10th Annual CKW Cup

September 10–13, 2026
In memory of Chad K. Wiedyk

 

2026 Harbor Springs, MI

Harbor Springs, Michigan is a small, upscale resort town in Northern Michigan known for its deep-water harbor, historic cottages, and four-season outdoor lifestyle. It sits on the north shore of Little Traverse Bay along Lake Michigan.

 

Bay Harbor Golf Club

CKW Cup — Golf Round #1  |  Thursday, September 10  |  2:00 p.m.

Arthur Hills’ 27-hole masterpiece on Little Traverse Bay is often called the Pebble Beach of the Midwest. Three distinct nines The Links, The Quarry, and The Preserve can be combined into championship 18s that run from windblown dunes and Lake Michigan shoreline into a former shale quarry with 40-foot gorges, stone cliffs, and a waterfall finish.

Opened in 1996–97 after one of the largest shoreline restorations in U.S. history, Bay Harbor plays up to about 6,800 yards from the tips with slope ratings in the low-to-mid 140s. Range balls are included. Lunch is at the club before the round.

 

Bay Harbor Golf Club

5800 Coastal Ridge Drive

Bay Harbor / Petoskey, MI 49770

Arthur Hills at The Highlands

CKW Cup — Golf Round #2  |  Friday, September 11  |  9:00 a.m.

A colossal Arthur Hills design (1995) at Boyne Highlands / The Highlands in Harbor Springs. Generous, bunker-dotted fairways tighten into demanding green complexes, with a back-nine climb to one of the highest points in the region. Hole 13 “BOYNE Golf’s Everest” is a signature downhill tee shot from the top of a ski slope.

Par 73, up to 7,312 yards, rating 75.4 / slope 144 from the Brown tees. Ranked among Golf Digest’s Best in State. Check in at the Ross Golf Center (shared with Donald Ross Memorial and The Moor). Range balls included. Lunch after the round at TBD resort dining.

 

Arthur Hills Golf Course

250 Heather Drive

Harbor Springs, MI 49740

The Heather Golf Course

CKW Cup — Golf Round #3  |  Friday, September 11  |  3:10 p.m.

Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s 1966 original first BOYNE golf course and still one of Michigan’s true championship tests. Host of Michigan Amateurs, AJGA events, and the Celebrity Tour. Named Michigan Golf Course of the Year (2018) and National Golf Course of the Year by the NGCOA (2019).

Par 72, up to 7,143 yards, rating 75.4 / slope 147 from the Brown tees. Tree-lined front nine through marsh and hardwoods; a more open, rolling back nine that finishes with the famous lake carry on 18. Located next to the Main Lodge at The Highlands. Range balls included. Dinner after the round at TBD resort dining.

 

The Heather Golf Course

1343 Heather Drive

Harbor Springs, MI 49740

Belvedere Golf Club

CKW Cup — Golf Round #4  |  Saturday, September 12  |  10:00 a.m.

Golden Age classic just south of Charlevoix. Designed by Scottish architect William Watson in 1925 (opened 1927) and later refined by Bruce Hepner. Strategic, walkable parkland golf with some of the most interesting green complexes in the Midwest dimples, knobs, swales, and bubbles that reward creativity around the greens.

Par 72, about 6,900 yards from the tips. Host of the Michigan Amateur a record 40-plus times and a favorite summer course of Tom Watson. Golf Digest Best in State. Bring your own snacks, drinks, and alcohol. No big coolers. Pro Shop Grille is closed after Labor Day. Range balls included. Scores from Rounds 1–4 set ranks and pairings for the Doon Brae team challenge.

 

Belvedere Golf Club

5731 Marion Center Road

Charlevoix, MI 49720

Doon Brae Par 3

CKW Cup — Golf Round #5 (Team Total Challenge)  |  Saturday, September 12  |  6:55 p.m.

