There's nothing like a final, late summer excursion to put the lid on the year's travel season.
I was a part of a group from Coyote Creek Golf Club in Fort Wayne, IN that scheduled a three day, two night stay at Forest Dunes Resort in mid-Michigan. We would stay in a spacious five bedroom home onsite and play three rounds of golf on the Forest Dunes course (a Tom Weiskopf design ranked number 21 on Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" list and the number one public course in the state of Michigan), one each day from Monday to Wednesday. And I, as the only walker in the group who had yet to play The Loop course (Tom Doak's reversible course tapped by both Golf Magazine and Golf Digest as their Top New Course for 2016) would add a morning round on Monday and Tuesday before joining the others for the afternoon round.
We left Fort Wayne in the morning of the last Sunday in August. We were headed for Mt. Pleasant, MI where we would play an afternoon round at Buck's Run Golf Club. While the weather was perfect that day, we knew there was severe weather to the west that would impact our trip.
We arrived at Buck's Run well before our twilight tee time and took the time to enjoy a few beers and appetizers at the course's Quarry Grill. We sat on the deck overlooking the Putting Island at Buck's Run, an 18 hole grass putting course in the middle of a large lake.
The course sits on 290 acres spread across natural wetlands, wooded areas, river frontage, and beautiful lakes. It has four sets of tees and plays at 6765 yards from the back tees with a slope of 130 and course rating of 72.0.
Tom Putman, one of the members of our group decided to be bold and rented one of Bucks Runs' golf boards. The bag sits at the front of the board and you control the board by leaning left or right. Tom explained it was quite a bit more physical than he imagined and he was more tired at the end of the round than the others.
I was a part of a group from Coyote Creek Golf Club in Fort Wayne, IN that scheduled a three day, two night stay at Forest Dunes Resort in mid-Michigan. We would stay in a spacious five bedroom home onsite and play three rounds of golf on the Forest Dunes course (a Tom Weiskopf design ranked number 21 on Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" list and the number one public course in the state of Michigan), one each day from Monday to Wednesday. And I, as the only walker in the group who had yet to play The Loop course (Tom Doak's reversible course tapped by both Golf Magazine and Golf Digest as their Top New Course for 2016) would add a morning round on Monday and Tuesday before joining the others for the afternoon round.
We left Fort Wayne in the morning of the last Sunday in August. We were headed for Mt. Pleasant, MI where we would play an afternoon round at Buck's Run Golf Club. While the weather was perfect that day, we knew there was severe weather to the west that would impact our trip.
We arrived at Buck's Run well before our twilight tee time and took the time to enjoy a few beers and appetizers at the course's Quarry Grill. We sat on the deck overlooking the Putting Island at Buck's Run, an 18 hole grass putting course in the middle of a large lake.
The course sits on 290 acres spread across natural wetlands, wooded areas, river frontage, and beautiful lakes. It has four sets of tees and plays at 6765 yards from the back tees with a slope of 130 and course rating of 72.0.
Tom Putman, one of the members of our group decided to be bold and rented one of Bucks Runs' golf boards. The bag sits at the front of the board and you control the board by leaning left or right. Tom explained it was quite a bit more physical than he imagined and he was more tired at the end of the round than the others.
Tom Putman With the Golf Surfboard Prior to the Round at Bucks Run
Bucks Run is not an easy course for the first time player but over time, familiarity with the course will lead to better scores. It is important to select the correct set of tees. Each nine starts with an easy hole and ends with a hole where water comes into play. The course is a Jerry Matthews design and in my opinion, is the top golf course in the Mt. Pleasant area.
We left the course and spent Sunday night in Mt. Pleasant. While the Soaring Eagle Casino is less than 4 miles west of the course, we stayed close to the campus of Central Michigan University which required a bit of backtracking.
Most of us would make a leisurely drive the next morning to the resort for the Monday afternoon round at Forest Dunes.
Everybody but me, that is. My round at The Loop's Black Course was scheduled to begin at 8:03 A.M. Monday. Severe storms began during the overnight hours I left the hotel for the 80 minute drive to Roscommon at 6:00 A.M. I drove at a reduced speed through persistent thunder storms nearly the whole way, especially after a bit of hydroplaning. When I arrived at the resort, I immediately checked with the pro shop to determine the likelihood I'd be able to play. Having already played the Forest Dunes course several times, my plan was to forgo rounds on that course if necessary to be sure I could play both the Black and Red routings of The Loop.
I had the good fortune of being the only scheduled round on the course until 10:30. I knew I could walk the course in two and a half hours and still make the afternoon tee time with the rest of the group. So that gave me some time to allow the rains to subside a bit.
I took the time to get settled in the house before heading to The Loop hoping the weather cooperated.
Most of us would make a leisurely drive the next morning to the resort for the Monday afternoon round at Forest Dunes.
Everybody but me, that is. My round at The Loop's Black Course was scheduled to begin at 8:03 A.M. Monday. Severe storms began during the overnight hours I left the hotel for the 80 minute drive to Roscommon at 6:00 A.M. I drove at a reduced speed through persistent thunder storms nearly the whole way, especially after a bit of hydroplaning. When I arrived at the resort, I immediately checked with the pro shop to determine the likelihood I'd be able to play. Having already played the Forest Dunes course several times, my plan was to forgo rounds on that course if necessary to be sure I could play both the Black and Red routings of The Loop.
I had the good fortune of being the only scheduled round on the course until 10:30. I knew I could walk the course in two and a half hours and still make the afternoon tee time with the rest of the group. So that gave me some time to allow the rains to subside a bit.
I took the time to get settled in the house before heading to The Loop hoping the weather cooperated.
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