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By Steve Donahue
Forest Dunes didn't get much play before Lew Thompson acquired it in 2011. But the Loop, an 18-hole reversible design unprecedented in the United States, has officially put the facility on the golf map and on the radar of its fans
The folks at Forest Dunes Golf Club have been thrown for a loop—in a good way. Not only is the Roscommon, Michigan, daily-fee the NGCOA’s 2016 National Golf Course of the Year, but the Loop, its new 18-hole reversible design created by minimalist Michigan architect Tom Doak, opened June 27 to rave reviews.
The reversible design—unprecedented in the United States—is one of this year’s major golf stories. Two distinct layouts alternate daily in clockwise/counterclockwise directions, allowing for a unique 54-hole golf vacation package. The Loop is sited across the street from the facility’s highly acclaimed Tom Weiskopf-designed Forest Dunes layout, Golf Digest’s Best New Course of 2002.
“[Doak] put his heart and soul into the Loop,” says Forest Dunes owner Lew Thompson. “He’s thought about this concept for 30 years and has created a masterpiece I’m very excited about. If 100 people who didn’t know it was reversible played it, in either direction, they still wouldn’t know it was reversible when they finished. A par-5 one day going south might be a par-3 playing west the next day. Depending which way you’re walking, there are no visible bunkers or tee boxes. With so many options, I can’t decide on a favorite hole or routing.”
Thompson was a trucking magnate who purchased Forest Dunes in 2011 from a pension fund that had regained the property after originally loaning money in 2001 to Arizona investors who initiated the project, only to go broke. He spent just $3 million to build the Loop, which included architect fees and $850,000 for irrigation.
“We hardly moved any dirt,” recalls Thompson, adding that Forest Dunes purchased its own equipment, and handled the shaping and bunker work. “Many people spend $8 million to $10 million to move mountains. We did everything on site. Everything we did came off the property. It also helps that with such a short season it makes it more affordable to play here.”
The Loop also allows Forest Dunes to utilize its lodging and restaurant offerings, which have always been underutilized.
“This will be such a boost to Forest Dunes,” Thompson proclaims. “My biggest issue since opening Forest Dunes was that people played Forest Dunes on their way north or on their way south. My first year we had no lodging. No one ate or drank here after their rounds because they had to travel somewhere.
“We had to figure out how to get people, once they played, to spend the night and utilize the restaurant, so I built the 14-room Lodge,” he continues. “The restaurant business picked up, but after a year people said they didn’t want to play the same course multiple times, so that’s what brought the Loop into play.”
Thompson realizes the Loop won’t double the number of golfers visiting Forest Dunes, but he hopes to lure visiting golfers with multiple-night packages since the combination of Forest Dunes and the reversible Loop essentially offers three different courses.
“We’ll be more of a destination course than a stop-by course,” Thompson says. “Today, we’ve got lodging for 90 people. Next year, when the Loop opens full bore, we’ll be up to 125 to 130.”
Meanwhile, Forest Dunes continues to be recognized for its player development programs for juniors and women, as well as hosting events that raise awareness and proceeds for the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational support to spouses and children of America’s fallen and wounded soldiers. Additionally, an internship program helps support PGA apprentices who are currently enrolled in the PGA of America Golf Management program and aspire to be club professionals.
Forest Dunes wasn’t always a genteel, 1,320-acre retreat set in the 400,000-acre Huron National Forest. In fact, it was once a mob scene. Really.
General Motors founder William Durant sold the property in the 1930s to Detroit’s notorious Purple Gang mobsters, who transformed it into South Branch Ranch, a recreational getaway for themselves and their families. They constructed buildings and built hidden interlinking tunnels and rooms. Machine gun-wielding mobsters guarded the property. Jimmy Hoffa frequently visited, which is why the FBI came digging to see if he was buried there.
“When I first bought Forest Dunes it was phenomenal, although it didn’t get much play,” Thompson explains. “It was a hidden gem. The first time I saw it I felt I had the public’s Masters and that if I do it right this could be public golf’s next big thing. I’m a truck driver. It may not be the public’s Masters, but it’s my Masters. I’m pretty excited for Forest Dunes, from where we started to where we are today.”
Steve Donahue is a Connecticut-based freelance writer.