Brand-new Ray Hearn short course (opened 2025) billed as the first modern golf course built on a ski hill. “Doon” means going down into a valley and “brae” means hillside in Scottish. Nine par-3s from 57 to 150 yards (678–1,050 yards total) move mostly sideways across the slope with downhill, uphill, flat, and sidehill lies. Template-inspired greens (Eden, Redan, Punchbowl, and more) and sod-faced bunkers. Walking only. Lighted for evening play.

This is the team-total finale. Scores from the first four rounds set rank and pairings. Check in at the Doon Brae Golf Shop behind Slopeside Lounge / next to the putting green. Dinner beforehand at Petoskey Brewing Company (4:00 p.m.). Alpine Village Condos are the trip lodging; breakfast Sunday is at Boyne Highlands Lodge before a 9:00 a.m. departure.

 

Doon Brae Par 3

600 Highlands Drive

Harbor Springs, MI 49740

2025 Featured Courses


Thornapple Pointe Golf Club

Offering memorable golfing experiences with lush trees, elevated tee shots and smooth greens. A panoramic view of the breathtaking Thornapple River provides the backdrop for this expansive 18-hole course, featuring bentgrass fairways and impeccably groomed tees and greens. Winding along 7,000 feet of river frontage, your game guides you over gently rolling hills, through hardwood-lined fairways, and near three of the most enchanting, untouched wetlands found in the Midwest.

 

Thornapple Pointe Golf Club

7211 48th St SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49512

The Meadows at Grand Valley State University

“The Meadows is a Golf Digest four-and-a-half star facility that has been host to several notable tournaments. Those include 9 NCAA National Championships and 24 MHSAA High School State Championships through 2016.

Playing as long as 7060 yards from the tips with a course/slope rating of 74.2/133, this links-style wonderland has a rotation of holes that will throw a little bit of everything at you. With five sets of tees available, all skill levels with find a comfortable tee box to play from, but no matter where you start your holes from, you’ll have to manage your game masterfully to get to the finish with your round intact. Wetlands and well-bunkered greens make clear thinking a priority---very appropriate given the course’s setting at a university and all. Don’t worry about getting bored with your subsequent visits, either. The conditions are always great and the variables the course throws at you makes every experience a unique one.” -GroupGolfer

 

The Meadows at Grand Valley State University

4645 W Campus Dr

Allendale, MI 49401

Mines Golf Club

Pilgrim's Run Golf Club

Your journey takes you down manicured fairways lined with tall white pines and black oaks to your destination, the pristine undulating bent grass greens. Pilgrim’s Run is a “must play” for golfers who enjoy the combination of tranquility, beauty, and great golf! Each hole at Pilgrim’s Run has a special meaning, based on John Bunyan’s book, The Pilgrim’s Progress.

 

Pilgrim's Run Golf Club

11401 Newcosta Ave

Pierson, MI 49339

2024 Featured Courses


The Golf Club at Harbor Shores

Diamond Springs

American Dunes Golf Club

2023


2023 CKW Cup Individual Winner JB!

JB

September 7th to 10th in Chicago Land

2023 Featured Courses


Ruffled Feathers Golf Club

The only Pete Dye design in Illinois — and the only Dye course in Chicagoland. Pete Dye and P.B. Dye opened this par-72, 6,898-yard championship layout in 1992 on former farmland in Lemont, about 30 minutes from downtown Chicago. It plays like a private club that happens to take public tee times: sculpted fairways, 114 bunkers, railroad ties, wetlands, and water that actually changes how you hit the ball.

The round starts with a 100-yard carry over water to a blind fairway. Signature holes include the split-fairway par-5 6th, the 155-yard peninsula/island-green par-3 11th, the elevated 14th, and the wetland-lined 16th. Multiple tees keep it playable without sanding down the Dye strategy. All-grass range and short-game area sit next to the clubhouse and Feathers Bar & Grill.

