Field notesPlayed Firsthand
Red Hawk, East Tawas
- Paid
- Just over $90 with a cart
- Plays like
- $125 to $150 downstate
- For
- Beginners to the tips
- Slot it
- Early, in the morning
Red Hawk is a super nice course, and the front nine is one of the most underrated stretches of golf in that area. It's an Arthur Hills design cut from the woods in East Tawas, and it plays like a $125 to $150 downstate course at just over $90 for 18 with a cart.
The front nine
The front nine is the standout, starting with a cool little opening hole, then a drivable par 4, then the signature par 3, which is incredible. There are some cool par 4s after that, another solid par 3, and then my favorite hole on the property, the par 5 7th.
The back nine
The back is great too, with more of an up-north feel. It reads like a slightly different style than the front, but you can tell it's the same course, it just plays a little differently, and it holds up just as much. 16 is a standout par 5 with a lay-up-or-carry decision over a cattail penalty area, and if you lay up you face a weird little uphill wedge in. They've got cool par 5s all over this course.
How it played
Conditions were good, everything in good shape, and the greens rolled true.
The con
It can be slow. Summer afternoons can run slow out there, and the greens were on the slower side when I played, so those are my two knocks.
Who it's for
It's playable for beginners, with tree trouble everywhere since it's cut from the woods, and it's tough from the tips.
Routing it into a trip
Slot it early, since a morning slot is fine and the afternoons are where it backs up. Red Hawk sits inland in the woods, so no lake air reaches it on a hot day, which is one more reason the morning slot wins in midsummer.
Around the golf
GPS carts with overhead storage for each player, a drink cart on course, and friendly staff. The clubhouse has a good deck overlooking the course for post-round beers, the food's good, the beer is cheap, and the logo merch is good.
What it costs
Just over $90 for 18 with a cart when I played in July 2026.