Beyond Arcadia/Forest Dunes, What should I add?

[shoot72]

Hi Friends,

 

Got clearance for a 5 day trip and decided to return to my birth state - Michigan. I've got a pretty packed itinerary so far but still want to add one more round. 

 

Here's what I have so far - 

Monday - The Dunes Club (AM) + Arcadia Bluffs (late afternoon)

Tuesday - Arcadia South (AM) + drive to Forest Dunes and Play Bootlegger Short Course

Wednesday - The Loop(AM) + Forest Dunes (PM)

Thursday - Forest Dunes (AM) + The Loop (PM)

Friday - Open to suggestions

 

A couple questions for you fine folks - is FD worth playing twice? I've considered just moving my Loop tee up to the morning and driving somewhere else on Thursday afternoon. 

 

I will be flying out late on Friday(from Grand Rapids) but thinking about adding a morning round(if my body isn't completely destroyed). What would you suggest? I've scoured a bunch of threads and it seems like Pilgrims Run, Tullymore, and Stoatin Brae are good contenders to try to add. How would you rank those three? Anything I am missing? Would obviously love Kingsley but another thread said it's now difficult for guests to play there. 

 

Any help or guidance is much appreciated!

[AzSuperHack76]

31 minutes ago, shoot72 said:

Hi Friends,

 

Got clearance for a 5 day trip and decided to return to my birth state - Michigan. I've got a pretty packed itinerary so far but still want to add one more round. 

 

Here's what I have so far - 

Monday - The Dunes Club (AM) + Arcadia Bluffs (late afternoon)

Tuesday - Arcadia South (AM) + drive to Forest Dunes and Play Bootlegger Short Course

Wednesday - The Loop(AM) + Forest Dunes (PM)

Thursday - Forest Dunes (AM) + The Loop (PM)

Friday - Open to suggestions

 

A couple questions for you fine folks - is FD worth playing twice? I've considered just moving my Loop tee up to the morning and driving somewhere else on Thursday afternoon. 

 

I will be flying out late on Friday(from Grand Rapids) but thinking about adding a morning round(if my body isn't completely destroyed). What would you suggest? I've scoured a bunch of threads and it seems like Pilgrims Run, Tullymore, and Stoatin Brae are good contenders to try to add. How would you rank those three? Anything I am missing? Would obviously love Kingsley but another thread said it's now difficult for guests to play there. 

 

Any help or guidance is much appreciated!

Where are you staying? 

 

[BG5]

First off....I like your style....you seem as crazy as me when I look at your drive times and although some will say you have to much driving I think your doing it right and hitting the "big courses".  My advice might draw some criticism which is fair but I am also a guy who usually drives 6 hours (one way) to sand Valley each year and play 53 holes and drive 6 hours home right after to keep my wife happy.  I usally make a number of 3-5 hour drives (one way) to play Whistling Straits, Forest Dunes, Arcadia and then drive the same time home to keep my wife happy.  Understand that I dont mind driving and I enjoy playing the best of the best courses and I dont need alot of relaxation time as others do.  My buddies think I am crazy but I am just a golf nut....Recently played 16 rounds of golf at Bandon Dunes in 7 days.

 

You have an amazing trip planned and I am lucky enough to have played all the courses you have listed 🙂  Your Monday is a pretty busy day and you are looking at about a 3.5 hour drive from the Dunes Club to Arcadia.  I am guessing that is the only tee time you could get at Arcadia since the place is basically booked a year out so that might be why you have your trip set up that way.  In the event that you could change your Tuesday to a 36 hole day to Arcadia Bluffs and the South Course then I would do it.  I will assume that is not an option but if it were then it would be worth trying to play Lost Dunes after you play Dunes Club on Monday.  Lost Dunes is a Tom Doak Private course that is 15 minutes from the Dunes Club and is an amazing track if you can get on.  Its not as good as the Dunes Club in my opinion but its still pretty sweet and would make your 36 hole day easier.

