 inches above the knee.
Pellston Regional (PLN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights, a short drive north-east of the resort. Traverse City (TVC) has more routes and is about two hours by road. The Highlands is on the hills north-east of Harbor Springs, and Petoskey is about 20 minutes away round the bay.
The resort’s hotels are the Main Lodge and the Heather Highlands Inn, with vacation homes of two to five bedrooms. The Main Lodge is being renovated in phases under the resort’s 2030 plan; a 2021 phase remodelled 87 guest rooms, and the North Wing is listed as finished. The lodging page says lodging opens again for the ski season on 10 December. Packages can also be built around Boyne Mountain or the Inn at Bay Harbor. Harbor Springs, below the resort, has inns, rentals and a waterfront main street.
Make a trip of it.
The resort’s other 18-hole courses are The Moor (William Newcomb, 1974), Arthur Hills (completed 1999) and Donald Ross Memorial (1989), a set of replicas of well-known Ross holes. Bay Harbor’s lakeside nines are across the bay, and Crooked Tree is close by. Off the course, M-119’s Tunnel of Trees runs north from Harbor Springs along the bluffs, and in winter the same resort is a ski area.
Find your season.
BOYNE lists 7 May 2027 as The Heather’s opening day, weather permitting, a week after The Moor. Play runs into October. June evenings stay light past 9.30pm this far north, and autumn colour peaks in early October.
Is Boyne Highlands the same as The Highlands at Harbor Springs?
Yes. The resort was called Boyne Highlands from 1963 until it announced its new name in December 2021. It is still owned and run by BOYNE, and The Heather, The Moor, Arthur Hills and Donald Ross Memorial kept their names.
Can non-guests play The Heather?
Yes. BOYNE says tee times are available to golfers who are not staying at a BOYNE resort, booked online or by calling 855.688.3286. Package guests also play The Heather, either for a surcharge or as part of the Magnificent 11 package.
How hard is The Heather?
From the Brown tees it has a 75.4 rating and a 147 slope over 7,143 yards. The Purple tees, at 6,647 yards, still carry a 143 slope; the Orange (6,207) and Blue (6,013) tees drop to 139 and 135.
When does The Heather open in 2027?
BOYNE’s published 2027 opening date for The Heather is 7 May, subject to weather, the same day as Donald Ross Memorial and the Links/Quarry and Preserve/Links rounds at Bay Harbor.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
