HISTORY
A GOLF COURSE CERTAINLY WORTHY OF NATIONAL REPUTATION
THE BELVEDERE GOLF CLUB’S HISTORY BEGAN IN 1925
In 1925, Members of the Belvedere Club, a summer home association of 91 cottages nestled between Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix, decided their existing social club needed a golf course. What began as a summer retreat for members evolved into one of golf’s most storied venues, where tradition, competition, and camaraderie have shaped generations of players. The course was conceived when ten members of the Belvedere Club—then known as the Charlevoix Home Association—set out to create a golf course of their own. They selected the rolling highlands of the Supernaw and Hooker farms along Marion Center Road and enlisted acclaimed architect William Watson to design a golf course “worthy of national reputation,” and he delivered.
“The best 18-hole resort course in the United States.”
— Walter Hagen: Winner of the Great Lakes Open at Belvedere Golf Club in 1929
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COMPETITION
THE MICHIGAN AMATEUR
Belvedere’s tournament legacy is equally distinguished. Since first hosting the Michigan Amateur in 1930—won by Chuck Kocsis—the club has staged the championship 41 times, including a remarkable run from 1963 to 1988 that crowned many of Michigan’s finest players, among them two-time champion and PGA Tour member and Ryder Cup competitor Dan Pohl.
NOTABLE PLAYERS
THE GREATS OF THE GAME TRULY CAME TO PLAY
Over the past century, Belvedere has welcomed many of the game’s greatest names. Walter Hagen won the 1929 Great Lakes Open here, famously calling the 16th hole the finest par-4 in America. Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Tommy Armour, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, and Ken Venturi have all competed on its fairways. Five-time Open Champion Tom Watson, who vacationed nearby as a youth, remains a frequent summer visitor as an honorary member.