Resort Memberships for Locals What you get. And are they worth it? By Craig Manning A major perk of living in a heavily touristed region: There are beautiful resort properties tucked in just about every corner, all of them offering an embarrassment of riches in terms of amenities. While some spots and services within the resorts’ properties are earmarked for guests alone, most are available to locals willing to pay for a membership — an option that will often net you better prices, better accessibility, and sometimes even better perks. Since resort membership rules and pricing tiers can be a bit labyrinthine, Northern Express dove down the rabbit hole to find out what some of our biggest Northern Michigan resorts offer local members, what they charge, and what members get in return.
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
Crystal Mountain Resort
Membership options: Grand Traverse Resort and Spa offers three membership tiers: Bear, Village, and Pick 6. What you get: Village and Pick 6 memberships include unlimited access to all resort Health Club facilities, free fitness classes, seven-day access to indoor and outdoor tennis courts, private member dining at The Clubhouse Grille, and discounts at all four of the resort golf courses, its restaurants, bars, retail shops, hotel accommodations, and spa services. A Bear membership incorporates all of the above but adds even more golf perks, including bigger discounts on golf rounds for both members and their guests, cheap twilight rates, and access to exclusive golf events and tournaments. What you pay: All resort membership packages include an initiation fee, as well as monthly dues. A full Bear membership carries a $5,500 initiation fee for families and $4,000 for individuals, with dues adding $225/$195 (families/individuals) per month. The Resort also offers a “Jr. Bear” membership for younger members (those under 40 years of age), which includes the same initiation fees, but offers lower dues and the option to pay the initiation fee over a three-year period. A Village membership carries family/individual costs of $875/$600 (initiation fee) and $120/$95 (monthly dues), while Pick 6 allows members to pick any consecutive six-month stretch in a year to keep their membership active. It bears the same initiation fees as the Village membership, and while it carries slightly higher requirements for monthly dues ($145 for families, $105 for individuals), members don’t have to pay dues for the months in which their memberships aren’t active. What makes it unique: In terms of membership options, the Pick 6 variation is unusual: an option designed for snowbirds or other would-be members who only spend part of the year in northern Michigan. As for the Grand Traverse Resort property itself, the golf tends to be the main draw (at least in the warmer months), with well-maintained courses designed by golf legends like Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. There’s also something to be said about Aerie, a fine-dining restaurant on the top floor of the Resort that offers arguably the finest view in Northern Michigan.
Membership options: Crystal Mountain’s flagship membership program is called the Four Seasons Club and includes four tiers: Pool & Fitness, Premium Snowsports, Premium Golf, and Ultimate. More restricted season passes are also available for golf and snowsports. What you get: The Ultimate membership includes a lengthy list of perks, including built-in season passes for skiing, member golf rates, fitness center memberships, access to tennis courts and disc golf, and discounts on everything from private golf lessons to spa services to daycare services to lodging. The other three Four Seasons Club memberships mix and match perks depending on the category. For instance, the Premium Snowsports membership includes all the same wintertime benefits as the Ultimate membership but only offers a few golf perks; the Premium Golf membership is just the opposite. If you’d prefer something a little more bare-bones, you might consider the Limited Golf Pass, which gets you a season’s worth of golf on Crystal’s Betsie Valley course but limits your tee times to less high-demand days and times. Similarly, there are several season ski passes available, including a Premier Season Pass (unlimited downhill skiing all winter, with no blackout dates) as well as more restricted options (such as midweek or Sunday passes). What you pay: With such a wide array of membership options to choose from, it’s no surprise that Crystal Mountain also has a full spectrum of price ranges. The Limited Golf Pass was $259 for the 2020 golf season, while season skiing passes for the upcoming 2020/2021 season peak at $325 (for the Premier Season Pass) and go downhill from there (pun intended). The Four Seasons Club membership has a one-time initiation fee ($200 for Pool & Fitness, $2,000 for Premium Golf, Premium Snowsports, and Ultimate), plus a one-time processing fee of $50 and monthly membership dues. In terms of dues, Pool & Fitness and Ultimate have both individual and family memberships ($35/$75 for the former, $95/$230 for the latter), while dues for Premium Snowsports and Golf will fluctuate depending on the size of your family. Snowsports dues are $25 per adult, $18 for juniors (ages 7-17), and free for kids six and under; Golf dues are $85 per adult and $25 per junior. What makes it unique: The Four Seasons Club is aptly named, particularly in the case of the Ultimate membership. If you are looking for year-round recreation and leisure opportunities, then Crystal Mountain’s top plan likely gives you the most per-dollar fun of any resort in the region. That’s especially true given a recent price change. The Ultimate plan used to have an initiation fee of $4,000, but dropped down to a bargain $2,000 rate within the past few years.
12 • aug 24, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly
