The Duel: 1 Loop, 18 greens, 36 holes, 39,000 steps, too many shots…
A battle against par and your body in the heat of Roscommon, Michigan
The Duel at Forest Dunes Golf Club challenges you both mentally and physically, but is a rewarding experience from start to finish
Somewhere around the back nine of the second 18 my feet started to hurt just a bit. There was a nagging feeling in my right heel that felt like the foreshadowing of a nasty round-ending blister. I thought that this year spikeless shoes were the way to go; that my shiny brand new Adidas CodeChaos’ would help cushion my feet and knees from the onslaught of 38,000+ steps up and down the gentle hills of The Loop at Forest Dunes. The past two years I did not have the foresight to care what shoes I wore and ended up bloody by the time we took our hats off and shook hands on the 18th hole of the Black course. Thankfully, the burning in my heel turned out to be nothing, and I was able to enjoy the rest of the round and our subsequent 18 on the original Forest Dunes course the next day. I had dodged a bullet, unlike a few of my fellow competitors who came along to battle at The Duel. Brad gutted out the rounds despite a nasty Haglunds deformity in his heel; Trent felt the bite early after a late night of Bud Lights the night before; and Tommy…well Tommy is old, and his plethora of body aches and pains eventually caught up with him forcing him into a WD for the Saturday Forest Dunes round.
For a competitive amateur golfer in the midwest there are few, if any, tournaments that rival The Duel. Played on the first fully reversible course in the state at Forest Dunes in Roscommon, Michigan; The Duel is the only way that players can experience both routings in the same day in a competitive two-man best-ball format. Typically on even days you are able to play Red course and odd days you can play the Black, this leaves the resort the opportunity to use the months with 31 days as Duel tournament days. Brad and I have played in three total - one in May and two in July - and each was better than the last. As much as I love both of the Doak-designed Loop routings you really don’t get a feel for the genius of it unless you play both. I have spoken to a few golfers who only played one of the two courses and found them a little underwhelming. I can see how it would not have the same pop if you only played one routing.
Plenty of reviews go over the intricacies and history of The Loop, so I wont reiterate what others have said better. Suffice to say, the course checks off many of the things that I love to see during a round. The fairways are bouncy enough to send even mediocre drives bounding down the fairways; the greens are nuanced and force a player to think about using contours to run shots up - or bounce them up in some cases; and the variety of holes is outstanding. Short par 4s; menacing long par 3s; heavily guarded short holes; multiple Barritz greens! Multiple! The conditioning isn’t flawless, which makes the aesthetic even richer in my opinion. At times it almost feels like you shouldn’t be playing where you are; like its a secret naturally formed course in the middle of nowhere Michigan. A golfer’s playground that was stumbled upon by you and your buddies. After 6 rounds around The Loop I still find myself being surprised with how my approach shots interact with the terrain, or how certain holes play in each direction. Few courses have that kind of impact and wow factor, especially without the views of a coastal course, or the elevation changes of a mountain course.
Aside from the course itself, the entire event - put on by Tyler Tabor and the rest of the FD crew - is outstanding. Lunch at the turn and a top notch dinner afterward are nice bonuses. Each year participants are also given prize bags with very impressive swag. From the knit hybrid covers the first year; to the slate coasters and leather scorecard holders this year; to the yearly metal bag tags made by Seamus Golf that you can have your name stamped into; the prizes are worth the extra charge for the tournament. As always, the service at the resort is aces. There is zero pretense that sometimes you can find at other resorts. Everyone is approachable and friendly and will to take the time to make your round and stay that much better. (Major shout out to Susan, the queen of The Loop halfway house, for being so wonderful).
The first night we were there we had dinner next to Lew Thompson, the owner of the resort who brought the course back from the brink of death in the early 2010s. He came over and told us some jokes and asked how we were doing. It felt like a genuine conversation from a genuine guy. He even let us go out and play the short course before it was open, for free none-the-less. Hospitality is in the DNA of Forest Dunes, as most would agree who have played there.
