lunging in the open?

Start his lunging at a walk and teach him to lower and give his head.  When he's got the walk down (however long it takes) only then ask him to trot.  You can even keep him in close to you for the first few days which gives you some room on the lunge line (extra in your hand) if he does decide to bolt.
Stay away from roping off the fourth side.  Especially if you think he may bolt.  Often a horse cannot see the rope and you don't want him to run into or through it or get him self tangled in it.

Use a rope halter with the knots in the right place and work in that for a while so he knows it's best not to pull back.  Then when you lunge he won't want to put that kind of pressure on his own face.  But please do wear gloves!   I tie a knot in the lunge rope to give me something to hold on to.

I tie a knot in the lunge rope to give me something to hold on to.

Thanks for the tips, I'm trying to work up the nerve to go do it now LOL
 
If I manage to get out there, I'll let ya know how it goes... thanks again!

Ok, seems like he forgot how. I had the lunge whip, the lunge line and gloves, had him saddled up, hooked the line to the side of his halter and tried to send him off. He would take a few steps, then turn towards me with his head up and back up a step or two. So I'd bring him back in and take a few steps back, give him the line, pointing in front of him while pointing the whip behind him and he'd do the same thing. Am I asking wrong? I didn't want to get aggresive trying to send him out because of that open area. Didn't want him to bolt... Wish I could get a few fence panels to put up there, but don't think the owner of the land wants me to do that.
 
So frustrating. So, I walked him around in circles for a little bit, tried it again, then bridled him up and rode for half an hour or so. He even tried to go back to his stall a couple of times but I got him to turn away with no rodeo. So, it was still a positive experience!

When you are lunging him, try to think of the front and back ends of your horse as the bottom of a triangle and you are the top.  Pointing the direction you want him to go is good but make sure to keep your eye contact mostly on his rear end and drive him from there.  When they've gotten in a bad habit of turning in, you have to really be quick and watch for the signs of him starting to do it so you can catch him before he does.  Keep him close to you at first, maybe about 12 feet or so away, far enough he can't kick you but far enough for him to be able to move too.  When he starts to turn in, hurry toward his rear end and drive him forward before he can stop.  Remember not to lunge him in endless circles.  I usually do a couple at a walk, a couple at the trot, walk, then halt and change directions and do it again.  Lunging at the canter in an open area is not a great idea at first because he can really pull hard and get away quickly.  If you are just trying to get some freshness out of him, go until he's puffing some and slightly damp, changing directions frequently  When you want him to change from a trot to walk or walk to trot, use voice commands and jiggle the rope.  As soon as he responds, let the rope go slack.  If he does pull too much, I have used a rope halter like Hunter says and on a couple occasions with horses who had learned to get away, I used a stud chain attached to the lunge line over the nose.  That really keeps them from leaning on you or pulling away.  Hope my "short story" makes sense!  Goodluck to you and glad you are back in the saddle. 

Thanks, Dana, that all sounds like great advice. The lunge line I have has a chain at the end, but I've just ignored it. I don't remember where I was looking at him, but I'm guessing it wasn't his rear lol. I'm interested in the rope halter idea, I suppose I'll be off to research it shortly...
 
I don't know if I'll be able to play with him until next weekend, it's getting dark sooner and sooner. But I'll give it a try. Hoping I can get this to work, it'd be nice if he was a little less energetic before a ride.   ]

Something that really helped me, too, was to keep my "belt buckle" aimed behind the girth.  Same theory as looking at the back half of him.  I've just recently started lunging Dani but she was NOT getting it at first!  Be patient and I bet you'll have it down in no time!