The list of courses in the Sunrise Challenge is headed by Black Lake Golf Club, the Rees Jones jewel that debuted in 2000 and has been piling up national awards. Red Hawk (Arthur Hills design) and Elk Ridge (Jerry Matthews) are also part of the Sunrise Challenge swing, as is Thunder Bay Resort's delightful 18-hole layout that defines the woods-water-and-fresh-air ambience.

As home base for the Sunrise Challenge, Thunder Bay features blue-ribbon lodging, excellent food, and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere that has always been the heart and soul of Sunrise Side hospitality.

Black Lake Golf Club, located in Onaway, Mich., is part of a 1,000-acre forest retreat, the UAW's Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center.

Critics have been so taken by Black Lake that it was awarded in 2001 by two premier golf magazines: Golf Digest named it runner-up for "Best New Upscale Public Facility" in America, while Golf Magazine selected Black Lake on its list of "Top Ten You Can Play."

Black Lake began as a dream of Walter Reuther, the legendary UAW, who wanted a peaceful retreat where union members and their families could relax and enjoy the outdoors. Stephen Yokich, current UAW president, decided to expand on Reuther's dream and add a championship golf course to the center. "Our goal with the golf course," Yokich said, "was to take advantage of the spectacular property, and add a top-of-the-line, environmentally responsible course for our members, their families, retirees, guests, and the general public."

Rees Jones, the respected architect whose work restoring U.S. Open courses has earned him special status, has brought a classic feel to Black Lake. Holes mesh seamlessly with the surrounding terrain and dense tree lines. Greens are built largely on plateaus, with bunkers recessed into the faces, giving Black Lake an old-fashioned northeastern look.

"We were trying to build an old-style, classic course," Jones said. "You'll notice we don't have mounds or moguls. We just have sweeps and natural grades. We strive for holes blending with the natural terrain. There is nothing artificial or contrived."

One of the course's more dramatic holes is the par-3, 235-yard 14th hole. Here, Jones crafted a "Sahara hole" from a natural sandpit that stretches 185 yards along the hole's right side. But typical of Jones' keep-it-playable philosophy, there are nine tees on the hole, from 145 yards, to the 235-yard back tee.

Black Lake Golf Club ranks as an exquisite championship course already appreciated by UAW members, guests, and public golfers.

Red Hawk Golf Club, near Tawas on Lake Huron, is a perfect early stop along the Sunrise Challenge pathway. Arthur Hills has designed at Red Hawk a classic golf course that stays true to the terrain's glacier-carved heritage. It brings into play natural ridges, valleys, ravines and wetlands.

Red Hawk in 1999 was ranked among "Top Ten Best New Public Golf Courses" by Golf Magazine. The course is cut from 205 acres of forest that features huge stands of pine, Oak, maple, beech and birch trees, all of which line fairways and provides dramatic backdrops for greens.

Red Hawk's theme is diversity. There is a wonderful variety to the golf holes on a 6,589-yard parcel that plays to a par of 71. There is also charm and deception to Hills' design, as well as a steady message to low-handicap golfers: Don't be fooled by the yardage. This course demands skill and deftness.

Newcomers to Red Hawk tend to be stunned by some of the elevation shifts: 63 feet on the third hole, alone, which is capped by a green perched just above the clear waters of Fountain Creek. The second hole ranks as one of the shortest, yet most visually pleasing, stretches of design anywhere on Red Hawk. A par-four of 296 yards, there are seven bunkers guarding the landing area and green, requiring some particularly accurate shotmaking.

"A golfer's experience at Red Hawk will be memorable," said Hills, a Toledo-based golf-course designer of international renown. "Every hole is distinct, every hole offers a true test."

Red Hawk, brings top-drawer golf to the Tawas area, a quaint community on Lake Huron that has been waiting for it, it's rapidly becoming one of the most popular courses in Northern Michigan.

Just west of Thunder Bay Resort and North of Atlanta, on M-33, is the beautiful Elk Ridge Golf Club, designed by Jerry Matthews, and in 1992 rated by Golf Digest as the country's 2nd best new public course.

Elk Ridge Golf Club has earned a reputation for quality conditions and spectacular glimpses of nature. This is country where wildlife has flourished - from elk to bald eagles. The wilderness gave way to one of the most challenging 18-hole experiences in Michigan's northlands - a course that offers a test to any level of golfer, thanks to its rolling fairways, doglegs, marshes and wetlands.

Elk Ridge is vast in an impressive way, spread over 400 acres, but friendly to golfers because of its four sets of tees that range from championship distance (just over 7,000 yards) to forward tees that play to a more cozy 5,261 yards.

Elk Ridge Golf Club is considered a shot-maker's course, a quality evident at the par-4 16th hole. From an elevated tee, this cape-hole sweeps left around water and wetlands. The longer the drive, the more of the dogleg is eliminated, leaving the golfer with a shorter iron to an elevated green.

Another signature hole would be the par-3 10th, which falls 100 feet from a tee that offers some amazing glimpses of Northern Michigan's woodsy skyline. Golfers will note that a bunker guarding the greens right side is shaped like a pig - a tribute to the course-owners, who founded Honey Baked Hams. Accordingly, a stop at the halfway house can be best enjoyed by biting into one of Elk Ridge's savory ham sandwiches.

Elk Ridge's finishing hole is a classic: a par-5 measuring more than 600 yards from the back tees. The fairway is flanked by tall pines (some will draw Pinehurst associations), while wide wetlands front the green.

A centerpiece to the Sunrise Challenge is its host property, Thunder Bay Golf Resort. Known also for its elk-viewing/ gourmet dinner tours, Thunder Bay Resort features a golf course of excellent shot-quality, as well as a layout that treats visitors to a sampling of Northern Michigan's natural pluses.

Here is a golf course, cut from hardwoods, birches, and marshlands, spanning 6,677 yards, yet a course of comfort. New cart paths, additional tees to create five sets and an enhanced maintenance program have made this course even more inviting. From its rear tees, Thunder Bay has been lengthened by over 200 yards (par is 73, slope is 131) and now enjoys a status as one of the north's best tests of strength and skill.

The Sunrise Challenge includes five rounds of championship golf over four days, and three nights of lodging in Thunder Bay Resort's large luxury villas, chalets or suites. Foursomes find accommodations at Thunder Bay Resort to be perfect for socializing, card playing or simply relaxing after a day on the links. Lodging also includes connecting balconies for large groups that prefer staying together.

The Sunrise Challenge package rates range from just $86 to $127 per day with quad occupancy. Black Lake Golf Club has also made it possible for UAW members and their guests to receive preferred package pricing.

The Sunrise Challenge brings it all together - dramatic designs, friendly staffs, great food, and a quality and quantity of golf not likely to be matched anywhere in the Midwest. Take time to experience Northern Michigan's finest golf adventure. Call 1-800-729-9375, and visit the web-sites at www.thunderbaygolf.com, www.blacklakegolf.com, www.elkridgegolf.com, and www.redhawkgolf.com.