If - and its a big IF, as the spots fill up in a matter of minutes - you can get in on one of the three Duels, make it a point to do so. Each year we’ve met golfers from all over the country and everyone shares a similar opinion about the course and the tournament. It is now something I build my summer golf schedule around. It may be pricey, but it is worth every penny. Brad once said that it was the most fun golf experience he has ever done and its hard to argue against that, especially if you can add on the original Forest Dunes course, the short course, and the amazing Hilltop 18-hole putting course, as we did this year. Despite the blisters and the bogies and the blood and the broken backs the next day - it is pure golf for 36 holes and unlike anything else you’ll play. Just make sure you pack some Gold Bond and a change of clothes.
Origin Stories…
Perspectives on how it all began and where we are now
Five stories about how the obsession began - and how it has shaped our thoughts on the sport
Grant Welmers - “Go For It!”
Definitely NOT Dearborn Hills with my Dad 2017 - Waterville, Ireland
I barely remember my first round. I know that it was at Dearborn HIlls Golf Club, an executive-style short course with pristine conditioning in my hometown of Dearborn, Michigan. I know that it was for my fraternity’s charity outing with a few dozen of the most depraved humans I’ve ever had the chance to know. I know that it was a circus filled with keg stands on tee boxes, groups pantsing each other on the greens, shots of 90-degree whiskey, a few carts in a pond, one guy who may, or may not, have broken his arm (He did), and more strokes than are acceptable in a fourman scramble on a par 63 course. What I didn’t know, especially at the time, was that this was nothing like real golf - and everything like real golf.
The beauty of the game is that it is a blank slate. Do you want to go out and shoot a personal best - grinding over putts, taking proper knee-high level drops, pacing out 42 yard pitch shots - Go for it!…as long as you arent holding up the group behind you. Do you want to go out with a few buddies after work for a quick nine and spend three times as much money on the beer cart than on the greens fees - Go for it!…as long as you have a designated driver. Do you want to spend every Sunday morning with your dad as if it was as sacred as a church service, enjoying the time together and reading putts down the dewlines? - Go for it!…as long as you dont let him lose just because he is old. A round is whatever you want it to be, even if that is a circus with a gaggle of fraternity brothers mooning each other on the greens and cannonballing shots of Jameson until you puke.
I like to think that I can, and have, gotten all these things out of golf over the 13 years that I have been playing. I am able to play along the spectrum of golf - like a loudly dressed chameleon. Whether it is our annual golf outing The Goat Rodeo Open; the trip with my dad to the southwest of Ireland; or just hacking around our local home courses - the majority of my favorite memories in life have come on, or around, a golf course. Maybe that is what helped solidify my obsession. I have made and cemented friendships through the game that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. I think that is what 5&4 is about for me - A place to discuss all things about the game I love, with the people I love playing with (sometimes), in between rounds together.
Jeff Waterstradt: “Chasing the Dragon”
1st tee at the Donald Ross Memorial at Boyne Highlands; Boyne Michigan - 2020. Full Tiger Blood
I have been around golf most of my life. My old man - Johnson - would take me on the course when I was a kid and let me drive the cart and caddie for him, which was the biggest thrill for me. He was a pretty good player; single digit handicap, probably a 4 at his peak. I enjoyed watching him play, but hockey was my world at the time, and unfortunately other “things” were more important as a teenager growing up in Redford, Michigan. I did not actually play a real round of golf until after I graduated high school. Johnson had asked me to play in an outing with him, a good friend Erik, and Erik’s dad. Erik was an outstanding golfer, he played on our high school team and in the Junior Olympics. My dad was still a 5, or 6, at that point, Erik’s dad was probably a 10, Erik was a stick, and then me.
I had never really swung a club, other than taking putts when I was a kid - I remember burying a 100-foot putt on the Donald Ross designed Warren Valley - although it was probably more of a 35 foot, but when you are that age everything is bigger. I had watched a lot of golf on television, but for some reason I had never taken the step to play it. So when my dad invited me under the pretense of “Hey, come out, just have fun. Make some lucky putt, thats what you are there for!” I took him up on it, and was excited.
