Forest Dunes — The Loop

The Loop is the world's first reversible golf course, a Tom Doak design at Forest Dunes in Roscommon, Michigan that opened in 2016 and plays 18 holes in one direction on odd calendar days (the Black Course) and the opposite direction on even days (the Red Course). Greens are shared. Tees are shared. The routing reverses, and the result is two genuinely distinct experiences on the same piece of land.

The concept is not a gimmick, though it would be easy to dismiss it as one without playing it. Doak built greens with enough contour and acreage that they read differently depending on the direction of approach. A green that rewards a draw on the Black Course may demand a fade on the Red. A bunker that protects the front on one routing guards the back on the other.

From the back tees you are playing 6,704 yards at par 70. The Black is rated approximately 72.3 with a slope of 126; Red is rated 71.5 with a slope of 125. The challenge is positional rather than physical. Fairways are wide. Rough is natural sand and native grass, where the boundary between fairway and hazard is a matter of degree rather than a sharp line. Balls that miss fairways do not always find penalty; they find lies that demand creativity.

The walking-only policy is non-negotiable. There are no cart paths, no crossing roads, and forecaddies are available for first visits when the intended lines are not always obvious. The sandy subsoil keeps the turf firm and fast through the season, which makes the ground game a genuine part of the strategic toolkit. Running a 7-iron onto a green through a gap in the bunkering is a valid play here.

A course that provokes conversation about what golf architecture can be, and rewards repeat visits in a way few do. Each routing reveals what the other concealed.