University of Michigan Athletics

ARCHITECT: Alister MacKenzie
CONSTRUCTED: 1931
RENOVATED: 1992-94
FIRST EVENT:
    Men's Golf: May 13, 1931 (U-M 15, Ohio State 3; match play)
    Women's Golf: Sept. 19-20, 1980 (Lady Wolverine Invitational,
    4th of 8)
    Men's Cross Country: Nov. 1, 1930 (U-M 22, M.A.C. 33)
    Women's Cross Country: Oct. 11, 1985

• U-M Alumni Give Back to School and Sport They Love
• New Clubhouse Will Enhance Golfer Experience at U-M Golf Course

Michigan's varsity golf teams compete and practice at one of the finest university-owned courses in the country, the University of Michigan Golf Course. The challenging fairways and greens lie among stately trees, plush rough and hills that offer a breathtaking view of the university's main campus. In addition to Michigan's golfers, the U-M Golf Course is also the home course for the Michigan cross country teams.

The University of Michigan Golf Course was designed in the late 1920s by Alister MacKenzie, one of golf's all-time great architects. The regents unofficially opened the course in the fall of 1930 as the first golfers to play the new U-M Golf Course. The course officially opened in the spring of 1931 and immediately drew praise as one of the finest in America. At the time of its opening, the University Golf Course became just the fourth course to be located on a college campus. The U-M Golf Course is one of only six MacKenzie-designed golf courses in the United States. The famed Augusta National is another.

MacKenzie, Golf magazine's "Golf Architect of the Century" for the first 100 years of golf in America, brought his passion for the sport and of old St. Andrews, Scotland, to Ann Arbor. The U-M Golf Course is another enduring addition to the "Athletics for All" program of U-M athletic director Fielding H. Yost, a program he created to touch students for generations to come.

A multi-million dollar renovation completed in the spring of 1994 restored the grandeur of the University Golf Course to the ranks of MacKenzie's other classics. Orchestrating the restoration was Arthur Hills, a Michigan graduate and one of the foremost golf course architects in America. As an admirer of MacKenzie, Hills understood his focus was not a new course in Ann Arbor but a return to MacKenzie's intent.

The renovation included the return of original bunkers, improved tree planting and placement, construction of stately tee areas and an improved irrigation system. A new practice range was added to assist Michigan's golf squads as well as a number of practice greens and sand traps. The popularity of golf carts necessitated large stretches of cart paths that partition landscaped medians around the course.

On May 20, 2017, Michigan Athletics dedicated the Richard L. Postma Family Clubhouse, a 23,000-square-foot facility built on the footprint of the previous clubhouse. With views overlooking both the historic Alister MacKenzie-designed U-M Golf Course and Michigan Stadium, it is the perfect setting to relax in after a round of golf or to rent for a special occasion.

A patio complete with a fire pit and outdoor seating, and a new putting green twice the size of the previous one, sit between the clubhouse and holes 10 and 18. The first-floor Letterwinners Room provides an intimate space for gatherings, adjacent to the Petrovich Family Grill. The second floor features the Alvin L. Glick and Robert A. Glick Ballroom that accommodates 200 people and includes a terrace overlooking the course. The clubhouse also includes office space, a meeting room and a beautiful pro shop.

The U-M Golf Course has also hosted postseason tournaments, most recently hosting the NCAA Men's Golf Regional in 2012. Overall, U-M has hosted three NCAA Regionals and one NCAA Final (1947) as well as 12 total Big Ten Championships -- nine men and three women.

The cross country trail follows the golf course's rolling terrain, traversing almost all of the 18 holes at some point. The races begin on the fairway of the first hole and are highlighted by a climb up the 10th fairway midway through the race. The women's 5,000-meter and men's 8,000-meter races conclude between the first and ninth holes.

Address and Directions

U-M Golf Course 500 E. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Google Directions/Map

From Detroit Metro Airport and points east: Take I-94 west to Ann Arbor-Saline Road (exit 175). Turn right and follow Ann Arbor-Saline Road as it turns into Main Street, going north for approximately 1 1/2 miles. Turn right onto Stadium Boulevard and make the second right into the Golf Course parking lot, on the opposite side of the street from Crisler Arena.

From Chicago and points west: Take I-94 east to Ann Arbor-Saline Road (exit 175). Turn left and follow Ann Arbor-Saline Road as it turns into Main Street, going north for approximately 1 1/2 miles. Turn right onto Stadium Boulevard and make the second right into the Golf Course parking lot, on the opposite side of the street from Crisler Arena.

From Toledo and points south: Take U.S. 23 north to I-94 west. Follow directions from Detroit Metro Airport.

From Flint and points north: Take U.S. 23 south to I-94 west. Follow directions from Detroit Metro Airport.