Harbor Shores Golf Club — Attraction in Benton Harbor

Most golfers in the Midwest know about Harbor Shores and these days it may not be much of a stretch to say that a good percentage of visitors to the Benton Harbor area are there because of Harbor Shores.

Harbor Shores is the only Jack Nicklaus Signature Course on Lake Michigan and the first beach, golf, and residential community in Southwest Michigan. It offers golfers the opportunity to play a championship golf course in championship condition. In essence, you can play where the pros play, under the same course conditions that the pros play in. When it opened in 2010, Golf Magazine ranked Harbor Shores No. 3 on their “Best New Courses You Can Play” list. A couple of months ago, Harbor Shores earned a spot on Golf Digest’s prestigious list of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses,” coming in at No. 90 on the list. The club also moved up six spots to No. 19 on Michigan’s Best in State list.

If you’re out to have a good time and be challenged, pick the set of tees that best suit your game. That’s important because if you try to bite off more than you can chew, this course can eat your lunch. Harbor Shores is a fantastic golf course that plays 6,734 yards from the Black Tees. It has a course rating of 73.6 and a slope of 146. Move up to the Gold Tees (6,159/70.2/139) and you’ll still be challenged yet able to leave with a certain amount of dignity.

Harbor Shores’ scorecard categorizes the holes into 4 groups: Inland, Dunes, Woodland, and River. The Dunes holes offer fantastic views of Lake Michigan and the dunes that surround it, while the Woodland holes wind through rolling hills, ravines, and a hardwood forest. When I think back upon my round at Harbor Shores, three holes stand out in my mind, Numbers 6, 7, and 10. Every hole out here is memorable in its own right, but there is one that rises above the rest.

The 10th hole was made famous by the Golden Bear himself and the green is recognized as one of his most famous. It’s a 475-yard par 5 with woods on the right, so favoring the left side off the tee helps to avoid all kinds of hazards. A layup shot played down the left side will leave the best angle into the notorious 4-tiered green. The green measures over 10,000 sq. ft. and being on the correct tier is everything if you want to avoid a potential 3-putt – or worse. The 10th green is best remembered for its grand opening round when Jack Nicklaus showed Johnny Miller how to make a 102-foot putt from the bottom level to the upper level. If you haven’t seen it, check it out on YouTube!

Harbor Shores offers some exceptional practice facilities including a full-length driving range, 2 short game areas, and a lighted putting green. The Learning Center uses Trackman technology for game improvement and club fitting,

If you’re hungry after your round, you don’t have to leave the clubhouse to get a great meal. The Grille has a very diverse menu for a golf course. Not only do they take the staples such as wings, burgers, and fries to a new level, but they also serve non-traditional plates like homemade hummus, loaded baked potato fritters, Michigan berry salad, and grilled shrimp tacos. The Big Dog Pork Tenderloin sandwich is almost big enough to be shared!

Harbor Shores Resort can be easily reached from three major markets; Chicago is about 90 minutes away while Detroit and Indianapolis are within three hours. The Resort has become a popular weekend getaway destination for couples, buddy golf trips, weddings, team-building events, and just about any other reason you can think of that might involve a golf course. The restaurant is a popular waterside spot for boaters from all over the area.

If you’re a serious golfer in any of these three markets, test your skills at Harbor Shores. You’ll use every club in the...

I do not play golf so I cannot attest to the course itself.. As a local I am always looking for new, nice places to walk and would love if our area had more trails. I came here to walk on the public walking trail maintained by Harbor Shores. At first I absolutley loved the trail and wondered why I had never been here before.... however the trails are not clearly marked and there is only one map located at the trail head. I wanted to walk near the river so I stayed on the trails that would taKe me in that direction. As I walked closer to the river I began to notice garbage along the trail as I got closer to the river i saw what I though was a man fishing. When I got closer I realized it was a homeless man with quite a little camp set up. I was quite nervous because I was on a trail alone and he was muttering and seemed somewhat out of it. I hurried by and figured I would take another path out of there.... then the trail abrubtly dead ended into the river. I had to turn and go past the camp again to leave. This man would have known the trail dead ended and could have easily taken advantage of this knowledge. I had no way of knowing! I called Harbor Shores when I got back to my car to let them know about the camp so another woman would not be as scared as I was. I was transfered around a couple times and finally directed to leave my name and number and someone would get back to me. Nobody ever called me back. I will never walk here again... please if you do decide to walk here stay towards the golf course jot...

If I could have given ZERO stars, I would have. This use to be my favorite hotel in Lake Geneva. They stood apart from the others. But, that has certainly changed! When I surfed the net to check out the prices, I found that the rates were more than double what they were previously. I was finally able to get a deal, on Groupon, for a little more than I’ve paid in the past. When I phoned in to make the reservation, I questioned the staff about the increase in the rates. I was then advised that this was due to the fact that there had been significant upgrades. However, when I arrived at the hotel, I quickly saw NOTHING but “downgrades.” More specifically, when I went to the bathroom to prepare for a nice long bath, there was no tub—only a shower. Then, I woke up the next morning only to find out that the complimentary breakfast had been replaced by complimentary coffee??????? I can make my own coffee as there are coffee makers in EVERY ROOM!!!

Moral of the story: Harbor Shores took away the ABC essentials that I love.... Affordability Bathtub Complimentary breakfast

Needless to say, I won’t be visiting them again when I make my annual trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Additionally, I’m officially retiring from my volunteer position as a walking advertisement for Harbor Shores to all of my family and friends. So, to Harbor Shores, I bid goodbye. My regards to your complimentary...