We were playing Brae Burn Golf Club in Plymouth, Michigan in a fourman scramble charity outing for some bar I cant remember, that probably isn’t even around anymore. I played as expected for a first timer - missing the ball, duffing shots when I did connect, I think I even hit one backwards. I fulfilled my purpose early, though, and made a big birdie putt and “lagged” a mid-iron about 130y (Yes I said lagged, as it never left the ground, but boy it ran) to the front of the green when everyone else had missed.
So I had done it, I was validated and I enjoyed being out there watching Erik bomb 300 yard drives and Johnson drop irons out of the sky to 10 feet - I even managed to hit a few in the air that day. I was having a great time, but it wasnt really about the golf at that point. Golf for me was watching The Masters with Johnson and an occasional outing, or putt-putt, and that was it. Then we stood on #14, 152y par 3 with my dads 7i - because its the only club that I had established any sort of distance with - and stood at address. I took my standard “get-out-of-the-way-and-let-the-real-golfers” swing and right then as the ball was mid-flight it clicked - I got it. Somehow I got the right shoulder turn on the right plane and everything lined up. Divot after the ball and all; right sound, right feel and it carried 152y to the left of the pin. I had hit the green. I didn’t put it to 3 feet or anything, it was a good 20 feet away; but the feeling, the flight, watching it land, I now understood and it all made sense.
From that second on I was hooked; and every round I play I am chasing that shot again. The feeling of a pure strike, even if it is the only one among 103 other shots that day. Its enough to bring me back again and again - to motivate me to work harder. The whole game clicked, all the pro’s shots on TV, what my dad and his buddies hoot and holler about on the course or get so angry they throw clubs about. One shot. Thats all it took. Golf for me is about that one shot. Thats what I ‘m chasing.
Trent Toor: “Loud Robot”
I have played a lot of golf over my years, but if I go back to think of where it all began it would have to be in Washington State at a course in Scott Lake. It wasn’t anything special; I couldn’t tell you what I shot, specific holes, or even what the name of the course was, but what I remember is that it was a great day of golf with my uncle and grandpa. There were some good swings and some very bad swings, many lost balls, numerous mulligans and I am sure the occasional three-putt. It was my first round with my first set of clubs - Spauldings and they were the coolest things around. My love for the game started on that unknown course in Washington.
That seed has been transformed into quite the passion in the years since. My game has developed and evolved since then. I spent one summer taking lessons - something that I need to spend a few more summers doing at this point. Unlike then I am a big fan of having a few beers or hard seltzers on the course, which may or may not help my handicap. My scores have started to come down this year. I used to never be able to break 100 and now most rounds are in the low 90s and high 80s. This year I had my best round ever an 85, which only strengthened my love for the game. I keep hoping that that next personal best is waiting on the next tee.
Whether it is our annual Goat Rodeo Open buddies’ trip, the Duel at Forest Dunes, or just a random Saturday golfing with the fellas; golf has provided me with many new friendships and memories that I won’t forget. I thoroughly enjoy finding new courses and it has helped me enjoy golf on a different level than before. Recently one of the best takeaways has been its ability to help reconnect with friends during COVID.
If I were to pick areas that I was strongest in they would be:
My mental game: I leave most shots behind me; good or bad I move on to the next shot. I’m not known for throwing clubs, loud outbursts, or anger; unlike some others on this site. (Cough…Grant…cough cough… Slessor)
Putting: I love putting. I may not be the best putter out there, but I think I can hang with most guys I know.
Irons: My strength with my irons helps offset my terrible slice off the tee.
My golf fashion: I will own every loud shirt and golf belt known to man, as long as I can afford it. I love fashion, shoes, and coming up with an outfit that pops. I have more golf hats and shoes than most people need. This year alone I’ve tried four or five new shirt brands and plan on reviewing some of them on the site.
Steve Slessor - “All YouTube and No Range Makes Stevey a Scratch Stick”
I thought we had people (read: Grant) to take care of shit like this and write my history for me…
I’m the Goat Rodeo Open IX Champion
Youtube golf videos>Practice
God, Guns, Drugs, Sex, and Rock and Roll…in that order
The End