Grand Traverse Resort and Spa sits along the shores of Lake Michigan’s East Grand Traverse Bay. Its 900 acres encompasses some 575 rooms, suites, and condominiums, three 18-hole golf courses, a spa, more than half a dozen food outlets—some of them seasonal—100,000 square-foot indoor/outdoor health club, a shopping complex, 86,500 square-feet of meeting space.
Nearby is Turtle Creek Casino, operated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, which owns the resort. It is the largest and most complete in the entire state, allowing it to lay claim to the title “Michigan’s Premier Resort Experience.”Nestled among the freshwater beaches and hardwood forests of Traverse City, MI, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is one of Michigan’s premier resort destinations. It encompasses nearly 600 guest rooms, three championship golf courses, 86,500 square feet of meeting space, the renowned Spa Grand Traverse, and Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner Aerie Restaurant & Lounge.
Tennis at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa takes place inside The Club, the Resort's 100,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor health club. Much of this is geared toward locals and members and their children, though the accommodating staff strives to find ways to integrate tennis-playing guests into the programs, which include several drill and play sessions, cardio tennis, and pickleball. There is also a lengthy roster of junior activities, ranging from Quickstart to high performance, across the broad spectrum of ages and abilities.
Tennis Staff: George Lowe is the Director of Tennis. A ranked junior in the Pacific Northwest, where he’s from, and later the former team captain and No. 2 doubles player for Kalamazoo College, he went on to teach and several clubs, including the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo, The Lawn and Tennis Club of North Carolina, and Deer Lake Athletic Club in Clarkston, MI. Most recently, George served the USTA Midwest Section as the Tennis Service Representative (TSR), with a focus on community development, for the state of Michigan.
Tennis Programs: At Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, he says his core responsibility is the high-performance program for local juniors. Hotel guests gravitate to the twice-weekly Cardio tennis clinics, which, he says, “are very well attended and very well liked,” as well as the periodic mixers and special events typically held on weekends. In addition there is a “Three and Me” doubles session with the pro making as the fourth, with a focus on drills and better doubles play. Otherwise, there is a host of on-going programs for local members, among them singles and doubles drill and play clinics open to guests on a drop-in basis. The same is true of on-going junior programs.
Court Complex: There are 9 hard tennis courts, 5 of them indoors, and 7 pickleball courts, 3 of those indoors.
Off Court
Beach: located on Lake Michigan, the resort’s Beach Club affords opportunities to rent jet skis, kayaks, paddleboards.
Golf Courses: As a recurring site of the Michigan Open, golf commands a very high profile at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. It has three designer courses and a golf academy.
The Bear: The very name is a tribute to its designer Jack Nicklaus. The 18-hole layout has been listed among the Top 20 toughest in the U.S. The location conferred on it a rolling landscape of trees, lakes, streams, and fruit orchards while Nicklaus invested it with terraced fairways and tiered greens bordered by deep, grassy roughs and riddled with moguls, mounds, and deep pot bunkers. A par 72, it plays at just over 7,000 yards from the back tees.
The Wolverine: Gary Player’s contribution, laid out partly through lowland terrain and wetlands, partly in hardwood-studded rolling hills with views of the bay. Another 18 holes at 7,000+ yards from the back tees.
Spruce Run: Named for the spruce and fir trees that line its fairways and greens, this course winds through the rolling hills giving views of the bay. A par 70, it plays 6,304 yards from the back tees
Spa and Fitness Center: Spa: Contained within the health club, the Grand Traverse Spa has treatments: relaxation, deep tissue, and Thai full-body table massages, among them as well as aromatherapy and body masques and scrubs using northern Michigan botanicals and natural products. Fitness: the expansive health club has a broad range of workout equipment, fitness classes, and activities, aqua aerobics, spinning, Pilates, yoga, and TRX. There are also two indoor and two outdoor swimming pools in various locations and a total of four indoor or outdoor hot tubs as well as an indoor water playground.
Winter brings a variety of options, among them snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and ice skating.
Children's programs: From Monday to Saturday in summer, the resort offers a full range of organized children’s activities every afternoon as well as on Saturday mornings.
Dining: There are half a dozen restaurants and bars, including Aerie on the 16th floor of the Tower where it commands views of the bay.
Accommodations
Getting there
Seasons: The main social and family season runs from mid June to late August. In the late spring and fall, it tends to attract groups, though selected dates and weekends during those periods may be available for vacationers. Check with the resort to find out for sure.
