Hole #6 - Treetops

Harry Melling, born in 1945, is best known as a NASCAR owner. Becoming an owner in 1982, he won 34 races, 2 Daytona 500′s and 1 Championship, having his best success with driver Bill Elliott in the 1980s. Melling, a true entrepreneur, bought the tiny Sylvan Ski Resort near Gaylord, MI in 1983.

Knowing that golf was needed for Sylvan to become a year round destination, Harry hired 80-year old Robert Trent Jones, Sr. to build a course at his resort. Legend has it that Jones commented when surveying the property that the only thing you could see were treetops. In addition, standing on the 6th tee after completion of the course, he commented that the course was his masterpiece. The resort was renamed Treetops/Sylvan Resort and later just Treetops. It is the only Michigan Golf Resort ranked in listed in the top 75 North American Resorts by Golf Digest (#48).

The Masterpiece course is ranked by Golf Digest #10 in the State of Michigan. With tons of elevation changes, plenty of trees, and tiny greens, it is a tough course. Hole #6 is the signature hole on the course. Playing from 180 yards (158 from the blue tees), it features a 120 foot elevation drop to the green. The view over the Pigeon River Valley is awe-inspiring. There is a bench at the tee that serves as a memorial to Harry Melling (who died suddenly of a heart attack in 1999).

Treetops has three other 18-hole courses (The Premier by Tom Fazio, as well as The Signature and The Legend by Rick Smith). The 9-hole, par-3 Threetops course (also a Smith design) was number 1 ranked par-3 course by Travel + Leisure golf in 2002. The course was home to the ESPN televised Par-3 shootout from 1999-2006. For an great summer golf experience, be sure to put Treetops at the top of your list.