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

The golf course is carved through forests on rolling topography, with views of 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.