The Chief is 45 minutes northeast of Traverse City on the north side of Shanty Creek in Bellaire.

The golf course is chiseled through the forests over rolling topography with views over Lake Bellaire. The fairways are all tree-lined, sloped, hilly, and mounded, creating a variety of challenging lies. It's well bunkered both along the landing zones and greenside with a variety of blind shots where course management is essential. The Chief was designed by John Robinson in 2000 and has four sets of tees, the tips play to a par of 72, 6,600 yards, 72.6/145, course/slope ratings.