The architectural duo of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner seem to be everywhere at once these days, leaving their imprint on layouts old and new. But here’s something they haven’t done: they’ve never designed a course in Michigan.
That’s about to change.
On Thursday, Forest Dunes, a stay-and-play destination in Roscommon, Mich., roughly an hour east of Traverse City, announced plans for its fourth course, SkyFall, a Hanse and Wagner design that will be the pair’s first original project in the state. When it opens, at a date that has yet to be determined, the new course will expand the portfolio at a resort that is already home to two courses on GOLF’s list of Top 100 Courses You Can Play — Forest Dunes, by the late Tom Weiskopf, and the Loop, a reversible design by Tom Doak — as well as a 10-hole short course called the Bootlegger. Unlike its siblings, SkyFall will operate as a private club, with limited tee times set aside for resort guests.
In a written statement that accompanied the announcement, Forest Dunes owner Rich Mack said that he was excited to set Hanse and Wagner loose on what he described as “the most compelling property at Forest Dunes.” The routing the architects dreamed up will wind through 300 acres of forested terrain, adjacent to the resort’s existing courses, and feature up to 70 feet of elevation changes.
In recent years, Hanse and Wagner have been among the most prolific architects in the world, carrying out high-profile renovations and restorations of courses ranging from Los Angeles Country Club and the Olympic Club in California to Oak Hill in New York, while producing such acclaimed original designs as Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia, CapRock Ranch in Nebraska, and Les Bordes in France. As part of the Forest Dunes announcement, Hanse said that SkyFall will conjure elements from some of those projects, including the sandy wastes and rustic expanses of Ohoopee, and the rolling, tree-fringed grounds of Les Bordes.
Construction at SkyFall is set to begin late this year or in early 2026.
