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An Ostrich only happens on hole in one on a par 6 or holing out on a par 7.

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The hole in question is at Gunsan Country Club in South Korea. The course consists of 81 holes and is built on an abandoned salt field. There is a par 6 that is 723 yards that pales in comparison to the par 7, which measures in at a shade under 1,100 yards.

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The Meadow Farms Golf Course Locust Grove, Virginia, #12, 841 yards, par 6. The par 6 at Spring Lake Golf Resort Sebring, Florida, is 800 yards. A par 6 at Links Golf Course Post Falls, Idaho, #9, 777 yards. The 18th hole at Farmstead Golf Link’s par 6 straddled North and South Carolina but is now permanently closed

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September 1, 2022 Newsletter

We finally made it to Treetops!

We have been so busy this summer with family and friends that golf trips we talked about did not happen. I have never been to Treetops in Gaylord; I had heard wonderful things from the guys who have had a few golf trips there. It was time for me to see what the fuss was about.

We booked a weekend with 1 round on Saturday and 1 on Sunday before we headed home. Since we were going to be getting in later on Friday than was ideal for us, we did not want Saturday too full. Saturday’s course was The Signature, and we will talk about that in a future issue.

Sunday’s course was the one I was excited to try and will tell you about in this newsletter. We played the Threetops which is a 9-hole, par 3 course with a lot of history.

I also bought a new set of clubs and have only played a few rounds with them. I am still adjusting to the lighter weight and a ½ inch shorter shaft. Played the previous weekend and thought I had figured out the adjustments I needed to make. This trip told me I still have things to work on.

History of Treetops

Threetops was designed by Rick Smith and was opened in conjunction with the Fazio-designed Premier course in 1992. Soon after opening it became the number-one ranked par-3 course in the U.S. It was a model course for many of the par-3 courses that popped up all over the country. Threetops is also one of the most recognized par-3 courses because of hosting the ESPN Par-3 Shootout for 8 years.

ESPN Par-3 Shootout

In 1999 Threetops became the home to the ESPN Par-3 Shootout. Some of the biggest names in golf have played the Threetops. Names like Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples, Lee Trevino, Phil Mickelson, and Arnold Palmer to name a few. The last shootout at Threetops was held in 2006 with Couples, Chris DeMarco, Craig Stadler and Andy North back to defend his 2005 win. Fred Couples walked away with that honor and $300K and Andy North ended up in 4th place and only won $20K.

There have been a lot of great shots by some talented players and players who participated in the shootout have collectively won over 50 major championships. There was one swing on July 30, 2001, that is often referred to as “the shot heard ‘round the world” by Lee Trevino

Million Dollar Shot

On the 7th hole from 135 yards Lee Trevino sunk his swing for a hole in one! In addition to the million dollars, Trevino also won $10,000 on that hole for closest to pin. It is said to be the most valuable shot in the history of golf. He followed this play with a much more impressive play by donating $500,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

After Trevino’s ace on Hole 7 a plaque was placed on the spot where he swung his club for the million-dollar shot. Couples and Mickleson jokingly would tap the plaque for good luck before taking their shots. They never got a hole-in-one but started a superstitious tradition. Everyone needs to tap the plaque before teeing off on Hole 7.

Playing Threetops

We were excited to play Threetops, with as many times as my husband has played at Treetops, he never played the par-3 course. He had heard somewhere along the way that it was around $150 for a round and he said he could not justify paying that for 9 holes. We decided regardless of price this time we would play it and live on PBJs for a week if we had to. Happy to say that our menu that week was not affected, 9-hole round was only $45. Funny though because as I sit here writing this newsletter, I am having a crunchy peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 😊

This could be my course!

Looking over the scorecard (we grabbed one the day before) and seeing how many holes were totally within my driving range I was stoked. I just may get a birdie, definitely a few pars. This was going to my course! There are 3 sets of tees back (black), middle (white) and front (red). Longest hole from the reds was hole 3 at 137 yards.

