Forest Dunes Golf Club (The Loop)

The Black routing plays clockwise around The Loop, starting to the left of the 18th green and playing away to the white flag on the horizon. You’ll play to white flags for the front nine, and red flags for the back, just like The Old Course at St. Andrews. If you’re ever unsure of which way to go, keep left! The Black Course is a less traditional setup, with a tough start and an easier finish. Par for the front side is only 34, with three short holes at the 2nd, 5th and 8th, and just one par-5. The stretch of holes from the 4th to the 8th is your best opportunity to make some birdies; starting with the 9th, you’ll face a bunch of difficult holes all the way around to the 16th, until a short par-5 and a relatively short par-4 close out the round. The Red routing plays counter-clockwise around The Loop, starting to the right of the 18th green and playing toward the red flag in the distance. There are red flags on the front nine and white flags on the back, but if you’re ever unsure of which way to go, keep right except to pass! The Red is a more traditional design, in the sense that the starting holes give you a bit of time to loosen up. There are a couple of hard holes going out, but the challenge really turns up a notch from the 8th through 11th holes, and the short par-4 12th can produce a six as easily as a 4, for those who get too greedy. The last four holes are a difficult finish.