The Bootlegger at Forest Dunes Golf Club

Forget everything you think you know about golf. The Bootlegger is a 10-hole short course named after the notorious Purple Gang—Detroit mafiosos who ran bootleg operations from this very property during Prohibition. Designed by rising architects Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns in just 81 days, this isn't your grandfather's par-3 course. It's a celebration of the game's most joyful elements, with holes ranging from 50 to 140 yards across rolling, strategic terrain positioned perfectly between Forest Dunes' championship courses.

This is where your group reconvenes after conquering The Loop or Forest Dunes. Music pumps from 16 speakers throughout the property. Shoes are optional. Groups of up to eight can play together—something impossible on regulation courses. The greens are massive, wildly contoured, and built to funnel balls toward pins, making holes-in-one tantalisingly possible. You'll find yourself attempting flop shots, running putters from 100 yards out, and genuinely not caring what you shoot.

The first and tenth holes cross each other adjacent to the Bootlegger Bar, a pavilion that serves as party central for the entire Forest Dunes resort. It's where bets are settled, stories are told, and the line between spectator and player delightfully blurs. The design philosophy is simple: fun over score. After an intense morning round on a championship layout, The Bootlegger becomes your group's late-afternoon hangout—part golf course, part social club, entirely Michigan.

This is the perfect closer to a long day, or an easy warmup before tackling the big courses. For groups looking to maximize time together on the course rather than spreading across foursomes, The Bootlegger delivers something rare: everyone plays together, everyone laughs together, and the golf trip memories multiply exponentially.