Michigan Golf Journal January 2021

course will surprise. It is a fairly lush parkland. It is very well routed, enjoyable. It is an interesting juxtaposition, sand barren and dune immediately adjacent the verdant mow lines and rough. Pure sandcapped by soil and green grass laid in the dunes might be a bit of a ponder but understandable given the period the course was built. Fairways are moist but greens are hard packed directly on sand and roll true. More importantly, it has many fans and guests who love it and keep coming back. “My dad loves this course,” makes this a destination where there is something for everyone. Michigan is ‘golf is for the people’. The explosion in golf was driven not only by the elite, but also by the blue collar and line workers of the auto industry’s United Auto Workers (UAW). During the Detroit, (Flint, Cadillac, Grand Rapids) auto heyday, when the shift ended, there was no work to take home and the pay was excellent. A coupling of disposable income with a brutal winter climate, the UAW community took full advantage of summer warmth and 10pm sunsets. Golf became both an afterwork passion and a place to park money for those not connected to investment advisors of the wealthy country club set. Retzer says: “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Michigan is either first or second in number of registered boats, depending on the source. Boats and cabins near lakes and golf courses.” Destination golf became an intra-state industry. Jump to the present, the competition for the Michigan golf dollar is heated. The industry welcomes customers from in and out of state. Golf figures prominently in the state of Michigan’s extensive economic development and tourism ad campaign, simply titled ‘Pure Michigan’. Historically, Forest Dunes was envisioned as a private club/real estate destination. The bubble bursting pivot forced upon all industries drove their switch from private, to a public destination resort. That pivot The Loop Michigan Golf Journal Golf Architecture