We pull up to the starter and get checked in. My husband’s golf bag is a Michigan bag, so he first showed us some pictures from the teams visit a couple of weeks before. I am chomping at the bit, ready to get out there and kick some butt. The starter than provides us with some helpful tips (actually scared the hell out of me) and said to watch out for hole 3. Good to know. I may be scared but I know I can hit the green with my driver on most of these holes.

If only I could golf like Trevino did!

One of the fun things about this course is that they have given the holes names. As we played each hole, many of the names made sense. One of the hard things about this course is that most of the holes either have elevated tee boxes, elevated greens or both. Trying shoot over valleys can be a challenge. Staying on the cart path and climbing up to, or out of tee boxes and greens did get tiring. Halfway through your legs are feeling it from all the hill climbing.

All the pictures of this course (at least 1 picture for each hole) are posted here.

We get to the first hole called Plateau, and it is only 100 yards to the green, perfect for my driver and since I always hit straight, I may just get a hole-in-one. Of course, I hit right, damn those new clubs! Still did not do horrible considering where I landed and ended up bogeying the hole.

Hole 2 is called Double Cross because there are 2 greens, depending on which green is flagged is which tee box middle and back use. At only 114 yards from the reds another hole that my driver can easily hit the green. I fell short, not a little, but a lot. Not only did I fall short, but I ended up in a little valley that I had to hit out of. Not my finest moment, ended with a double bogey.

Devils Drop

This is the hole that the starter warned us about. With a 150-foot drop from the white tees. For the back (219 yds) and middle (207 yds) tees this was going to challenge the best of them. Fortunately for me I had less of a drop and had a 70-yard advantage over my husband. 137 yards from the reds. I swung my driver hard and saw my ball sailing towards the green, I knew I had hit it well and I would be rewarded. That drop is very deceiving, and I ended up short again. Was getting concerned we were going to see a pattern with my score.

The next few holes were not kind to me. Hole 4 got its name Deception from its hard right dogleg with sand traps lurking at the turn. Hole 5, called Valley Lo is just what it sounds like a hole down in the valley. Hole 6 is called Harry’s Way. I can only assume that someone name Harry decided water and sand was a good thing.

Hole 7 is called High Five

Now we are at hole 7, called High Five. This is the hole that Lee Trevino sank the ace for a million bucks. The tee boxes sit high and the green down below is long and narrower and has some slants that could make this a blow-up hole. From the reds, this was the second longest hole at 130 yards, I was ready for it. I learned a couple of things the last 6 holes and my driver was not necessarily the right club even though the yardage suggest it was. I started driving with my” seven is heaven” wood and having some success with distance and control (remember new clubs).

Tried for some Trevino magic

Well, folks I nailed that ball and hit it solidly on the green with a very doable 2 putt for a par or maybe a 1 putt for a birdie. This was Trevino’s hole, and I was going to at least get par. I was excited. When we got down to the green, my excitement waned a little, looking down hill was deceiving. Highly unlikely I would get a birdie on this hole, but still a chance at a par.

That first putt was just to get it close without ending up rolling off the green. Somehow the stars aligned, and I did exactly what I was trying to do. I putted the hole for a par! To make this even better, my husband's drive ended up off the green in some rough. This was definitely going to be my hole!!! He chipped that damn ball right next to hole. Damn, he ended up with a par as well. Just could not let me have it to myself. LOL!!

Final 2 holes

After the high I was on getting par on 7, I was feeling pretty invincible until I saw hole 8 in person. The hole is called Hang Time . On the scorecard it looks pretty straight forward, but it is not. It is not really a dog leg, but from the red tees at 103 yards I needed my ball to go a little bit right to end up on the green. Otherwise, it was going to be nasty rough or sand. I ended up on the green but not in a spot that was going to prove to be easy to putt from. Another double bogey on this hole.

