Forest Dunes, the award-winning golf facility in northern Michigan that already has three Top 100 golf courses in the U.S., is poised to add a fourth — SkyFall, a new private club designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner that will also allow limited resort guest play.
"The opportunity to have Gil and Jim craft their first original design in Michigan on what is the most compelling property at Forest Dunes is really exciting," said Rich Mack, who owns Forest Dunes alongside business partner Tom Sunnarborg. "I’m also pleased that we will work with Gil and Jim a second time in our career and create something really special here in Michigan."
Mack previously hired Hanse and Wagner to create Streamsong Black at the highly renowned Streamsong Golf Resort in Florida. Mack was the vision and pioneer of Streamsong and began his business partnership with Sunnarborg by bringing him onboard to develop, launch and oversee the evolution of the resort.
"Gil and Jim are two of the most influential golf course architects of our era and are entrusted to advance projects of golf significance across the globe," Sunnarborg said. "We know they will find the best of the land to work with and turn it into something unforgettable that members and guests are going to thoroughly enjoy, hopefully many times."
Hanse said the course will certainly have some nods to a couple of his noted designs, including the sandy and rustic expanses that punctuate Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia mixed with the strategy and naturalism found in Scotland at Castle Stuart, and the rolling charm of the firm’s latest projects, France’s Les Bordes (respectively No. 81, 89 and 97 on Golf Magazine’s Top 100 in the World).
"This design is focused on the key landforms on the property," Hanse said. "When you look at some of the great old courses by [A.W.] Tillinghast or [Donald] Ross, there tends to be a landform they go away from and return to. That’s also the case at SkyFall, and it is those features that are the key to creating a truly compelling design."
The SkyFall project marks the first time Hanse and Wagner have worked on multiple original designs with the same ownership group. "We loved working with Rich and Tom and our relationship will benefit SkyFall and will certainly allow the team to get the most out of a spectacular piece of property full of rolling hills and sandy expanses," Wagner said.
With the addition of SkyFall to its portfolio, Forest Dunes will bring another stellar option to the highly acclaimed northern Michigan golf region and be the only facility in the world with courses designed by Tom Weiskopf, Tom Doak and the Hanse/Wagner team. Forest Dunes also offers a popular short course named The Bootlegger, designed by Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns.
Entitlement work for SkyFall is in progress and early construction could begin in late 2025 or early 2026.
COMMONWEALTH GC CONCLUDES RENO
Commonwealth Golf Club in suburban Melbourne, Australia, has concluded a renovation by U.S.-based Renaissance Golf Design, with a vegetation plan carried out concurrently by Australian architects Harley Kruse and Paul Mogford.
The renovation plan was created by Renaissance architects Tom Doak and Brian Slawnik, with Slawnik on site directing the work. Renaissance completed the first phase of the work in 2022, which primarily revolved around relocated and redesigned greens, widened fairways, new bunkers and revised tee orientations.
"The second phase involved significant architectural changes to the southern end of the course, with the most notable modifications being at the seventh, 10th and 12th greens," course manager Adam Lamb told GolfCourseArchitecture.net. "They have been redesigned and brought closer together. This creates a connection like the northern section, which features several paired greens, or ‘duos,’ interconnected by short-mown surrounds."
The new greens are carpeted in Pure Distinction creeping bentgrass.
"Before changes were made in the early 1990s, the seventh green had a left-to-right orientation, with a single long bunker on the right," said Lamb. "The new seventh green has returned to this original alignment, featuring a bunker on the right and a moderate swale on the left. The green falls away at the back-right corner, and the approach from the tee is narrow. Any offline shots will either fall into the swale on the left or into the bunker on the right."
Of considerable significance in the renovation was the implementation of a vegetation plan that was spearheaded by Mogford, who is president of the Society of Australian Golf Course Architects, with input by Slawnik, that hewed to a landscape plan that Kruse had previously crafted for the club.
"Like many Australian courses built in the early 1900s, well-intentioned but often misguided planting over the years resulted in the introduction of non-native trees," Lamb said. "Large trees, both native and non-native, were planted too close to the line of play and greens, creating issues with shade and moisture competition, which affected the health of the finely maintained turf. During the course restoration planning phase, the vegetation principles document played a key role in identifying areas where trees were negatively impacting turf conditions or limiting how holes could be played or even expanded.
"By selectively removing or relocating non-native and poorly placed trees, as well as introducing native species to the ecological vegetation classes of the property, the course has become more open and visually engaging. This allows for better sightlines, improved shot options and a more natural flow between holes."
Commonwealth was recently ranked 101st in the world in the Links 100 architects’ vote.
THE SOCIAL ASPECT
Here's a peek at some of the 3D green renderings and a short flyover we created for the Glen View Club in the appropriately named Golf, IL. 🏌️♂️ We have been slowly crafting a Master Plan for this beautiful Club that has been touched by Harry S. Colt, Donald Ross, William Flynn and… pic.twitter.com/DO95vKyasY
— Tyler Rae (@TylerRaeDesign) January 31, 2025
HUNTERS RUN EAST ENTERS GROW-IN PHASE
Hunters Run Country Club in Boynton Beach, Florida, has concluded a $9.58 million renovation to its East Course, led by architect Kipp Schulties.
Construction on the East, one of three courses at the club, began in March 2024. The East has now entered its grow-in phase.
"The East Course has been a staple of our golfing experience since its last renovation in 2008," Larry Savvides, Hunters Run general manager, said. "Over the years, it has withstood the challenges of time, year-round play, and a dramatic increase in rounds. This renovation is a step in ensuring that as part of the club’s prize assets, it is preserved for optimum playability for current and future members."
Among the enhancements effected by the Kipp Schulties Golf Design team were:
> Re-grassing fairways and tees with Celebration Bermudagrass for optimal playability
> Expanding and leveling tees
> Reshaping and lining bunkers to modernize the course and improve maintenance
> Restoring and improving greens to regain lost surfaces
> Enhancing drainage systems
> Building new bulkheads to stabilize lake banks, enhance the aesthetics and prevent erosion
> Updating irrigation systems and infrastructure for efficient water management
> Elevating low-lying areas to prevent flooding from heavy rain
"Our maintenance team has done an exceptional job keeping the East Course in play over the years, but this renovation takes the experience to a new level,” director of golf Ben Bauer said. "It ensures our members enjoy the region’s best golf and boosts Hunters Run’s reputation as a top-tier golf club community."
The golf course renovation follows refurbishments to three restaurants in the clubhouse, new equipment in the fitness center, a complete renovation of the club’s driving range that includes Toptracer technology, the completion of a new front monument street entrance and enhancements to the club’s 12 pickleball courts, all part of a long-range "Vision in Progress" master plan.
