12500 Crystal Mountain Drive, Thompsonville, Michigan 49683, US
(855) 995-5146
Location Map

About Crystal Mountain

Established in 1956, Crystal Mountain is a four-season destination 28 miles southwest of Traverse City. When the snow from the ski runs melts, the fairways of Mountain Ridge, host of the Michigan Women's Open, and Betsie Valley emerge. There's so much to do - swimming at the Park at Water's Edge, riding Michigan's only alpine slide down the mountain and chair lifts back up, a hike through the Michigan Legacy Art Park, mountain biking, paint ball, relaxing at an award-winning spa and more. Bungalows, cottages, hotel rooms, an inn and home rentals cater to families and groups of all sizes. The Thistle Pub & Grille in the Kinlochen can be casual for lunch and elegant for dinner, while the Wild Tomato and Betsie River Pizza & Subs add variety for your taste buds.

Facts

Price Range$$$
Property Class★★★★
Year Opened1956
Number of Units100-300

Amenities

RestaurantsCasual
Room TypesRoom
PoolIndoor
TennisYes
Fitness CenterYes
Practice FacilityYes
Golf School/AcademyYes
Banquet SpaceYes
SpaYes

Services

Kids ProgramYes

Rules

Is the resort pet friendly?Yes
Is resort stay required for a tee time?No

Golf courses at Crystal Mountain

Reviews

4.2
42 Reviews (42)
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Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Great Up North Course

This course is one of my favorites, and well worth the money.

The greens are always quick, but very true. The layout does have the typical resort feel, but it is challenging and has more variation than most.

The practice facility is top notch and the food beverage is terrific. This is just flat out a well run place.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 324
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Texas Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played

Fun northern Michigan golf at a great resort

Crystal Mountain may fly a little under the radar when golfers are looking at northern Michigan's Top 100-rated golf courses. But families in the Midwest know Crystal Mountain very well. This is one of the best outdoor family getaways up here, and the golf product is quite serviceable as well.

The Mountain Ridge course is the newer of the two courses here, designed by Michigan architect William Newcomb, and is a very pleasant and wooded play that can be a great challenge from the back sets of tees. Though considering we played nearby Arcadia Bluffs the day before, we certainly appreciated the more mellow fairways. The course couldn't have been in better condition and endless pines lining each hole, plus some nice elevated tee shots like the par-3 5th, make it a really fun round.

The onsite Kinlochen, a small, Scottish-inspired lodge with multi-room units and a nice bar and patio, is a great touch.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Excellent well kept course

Very challenging and well kept track . The first hole is a double dog leg so definitely bring extra sleeves of balls if you do not hit it straight. Greens are excellent & fairways are well manicured.. Elevation changes are abundant & the views are magnificent of the Northern Michigan landscape! !

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Greens

The greens were consistent and in beautiful shape. The tee boxes were nicely manicured. It was a very enjoyable course to play.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Excellent Value!

Tough, but fair. You need to drive the ball well to score here. Many fairways have trouble on both sides, so straight will trump long almost every time. Break in greens is obvious which helps putting reads. Got a great twilight rate on Golfnow.com which made this a MUST play!

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Nice course, a little pricey

Very nice course, however a little pricey. Too many nice courses in area to be priced that high.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Very nice course for Northern Michigan

I golf the mountain several years back, great then and also today. Took two friends along fist time they loved it, seen several dear and wildlife.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Great time for a great price

Booked tee time last minute with my son on Golfnow.com. $18 per player w/cart each at 4 pm! It was a slow Tuesday so we finished undisturbed in 3 hours! Course in great shape, greens were true but quick. Pay attention to the course signs to the next tee, as it winds through forest. A true Up North golf experience.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Very scenic, many elevation changes

Played this course on a Thursday afternoon and felt like we were the only ones on the course until we caught up to another group on the 16th hole. Greens are large and will hold a shot, put very true. The only minor issue was the quality of the sand traps. All were well maintained, but contained more gravel than I like. Stay out of the traps and there is no issue. The tees, fairways, rough and the greens were all great.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Good value as a hot deal. Not good value at normal green fees.

