Stanwood sits in the heart of Michigan's Mecosta County, a region of lakes, hardwood forests, and gentle glacial terrain that has quietly supported a surprisingly rich small-town golf culture. The area draws outdoor-minded visitors year-round, and courses here tend to offer straightforward, unpretentious golf shaped by the natural roll of the land rather than heavy earthmoving or theatrical design gestures.
Royal Canadian is a public 18-hole layout that plays to a par of 73 — that extra stroke beyond the standard 72 suggesting at least one more par 5 on the card, which typically gives higher-handicap players a bit of breathing room while still rewarding the player who can score on the longer holes. Courses in this part of Michigan commonly route through wooded corridors with mature trees framing fairways and coming into play on wayward shots.
For golfers in central Michigan looking for accessible, unhurried golf in a genuinely scenic inland setting, this part of the state offers a relaxed pace that resort corridors like Traverse City rarely can — without the crowds or the green fees to match.