 

Ruffled Feathers Golf Club

1 Pete Dye Drive

Lemont, IL 60439

Cantigny Golf

Golf Digest’s Best New Public Course in America when it opened in 1989, and still one of the best public-access tracks in the Midwest. Roger Packard designed 27 holes across nearly 300 acres in Wheaton — Woodside, Lakeside, and Hillside — so you get three distinct nines and three different 18-hole combinations instead of one repetitive loop.

Five-time host of the Illinois State Amateur and a regular Golf Digest Best in State / Top 35 Illinois pick. Owned by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and managed by KemperSports, with a full academy, Youth Links, and a clubhouse renovation underway. Conditions and hospitality are meant to feel private-club without the membership card.

 

Cantigny Golf

27W270 Mack Road

Wheaton, IL 60189

Cog Hill Course No. 2 – Ravines

Opened in 1929 and still the local favorite at Cog Hill. David McIntosh and Bert Coghill routed it through wooded, rolling ground; Joe Lee and Rocky Roquemore updated it in 1995. Ravines cut across nearly half the holes — that is the whole personality of the course, and why everyone just calls it the Ravines.

Par 72, 6,889 yards from the Black tees. Sporty championship golf with tight corridors, 90-degree doglegs, and a one-of-a-kind closer: a bonus par-3 “19th hole” with a testy green after 18. Golf Digest has listed it among America’s Best Courses Under $100. Same Lemont campus as Dubsdread (No. 4), with range, learning center, and the historic clubhouse on site.

 

Cog Hill Golf & Country Club

12294 Archer Avenue

Lemont, IL 60439

Cog Hill Golf & Country Club – Dubsdread

2022 CKW Cup Champion – Mark Lantz


In a show of athleticism, Mark “Luda-Crisss” Lantz achieved greatness in the inaugural year by shooting a 3 round total 225 (HDCP: 210) to edge out the 2nd year favorite Sai “man says” Potukuchi by 3 strokes.

In the year of the Tiger, the weather was the fiercest it’s ever been. With temperatures that dropped around freezing and winds that would not quit, the rain laden rounds proved a worthy advisory for Mark, but they did not prevail. Instead, with keen eye, extra rain pants and an mindfulness to not try and Grip-it-and-Rip-It every hole, Mark secured his victory over the field and hoisted the CKW Cup overhead christening it with the rich ambrosia of Busch Light Apple.

Congrats to Mark and may any potential successors of the cup be advised!

   
   

2022 Featured Courses


Pilgrim's Run Golf Club

Your journey takes you down manicured fairways lined with tall white pines and black oaks to your destination, the pristine undulating bent grass greens. Pilgrim’s Run is a “must play” for golfers who enjoy the combination of tranquility, beauty, and great golf. Each hole at Pilgrim’s Run has a special meaning, based on John Bunyan’s book, The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Built on more than 400 acres of wooded, rolling terrain near Pierson, this upscale public course opened in 1997–98 with six tee sets so you can pick the fight. Bentgrass fairways and distinctive green complexes. Golf Digest’s 4th Best New Affordable Course (1999); later ranked among Michigan’s top public courses by Golfweek and Golf Digest.

 

Pilgrim's Run Golf Club

11401 Newcosta Ave

Pierson, MI 49339

The Royal Golf Course

The championship 18 at Canadian Lakes. The Royal is the community’s big layout — a beautiful parkland course that stretches and tests from the back tees and settles down from the forward sets. Par 73, about 6,700 yards from the Blue tees (rating 73.3 / slope 131).

Royal Pro Shop, practice putting green, and short-game area sit next to the first tee. After the round, the Royal Grille is the clubhouse restaurant and lounge. Home course for Chippewa Hills golf and the centerpiece of the Canadian Lakes golf amenity.

