Michigan Golf Journal January 2021

Our host, golf industry PR veteran and fierce golf stick Kevin Frisch, regularly demonstrated his genius with a putter from as far as 160 yards. His precise thump off the tee with the flat stick will undoubtedly require a loft adjustment. This is illustrative of the enjoyment built into the design. The same group included some using the land and features to hone their short game on tight lies and some keeping serious score. Others were playing a call-a-club challenge on each hole where each shot was celebrated by laughter. The features and bunkers were fully formed as a championship approach, yet the routing invited equal parts shotmaking and whimsy. That is not an easy task to accomplish and R&R delivered a course for true ‘R&R’. I found myself wanting for more: “That’s it? Ten holes is not enough.” More on golf in Michigan. During one of several enjoyable conversations with Michigan golf writers John Retzer and Tom Lang, I learned that Michigan has between 650 and 850 public golf courses. (That figure includes a number of nine-hole courses often left out of the tally). Sand is omnipresent at Forest Dunes. Guests are able to choose their favorite playing surface. Interestingly, this is part of a trip planning protocol for some. The closer to the resort, the more prominent is the sand. Next to the road, under the high- tension power lines, the quicksand-like country roads down which I was routed by my Waze were all sand. The houses and cottages at the resort were all set on sand. So, I assumed that the original course would be on sand. For the first-time visitor expecting sandy links-style golf, the first tee of the namesake Forest Dunes Continues on next page >> Forest Dunes Hole 3 37 January 2021 www.michigangolfjournal.com