Forest Dunes To Open New Lake AuSable Lodge This Spring

Forest Dunes Golf Club, a nationally acclaimed Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course in northern Michigan, will open the Lake AuSable Lodge this spring. The addition of this new facility will make it one of the "must experience" golf destinations in mid-America.

Construction on the 8,500 square foot luxury lodge began in the fall and it is scheduled to open in April 2013. The lodge will feature 14 rooms and suites, which will overlook scenic Lake AuSable and the No. 1 tee of the Forest Dunes golf course. There are also a number of golf cottages for rent on the property.

"We have had a nationally recognized golf product since we opened ten years ago and the demand for high-end lodging has continued to grow in recent years," explains Todd Campbell, general manager at Forest Dunes Golf Club. "We are very excited about adding this new amenity and believe that golfers, travelers, and outdoor enthusiasts alike will be very impressed with the new Forest Dunes experience."

The Lake AuSable Lodge will reflect the same Adirondack architectural theme as the nearby golf clubhouse, using hardwoods, cedar shake siding and stone on the exterior. The rooms inside will offer both king and double-queen configurations that can be joined to become a suite. The second level features a pair of beautiful two-bedroom suites that can accommodate larger groups. Rooms will feature the finest in modern comfort, décor, and fixtures including flat screen televisions, wireless Internet as well as private patios or balconies.

The new lodge enables Forest Dunes to offer a variety of stay-and-play packages combining its world-class golf with the new lodge rooms, as well as the existing cottages. The new golf packages, which start at $149 per night, can be customized to include golf, lodging in either the lodge or cottages, and meals.

In addition to golf, travelers can experience the amenities of world-class fly-fishing and canoeing on the nearby AuSable River and biking and hiking on miles of wilderness trails. There is also a spa and fitness center.

Forest Dunes Golf Club, which opened in 2002, was designed by former British Open winner Tom Weiskopf who has said that Forest Dunes is in the top three among his designs in the United States. The 7,116-yard course, with five sets of tees including junior tees, is cut through the beautiful Huron National Forest.

The course is unlike any other in northern Michigan. The front nine features parkland-style holes meandering through corridors of red and jack pines, with elaborate bunkering and sandy waste areas on the sides. The back nine is quite different, featuring even more open and exposed rugged native sand areas with scruffy underbrush bordering and crossing fairways and greens.
The property also features one of the premier practice facilities in the U.S., featuring a double-ended range with contoured fairways and greens, a well-designed short game area and putting green. It is also home to the popular Kendall/Seltzer Golf Getaway School.

Last year, an investment group led by Lew Thompson purchased Forest Dunes. A trucking company magnate from Huntsville, Ark., Thompson is also the managing partner of a group that owns and operates The Bridges Golf and Country Club, a Jack Nicklaus course in Montrose, on Colorado's Western Slope, halfway between Grand Junction and Telluride.

For more information about the new Lake AuSable Lodge at Forest Dunes, please visit www.forestdunesgolf.com.