The Highlands (Boyne Highlands) - The Heather

The Heather at Boyne Highlands is the original BOYNE Golf course, Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s 1966 design in Harbor Springs, Michigan, sitting at the base of the Highlands ski slopes. The Heather was the course Everett Kircher (BOYNE's founder) commissioned to anchor the resort's year-round pivot from winter skiing to summer golf; Jones's routing threads through hardwoods with dogleg corridors and water carries that make accuracy non-negotiable. At 7,200+ yards from the tips, The Heather remains one of the longest and most demanding resort courses in Michigan. The 7th plays across a deep ravine and is the most photographed hole on property. Jones's signature green complexes, large, tiered, and defended by bunkers positioned to punish miss-angles, reward approach-shot quality over raw length. The course was named 2019 National Course of the Year and 2018 Michigan Course of the Year, and has appeared on Golf Digest's 100 Greatest and 100 Greatest Public lists. Its Golf Digest Michigan ranking has held steady in the top 25 for most of its history; currently #25 for 2025-26. Hosted the 2024 Michigan Amateur. Pair it with Bay Harbor and the other BOYNE properties for a 4-5 round northern Michigan trip.