Hole 9 called Upward Home is just that you have to drive up toward the green over the valley. This was another deceiving hole. The yardage from the reds was only 125, but I could not get close to the green. To me, this was a par 4 hole, although my husband did get par (pure luck 😊). For me, this was my final double bogey. I mentioned this hole to a friend that lives in Gaylord and has played Threetops several times. He agreed that he thought it played more as a par 4 than a 3.

Threetops is a fun course and a must play when you visit Treetops

Overall, I did enjoy the Threetops even if I did have to climb a few mountains and only got 1 par. This course is one of those courses that you need to play a few times. First time out I got the lay of the land and now know what to expect. It was hard deciding what club to use, where to hit, how hard etc. when you are looking down at the green. Most of the holes were difficult to see how the terrain rolled. Now that I have see both sides of the hole, I think my decision making in the tee box would be smarter.

Treetops Weekend

Our weekend was surprisingly very affordable for the two of us. For under $700 we had a decent room for 2 nights with wi-fi and cable. This included breakfast buffets both mornings and 27 holes of golf for each of us. Add in dinner and alcohol and it was a little bit more. Overall, a surprisingly good deal. We will definitely be back to play the other courses and of course Threetops again.

If you get the chance, stop by and at least spend a couple of hours playing Threetops.

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We hope you enjoyed our latest issue of The Golf Up North Newsletter.

Disclosure: We never tell a course who we are when we book and play a course. We do not ask nor will we accept free rounds to write about a course. We pay full price for our rounds for everyone in our group.

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October 1, 2022 Newsletter

I cannot believe it is October

Sad that golfing in Northern Michigan is about done until next year. Happy I was able to do a fair amount of golfing the last couple of months. Mostly in Northern Michigan, but a couple of rounds in Virginia. This was a tough year for me and golf. Life did not cooperate with my desired golf schedule.

I mentioned in last months newsletter that I bought a new set of clubs and was struggling with them. I used that excuse a lot during our rounds at Treetops.

Golfed two rounds with my Virginia son when I was there a couple of weeks ago. I took my clubs with me to get some practice in on the new clubs. I think I am making progress with them, except with my irons which have always been a struggle. Loving my new 7 wood, so much so that I am thinking about getting a 9 wood. Thinking a bag full of woods with a chipper and putter is all I need. My son suggested that I get some hybrid irons since I suck so badly with my 7, 8 & 9 irons. Any opinions for a girl that cannot hit an iron to save her soul?

Treetops Resort

I talked about our August weekend at Treetops and playing the fun par 3 course Threetops. We also played an 18-hole course The Signature. When I was booking the weekend, we had the option of 4 courses to choose from. The Masterpiece, The Tradition, The Premier and The Signature. We chose The Signature because The Masterpiece and Premier may have been a bigger challenge than I would have enjoyed, especially with my new clubs. My husband was not a fan of The Tradition course, so we skipped that one.

Now, all of this said, in hindsight I think we may have been hasty. The Masterpiece is on the main property and looked like a great course, one I want to play. The Premier as well as all the other courses are on the North Property and all start from the same clubhouse. From what I could see the other 2 course there looked very nice and very playable for me. Threetops starts from here as well.

All the courses have rolling hills and elevation changes. When driving through northern Michigan and it is common to see this type of terrain. Robert Trent Jones, Sr was looking over the resort before designing the Masterpiece and he commented that “you can’t see anything but treetops.” The name stuck and if you have been to Treetops, you know it is a very accurate name/description.

