[Tom_Doak]

The course played very long for the HHH -- as in 30 miles long, according to Matt Ginella's tracker.  We got in 108 holes and had an hour of sunlight to spare.  Perfect weather for a Hike - overcast and cool in the morning, sunny and 76 after lunch.


What did I learn?  It's tough, even from the middle tees.  You've got to drive the ball straight because the native at the edges is nasty stuff.  [I had a poor day with the driver, Jim had an up and down day, Ashley Mayo rarely hit it anywhere but 220 down the middle.]  We made very few birdies.  The turf is thin but the course plays very firm, drives run out a long way and approaches must be played to the front edge of the green, not flown to the pin.


The feedback from everybody who goes out there is that they can't believe how different the two courses are, to the point that it's difficult to even think about how a particular hole plays in reverse.  It's very hard for people to remember the holes when there are 36 of them [and especially if you keep playing them back and forth].  Like many links courses, it's often non-descript from the tee, because the undulations in the fairway and the bunkering is smaller scale than most modern courses, but there is a lot of cool stuff once you get out in the fairway and get a good look.


Forest Dunes is playing their member-guest the next two days over The Loop, once each way and then Sunday on the Weiskopf course.  The Loop then opens for limited play on Monday.


P.S.  Best news of the day:  we raised about $20,000 for Midnight Golf.

[Jim Franklin]

Congrats on the nice fund raising. Thanks for the update on the course. I love the firm and fast news and am really looking forward to seeing it in person.

[Dan Herrmann]

Nice video from a local TV station showing The Loop


http://www.9and10news.com/clip/12555667/the-loop-at-forest-dunes-debuts

[Jason Way]

Congrats on the successful opening Tom, and to all four of you for the money you raised for a worthy cause. 


Looking forward to getting out there when the guest restrictions are lifted (or just pretending to be John Kirk's hetero-life-mate roommate when he goes).

[Brandon Urban]

To reiterate what Tom said, it was an awesome day at The Loop. As a guy that caddied 108 holes on the day, I was able to check out a lot of the features without having to worry about where my ball was going. I will also say that the two courses are entirely different and, to be honest, after 6 rounds on it I'm still not sure how that works Sometimes it seems like you are on two different properties and I think that may be the highest compliment I can pay it, besides the fact that it's really, really fun. Here are a few pictures from the day to give you an idea of some of the movement. I'd comment and tell you what the hole number/course is, but let's face it, I have no idea!

[Tom_Doak]

Brandon:


Not sure about the first picture, but the rest of them are:


15th Red, a medium par-4 to a green on the end of a small ridge;


13th Red, the approach on a short par-5;


16th Red green, looking over to the 2nd Red green, which are close together, but not quite a double green;


6th Red, a short par-3, seen from high and to the left of the tee;


4th Black, a short par-4 with a funneling approach, and a favorite of all who have seen it.  Jim Colton putted from 75 yards using the bank on the left, a la #7 at Ballyneal, though it's not nearly as high as that.

[Peter Pallotta]

Thanks much for the photos,  Brandon.

The more photos I see ofvThe Loop the more I want to use terms like naturalism and "freedom golf". The crossing path and the vegetation on Red No. 6, for example, make one feel as if he has simply stumbled upon a golf hole of his own creation, and found something that wasn't there even moments before, not until he intuited the possibility.

Besides everything else, how utterly *charming* it is

Peter

[Eric_Terhorst]

 I played in the Member-Guest at the Loop on the opening weekend.   Happy to report the players had a great time. 
The golf courses are fascinating.  Brandon’s good picture of the entrance to #4 Black is exemplary of the courses’ challenges and highlights my favorite green on the course.  Note in the picture the pin is at the back of the green, so when that’s true on the Black you have to navigate the humps and either fly it in (partially blind, extent depending on where you're coming in from) or roll it down the hill toward the hole.  On the day before we were playing a par 3 on which the pin was set in the back (from the Red direction), in between the humps.  Three of us missed right and had to putt over the humps to get to the hole.  Great fun and indicative of the variety of the decisions and shots you’re asked to play on the courses.
Tom Doak’s description of the courses as “tough” around the edges is an understatement.  You need to keep the ball in front of you.  The “200-220 yard straight ball of the tee” and the approach that stops “near the green with a good look to the pin so I have a chance to get it up and down” will both be valued. 
Wind and the firmness of the turf will be big factors in scoring.  Players who enjoy rolling the ball will likely be happy to experience the courses, and those who prefer bomb and gouge maybe not so much.
Member-Guest scores improved between the first( Red) and second (Black) day.  I think many players realized they had to apply unusual techniques to score, and they were successful.  One indicator of a good design?  I’m looking forward to seeing how the courses are received.
 

[Dan Herrmann]

Amen.  I walked a few holes in May and remember that avoiding the perimeters is key to a player's happiness.    When I was out there, the only things we saw was a whole bunch of turkeys enjoying themselves there (OK - I think they were hiding from us, but it sounds better this way )

[Howard Riefs]

Matt Ginella's glowing write up on The Loop following his Hundred Hole Hike:


http://www.golfadvisor.com/articles/the-loop-at-forest-dunes-15931.htm


Doak's Loop has converted Thompson's one-course curiosity into a three-course destination.

"The thing I stressed to Tom is that whatever he did," said Thompson. "I wanted it to be different than what I already had. Well, he delivered that and a lot more. You walk across the street and it's like you're on a totally different trip."

Given Weiskopf's style of more traditional parkland golf and Doak's style of modern minimalism, plus the variation of the land and vegetation between the two courses, a contrast seemed inevitable.

"It's one of the things I'm most proud of," said Doak. "We gave Lew what he asked for. We took a fairly bland piece of land and we made it compelling."

That's an understatement.

------

Also of note:
But Thompson isn't done at Forest Dunes. On the short list of his priorities: a short course. Mike Devries, Rick Smith and Doak have all been mentioned as possible architects.

[Dan Herrmann]

It seemed to this "civilian" that there is a lot of great land out there - probably plenty of space to build if it's allowed by the National Forest Service (I have no idea if there are any restrictions - it resides within Huron NF).


There's also plenty to do up there once golf is over.   Lots of great hiking and kayaking.  And if you're into birding, the area is known for the Kirtland's Warbler.  More info at http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/hmnf/home

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