No. 1 in Golf World’s 2010 Readers Choice Awards
ROSCOMMON, MI – Forest Dunes Golf Club, the classic 7,141-yard Tom Weiskopf design in Roscommon, was selected as the best public course in America in a national vote by readers of Golf World magazine.
The course, flowing over sand dunes and scrub land in Northern Michigan’s Huron National Forest, survived vigorous on-line balloting involving more than 46,000 votes by readers. The readers considered 13 different criteria on which to grade their favorite public, private, or resort courses around the country.
“The ranking by the readers of Golf World is the best measure of the total golf experience and we are honored to have been selected as the nation’s top public facility,” said Forest Dunes General Manager Mark Gurnow. “To be ranked number one by the people that play public golf is really special. The criteria measured the entire golf experience including the staff, practice facilities, and food and beverage. To say we are proud would be an understatement. Every associate at Forest Dunes is truly excited about the honor.”
The 2010 rankings are based on votes cast by readers in 2008 and 2009. In a release announcing the rankings, Golf World editors said more than 46,000 facility ratings and 600,000 criteria evaluations were considered in making the choices.
The readers also selected Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. as the nation’s top private course and Kiawah Island Golf Resort on Kiawah Island, South Carolina as the top resort facility.
The Golf World reader’s award is the latest in a string of national kudos Forest Dunes has been awarded since it opened for play in 2002. The course is set within a 1,200-acre residential community that borders the Au Sable River, world famous for fly fishing.
The course has five sets of tees and is cut through and around acres of gleaming natural sand that adds to its unique look in for an inland course in a forested area.
Ron Whitten, one of the top golf course reviewers in the country best captured the essence of the course in this description:
“Half the holes at Forest Dunes are Augusta National-style, rolling down majestic corridors of red and jack pines, with elaborate bunkering of gleaming white sand. The remaining holes bring to mind Pine Valley, with dark, exposed native sand littered with scruffy underbrush. The mix is artfully blended on both nines,” wrote Whitten, architectural editor for Golf Digest magazine.
Complementing the golf course is a huge practice facility, a two-and-a-half acre putting course, and a 15,000-square-foot clubhouse designed by national award winning clubhouse architect, Jim Nordlie, which is reminiscent of a great Adirondack lodge.
Forest Dunes is managed by Troon Golf, a world-wide leader in luxury golf clubs.
“As a Troon-managed facility we are always striving to set new standards for service and experience, Gurnow said. “Our goal is to show “attention to detail” in everything we do, and to create a place where our members and guests could escape the bad news of the day and have an unforgettable experience. We are excited to think that so many people loved it here.”
For more information, visit www.forestdunesgolf.com.
Contact:
Resort & Golf Marketing
Dave Richards, (248) 642-6420, dave@resortandgolf.com
