You’ll find SkyBridge Michigan just a few hundred yards from The Alpine Course at Boyne Mountain Resort, Northern Michigan. This engineering marvel spans 1,200 feet and connects the McLouth Ridge and Disciples Ridge. SkyBridge Michigan’s billboards advertising it on Boyne Mountain’s road don’t give you an idea of its scope.
SkyBridge was opened just in time to enjoy fall foliage. It is already known as Michigan’s second bridge (Mackinac being its first), and is the largest timber-towed suspension bridge. It is located near the Hemlock ski runs, where Boyne founder Everett Kircher founded his business 74 year ago. It’s an interesting symmetry: guests can take Boyne’s original skilift to enjoy the new attraction, but it also reflects the continuity of Boyne’s culture since its inception.
Kircher was bold and took risks. His instincts were trusted, and projects like SkyBridge prove that.
Boyne is not only a place of expansion but also a place of constant renewal. Chalet Edelweiss on Boyne Mountain was one of the original lodges. It has been beautifully restored since 2021. The spacious rooms have all the modern amenities guests would want. Is it possible to find a U.S. resort that offers a complimentary Nordic sauna with a hot-cold cycle?
Boyne Highlands Falls, Main Lodge
This theme is carried over to Boyne’s Northern Michigan resorts. The Donald Ross Memorial Course at The Highlands has been modified to better match the architect’s original Seminole, Aronimink, and other classics. The Highlands’ Main Lodge has received strong early reviews for its new rooms. The Arthur Hills, The Monument, and Crooked Tree golf clubs will all get new bunker sand in 2023. Each resort will also have several miles of new cart trails. There are many more. It is possible that Everett Churchir would be happy with the way his children have fulfilled his vision.
This applies to more than the resort’s physical assets. Kircher wanted his resorts be places where people could gather and enjoy their families as well as make new friends.
BOYNE Golf
In 1961, Kircher stated to SportsIllustrated that he wanted people to feel the unity. “We don’t want them to have span to search elsewhere for anything span.
In the beginning, Boyne encouraged Boyne’s hostesses not to place strangers together. However, part of his strategy was also to connect single women and men. Today, guests and staff make connections organically.
“It’s small-town community. People who work there are either locals who have lived there for a long time or moved away. They’re happy they came back,” Debbie Waitkus, a Golfweek course rating specialist, said. Waitkus visited Boyne during the magazine’s Women’s Rater’s Cup. They were genuine joyous. They made me feel valued and at home. It felt special .”
Kircher had a brilliant idea years ago: He wanted to overwhelm his guests, so that they didn’t feel the need to travel elsewhere. This has never changed. Families and couples can take a break from the golf course by taking part in activities such as swimming pools, ziplining and mountain biking.
BOYNE Golf, Evan Schiller
The staff encourages guests to visit nearby towns like Walloon Lake, Petoskey and Charlevoix. The staff believes that guests will return to these charming lakeside villages if they spend more time exploring them.
Harbor Springs is a charming community that oozes classic Americana and history with its beautifully maintained waterfront homes. Harbor Point, the town’s gated peninsula, is where Midwest’s old money summers are held. But Boyne guests still have access to all Harbor Springs has for them.
Liana Chirichella, Golfweek rater, said that Liana Chirichella also visited Boyne in August.
Ernest Hemingway spent a century at Walloon Lake, and frequented The Annex in Petoskey, which was then called The Annex. This history was explained by our bartender who was particularly animated. Hemingway’s left-hand seat is still coveted by guests who often leave the bar with T-shirts of Papa with the quote “I drink to make others more interesting.”
If Hemingway was alive today, you might find him at the Barrel Back Restaurant, Walloon Lake. It is located just blocks from the Hemingway Memorial Marker and overlooks the town marina, Walloon Lake, and Walloon Lake.
It’s no surprise that Boyne staff enjoys sharing those moments with guests. Many of them are probably planning their next visit even before they check out.
(For more information on BOYNE Golf, visit https://boynegolf.com or call 855-688-3286.)
