January 8, 2026
What’s New This Winter At Garland
For half the year, Garland is known for its wealth of beautifully scenic golf courses. Then, for two months, when snow covers the ground, the resort becomes a winter wonderland. […]
America’s semi-quincentennial isn’t the only milestone anniversary being celebrated this summer at Garland Lodge & Golf Resort. The 2026 season is also the diamond jubilee for Garland itself, marking 75 years since the original 9-hole golf course opened.
Back in 1951, employees of a Michigan company called Garland Manufacturing started bringing friends and family to Lewiston for summer getaways. By the time of the American bicentennial in 1976 when Garland celebrated its 25th anniversary, a second 9-hole course had been added and golf had opened to the public. It was around that time Judd Wellard started making trips north to play golf at Garland.
Among the more senior Garland members these days, Wellard and his wife, Mary Ann, have been around long enough to see the tremendous growth of the property. From a fire that burned the original clubhouse and construction of the current lodge to the development of four new 18-hole championship courses and more recent additions including the Tiki Bar and The Sawyer reversible short course, Garland looks a lot different than it did in the old days.
“There’s a lot of history there,” said Wellard, now in his 80s. “The resort started booming in the ‘90s. My daughter was a cart girl during high school and then she graduated into being a bartender inside. She would make $400 a weekend in tips!”
After the Main Lodge was built in 1987 with 15-inch spruce and lodgepole pine from British Columbia and more than 250 tons of split fieldstone, Garland transformed into one of the Midwest’s top golf destinations. It was during this time that Wellard chose to become a Garland member, and when the longtime club pro Lee Woodruff ran the shop.
The first new 18-hole championship course was Swampfire, full of water with a golf cart crossing over County Road 489 on the longest single-span log bridge in the world. That was followed by the long and challenging Monarch and Reflections, which introduced Michigan golf to the unique 18-hole combination of six par 3s, six par 4s, and six par 5s. Fountains, which opened in 1995, replicated the 6-6-6 layout and added a new level of artistry to course design at Garland.
The latest new course at Garland, The Sawyer, is a 10-hole reversible short course that opened in 2025 under the leadership of current General Manager David Sanderson, Jr. The course is walking only, restoring the walking-only character of one of Garland’s original 9-hole courses.
All five courses – 82 holes total – have been under the care of superintendent Mick Zajas, who has worked the grounds at Garland for more than 30 years, constantly making improvements such as paving old gravel cart paths and removing trees to let more sun reach the grass on putting greens.
From the late 1980s onward, Garland added many overnight accommodations for resort guests. First, the Main Lodge was expanded with a south wing and 1- and 2-bedroom villas were added. Later, 3-bedroom French Villas and 4-bedroom Golf Cottages were built along the Fountains course.
Over the years, the dining options at Garland have changed for the better, too. Seasonal menus prepared by Executive Chef Kirk Bennett keep the kitchen fresh, and both members and non-members alike enjoy casual food and drink at Antlers Bar & Grill as well as nice sit-down meals in the Tamarack Dining Room. Even though Wellard and his wife don’t play as much golf as they used to, they continue to dine at Garland.
“The main dining room has given us many years of enjoyment,” he said. “Still does.”
Here are some more memories that Wellard shares with other Garland members:
Whether you’re a longtime member like Wellard, a regular visitor who comes every summer or someone who just discovered the beauty of Garland, what are your favorite memories of the resort over the years?
Share a thing or two about your own Garland experiences here and plan to make more memories with a return visit soon!
For half the year, Garland is known for its wealth of beautifully scenic golf courses. Then, for two months, when snow covers the ground, the resort becomes a winter wonderland. […]
While people have been playing golf at Garland since the 1950s, the present collection of championship golf courses began to take shape about four decades ago. That’s when Swampfire was […]
