Tom Doak is designing a reversible golf course, which isn't as crazy as it sounds

[Wally Fairway]

Limited play to start @ Forest Dunes Loop course

 

 

Edited May 21, 2016 by Wally Fairway

[Wally Fairway]

Some press for The Loop opening this week - charitly event @100holehike earlier in the week Tom Doak , Jim Colton and with Matt Ginella @MattGinellaGC and Ashley Mayo @AshleyKMayo,

 

And a Golfdom write up http://www.golfdom.com/reverse-the-course-north-americas-first-18-hole-reversible-course-set-to-open/

 

[Wally Fairway]

Golf Club Atlas does a nice write up on The Loop

http://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/the-loop/

[Wally Fairway]

Digital magazine, with almost everything you want to know about The Loop (and lot's that you probably don't care about)

http://online.fliphtml5.com/bvdn/sqkg/#p=1

[dennyjones]

Joe,  

Have you played it?

[GolfLug]

This is not a new idea to me at all. I recreate/reroute courses playing from the same tee boxes and greens in the same order all the time..

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by GolfLug

[Wally Fairway]

22 hours ago, dennyjones said:

Joe,  

Have you played it?

Nah - they think that they are Pebble Beach. You need to stay on property to make tee times more than 2 days ahead (or something like that); and it is pretty pricey. I may try to go up this fall (once I win that golf trolley) and it is more in my $$ range.

Also, I'm waiting to see something from Arcadia about their new course, about 2 miles south of the original. But they too are making it a walking course, which is cool, but after a year or two I don't think either one will generate the play they need with walkers only.

[dennyjones]

1 hour ago, Wally Fairway said:

I don't think either one will generate the play they need with walkers only.

Most Michigan weekend warriors don't like exercise..

[iacas]

2 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

Nah - they think that they are Pebble Beach. You need to stay on property to make tee times more than 2 days ahead (or something like that); and it is pretty pricey.

Really?

That's hardly Pebble Beach level stuff.

[Wally Fairway]

The Pebble Beach part is having to stay on property to make tee times, because staying in Roscommon Michigan is such a destination (for those who don't know - that is one of the poorest counties in the state, and other than a remote highly touted golf course there is very little around there.)

[dennyjones]

Golf in northern Michigan can be very cheap.   This price at "The Loop" is very high compared to other local courses.   

Later in the year I'm staying at Treetops for 1 night and playing 36 holes for $115.    I was up at Garland a few weeks ago for 2 nights, 18 holes per day and breakfast included for $240.  

[Wally Fairway]

@dennyjones over the holiday weekend we went up the Lake Michigan coast and we drove by the new Arcadia course. At least I'm pretty certain as there was a lot of dirt being moved around a couple of miles south of the Bluffs course; but I was not expecting it to be on the east side of M-22. So it looks like this one will not be on the Lake.

[MSchott]

On 7/1/2017 at 2:30 PM, Wally Fairway said:

Nah - they think that they are Pebble Beach. You need to stay on property to make tee times more than 2 days ahead (or something like that); and it is pretty pricey. I may try to go up this fall (once I win that golf trolley) and it is more in my $$ range.

Also, I'm waiting to see something from Arcadia about their new course, about 2 miles south of the original. But they too are making it a walking course, which is cool, but after a year or two I don't think either one will generate the play they need with walkers only.

It's resort golf not public. I'm not sure what you expect. I played last fall and The Loop was $98.00 per round I think. I stayed over so I could play it the opposite direction the following day. It's really a cool course and worth a visit. It plays very firm and you get lots of roll. It may be softer this year as it's grown in but it's designed to play that way.

[MSchott]

On 7/2/2017 at 7:53 AM, Wally Fairway said:

The Pebble Beach part is having to stay on property to make tee times, because staying in Roscommon Michigan is such a destination (for those who don't know - that is one of the poorest counties in the state, and other than a remote highly touted golf course there is very little around there.)

Have you been to Forest Dunes? It's totally self contained. Nice rooms and a very good restaurant. Someone mentioned Garland. Talk about being isolated. The courses at Forest Dunes blow away the Garland courses.

[Wally Fairway]

14 minutes ago, MSchott said:

Have you been to Forest Dunes? It's totally self contained. Nice rooms and a very good restaurant. Someone mentioned Garland. Talk about being isolated. The courses at Forest Dunes blow away the Garland courses.

Yup - probably played Forest Dunes about every other year for the last 10 or so years. I have a buddy that has a summer house about 20 minutes away, outside St. Helen.
I understand they are trying to keep people playing their course and using their facilities; but I think a lot of people play it on the way up north or coming back. And not being able to make tee times ahead would just make our group choose a different course, because there are probably 30 or more to choose from along the way.
I'm hoping to get up there to play The Loop this fall, too much going on over the summer to get up and enjoy the trip.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, MSchott said:

It's resort golf not public. I'm not sure what you expect. I played last fall and The Loop was $98.00 per round I think. I stayed over so I could play it the opposite direction the following day. It's really a cool course and worth a visit. It plays very firm and you get lots of roll. It may be softer this year as it's grown in but it's designed to play that way.

Can you share more about your thoughts on the actual courses here? This is in the "Architecture" sub-forum, and while we're not GCA, we do have a few people here who will care. Even if you just copy/paste what you wrote about it somewhere else… I'd love to hear what you think about it.

I hope to go there to stay overnight and play both ways around sometime. Probably not this summer. Maybe you'd be interested in going too?

[MSchott]

On 7/14/2017 at 4:34 PM, iacas said:

Can you share more about your thoughts on the actual courses here? This is in the "Architecture" sub-forum, and while we're not GCA, we do have a few people here who will care. Even if you just copy/paste what you wrote about it somewhere else… I'd love to hear what you think about it.

I hope to go there to stay overnight and play both ways around sometime. Probably not this summer. Maybe you'd be interested in going too?

Sorry that I just saw this Erik.

I haven't played the Weiskopf course in many years but I remember it being fun and challenging. It requires placement of drives to the correct part of the fairways. 17 is a very cool short par 4, the typical Weiskopf risk/reward hole. Sand all the way down the left side in sort of a Cape hole fashion. Cut off as much as you dare.

I played The Loop in both directions in late September of 2016. Loved the courses. I think the CW course is harder or maybe I was playing worse that day. It's relatively flat but undulating. The fairways are extremely generous but make you think. You can't just bomb away, especially as it plays very firmly. My playing partner who is a long hitter drove through the fairway a number of times as the ball was rolling 50-60 yards. Then again the fairways were not fully grown in yet.

The green complexes are great. Many options from putting to chipping if you miss the greens. I like this sort of course where there are options for approach shots. It's not a links course where you can putt from 30 yards out if you want as most of the greens are slightly elevated but you can bump and run by playing the humps and rolls that surround many greens. There are two Biarritz greens as well. It's very low profile and an easy walk. In fact you have to walk. No carts allowed as has been mentioned.

I'd love to join you there some day Erik. I'm a major hack these days but working on it.

Edited August 4, 2017 by MSchott

[iacas]

1 hour ago, MSchott said:

I'd love to join you there some day Erik. I'm a major hack these days but working on it.

Great. Let's plan on doing a TST outing there next year sometime. I set a reminder for April 10.

And trust me, I've seen a lot of players worse than you. It's not really at all about that. We'll have a good time.