The Signature at Treetops

The Signature is a par 70 course, there are 3 par 3s on the front nine and 2 on the back nine. There are 3 par 5s, 1 on the front and 2 on the back. We had an early afternoon tee time and was pleasantly surprised to see that we had open in front of us and back of us. We tend to play fast so we were hopeful that the wide open would hold up for all 18 holes. No such luck, by the 3rd hold we caught up with the rest of the golfers and play was a little slow going from there. At one point we let the guys behind us play through because they kept hitting up on us. Figured we were all waiting, it did not much matter which position I waited in and this way I was not dodging balls. 😊

Because of the location it is common to see wildlife wandering through the course. We were lucky to see a momma and her fawn on hole 4. It looked like she was wanting to leave her baby in the tall grass, but these pesky golfers were a threat. She was standing on my tee box; the fawn was on the other side of the fairway, and I just kept walking forward and talking to her. I told her her baby was safe, but I was teeing off and she needed to move. She stood her ground until I was almost in the tee box, then she took off leaving her baby behind, or so I thought. After teeing off I saw her not too far behind me in the trees keeping a very close eye on me and her baby. Deer are very common encounters on Northern Michigan courses, but it always gives me a thrill to see them, and this is the first time with a baby. We were also followed by a red hawk for a couple of holes, I wondered if one of our covers in the basket looked like dinner from her vantage point.

Spectacular views

I do not think there was one hole where I did not stare off in awe of the view. The course is so well maintained that even the tree lined fairways and greens are just phenomenal. Some of the elevations of the holes were crazy, similar to Threetops, but those just added to the view. Truly a beautiful course in every way.

The course had some struggles for me, and I had a couple of blow-up holes. Not sure if it was still adjusting to the new clubs or the course. Regardless of the challenge for me, I had a blast and had some holes that had me puffing out my chest and doing a little trash talking.

First Hole

The first hole starts at a higher elevation it is all downhill. 400+ yards elevated tee box for my husband and around 350 with slightly elevated tee box for me. We thought we had a good chance of getting a decent drive. He did fine, me, still getting used to my clubs. 😊

The green is a bowl and very forgiving. The fairway gets a little narrower as you approach the green, but not enough that it posed any issues for either of us.

This was a great hole to start our round with. Absolutely spectacular view of the countryside and a very playable hole.

Holes 2 and 3 each have their own specialness. 2 is a par 3 and has a bunker lined rolling fairway. Husband parred it, me, still getting used to my clubs. 😊 3 is wide open with elevated trees and a lot of sand traps, not horrible showing, starting to get comfortable with the clubs maybe?

Momma and her fawn

Hole 4 was where we encountered our momma deer. This is a par 3 and has a lot of foliage in front of most of the tee boxes. I was lucky, my tee box was off to the left on the side of the foliage. This is probably why our momma was there, the foliage provided good cover for her baby. I struggle with this because there was still a little foliage I needed to hit over, and the baby was somewhere up there, and I was petrified of hurting it. I lost a ball on this hole.

Holes 5 through 10

Holes 5- 10 were all very playable but with twists to them. Hole 5 looks like a par 5 but is not. The 6th hole is a par 5 and I was convinced they forgot to put the flag out. I could not see the green from my tee box. Hole 7 is a slight dog leg with a bumpy fairway, a fun hole for me.

The 3rd par 3 hole on the front nine is hole 8 and I should have easily got either a par or a bogey on. This hole blew up on me and the sand just grabbed my ball and would not let go. Hole 9 is a perfect hole for me, nice and straight. Plus, the view at the end was just wonderful. 10th hole is another nice and straight for me. A par 5, but the sand traps were easy to avoid. Three putting not so much.

I beat the damn ferns!

Hole 11 is a par 3 and has a fairly deep section of tall ferns that you have to hit over. If there is water, sand or foliage that needs to be driven over you can be assured I will be landing in the middle of it. Add in that the line over the ferns is very narrow and I was sweating it. I was finally starting to feel a little more comfortable with my clubs because I sailed that ball high and long. Ended up on the green and then decided to kill my drive and 3 putt. Did I mention I was still adjusting to new clubs? 😊

Holes 12 through 18

Like the rest of the course, these holes are unique with their own rolling elevations. On a few of them you would hit downhill on one stroke and uphill the next and then downhill again. Definitely kept us on our toes, but so much fun.