Mountain Ridge is the fancier of the two Crystal Mountain courses. Guy working the pro shop was not very cordial. Kid working the carts outside was quite friendly and helpful.
Course was extremely well maintained - fairways and greens in excellent shape. Lots of wildlife on the course. Even though the course is called Mountain Ridge, for the most part it is quite a flat layout. From the whites, it is of moderate length and difficulty. Fairway traps are well placed to force you to keep tee shots in the fairways.
This is not a walking course. Many holes have quite a drive to reach the next tee.
It is a nice course, but there are a lot of nice courses in northern Michigan. I feel the normal green fees are excessive for the Mountain Ridge course, which may help explain why the course was pretty deserted on a beautiful Wednesday summer afternoon.

Conditions Excellent
Value Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Typical northern MI course

The course is built on a massive piece of property. There are 3-5 minute cart rides between holes throughout the course offering great views and numerous wildlife sightings. The course is pretty straightforward from the members Tees. The back Tees top 7,000 yards.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Definitely expected more out of a resort course!

The tee box's are all beat up and they only have ball washers on every other hole and no towels hanging on them! Almost all the tee boxes were beat up!

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

This course is a very scenic, enjoyable experience.

This was a great course. It was well-maintained and very scenic. We even spotted several deer on one of the holes during our play. We enjoyed riding the golf cart between holes taking in the view. It was very relaxing to play in this environment. Highly recommend this course and would play it again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Rain

Rain rain go away...

Play was great (mist rain) up to the 15th hole, then waited on a large group of (8) foursomes...

We made it through #16 before the monsoon hit. We noticed greens were soaked with standing water on our way back to the club house.

Nice course, however, we didn't get to experience the mountain views due to the rain.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Highly recommend

Everything was perfect.....weather, course, staff, and the cold beer. I was treated as if I was the only customer that the resort had. Lot's of activity this particular day, family reunions, weddings, so needless to say that this place was humming. Still thinking about the experience 2 days later. Will visit this course again soon.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

hilly

can't play this one without a cart...In fact, don't even try to walk to the first tee, as its a mile from the proshop. course cut from a forest- typical northern Michigan golf, lots of trees, nice fairways, lots of sand, some water. got repetitive after a while...par 4, 372 yards...decent value on golfnow, make sure to get the promo code for 25% off. 2 of us played for under $90.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

It doesn't get any better than this...

Staff was very friendly and helpful (even greeted by the head pro at the start), course was in immaculate shape , pro shop, cart girl and refreshment stands were fully stocked and reasonable costs. Course tests all of your skills but not so tuff that you couldn't recover if you have one poor shot.
Definitely a must play to experience north woods setting. I will be returning :)

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Nice layout and plenty of fun

Course is in great condition. Several challenging holes and several opportunities for birdies. Great finishing holes (17 & 18).
Staff could use a refresher course to make us feel more welcome.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful course (Mountain Ridge)

The Mountain Ridge course was a beautiful setting for a round of golf. I was unfortunate enough to get a tee time right behind a 20+ person outing and did not actually get to finish the round due to prior engagements later that night. It was a little frustrating that the group was not kept up to pace. After finishing hole 12 we were already 45 minutes behind pace, with no sign of it picking up any time soon so we had to leave. Anyway, the course looked great and it is a shame I didn't get to finish the last 6 holes as they looked like a lot of fun.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Fun resort course (Betsie Valley)

Overall I wasn't that impressed by the Betsie Valley course at Crystal Mountain, but it was a good value for the price of the GolfNow deal. I would never pay the full asking price for an 18 here, that is for sure. It was a Thursday and the course was wide open so that helped make it a very speedy round, but the course offered little as far as any challenges are concerned. It was very open and the greens were mostly straightforward. The course was in great shape, just wish there would have been more to it.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Easy
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