The Loop at Forest Dunes

While researching Bad Golf Guy’s Top 50 Golf Course Names (“Old Fiddlesticks”), I was intrigued when I stumbled upon the name of a course in Roscommon, Michigan called the The Loop, which opened in 2016.  The Loop was designed by Tom Doak, a familiar name, as Doak designed two courses (the Old Course and the North Course) at Stonewall, in Elverson, PA.  I have been fortunate to play Stonewall on numerous occasions, hosted by our good friends (Joe and Shelby) who have been members for years.  Stonewall, located on the fringes of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, can best be described as isolated, understated, comfortable, peaceful and magnificently beautiful.  In addition, Stonewall’s two courses are more than a handful!  I’ve lost many a night’s sleep in anticipation of my following day’s adventures!

Tom Doak (Renaissance Golf Design):  Doak is an American golf course architect/author*, having designed thirty-three courses, four of which are ranked in the Top 100 in the World, including Pacific Dunes (Oregon), Ballyneal (Colorado), Barnbougle Dunes (Tasmania) and Cape Kidnappers (New Zealand).

Doak graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Design and Landscape Architecture.  A Cornell University scholarship sponsored his post-graduate travels to Great Britain and Ireland in 1982 and 1983, where he caddied at St. Andrews during the summer of 1982.

Doak’s designs are influenced by Alister MacKenzie and Pete Dye.  Doak was mentored by Pete Dye/Dye Designs for three years on various golf course construction projects.

Doak is known as a minimalist; creating golf holes/routing by using the natural topography of the land, attempting to move as little earth as possible in the process.  

The Loop at Forest Dunes:  The Loop is a “reversible” golf course that consists of two distinct layouts on land (200 acres) normally allotted for one course.  Doak, having spent over 20 years noodling the concept, attempting to incorporate two different courses into one, created a “reversible” golf course for Lew Thompson, owner of Forest Dunes at a cost of $3 million. The courses are known as the Black Course, Par 70/6,805 Yards (#45 on Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Public Courses) and the Red Course, Par 70/6,704 Yards (#47 on Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Public Courses).

The Loop has eighteen greens, all of which can be played from various angles of attack. The Black Course, is played on odd days in a clockwise direction, while the Red Course (using the same eighteen greens and entirely different tee locations), is played on even days in a counter-clockwise direction.  An on-course flagpole with either a Black flag or a Red flag designates the routing for the day.

Note:  The Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland was originally built to be played in two different directions, known as “left-handed” and “right-handed” by the locals.  During its early days, the course played backwards during the winter months to allow the traditional routing the opportunity to heal.

Forest Dunes, “one of the top golf resorts in the Midwest”, is located in the northern Michigan forest and as advertised, is a “bucket-list” destination golfers dream with ample accommodations and an “exquisite restaurant.”  The property boasts fifty-four holes of golf, including the Black Course, the Red Course and the original Forest Dunes Course (“annually ranked in the top 25 nationally by all of the major golf publications”).  Forest Dunes is a Tom Weiskopf design (Par 72/7,116- Yards).  www.forestdunesgolf.com

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The back nine can only get better!

*Books written by Tom Doak: The Anatomy of a Golf Course, The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses, The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie, The Making of Pacific Dunes (yet to be published)