One of the things that adds a great mystique to a golf resort is understanding its origin story, and you’d be hard-pressed to find one more interesting than that of Forest Dunes Golf Club in northern Michigan.
This property was once owned by William Durant, the founder of a little company called General Motors, who sold the parcel of land that the resort is located on to “The Detroit Partnership,” a combination of the Tocco, Licavoil, and Zerilli Mafia families. This area became the rec center for this group of Detroit mobsters, and it is rumored to be the site of dozens of mafia-style executions and was even looked at as being a possible final resting place of the notorious Jimmy Hoffa.
Eventually, the mafia ties to the property were severed and in 1997 a new set of initial investors took on the project and the original Forest Dunes design was eventually opened by the Michigan Carpenter’s Union Pension Fund in 2001. Despite opening to rave reviews, the team never could really figure out how to make the course financially viable for a sustained future.
Enter Lew Thompson. Lew purchased the property in 2011 and this is when Forest Dunes really started to thrive. During Thompson’s ownership, the resort added the Lake AuSable Lodge, Villa lodging options, The Loop, the HillTop Putting Course, and the recent addition of the Bootlegger Short Course turning a one-hit wonder property (although, that hit was quite a big one!) into a full-scale golf resort.
This property thrived under Thompson, and now the future of the resort is even brighter as it was taken over in 2021 by new owners Rich Mack and Tom Sunnarborg, the dynamic duo who once worked for The Mosaic Company and are responsible for the development of Streamsong Resort, the 54-hole Central Florida icon that golfers flock to year after year.
As excited as we are to see where this group takes the resort in the future, believe us there is plenty here to satisfy your group here today as we’ll outline here for you.
The Golf
The Forest Dunes Course is the original design of the property, and it’s without a doubt the course that continues to keep this golf resort on the bucket list for most golfers. Tom Weiskopf and his team created a stunning parkland-style design that is carved out of the heavily wooded Huron National Forest, and there isn’t a bad hole on the course. The course combines a multitude of elements including multiple tree-lined dogleg tee shots, ample bunkering including massive waste bunkers, strategically placed water hazards, native fescue areas, and pristine conditioning throughout. The course speaks for itself, and we’ve taken the liberty of capturing aerial views of all 18 holes for you here.
The second design that was created at Forest Dunes is an entirely unique concept known as The Loop. This Tom Doak designed course offers golfers two different routings, the Red and the Black courses, all on one 18-hole footprint. This reversible golf course plays as the Black routing one day with the holes playing in a clockwise rotation, and as the Red routing the following day playing the same 18 greens but in a counter-clockwise rotation. This type of design might seem new to most, but this concept actually goes back to the game’s original design, the Old Course at St. Andrews, that was originally played in two directions. Ultimately, the team at St. Andrews decided on one routing versus two though in order to emphasize the best holes such as the Road Hole (No. 17), but this unique design concept left a huge mark on the history of golf course architecture.
In order to accomplish a design that can be played two ways, the courses play quite open as there is no rough and conditions play fast and firm all year. There is minimal bunkering and no water to speak of as integrating these becomes quite difficult when you have to play the course two ways. This course really speaks to golf purists, and it creates an entirely different look and feel from what you get on the Forest Dunes Course.
Additional golf options
In addition to the full-length golf courses at Forest Dunes, the team has also created the HillTop Putting Course and the new Bootlegger Short Course. These fun additions to the property can help extend your day during your visit and help you capitalize on maximizing your golf experience onsite. The HillTop Putting Course is not your standard putting course as the massive two-acre green features multiple dunes and trees incorporated into the middle of the green to create some fun challenges as you and your crew make your way around the course, hopefully with a beverage in-hand.
To further enhance your experience, the team at Forest Dunes has added the Bootlegger Short Course, a 10-hole design created by the up-and-coming duo of Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns who are starting to make a name for themselves in addition to their work with the iconic duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. This simple and straightforward design features large and undulating greens that can have the balls funnel more towards pins including multiple bowl-shaped greens. The design came as a result of a visit from former owner Lew Thompson to Pinehurst Resort after he had the chance to experience The Cradle, Pinehurst’s new short course designed by Gil Hanse. After making his way around the course twice, he decided he had to have something like this at Forest Dunes, and the team of Rhebb and Johns were brought in and eventually knocked it out of the park on this great little design.
Lodging
Forest Dunes is a true golf resort, and like many other great properties, we recommend once you get onsite at Forest Dunes to plan on hunkering down and playing as much golf as possible — enjoying all your meals onsite as there aren’t a ton of options nearby that would be worth venturing off property for during your stay.
The Lake AuSable Lodge is a comfortable setup that is authentic to the area with an Adirondack theme that features 11 standard rooms and 2 suites for golfers. In addition to the Lodge, there are also a number of 2- and 4-bedroom villas that are located within walking distance of the clubhouse which serve as a popular choice for many golf groups.
If you’re looking to step up the luxury in your stay, Forest Dunes also has several 3-to-5-bedroom cottage homes available for guests looking to enjoy the spoils of home on their vacation. Lodging is somewhat limited here, so be sure to start planning accordingly for your visit to Forest Dunes and get on it before it sells out.
Recommendation
For our money, it’s tough to beat the Forest Dunes Course at Forest Dunes. It’s simply fantastic, and with 2021 rates topping out at $185 for resort guests during peak season, it’s arguably one of the best values in the game of golf. Play it a minimum of once, and we’d suggest twice, during your visit in addition to a round on The Loop.
Also, be sure to make time to include the Bootlegger Short Course and the HillTop Putting Course during your visit. They are so much fun and represent all that is right with the shift to focusing on enjoyment on the course versus making every course as hard as possible.
We suggest a one or two night stay to enjoy all that Forest Dunes has to offer, and what’s so great about this property is that it works as a standalone trip, or it can easily be integrated into a multi-resort trip in northern Michigan.