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Bootlegger short Course


The Bootlegger is a 10-hole short course that puts an emphasis on fun versus your score in relationship to par.

The name is an ode to the local legend of the Purple Gang running the South Branch Ranch on the property back in the 20s and 30s. The Purple Gang was a Detroit-area mafia family that ran alcohol from Canada during prohibition.  Additionally, the pavilion next to the first tee will now be known as the Bootlegger Bar.

The Bootlegger sits atop a peaceful, rolling bulge of land positioned perfectly between The Loop and Forest Dunes courses and near the spacious clubhouse, Bootlegger Bar, practice area and massive HillTop Putting Course.  Its  fun, strategic holes measure between 65 and 150 yards, and create an energetic hot spot for golfers of all ages and skill levels.

The course was designed by Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns who had previously completed the much-heralded renovation of the Winter Park 9 course outside of Orlando.  Their task was to build a course with entertaining shot values and an unintimidating sense of fun. 

“You don’t often get the chance to get super creative when designing courses, but with the short course we really had the opportunity to have some fun with it," Rhebb said.  "Ownership wanted it to be fun and always engaging, and we were able to express that in the design."

The creatively designed greens are constructed to funnel balls toward pin locations, improving the likelihood of ever-elusive holes-in-one, while a few tee shots tempt you to make use of strategic slopes and banks instead of flying it in the air. The greens showcase a variety of subtle shapes, many being bowl-shaped and some resembling catcher’s mitts or table-tops. 

“The land gave us such a great canvas to create something fun that offers a ‘welcoming handshake’ to entry-level players and says ‘this is what golf can be.’ Here you can go out in your flip flops and hit flop shots with a few buddies, try to make an ace on every hole, or use a putter off the tee to try and run one on the green,” Johns said.

The Bootlegger opened August 1, 2020. 

The $49 greens fee is a daily rate offering the opportunity for additional play based on availability.  Children 15 and under are free with a paid adult while youth age 16-17 are $25.  There are no electric carts allowed on the Bootlegger.

 

 

Bootlegger Logo development final all formatsBootlegger Short Course

Opened: 2020
Designer: Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns                             
Yardage: 1,135
Par:

NA

Holes: 10
 
Greens:

Dominant X-Treme 7

Fairways &
Tees:

Silhouette Chewings Fescue,
Ruddy Creep Red Fescue, SR3150 Hard Fescue,
Windward Chewings Fescue

   

Forest Dunes Short Course Plan Colour 

Photo Gallery

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