Most people drive through Ypsilanti on their way somewhere else. That’s a shame, because golfers who actually live here know something most people don’t.
Ypsilanti Township is quietly one of the best places to live if you love golf. From where I live, I can get to three different courses in a matter of minutes. Not thirty minutes. Minutes. That kind of access is rare, and most people outside the area have no idea.
Let’s walk through what’s out here.
Eagle Crest Golf Club is owned and operated by Eastern Michigan University, and it’s not just good for a university course. It’s been ranked among the top college golf courses in the entire country. Golf Pass Golfers’ Choice ranked it No. 9 in the nation in 2024. Golf Digest has rated it Four Stars as one of the best places to play. The Detroit Free Press put it at No. 5 on its list of the top public courses in metro Detroit.
And then there’s the view.
Several holes run directly along the banks of Ford Lake, including the signature par-5 16th, which stretches along the water and finishes at a peninsular green. It’s the kind of hole that stops you mid-round and reminds you where you are. The course also has a three-tiered driving range, a full clubhouse, and a place to grab food and drinks after your round, all while overlooking the lake. You can make a full afternoon of it without ever leaving the property.
Pine View Golf Course is a 27-hole course in Ypsilanti that plays like you’ve been transported up north. Wide fairways, beautiful tree lines, and a layout that gives you a different experience every nine holes. I play here often. It’s well-kept, accessible, and the kind of place you can get a tee time without planning weeks in advance.
Tall Pines is another solid option, a fun, playable layout that’s great for a casual round with friends or a quick afternoon out. It has a way of keeping things interesting without making you feel like the course is working against you.
Now here’s one that doesn’t get enough credit: Washtenaw Golf Club.
This course has been around since 1899, making it the third oldest golf course in the state of Michigan. It started as a private club, the kind of place where membership was reserved for a select group, and it stayed that way for most of its history. That changed in 2019, when the course opened its doors to the public. In 2020, it was sold to a group led by Michigan Golf Hall-of-Famer Dave Kendall.
What that transition means for everyday golfers is real access to an 18-hole course with more than a century of history behind it. The bones of this place are something you can feel when you’re out there. It plays like a course that’s been respected and refined over generations, because it has been.
Then there’s Green Oaks Golf Course, which is a little different from the rest on this list.
Green Oaks is a municipal course, owned and operated by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti, which means it was built specifically to give residents affordable access to the game. It’s located on Clark Road and offers 18 holes with four different tee options, so it works for a wide range of players. The course is known for well-kept fairways, undulated greens, and a layout that has more challenge built into it than people expect. With a slope rating of 128, it’s not a pushover.
The fact that the township invested in and maintains a course like this says something about the community out here.
That’s five distinct golf courses all within a short drive of Ypsilanti Township. A nationally ranked university course with lake views. A 27-hole layout that plays like northern Michigan. A century-old course that used to be private. A fun, casual round whenever you want it. And a township-owned course built for the people who live here.
People move to Ypsilanti Township for a lot of reasons: proximity to Ann Arbor, the value in housing, the sense of community. But the golf? That rarely comes up. And it probably should.
It’s one of those things you discover after you’re already here, and then you wonder how it wasn’t part of the conversation from the start.
If you’re curious about what life actually looks like in Ypsilanti Township, I’m happy to walk you through it. Or golf a round with ya!
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