 

Back you your original Agenda .....I have actually played Arcadia Bluffs and Forest Dunes in the same day and have made that drive.  Its not a bad drive and will prob take ya 2 hours so its not terrible.  The bootlegger is a great little course but its really short and you will be able to play it in around a hour if you are by yourself.  Forest Dunes has a great scene and has a great bar outside and fire pits with a sweet practice area and putting green....dont hesitate to try and play 18 at Forest Dunes as well.  A quick suggestion for Forest Dunes and the Loop is to wear pants and a hat.  There are some black flies that will get ya if you wear shorts so plan on wearing pants as it will save ya alot of swatting at flies.  I have wore shorts plenty of times but each time I swear on pants.  Buy the bug spray they have in the shop (special stuff) as it will be a game changer.  One last crazy idea...you are already driving a ton so I am guessing you are crazy like me.  This advice will probably get slammed but again as I posted above I drive alot for golf and usually do it all in one day.  Forest Dunes and the Loop are outstanding but if your goal is to play the best of the best in Michigan maybe consider Drive from Arcadia bluffs to Bay Harbor (play links quarry) and you will see some of the best scenery that Northern Michigan has to offer.  I would also suggest if you did that to play Black Lake Golf Club in Onaway Michigan.  Its a lot of driving but if you did not want to play FD and the Loop twice then you would be adding two legendary courses in Michigan and both are far different than the others you played.  You would have the trip of a lifetime.  I actully did a trip in two days where we played Arcadia Bluffs, Forest Dunes, The loop, Black Lake and Bay Harbor and it was an unrealy trip so seriously consider that if you are up for driving and seeing the best Michigan has to offer.  It would be alot of driving but its really not that bad...if you are on a mission 🙂

 

Is Forest Dunes and the Loop worth 2 rounds each???.....absolutely as you dont want to be driving all over the place and that will allow you to relax and enjoy your trip.  Arcadia Bluffs Should be a priority to play twice as its the best of all your courses but assumuing that is not an option I would play both Forest Dunes and the Loop twice.  The courses are unique and Forest Dunes is the better of the two courses but the Loop is plays as firm and fast as Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley.  Some guys dont like it but it plays as a true links course in terms of firmness and the greens on both courses will be smoking fast.

 

Kingsley is a must if you can get on and I would at least try and play it.  Give them a call and hopefully they will let you but plan on spending around $300 (includes caddie) if they let you.  I would skip bootlegger and play Kingsley the same day as Arcadia as its not that far from Arcadia...prob a 45 minute drive from Arcadia to Kingsley.  If you need a friend to join you at Kingsley PM me 🙂  I have played it twice and it also plays fast and firm.

 

Lastly, I think Pilgrims Run is worth a play if you are flying out of GR.  It is far superior to Tullymore and Stoatin Brae so if its between those three then Pilgrims Run is an easy choice.  The great thing about Pilgrims run is its cheap compared to the other courses

 

 

Lastly, The courses we mentioned on here are as follows:

 

Arcadia Bluffs

Arcadia South

Forest Dunes

The Loop

The Dunes Club

Lost Dunes

Kingsley Club

Bay Harbor

Black Lake

Pilgrims Run

 

These are the best of the best in Michigan and you really cannot go wrong with playing any of them.

 

If you need a sidekick hit me up 🙂

 

There are alot of great guys on this forum like Knickerbocker and others who will chime in and all of them know the golf scene in Michigan and although we may disagree on some courses they all have good info and suggestions that you should listen to

Edited July 28, 2021 by BG5

[postfold]

I have not played Stoatin Brae, so I can't rate it, but it's well out of your way anyway.  Personally I would play Pilgrim's Run over Tullymore.  They're both fine courses and you wouldn't regret either, but I like Pilgrim's quite a bit more.  It's also a lot less expensive.  I think I paid $71 last week.

