Long before the vineyards and golf, the property was once a working farm. Apple and cherry trees, cattle and horses once occupied the land that would eventually become Bowers Harbor Vineyards. In the late 1980s, the family began imagining a different future for the property. With encouragement from longtime friend and Northern Michigan wine pioneer Ed O'Keefe, the transformation began in 1990. Fence posts came down, soil was tilled, and the old horse barn was converted into what is now the winery's tasting room. The first Chardonnay and Riesling vines were planted in 1991, with the inaugural Chardonnay vintage arriving in 1994. Over the years, Bowers Harbor has become a celebrated part of Old Mission's growing wine country, known especially for its Pinot Grigio.

Nearly three decades after the start of the winery, another family passion found its way onto the property. In 2020, a small plot of land unsuitable for growing grapes was transformed into a golf hole and practice area. Built in just two months, the original idea was simple: create a place for future generations of the family to learn and enjoy the game. What emerged was a single green surrounded by several hitting locations at varying distances, marked by barrels, wine bottles and flagsticks. It's not quite a golf course in the traditional sense, but that's part of its mystique. A place where the family can swing the sticks, walk the land, and take in the views that make Old Mission Peninsula so special.

The wine is great, the atmosphere is quaint, but it’s the history of the land and the mystique of the golf that makes Bowers Harbor so unique. A family farm turned vineyard, a horse barn turned tasting room, and a small patch of otherwise unusable land turned into a golfer's playground. It's a good reminder that golf doesn't always need a set number of holes, manicured conditions, or even a real scorecard to be memorable. Sometimes all it takes is a flagstick, a few clubs, and a little white ball.