Twin Birch Restaurant and Golf Course — Restaurant in Kalkaska Township

When we first got into the club house to check in, we didn't feel welcomed. The lady at the front desk had an attitude and we didn't know why so we shrugged it off and went to the first tee. At the first tee the ranger gave us pointers and advice and we thanked him and moved on. After a while he kept coming back, telling us we can’t be on this side of the course even though we were in the woods where there was tire marks (it looked like people have BEEN driving there a while now.) He then proceeded to keep coming up to us after every hole and we felt uncomfortable.

At the 9th hole, my drive went near the parking lot so i drove my cart all the way on the right side to keep away from the green since at this point the ranger told us to not be near the green (even though we were in the woods). The front desk lady came running out SCREAMING at us to not be there and show us a sign that said “no golf carts” (the sign was about 30 yards away from us). Even though i was confused i politely said “ I’m sorry about that thank you”.

We went to the bathroom after the 9th hole and came out for the 10th. I shot my first shot and it went into the woods so i took another ball out, as i was doing that i’m pretty sure the owner came out and told us not to shoot 2 because they were very busy ( i didn’t see anyone behind us or infront of us) i said i’m sorry and dropped on the green. We drove down to the green and the ranger was waiting for us there again! We putted and while we were walking back to our cart he waved his hands like he was telling us to hurry up and he indeed said “let’s go hurry up”. At this point we were pretty annoyed and confronted the ranger asking what we were doing wrong and why is he following us. He told us that they had complaints of us taking too long and driving the cart where we weren't supposed too. He also said we should’ve went to the driving range and learned to play golf before we started. ( i’ve been golfing for a couple years now i don’t see a reason why i need to learn golf.)

We were very very confused at this point because i guess we drove we weren't supposed to on accident two times. And we were slow because we also had people in front of us and behind us from the start of hole 1 to hole 9.

He proceeded to kick us out of the course and threaten to call the cops on us. We asked for a refund since we bought 18 holes and only did 9, he said “no! you think the owner would give you a refund?!” Leaving the course, there was still nobody behind us or waiting for us :)

I have NEVER seen this type of behavior from a course, i felt stalked, uncomfortable, and rushed throughout this whole time here. I would never recommend this...

Twin Birch is my husband's favorite golf course in the area, and we have been anxiously awaiting the opening of the new clubhouse and restaurant.

We made it this past Friday night for the fish and shrimp fry. We were able to be seated right away and sat at a window seat facing out onto the course. The restaurant was full, and there were quite a few people waiting to be seated by the time we left, however, the service was flawless, and the food arrived quickly.

The drinks were great. They were reasonably priced, tasted delicious, and were not overly strong (though some people might prefer that). The Buffalo Cauliflower appetizer was a big hit with us. It was delicious! It was perfectly battered, cooked, and seasoned.

The bread service was good, though, we wish we had asked for clarification on the basket. It was $3.99 each and came with two warm rolls. We would have shared one basket but ended up with one basket each as the way the waitress individually offered us the option to add the bread service to our meals, we assumed that it contained just one roll. It was a nice addition but we found one basket to be enough for two people.

My husband ordered the Friday Night Fish and Shrimp Combo and I ordered the Parmesean Whitefish. The couscous was a great combination with the whitefish and sauce. We enjoyed the shrimp, and the french fries were great. The fish wasn't quite what we were expecting for a fish fry, but it was good, nonetheless.

They have an extensive list of appetizers, and based on how much we enjoyed the Buffalo Cauliflower, we've decided that we'll be trying them all.

Kalkaska was in need of a new nice sit-down restaurant with great food and service. We're so glad that Twin Birch decided to...

Edit: Played the front nine. Very tight and tough. Instantly put away my new Srixons and put some recycled balls in play. Found more balls than I lost. Very fun and challenging. A couple times I hit good tee shots only to find no shot to the green, so position is everything. I played the back tees and felt it played longer than both the card and my rangefinder said.

The clubhouse/restaurant/bar has been updated in the last three years and is amazing. Worth checking out even if you don't golf.

/endedit

I deleted my earlier review because I totally goofed up on the website trying to get a tee time. It is confusing and I suggest you call instead of using it.

I grew up playing this course when it was just 9-holes. The old layout was fun and relatively forgiving except for perhaps the third and fourth holes. I played here the day the new nine opened, July 1989!! It was hot and the new nine was tight and the woods and ferns unplayable. It can still be that way such that you’ll lose your ball in the ferns (but find many others).

The addition of the new nine completely changed the feel and difficulty of the course. I still like it very much, just don’t get up there as much as I used too. Glad it is still around.

Oddly, I have never eaten here that I can remember so this review is...