The Dunes Club - New Buffalo, Michigan - Photo Golf Gallery By Brian Weis

The Dunes Club, New Buffalo, Michigan, Southwest Michigan

The Dunes Club - New Buffalo, Michigan - Photo Golf Gallery

The Top 9 Hole Course in the USA

By Brian Weis

Nestled along the shores of Lake Michigan in the quaint resort town of New Buffalo, lies one of the most mystical golf courses in the world. The Dunes Club is a private course so hidden and private, the only sign visible from the road is a small no trespassing sign.

Designer Dick Nugent developed the course with developer and owner Mike Keiser, now famous for his masterpieces in Oregon, Bandon Dunes. While the duo has won numerous accolades since opening in the 1990's, some credit must be given to Mother nature who deposited golden brown sandy dunes in a densely wooded area.

The layout of the course is truly magnificent, the greens lightening quick, and conditions absolutely pristine. The one feature that makes this an absolutely rememberable golf experience are the tee boxes. For one, there are no tee markers. So throw out the notion that your going to play a tee color. Rather each hole has up to 8 tee boxes and it is customary for the winner of the prior hole to choose a tee area and position.

The Dunes Club is also a walking only facility. Caddies are mandatory for guests. Not only do they provide a wealth of information on how to play the course but they allow you to soak up the experience.

Most Notable Hole

I failed a few times to get an answer from the caddie on which of the nine is the signature hole. He continued to response with the simple answer, they are all very special. I could not agree more.

He finally shared, hole 8 is the most storied by members. The elevated tee only reveals half of the 513 yard challenge. Big hitters can reach a waste area that splits the fairway. The second shot must be strategically placed to the right to allow for an angle into the dog leg left. The extremely small green is guarded by a steep slope in front and sand guarding the remainder of the sides. Simply put, the hole will make or break your round.

Notable Awards

GolfWorld's Best 9 Hole Courses 2010 - #1
GolfWeek's Best Modern Courses 2007 - #30
Golf Magazine Top 100 Courses 2001 - #76

The course is private so one of the only chances to play the course will be by invitation from one of the 100 or so members. If the invite is extended, jump at the chance to play because it will rival any golf experience.

The Skinny

9 Holes Course - Private
3 Tee Boxes: 6984, 6538, 6250 Yards
Slope/Rating: 142/37.4

10600 Marquette Dr
New Buffalo, MI 49117
(269) 469-5539

Slide Show

Photo Credits: Brian Weis, GolfMichigan.com

Article Tags: The Dunes Club, New Buffalo, Michigan, Southwest Michigan

Revised: 05/23/2011 - Article Viewed 42,647 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.

All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.

On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.