[Curmudg3on]

The Dream and Nightmare are about 30 minutes from Forest Dunes and are very nice courses.

[shoot72]

@AzSuperHack76 Staying at Arcadia the first night, then Forest Dunes for two nights, and trying to figure out lodging for Thursday. Need to figure out that last day of golf and then work on lodging.

 

@BG5 Thanks for taking the time to provide suggestions! You have correctly judged me, a golf obsessive I am. Your recent excursions are epic! DM me if you'll be around the week of the 13th and want to play. 

 

The challenge for me is that I only have this specific week in mid-September to take this trip and tee times and lodging are pretty scarce. I lucked into the only tee time on that Monday that would work for the Bluffs course, and they really only had two other tee times available all week. Forest Dunes was less packed on tee times but I grabbed the last room for the two nights I am there. So it's been a lot of rearranging and calling and playing with ideas. And I've found that the service isn't quite the same as the Bandon Dunes experience(where they'll sit on the phone with you for 2 hours and explain every possible scenario).

 

I like the idea of Bay Harbor, I'll have to see if I can find a time that works. Then maybe I can fly out of Traverse City. But is it worth the significant premium surcharge over something like Pilgrim's Run?

 

[BG5]

Now that we have determined that you are an absolute golf nut here is what I would do.

 

Monday - play Dunes Club and Arcadia Bluffs.  Consider staying in Onekema or Manistee if you want to save some cash on lodging as they have a lot of cheap options.

 

Tuesday - Arcadia South Course and then drive and hit a Bay Harbor Twighlight Round.  There is plenty of lodging in Petoskey that is reasonable and the drive from Bay Harbor to Forest Dunes is about 1.5 hours.  To be honest I would get a room in Gaylord Michigan as thats about 45 mins from Bay Harbor and then your morning drive to Forest Dunes is about 45 mins which is not bad.

 

Wednesday - Play the Loop and Forest Dunes and add in the bootlegger.  The bootlegger is cool but as I mentioned before I easily played in under a hour both times I played it.

 

Thursday Play the loop and Forest Dunes again.

 

 

Bay Harbor is a must in my opinion and the links nine is probably the best nine hole stretch I have ever played.  It has view that will blow your mind and reminds me a lot of bandon.  I also left out Black Lake but that course in my opinion is also a must if you want to play the best in michigan.  Its so different as its cut deep into a woods just like Bandon Trails and it has been in the top 100 best public courses multiple times in golf digest.  If you would consider playing there I could offer some cheap places to stay and a different itenary.  Pilgrims Run is also great but not not on the level of Bay Harbor and Black Lake but I would still add it if you can.

[eagle2838]

13 hours ago, shoot72 said:

 

 

A couple questions for you fine folks - is FD worth playing twice? I've considered just moving my Loop tee up to the morning and driving somewhere else on Thursday afternoon. 

 

 

Played Forest Dunes earlier this year, and I wish I had played it twice and perhaps the Loop just once. Both are fun courses, but I thought Forest Dunes was so, so good. 

[reperna]

5 minutes ago, eagle2838 said:

 

Played Forest Dunes earlier this year, and I wish I had played it twice and perhaps the Loop just once. Both are fun courses, but I thought Forest Dunes was so, so good. 

I would agree here. Play forest dunes twice if you can. It’s tough to pick up on all the nuance in one round. It’s an incredible place and ,y favorite course in the state. If you can get to bay harbor, that would be a fun addition to everything you’ve got going on.

[Argonne69]

I was not overly impressed with Arcadia South. It's a farm field. If one had only two rounds to play in the area, then sure, pair it with the Bluffs. However, I'd rather head north to the Traverse City or Gaylord area after Monday's round, and play Bay Harbor and/or Treetops on Tuesday morning.