We took pictures of every hole with a few extras to show some from a different perspective than the blue tees. You can view them all by visiting our website.

Treetops Weekend

As mentioned in our last newsletter, we felt our weekend was very affordable for just under $700 for the 2 us and 2 rounds of golf each. I definitely want to return and stay longer and play the other 3 courses. I also want to play the Signature again. Plus, I want to try Threetops again now that I know what to expect and I am much more comfortable with the new clubs.

Check them out and book a trip, you will not be disappointed.

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November 1, 2022 Newsletter

Golfing in Northern Michigan is over until next year.

As the season was winding down, I tried to play a few rounds in between the cold spells and the rain. Getting used to the new clubs and a lot of my shots are improving. Absolutely loving my 7-wood, still struggling with the irons although the 9 has started teasing me with some decent shots. 😊

We made a trip to Northport at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula in the northwest lower peninsula. There is a little 9-hole course that I have been following on social media that intrigued me and I had been wanting to try. So, we made a tee time, packed up our clubs and headed to Northport.

Northport Creek Golf Course

Northport Creek is a par 35 that was designed by Jerry Matthews on some old farmland. As we were golfing, we ran across solar panels in a couple of places and discovered that the course is solar powered. COOL FACT!! Northport Creek is the first solar powered golf course in the country.

The course does not server alcohol but is cooler friendly. They have vending machines for snacks and non-alcoholic beverages plus an ice machine that we very much appreciated. The staff was friendly, and rates were very reasonable. I think we paid $25 each for 9 holes with cart. It is obvious that the owners take pride in their course, grounds and facility was very well maintained.

One of the funny/strange/cute things we saw was a couple finishing their round. The woman was in a cart, the man was using a pull cart and then all of a sudden, I realized they had their little dog with them. The dog was walking with the man and seemed to be well behaved.

There is one in every crowd.

We arrived about 25 minutes early, checked in, bought some pops, added ice, and loaded the cart. Fully intending to wait for our tee time. The group that had the tee time ahead of us were a foursome and were waiting for one of their friends. We overheard them say that he was going to be late, so my husband asked if we could jump ahead of them. We were a twosome, their buddy was going to be late, seemed like a reasonable thing to ask. The look on one of their faces that we had the nerve to ask such a thing, shocked me. He very nastily asked how slow do we play? He assumed we played slow. As my husband started to tell them that we play quite fast, I stopped him and said we would wait.

By the time their friend arrived, loaded up his clubs and all 4 began, it was our tee time. Northport Creek generously books in 15-minute increments, plenty of time between groups. But because our tee time was happening as they were leaving the tee box, we had some slow play.

Let’s Golf

The first tee was awesome for me with my tee box being 140 yards closer. I think that is the largest advantage I have ever had. He had 390 yds to go I had 250 yds. The way the hole was laid out it seemed like he was playing a par 5 hole and I was playing a par 3 hole. I would not enjoy that kind of advantage again until hole 9 where I would be 130 yards closer to the pin.

At the second hole when the group in front were far enough away and we could tee off, the group behind us just finished the first hole. My husband had already hit his drive, at that point. Because I did not want to be followed that closely the whole round, we let them skip in front of us with the warning that there was a foursome in front of us.

After that we slowed our play way down, I did not tee off the second hole until the guys we let jump ahead were off the green. We continued this at almost every hole. This worked out well and we did not have anyone behind us until the 7th hole. It was a single and him catching up to us turned out to be a good thing.

Where is Hole 8?

Finding hole 8 proved to be a little challenging, not sure how we lost our bearings, but we did. We ended up back at hole 7th and the gentleman that caught up to us knew the course well and got us to the tee box. Once at the tee box I understood why we were confused. Hole 8 is par 3 with the tee box behind some taller wetlands with the green on the other side. If you see the flag and head that way you can easily miss the tee boxes if not paying attention.

The tee boxes were off the cart path in a little alcove that was easy to miss.