 

The Royal Golf Course

9775 Clubhouse Drive East

Canadian Lakes / Stanwood, MI 49346

Tullymore Golf Club

Jim Engh’s 2001–02 masterpiece on 800 acres of woods, meadows, and wetlands outside Stanwood. Golf Digest named it the No. 1 new upscale public course in America after it opened and has ranked it among America’s Greatest Public and Resort Courses. Art-deco shaping — zigzag fairways, sculpted bunkers, and greens that change size and personality from hole to hole.

Par 72, up to about 7,120–7,250 yards with a slope of 150 from the tips. Five par-3s and five par-5s. Sister course to St. Ives at Tullymore Golf Resort, with its own clubhouse, range, and stay-and-play lodging on the property.

 

Tullymore Golf Club

11969 Tullymore Drive

Stanwood, MI 49346

St. Ives Golf Club

Jerry Matthews carved St. Ives out of glacier-cut highlands, woods, and wetlands in 1995. A lot of people call it his best work. Elevation changes of 40 to 80 feet, water on 11 holes, and a finish that is as good as anything in the state: the lake-carry par-3 16th, the wraparound par-5 17th, and the uphill par-4 18th.

Par 72, 6,702 yards from the tips with a slope in the mid-140s. Golf Digest 5-star Places to Play. Golf for Women ranked it among the top 10 facilities in North America for women. Same Tullymore Golf Resort as the Engh course, about five minutes away, with the Inn at St. Ives next door.

 

St. Ives Golf Club

9900 St. Ives Drive

Stanwood, MI 49346

The Highlands

Canadian Lakes’ most scenic nine — and the one visitors keep calling the best 9-hole course in Michigan. Opened in 1972 and cut through forest on the north end of the community. Rolling hills, elevated views, smaller greens, and a mix of downhill, sidehill, and uphill shots. Short (2,752 yards, par 36) but not simple.

Signature hole is the short par-3 8th beside the Canadian Lakes Castle, with a panoramic look at the main lake from the green. Practice putting green, driving range, and pro shop sit by the first tee. Walking is allowed; the hills make it a workout. Autumn here is the postcard version of the property.

 

The Highlands

11560 N Royal Road

Canadian Lakes, MI 49346

 

CKW CUP

Michigan golf trip

ABOUT CKW CUP

The true adventure began shortly after Obama left office in 2017. By coincidence it was around the same time Michael Hoffmeister had accidently overbought 100 average cigars, 200 bottles of Mountain Spring, and a Costco pallet of Lance Cheese and Peanut Butter Crackers – No relation to Mark Lantz our touring pro and confidence man – and decided he wanted to share his windfall with his only 5 friends, of which only 3 came and the rest were friend-of-a-friend type deals.

From there the trip was forged; the group would drive for hours from all parts of the Midwest to a central point in Grand Rapids, where they would then labor up the arduous 131 Highway until they found themselves in the lake spotted region commonly known as Canadian Lakes. It was here that the first group outing began and Scott presented to the world that he did not give a shit about the no White after Labor Day rule and captained his all white American flag outfit. Coincidently, it was also here in 1997 that the Taggie’s were forced from their home due to bouts with the [American Flag lacking] local government over what legally constituted a 4-wheerler trail and which animals were deemed rodents; it is believed this is why Nic has been unable to score in the region to date.

Fast forward through many years of world events like the ongoing SEC football dominance, unstoppable popularity of air fryers and avocado toast, Harry and Meghan’s Marriage into and exodus from the royal family, COVID-19 protocols, 3 Olympic games being hosted from one continent, the group has endured like Kevin’s swing over 72 holes, with vigor and resilience. Please note that this act of strength is performed by a football conditioning expert and is not advised for the common man.

Looking at where to host in 2022, 5 years after founding, the group found themselves down one, Chad. With this tragic loss, the group made right and returned home to where it all began, Canadian Lakes, and hosted the inaugural CKW Cup. This is the reason for the cup, and why we must all enjoy our time together and on the course. Here is to many more years of fun and golf!

(Please see a link to our current sponsor: https://www.lance.com/product/toastchee-peanut-butter/)