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By VW and House
Forest Dunes, one of the exclusive and luxury-appointed Troon Golf Courses, is truly a magnificent resort and golf club. A long drive from just about anywhere outside of northeast Michigan, it proves it’s “not the journey, but the destination.” Being hardened weekend warrior golfers, the trek is justified by the absolute perfection of the course. Currently open to the public because it generates a member base, Forest Dunes will one day be the course you say to yourself, “I wish I’d gotten to play there.” We did and it proved to be one of the purest golf experiences that we have ever shared.
| #1 |
"Eagle's Perch." The opening Par 4, offers you the first opportunity to carry a hazard. We came into this round late in the day and cold from the drive. Not knowing the course, we played our drives to the meat of the fairway. Play toward the green off the tee to gain yardage and avoid overshooting the fairway and landing in the tall stuff. Beware the right greenside bunker on your second shot. |
| #2 |
"Aspen." Play your tee shot up the left hand side of the fairway on this Par 4. Drives to the right will pin you on your approach. Accurately placed tee shots will afford an open view of the front of the green and a safe landing area off of the right side. |
| #3 |
"Table Top." The first of the Par 3's, this is a simple short-iron shot to a green surrounded by bunkers. The green here is tricky, the right half sloping to the front and the left side falling off to the left, pooling in the far left corner of the green. House stuck his shot for his first bird of the round. |
| #4 |
"Lone Pine." Your drive on this Par 4 is critical. The hole doglegs right, requiring you to drive beyond the second bunker on the left side of the fairway, roughly 230 yards. Depending on pin placement, you will face a two-tiered green that slopes off the back half. An easy par if the pin is set in the front half. |
| #5 |
"Mason Trail." Who is this Mason and why can't his trail be on all golf courses? House played this hole like a mid-amateur with a gorgeous sand save for a tap in par. Stay right, and then left, and then fire at the pin. Oh, if only it were that easy. |
| #6 |
"Gamble." This Par 4 is a simple hole depending on the approach that you choose to take off of the tee. A long iron or fairway wood takes you to the center of the first fairway, where you will have to duplicate your tee shot with the added jeopardy of a tree firmly planted in direct line with the green. A driver up the right side over a large fairway bunker to an elevated fairway will put you in position "A." |
| #7 |
"Goal Posts." Aim your tee shot down the right side of the fairway to give yourself the best angle to either the green or your layup spot. This par 5 is fairly routine until you are going for the green. Two huge trees guard the green, begging the daring golfer to split the uprights. The gap between the two trees is narrow if you are not dead-on accurate with your iron play. Their offset positions create an obstacle regardless of which side of the fairway you are coming in from. |
| #8 |
"Forest's Edge." A 90-degree dogleg right limits distance off of the tee. Cutting the corner brings a large bunker into play. Play for the middle of the bend- the view of the 9th and the clubhouse serve as a perfect backdrop to the green. The green is surrounded by a continuous bunker that is backed by the pond at Forest Dunes. Club selection is key on this downhill play. The entire green runs left to right and pin placement can make this one of the more challenging holes to par. |
| #9 |
"The Point." This par 3 serves well to close the front nine out. A beautiful hole complete with water and bunkers, plays roughly 150 yards from the whites. |
| #10 |
"Decision." The fairway of this par 4 is split by a large waste bunker and tall grasses. Play up either side to a large green that will challenge almost every putter. My opinion is to play for the left fairway, because it is wider and the presence of a huge waste bunker lining the right fairway will test accuracy in typically windy conditions. |
| #11 |
"Prairie." Waste bunkers abound on the shortest par 3 of the course. Look closely at the pin placement because the right side of the green slopes towards the right, whereas the left side slopes back to the tees. |
| #12 |
"White Tail." Know your yardage because you don't want too much club, which will put the lone tree to the right after the turn to be in play. Sizable greenside bunker to the left and water to the right make this hole harder than the handicap indicates. |
| #13 |
"Twins." Shortest of the par 4s was a dream hole for us. We both one putt- House scored his second birdie of the round and VW made par. |
| #14 |