It was an interesting hole and usually when faced with a huge obstacle between the tee box and green you can bet, I will lose a ball. I did not, but I did hit it long. That worked out well for me because I was able to avoid the bunker protecting the pin and chip back towards the green.

Damn Dog Legs

The 9th hole was another long one for my partner at 390 giving me a 130-yard advantage, but it was a dog leg. That extra yardage was not going to save me. I do not like dog legs; my ball usually goes straight. I do not get that nice curve I see the rest of you get as it gently follows the turn. For me I need to hit it to elbow, or it will be a blow-up hole.

This picture was on the way to find my ball somewhere behind the sand trap on hole 9.

The turn looked to be the perfect distance for my drive, and I was feeling great about my chances. Although I was improving with the new clubs, I was still having moments with my driver where it would fly off to right. Yep, was short and went right. I was able to almost salvage the hole. I got a 7 on the par 4, so not a full disaster.

We will be back!

Even with the foursome being jerks at the beginning we had a lot of fun. Both of us enjoyed the course and will definitely be back again. The man we met at the 7th hole was a local and let us know that during tourist season the weekend are pretty busy and can be frustrating. He said mid-week was best and play was fairly smooth.

Being a very local course that is not on the way to anywhere, you expect some quirkiness. It is not unusual to have members at most courses jump around a little playing a hole here and there. There was an older gentleman that we first met in the clubhouse. He gave me directions on how to use a vending machine. 😊 We ran into him a couple of times sitting in his cart in the shadows waiting to jump in and play that hole. He was very kind, but it always startled me when we would turn a corner and bam, there he was.

The couple with the dog was odd as well. I am not sure if the course is dog friendly or not. Their Facebook page shows pictures of a couple of dogs on the course helping with maintenance. I do not see on their website or social media pages that dogs are welcome. If you want to golf with your dog, I recommend calling first.

The picture below is a to scale 3D model that was on display in the clubhouse that I thought was pretty cool.

See all the pictures we took that day

We took pictures of every hole with a few extras to show various parts of the course. You can view them all by clicking here.

Join the discussion on Golf Up North Facebook Group

Let us know your favorite course, tips or anything golf related! We encourage golf courses to share their news and specials with our group.

You can also like and follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram where we share information on golf courses Up North and what we think are funny or interesting tidbits about golf.

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We hope you enjoyed our latest issue of The Golf Up North Newsletter.

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December 1, 2022 Newsletter

Last month I said "Golfing in Northern Michigan is over until next year" - I was wrong!

There were several golf courses making decisions on opening on a day-to-day basis to mid November. My husband golfed with some friends at Elmbrook Golf Course on November 3rd, although it was a little chilly. I was able to take advantage of a beautiful 71-degree day on the 10th and play 9 holes at Interlochen Golf Course.

I am pretty confident to sit here and say that the courses in Northern Michigan are now closed until spring.

Bradley's Pub & Grill

One of the things I like about Interlochen Golf Course is that because they have a fabulous full-service year-round restaurant (Bradley’s Pub & Grill), so they are able to be flexible about golfing in the shoulder seasons. Depending on the weather and the conditions they will open and allow carts most of the time.

Because it was so late in the season and the day (we had a 3:15 tee time) they allowed 5 of us to golf together. We golfed with my son, his wife and my 12-year-old grandson. We had a blast! My grandson played best ball with us, but I was impressed with his drives, he has some power behind them.

Kids clubs are loaned for FREE!

My granddaughter started golfing when she was around 4 and continued for a few years. Between her other Grandpa and myself we spent a small fortune buying her clubs to fit her size as she grew.

You do not have to do that at Interlochen Golf Course. They have a wide selection of kid golf clubs that they loan out for FREE!

Jim VanDusen loved golf and was a member that provided the funds to buy several sets of children clubs. He wanted the clubs to be loaned free of charge.

