Skyfall Is Where We Start
Where worlds collide and days are dark
It’s been over a month since the announcement of the new private Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner project at Forest Dunes, known as Skyfall. The name1, the semi-private model that still allows resort play (a la the Lido at Sand Valley), and even the font have been discussed at length by now. There has been no shortage of coverage.
Before I get to what I want to focus on, might I highlight that out of the abundance of rollout articles mostly listing bullet points from the press release, one source that stuck out to me for its useful and original information was Jason Scott Deegan’s Golfpass article.
Putting aside the rollout details that I mentioned, I’ve been wanting to take a deep dive into the master plan and design details for the course. There are a couple of nuggets that were of interest to me, so let’s dig in.
Common Ground
A routing trait that I have a fondness for is when multiple greens and tees come together in one area. At Skyfall, the shared area between the 9th and 18th greens, the 1st and 10th tees, the putting green, and clubhouse, caught my attention immediately. This is where golfers will have their first interaction with the course, so it should make for a memorable experience. Being on a high point of the property, there should be some decent views up here, paired with a first tee shot that careens down a massive slope. Kudos to them, as well, if they keep the entire surrounding area as short grass, as depicted.
Another come-together area, as noted by Gil Hanse, is the convergence of the second and sixth greens, along with the third and seventh tees. Hanse describes the hill where these features sit as a “knuckle”, according to Jason Scott Deegan, and the area serves as the turnaround point for the front nine.
"The views will be incredible," Hanse said.
Tillinghast
Looking again at that 7th hole above, I can’t help but think back to when the Skyfall announcement came out. One particular account, bethpageblackmetal on Instagram, articulated what was in my head when he mentioned he couldn’t help but see elements of A.W. Tillinghast and Shinnecock Hills in the design. That 7th hole, for me, instantly called to mind the 15th and 16th holes at Shinnecock, with their use of angles and clustering of bunkers in front of the green.
Whether or not those design similarities are intentional, Hanse himself has confirmed that a Tillinghast routing philosophy was considered during the routing of Skyfall. “This design is focused on some of the landforms on the property,” he said. “When you look at some of the old courses by Tillinghast or Ross, there tends to be a landform they go away from and come back to. On the front nine at SkyFall, that hub is a big compelling ridge which dissects the property with elevation changes approaching 100 feet.”
Pine Valley
The ridge that Hanse mentions is one of the few landforms that is apparent on Google Earth, and will be a major part of another key hole - the 9th. “We’ve talked about a comparison as the second hole at Pine Valley where you have a level to slightly downhill tee shot playing through some interesting terrain and then a significant uphill shot to the green. Given the sandy nature, the vegetation and the grasses that are out there, we feel we can build a really compelling hole.”
Width and Scale
When we discuss resort golf in the US, the names of Bandon, Sand Valley, and Streamsong are sure to be included. And just as we include the Lido when considering Sand Valley as a resort, it will be useful to consider where Skyfall and Forest Dunes will fit in the grand scheme of resort golf. It’s inevitable, then, that we look at the only Gil Hanse-designed course among these resorts, which is Streamsong Black. The Black course and Skyfall share a common thread in owners Rich Mack and Tom Sunnarborg, yet should be thoroughly different from each other from a design perspective.
I’ll let the quotes from Hanse provide the context here.
"[Streamsong Black] is without a doubt the most polarizing golf course we’ve ever built," said Hanse. "When you play there, Black is either number 1 or 3 [in a golfer's rankings of Streamsong's courses], and it’s either a strong 1 or strong 3. There, it’s really never number 2. We are truly proud of that. Rich and Tom gave us the flexibility to do something different. We are excited about the opportunity to do something different here. It is going to be different than anything we’ve built in 20 years since Boston Golf Club."
One of the major differences that Hanse alludes to for this project is that while the plot of land clocks in at over 300 acres, it is a long, narrow strip of real estate, necessitating a more compact routing. "That’s what we’re looking at here: Wide but not massive corridors," Hanse said. "It's really more tree-lined and meadows. We are going to keep a lot of the trees to keep that northern Michigan feel. I think it’s going to have a more traditional compact feel to it as a golf course. A little different, that's what we are really excited about. Everything we’re building, most of our work, is big, big, big."
Odds and Ends
The back nine does not have as much space for turnaround points as the front nine, so there are a few key holes to help with this - the short par-4 11th, the par-3 14th, and the par-3 17th.
According to owner Rich Mack, the routing will feature a Punchbowl par-3, something that Hanse has always wanted to do, he reports. I’m not highly skilled at reading a topo map, but the 8th hole seems to be the leading candidate for the hole Mack is alluding to.
Via the Skyfall press release: “Entitlement work for Skyfall is in process and early construction activities could commence in late 2025 or early 2026”
A word on the Lake Huron side of northern Michigan
A few people noted that my Planning Your First Northern Michigan Golf Trip article did not mention any destinations on the east side along Lake Huron. I have long considered a trip to this part of the state, but always found the logistics to be challenging.
One of the main drawbacks to this trip is that there is no central resort option to build a trip around. In theory, this should be where Lakewood Shores Resort in Oscoda excels. If it was still the 90’s, perhaps it would be that east-side resort option, with the Gailes course being a big draw. From all reports, though, and I’ve heard a lot of reports, the Gailes hasn’t been maintained in a way to highlight its design, the other courses are not draws, and the accommodations are outdated and rundown. For that reason, I haven’t considered including it in a trip.
For the trip that I would put together, there are two courses on my itinerary - Red Hawk in Tawas, and White Pine National in Spruce. They are roughly 50 minutes apart. To add on to the trip, I would be very interested in trying to get on at Lost Lake Woods in Lincoln, a 15-minute drive from White Pine National. It is a private course, but I’ve been told that it is not a particularly difficult tee time to snag. I’m hoping that is correct.
From there, it’s just under a 30-minute drive to Rivers Edge in Alpena. Of the courses in the area, this is the one that comes recommended by Alpena native Ryan French, known for his acaseofthegolf1 twitter account. Last but not least, it’s about an hour from Alpena up to Black Lake in Onaway, the Rees Jones design. This is actually much closer to Harbor Springs, but it has lodging, and it would give the overall trip a second headliner course to go along with Red Hawk.
I wouldn’t mind trying this trip someday. I would love to see White Pine National, and it has been too long since I’ve played Red Hawk. It will just take dedication to figuring out the lodging and travel details, and not having an aversion to driving. That’s fine with a small group, but always tougher if you are dealing with a larger group.
Notes
Forest Dunes - Creating Skyfall: https://forestdunesgolf.com/creating-skyfall
Forest Dunes - Skyfall Press Release: https://forestdunesgolf.com/skyfall-press-release
Forest Dunes - Skyfall FAQ: https://forestdunesgolf.com/skyfall-faq
Golfpass article by Jason Scott Deegan: https://www.golfpass.com/travel-advisor/articles/gil-hanse-new-golf-course-forest-dunes-northern-michigan
Forbes article by Erik Matuszewski: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikmatuszewski/2025/01/30/forest-dunes-to-add-a-private-golf-course-designed-by-gil-hanse/
I will never get enough of playing with the Skyfall name. Those are Adele lyrics in the title and subtitle, in case I had you entirely confused.
That huge bunker behind the green and the three sets of tees into number 4 are wild.
Makes sense to make the private course based around Tillinghast design principles.
That punchbowl par 3 looks sick & a lot of fun stuff going on here, can't wait to see it in real life.