"Meadow." If the pin is deep and left, you will have to carry water and contend with two greenside bunkers. Be bold with your tee shot and hug the right side of the fairway. It will give you the best position to attack this elongated green. |
| #15 |
"Hideaway." VW's favorite of the Par 5's at Forest Dunes. A ridge that bisects the fairway provides a blind shot at the green. VW went driver, and then driver to the green, and two putt this for his only birdie of the day. Let's call it his D2P2 hole. The green funnels to the center and left. VW nearly sprained his ankle leaving the green in celebration of his recorded score. |
| #16 |
"Hell's Acre." As Par 3's go, this one challenged VW before he even took a club out of his bag and approached the tee. Playing 176+ yards from the whites and long by his own standards, you have to carry a Sahara-like waste bunker to a landing area the size of a hot tub (all exaggerations, but daunting nonetheless). The elevated green is protected by bunkers left and right and a grouping of trees that will punish anyone with a slight fade. |
| #17 |
"Wild Dunes." The name says it all. If it weren't for the literary beauty of it, this hole would be named "Lotta Bunkers." The Par 4 17th provides the opportunity to wow your cohorts when you drive the green. Playing just 244 yards from the whites, the green is easily reachable, while not so easily executable. A huge bunker to the left and a smaller version to the right sit ready and able to swallow up misplayed shots to the green. The left bunker is particularly difficult to navigate because it is segmented by mounds of tall grass. Go for the eagle and celebrate a birdie or par. |
| #18 |
"Eagle Chance." The waste bunkers at Forest Dunes are a recurring theme. The Par 5 18th is no exception. Like a mirage in the desert, the 18th is a beautiful oasis and a classy end to a classy course. There are endless hazards (which we found our way into on multiple occasions) along the way, but this hole was designed beautifully and executed even more so. The green sits like a peninsula and the view from there is simply magical. Whatever your score, you are going to walk off the green supremely satisfied. |
#19 "Bye Hole." A fantastic par 3 bonus hole for your round that is all square. Not a clubhouse with a clever name, the 19th played 117 yards in which House recorded his 3rd yet unofficial birdie of the day with a nice chip in from just off the green.
Forest Dunes was so much more than we expected when we arrived. Certainly, there are expectations and standards to be kept as a Troon Course. However, the atmosphere, the respect for the game, and the course itself added to our enjoyment. Nothing was overlooked and every detail was scrutinized. Despite the location, this Tom Weiskopf designed course is the type of golfing experience that we would drive across the country for.
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| 1) |
Fee Factor
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19
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| A buck and a quarter in the middle of July for a course of this magnitude was a steal. |
| 2) |
Friendliness Factor
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19
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| The staff was welcoming and accommodating. The clubhouse staff immediately addressed any needs that we had. The starter was a stand-up guy who joked with us and put us at ease. |
| 3) |
Fringe Factor
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18
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| Due to our schedule, we were gratefully ushered to the 1st Tee. The clubhouse and pro shop were well-appointed. We have to believe that the practice facility would fall in line with Troon standards. |
| 4) |
From 1st Tee to Handshake Factor
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20
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| We loved the course the second that we arrived. After 18 holes, we still marveled at the condition of the course and the setting for our round. |
| 5) |
Fun Factor
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20
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| Despite the fact that we rushed into the round and had a long drive lingering in the back of our minds, we had a fantastic time the entire afternoon. Our meals and thoughts of the round in the dining room afterward were both outstanding. |
Website: http://www.forestdunesgolf.com
Check out the Where to section: for places to eat, drink, and stay around northeast Michigan. Look into the Stay and Play packages if you want to treat yourself to real golf weekend. Local bars like Jack's Place, Tin Fish Bar, and Ma Deters are great post round options.
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