Golfing can be quite pricey just in green fees, add in the cost of clubs and it is out of reach for some. It is so great that kids can try golfing without having to use their dad’s old clubs that are much too big and clunky to learn the game properly.

I have mentioned before that my first-time golfing (which was at Interlochen) was with an old thrown together set of clubs my husband had deemed not worthy of his bag, so basically his old junk. Once I had clubs that were meant for my height and strength it made an enormous difference and made the game that much more enjoyable.

Meet Fisher

Because of the generosity of the anonymous donor, I got to meet a young golfer that day. His name is Fisher Worden, and he is only 5 years old, and he loves to golf with his dad. Mom and his sister were along to cheer him on. Standing there watching Fisher golf you could not help but smile. We all take this game much too serious at times and forget that it is a game and games are meant to be played and enjoyed. That is exactly what Fisher was doing on that wonderful 70+ degree November day, having a fun time on the course.

If you have a child that you would like to introduce to golf, head to Traverse City and take them to Interlochen Golf Course. Not only will they get to use clubs meant for their little hands, but you could be introducing the next Tiger to the game of golf!

Thank you, Fisher, for being a pro with nerves of steel and letting me take a picture of you teeing off!

Back to Golfing

The afternoon was perfect, and I have to say that my game with my new clubs just keeps getting better and better. Not sure if it is that I am finally use to the clubs or that I have been working out on a rower or a combination, but I was impressed with myself.

Hole 2 at Interlochen is a hard dog leg to the right. My hope as with most dog legs is to hit to the center of the fairway right at the turn. My reality at this hole is that it usually goes in either the trees or the bunkers to the right of the turn. Not this time, I was dead nuts in the center of the fairway and even rolled right a little towards the green. That was when I knew this was going to be a good round.

I was not wrong. Interlochen has some interesting hole layouts and a couple are close to the highway that can be a distraction. Nothing was stopping me. I would love to say I got par for the 9 holes, but we all know that did not happen. I did get a couple of par holes and I had a blast.

Just getting to golf on November 10th in northern Michigan with a little bit of sunshine was the big win. Looking back over other golfing in the “winter” notes the latest before this was November 8th in 2019.

Bonus – Dinner at Bradley’s Pub & Grill

We stayed for dinner at Bradley’s. They have amazing appetizers and I do this every single time. I order a couple of appetizers for the table and by the time my entrée arrives, I am always stuffed. The last couple of times, my son was part of our dinner group, he loves when I do this because he gets to take my leftovers home. 😊

Regardless of the season, if you are in the Traverse City area make your way to Interlochen and have dinner at Bradley’s. You will not regret it!

Snow is flying ☹

We had a healthy snowstorm ahead of Thanksgiving and some of the snow was still on the ground Thanksgiving Day but most melted by the afternoon. A couple of warm days and we are back to a howling wind and snow flying sideways. Need to start planning a trip to sunshine.

See all the pictures we have taken over the years at Interlochen

We have taken some pictures at Interlochen over the years. You can view them all by visiting our Interlochen Picture Page.

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January 1, 2023 Newsletter

The Snow Came Back!

After the melting of the Thanksgiving snow and the warmup we were wishing that was the end of the snow for the season and courses would soon be opening. I tried to increase the odds of that happening with a conversation with Santa Claus.

He obviously did not think I have been a particularly good girl this year. Instead of sunshine and warmth we got a Christmas snowmageddon. Crazy amounts of snow and wild winds leading up to Christmas. I am guessing that golf is off the table in northern Michigan for at least a few months.

Picture shows 2 of my granddogs at a local dog park on Christmas Eve. Picture is blurry because it was screenshotted from a video I was sent.

What to Talk About?

I was going through my notes and pictures of golfing this past season. Trying to decide what I would talk about for our first story of the new year. Didn’t see anything exciting, but a couple of things jumped out at me. I did not break 100 this year (we did in a scramble), I again feel like I did not golf enough and lastly, I made really substantial progress with my new clubs.

