Above: Water plays a part on every hole and this is the semi island geen at the297-yard 4th hole
It's the last day of our trip and we have a double header today. First up is the Dunes which is owned and operated by Dahlmann Properties. Now if you like island greens and plenty of water you are going to love the Dunes. But if you are prone to losing a golf ball or three, this will be a challenge. I play off a 5 handicap and lost three balls to the liquid beast. My advice would be to buy a dozen very cheap golf balls. Water is such a feature here that the practice range is a lake that you hit floating balls into!
There are some great little holes on this track with plenty of risk-and-reward. Island greens, island fairways…this course has the lot, with plenty of wildlife to see on the back nine that has been designated a wildlife preserve by the Audubon Cooperative Society.
   
Island life at the 349-yard 5thDid I say there was water? 11thLooking back down the 12th
I don’t get to see an alligator, but there is a majestic osprey with a fish that most fishermen would be proud to pose with. This fella isn’t posing and when I approach my ball on the green at the 187-yard par-3 17th he decides it’s time to pick up his fish and soar off. It’s an amazing sight.
The Dunes’ finale is a 458-yard 5, which has an island green. If you get a good drive away you can go for it, but it’s a tough green to hold. But as I said this is a fun track and I think you should treat it that way, unfortunately I have hit a nice snap hook and make the green with my third shot.
The Dunes is not a long course, measuring 5,583 yards from the back tees down to 4,878 from the golds. But what designer Mark McCumber has achieved is making golf strategy key. I would suggest you play with a member so you get to know the lay-up zones. If like us you turn up as a group, then heading to the pro-shop for some cheap lake balls would be a good move.
A fitting finale at the 458-yard 18th with yet another island green to aim for.
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