Forest Dunes in Roscommon is home to Nationally ranked courses.
But they also have a course about breaking down the stigma around golf.
“The Bootlegger Short Course is a fun golf experience that throws out a lot of the old norms maybe have given golf a bad name to some people,” said Don Helinski, COO of Forest Dunes.
The course is ten holes. It’s not about your score. Instead, are you having a good time.
“Those holes range between 50 and 150 yards. And really, all you need is a couple of clubs in your putter and a great group of people,” said Helinski.
“Very underrated part of golf is your short game, and it doesn’t get better. So just working on hitting chip shots, punch shots, different things like that,” added Noah Cole, First Assistant at Forest Dunes.
There’s not really a dress code, so leave your collared shirt and shoes at home.
“Truly just a fun afterthought kind of process where you’re taking your shoes off, having drinks with your buddies, going out and playing in bigger groups than you normally would on the main courses,” explained Cole.
The course is designed to funnel your ball to the pin, so even a bad shot is promising.
“The great thing about the fast and firmness of it and a lot of the undulation is you may have a shot that hits ten yards right of the green, but because it’s kind of on a hillside, it’s going to hit and roll on,” said Helinski.
No need to be quiet on the Bootlegger course. They have 16 speakers throughout playing music.
“People have definitely been introduced to the game and especially kids, you get music out there, and they’re out dancing and having fun while playing the game, and they have a lifetime sport that they can enjoy,” explained Helinski.
It’s a daily rate of $49, so you can play more after you play a round. Kids 15 and under can play for free with a paying adult.