I opened a folder titled war rules and wasn’t sure what it was or why I named that folder that. Well, it was a picture of a wartime rules poster for a golf course in the UK from 1940 that was found in the club’s photo archives 80 years later. The course founded in 1891 now has the rules on display in the clubhouse.

I decided to find out if these rules were real. I didn’t remember finding this picture or where it came from, needed to fact check it. Double treat for me this month, golf, and history!

Technically not a northern Michigan golf thing, but still golf related and as it turns out pretty darn interesting to boot!

Keep Calm and Play On!

Temporary wartime rules were written by members of The Richmond Golf Club in Surrey, England. The golfers refusing to let Hitler’s Luftwaffe stop the game created these tongue-in-cheek instructions.

Although they may have been created lightly, the threat was real. Between October 7, 1940, and June 6, 1941, the German Luftwaffe decided to start attacking London and other major cities towards the end of the Battle of Britain. More than 1,000 bombs were dropped on Richmond. Several on the golf club including one that destroyed a laundry used by the club.

It is rumored that German high command was enraged by the rules and used them as a propaganda to make fun of the English. William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) sent Nazi propaganda through the airwaves into British homes and made the rules the theme of one of his broadcasts. “By means of these ridiculous reforms the English snobs try to impress the people with a kind of pretended heroism. They can do so without danger, because, as everyone knows, the German Air Force devotes itself only to the destruction of military targets and objectives of importance to the war effort.”

Apparently the club’s laundry was of importance to the war effort. 😊

Temporary Wartime Golf Rules

Players are asked to collect bomb and shrapnel splinters to save these causing damage to the mowing machines.

In competitions, during gunfire or while bombs are falling, players may take cover without penalty for ceasing play.

The positions of known delayed action bombs are marked by red flags at a reasonably, but not guaranteed, safe distance therefrom.

Shrapnel and/or bomb splinters on the fairways, or in bunkers within a club's length of a ball, may be moved without penalty, and no penalty shall be incurred if a ball is thereby caused to move accidentally.

A ball moved by enemy action may be replaced, or if lost or destroyed, a ball may be dropped not nearer the hole without penalty.

A ball lying in the a crater may be lifted and dropped not nearer the hole, preserving the line to the hole, without penalty.

A player whose stroke is affected by the simultaneous explosion of a bomb may play another ball from the same place. Penalty one stroke.

Golf during Wartime in the United States

Golf was encouraged in the United States during World War II, the threat of the courses being bombed was unlikely. Many Americans were avid golfers, and they were concerned the sport would die during the war. One such golfer was John Kelly, the assistant director of civilian defense (a branch of the federal government) in charge of physical fitness.

He was a member of a golf club in Philadelphia and was a passionate golfer. Kelly reached out to the USGA days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He wrote, “Eight million people will be going into the armed forces. My job is to look after the 124 million who will not or cannot go. They can keep fit by playing golf. France was the most physically inactive country in the world and look what happened to them.”

New Position created

Kelly created a new position and named Fred Corcoran the Golf Deputy for the Office of Civilian Defense. Corcoran was the Manager of the PGA Tournament Bureau (now known as PGA Tour). Kelly and Corcoran proposed fundraisers called the Hale America tournaments to support soldiers fighting for our freedom. Kelly sent a letter to golf associations and the media that read in part, “This is the time when golf really must score for the physical and mental conditioning of American citizens under wartime pressure. Golf’s strong attraction as a sport in which more than 2 1/4 million of our citizens exercise regularly in the open air qualifies the game for national service of a vital character. Therefore, we are urging the golf clubs and organizations of America to exert themselves to meet the requirements of individual and collective physical fitness.”

These men in order to ensure a game they loved continued through the war were able to market the sport as government sanctioned, carefully framing the sport as a kind of patriotism. Plus their wives had to support them playing a lot of golf as part of their civic duty.

Brilliant if you ask me!

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