Black Lake Golf Course

Signature Setup

Black Lake Golf Course sits in the far-northeastern lower peninsula of Michigan, near Onaway and the large inland lake it takes its name from. Rees Jones routed it in 2000 across rolling glacial terrain — hardwood and pine forest, wetland edges, and sandy subsoil left by the ice. It opened to strong reviews as one of the better new public courses in the state. Unlike the exposed Lake Michigan bluff courses farther west, this is an inland, tree-framed layout: most holes play as individual corridors cut through forest, so you rarely see more than the hole in front of you. From the back tees it stretches past 7,000 yards. The closing par-4, finishing back toward the clubhouse through a tightening tree corridor, is the hole that stays with you.

Hole-by-Hole Wind & Playing Lines

Wind here behaves differently than on an open links — the forest breaks it into swirls, which is exactly what makes club selection tricky.

• The #1-handicap par-4 (mid-440s): on a NW day the corridor funnels and confuses the breeze. What feels like a helping wind at the tee often turns into your face at the green. Club up one over your stock number and aim for the wide side of the fairway; the smart miss here is long-and-safe, not flag-hunting.
• A long forced-carry par-3: the trees give a false sense of shelter. When the canopy is moving, a 175-yard shot can play 190. Trust the treetops over the flag-stick — if the upper branches are bending, take the extra club.
• A short risk-reward par-4: tempting to take on, but the swirling wind over the landing zone punishes a half-committed drive. Lay back to a full wedge number rather than leaving an awkward 40-yard pitch into a tilted green.

Green & Fairway Characteristics

The greens are bentgrass and well-contoured — Jones builds in enough movement that lag putting matters. On the sand-based, well-drained fairways the ball runs out once the ground firms in summer, so plan landing zones short of your carry number. Several holes bend as gentle doglegs around wetland or tree lines, rewarding a shaped tee shot over brute length. From the tips the slope rating runs into the low-to-mid 140s, a genuine test; most players are better one set forward, where the corridors open up. Each nine sits in the roughly 3,300-to-3,600-yard range from the back, depending on the day's setup.

Seasonal Weather Pattern

This is far-northern Michigan, so the season realistically runs May through October and is short. May and late-September mornings often start in the low-to-upper 40s°F, and the forest holds that chill — the corridors stay damp and shaded well past sunrise, so early greens are slow and soft. July and August highs typically land in the upper 70s to low 80s°F, more sheltered from steady lake wind than the coastal courses but prone to afternoon pop-up storms building off the warm interior. Shoulder-season cool-downs of 10-15°F with a passing front are common.

Local Play Tips

I have not played Black Lake in the dead heat of mid-summer, so I will speak to what the region's conditions reliably do rather than invent hole-by-hole memory: in the northern-Michigan falls I have played, forest courses like this drain and firm slowly in the morning, and the shaded greens lag behind the open ones by a full speed until the sun is up. Confirm the day's tee placement at check-in — the back set turns this into a different course. Bring a layer even in July; the corridors sit several degrees cooler than the parking lot, and a windproof shell earns its place when a front rolls through.

Pre-Round Weather Workflow

Check the 7-day G-Score for Black Lake and weight two things: morning temperature and afternoon storm risk. A May or September slot in the 40s°F means slow, damp early greens — plan to play breaks softer on the first few holes and add a club on the cold-air par-3s. In July and August, scan the windExposure and afternoon precipitation reading the night before; the interior heat that builds pop-up storms tends to fire after 2 p.m., so a morning tee time with a G-Score in the 8-12 range over the early holes is the safe window. Pack a layer regardless — the forest corridors run cooler than the open forecast suggests.