 

Here are photos of AS from my round on June 1st: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2ofn4vhqnu7eo1d/AAB6b8AgLJRB7fkosDKtyUDea?dl=0

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Argonne69

[AzSuperHack76]

46 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

I was not overly impressed with Arcadia South. It's a farm field. If one had only two rounds to play in the area, then sure, pair it with the Bluffs. However, I'd rather head north to the Traverse City or Gaylord area after Monday's round, and play Bay Harbor and/or Treetops on Tuesday morning.

 

Treetops would be my suggestion as well.

[shoot72]

Sounds like I need to try to pull off Bay Harbor!

 

I'd like to keep Arcadia South, but the only tee they have is the one I booked at 10:12 on Tuesday. It's not ideal and makes it tough to get somewhere else to play another 18. Bay Harbor has a 3:30 but I wouldn't make that. Strangely there was not even an opportunity to play 9 later than that. I wonder if I can call and make that work. 

 

Seems like the only plan is to add it on Friday but it'll be tight! 9:10 tee, then drive to Traverse City to depart for a 4:45 flight.

 

Any idea how long a round takes at Links/Quarry? I've gotta get outta there by 2PM to make the flight I would think.

[Chanceman]

Think about The Mines in Grand Rapids designed by Mike Devries and supposed to be a very inexpensive gem.

[geochitown]

On 7/27/2021 at 5:41 PM, shoot72 said:

Hi Friends,

 

Got clearance for a 5 day trip and decided to return to my birth state - Michigan. I've got a pretty packed itinerary so far but still want to add one more round. 

 

Here's what I have so far - 

Monday - The Dunes Club (AM) + Arcadia Bluffs (late afternoon)

Tuesday - Arcadia South (AM) + drive to Forest Dunes and Play Bootlegger Short Course

Wednesday - The Loop(AM) + Forest Dunes (PM)

Thursday - Forest Dunes (AM) + The Loop (PM)

Friday - Open to suggestions

 

A couple questions for you fine folks - is FD worth playing twice? I've considered just moving my Loop tee up to the morning and driving somewhere else on Thursday afternoon. 

 

I will be flying out late on Friday(from Grand Rapids) but thinking about adding a morning round(if my body isn't completely destroyed). What would you suggest? I've scoured a bunch of threads and it seems like Pilgrims Run, Tullymore, and Stoatin Brae are good contenders to try to add. How would you rank those three? Anything I am missing? Would obviously love Kingsley but another thread said it's now difficult for guests to play there. 

 

Any help or guidance is much appreciated!

 

Will you play 9 at the Dunes Club? or 18?

 

I've heard that they sometimes will switch the cups between rounds so the course can be played twice with different pin positions.

 

Seems like a big drive from Dunes Club to Arcadia Bluffs?

 

Good luck on your trip, sounds awesome.

[JeffreySpicoli]

46 minutes ago, Chanceman said:

Think about The Mines in Grand Rapids designed by Mike Devries and supposed to be a very inexpensive gem.

The Mines is exactly what you say it is.

 

However, if one were to venture down to West Michigan, Pilgrim’s Run—also designed by Devries—would be a better choice.

[Ryan3773]

On 7/28/2021 at 7:45 AM, Argonne69 said:

I was not overly impressed with Arcadia South. It's a farm field. If one had only two rounds to play in the area, then sure, pair it with the Bluffs. However, I'd rather head north to the Traverse City or Gaylord area after Monday's round, and play Bay Harbor and/or Treetops on Tuesday morning.

 

Here are photos of AS from my round on June 1st: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2ofn4vhqnu7eo1d/AAB6b8AgLJRB7fkosDKtyUDea?dl=0

 

Reducing the south course down to the views and setting is vastly underselling how fun it is to play.

[N8dogg2669]

I did a similar trip a couple weeks ago and we did American Dunes as our last one. But I'd try to do Bay Harbor if you can squeeze it in. Just my opinion. We did Forest Dunes, The Loop, Arcadia South, Arcadia Bluffs, American Dunes in that order. Was a fantastic trip.