Timberstone Golf Course — Local services in Iron Mountain

If you want to play the best golf in the state of Michigan, head north, past Gaylord and Traverse City. Go over the Mackinac Bridge, and then take Route 2 West to Iron Mountain where you will find TimberStone. It’s even easier to get to if you live in Wisconsin; most of the license plates we saw in the parking lot were from the Badger State.

TimberStone is the golf part of the Pine Mountain Ski & Golf Resort. Pine Mountain offers the best of both worlds to sports enthusiasts in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; it’s a ski resort in the winter and a golf resort in the summer. The golf course is located a few minutes away from the Inn and condos, which sit at the foot of the ski hill and chair lifts.

Pine Mountain Resorts offers guests both hotel accommodations in The Lodge as well as several condo accommodations for larger groups. Condos are spacious and well equipped. The main dining venue is Famers Restaurant, which also happens to be the Upper Peninsula's Sports Hall of Fame. There is sports memorabilia throughout the restaurant from many different sports. Famers is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has some of the best prime rib I have ever had!

TimberStone Golf Course was designed by renowned Michigan golf architect Jerry Matthews and opened for play in 1997. TimberStone was awarded 5 Stars in Golf Digest's Places to play in 2008 and remains the area’s only 5-star golf course.

Six sets of tees provide suitable playing yardages for every level of golfer. From the Back tees, TimberStone plays 6,937 yards with a course rating of 74.5 and a slope of 150. I found that the Forward tees (6038 yards/69.6/137) provided a substantial test and still let me leave with a little dignity. Ladies typically play from the Stone tees (5,060/64.6/129). Choose the tees that best suit your game and you’re in for a really good time!

The layout winds its way up and over and down and around mountainous terrain and features perfectly manicured and tree-lined fairways. Water comes into play on six holes and the majority of greens are protected by challenging bunkers. Most of the trouble you can get into (i.e., woods, water, and sand) is plainly visible as you play. You won’t find a tremendous number of bunkers out here but what you will find is that they come into play quite often. We all know it’s easier to play a shot from the fairway than the rough. While it’s easy to find your ball in the rough at TimberStone, the grass is so thick and lush that it can hinder shots, and “flyers” are common. The putting greens roll quick and true and range from fairly flat to extremely undulated.

Just about every hole has some elevation change in it, so the course is going to play longer than stated on the scorecard. Although trees line both sides of the fairway on the majority of holes, most fairways are generous and can easily be found off the tee. However, the shapes and angles of the greens make approach shots a little more difficult; getting it close is even tougher.

The practice facility at TimberStone is second to none and has one of the most beautiful practice greens I’ve ever seen. The greens are what make this course, so be sure to spend a little time on them before you play. A few steps from the putting green is the driving range which is long enough to hit every club in your bag. Keep in mind that this course is more about finesse and placement rather than a grip it and rip it mentality.

One of the highlights of your round at TimberStone is the food. It’s not your usual clubhouse food and there isn’t a lot to choose from on the menu. What you’ll find is a gas grill on the front porch of the log cabin clubhouse. You can smell the burgers and brats as you pull up. The meats are freshly grilled as are the pretzel rolls and hot dog buns. It is simple and delicious; simply delicious!

Step past the grill into the clubhouse and you’ll find a spacious pro shop with a full liquor bar and all kinds of logoed gear to help you remember your round at...

Played it in mid September 2021 after a night of heavy. Course held up well, but a few bunkers had standing water...but little any where else. (Smartly, that day, no carts were allowed on the fairways to keep it from being beat up after the rain.) Course is cut out the woods but holes are close enough that you see other holes through the trees at most times. Water was worked in well on a few holes as was the elevation changes. Gentle turns and straight holes were the norm. Five sets of tees for players of all skill level, though the 20+ handicapper should be prepared to pick up and drop on green if they can't keep up with the group ahead of them. Good layout! (Play #17 from the top tee. View is worth it, and plays about 185 yards with no wind). Greens were a bit on the beat-up side with most having bare patches, but to be expected at the end of the season. They were fast...probably rolling over a 12. The front brought a strong wind making yardage determination/club selection critical. The hills and trees made it swirl. Tough to judge. The woods lining the course are open enough that most errant shots can be found, if you look. Pace of play was good...4.25 hours, and we saw the ranger twice. Food was good and service very friendly. We...

I'm sad to report that the condition of Timberstone Golf Course is the worst I’ve seen in the 20 years I’ve been organizing golf trips. Our group has consistently chosen Timberstone over other area courses like Sweetgrass, Sage Run, or Greywalls, often playing 18 to 36 holes a day for four straight days. Unfortunately, things have changed — and not for the better.

This year, it felt like course maintenance has completely fallen by the wayside. The greens were in particularly poor shape: incredibly slow with lots of bare spots. Fairways were noticeably overgrown, and the tee boxes were rough and unkempt. It was disappointing to see a course we’ve loved for so many years decline this significantly.

That said, I do want to recognize Michaela in the golf shop. We’ve worked with her for 15 years, and her customer service has always been exceptional. She continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating experience.

Unless the course conditions improve dramatically, we won’t be returning for future trips. We truly hope to see Timberstone return to the high standard...