The Smith Tradition Course at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Michigan, is a Rick Smith design created to offer a more traditional, links-inspired experience than the resort’s other championship layouts. Smith drew inspiration from time spent studying courses in Scotland and Ireland, designing Tradition across gentler rolling terrain with an emphasis on walkability, wide fairways, native grasses, strategic bunkering, and the influence of the wind.

Tradition is known as one of the more player-friendly courses at Treetops, but its open layout and strategic design still reward smart positioning and creative shot-making. Recent restoration work helped bring the course closer to Smith’s original inland-links vision, opening sightlines and allowing its rolling fairways, native grasses, and windswept character to stand out, while the course has also been consistently recognized with a 4½-star rating from Golf Digest