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What the unique feature at the Drummond Island Golf Course was.
The unique feature about Drummond Island Golf Club is driving across an airport runway to get to holes.
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❄️OH. MY. GOSH.
Happy New Year! 🎉
If you’re reading this from Northern Michigan, you already know exactly where I’m going with this. It has been cold. It has been snowy. And it has been incredibly windy. To add insult to injury we are coming out of a wild 2-day storm of snow, 50+mph winds and ice! My subdivision sit high on a hill so we get some wild wind even when it is not “windy” the last few days my house is vibrating!
And no, there was no Christmas or New Year golf this year. None. Zip. Zilch. I held out hope. I pleaded with the golf gods. They were unmoved.
At this point, I’m officially begging for an early spring. I love Northern Michigan—I truly do—but these long cold winters are definitely wearing on me. Every year I convince myself this one won’t be so bad, and every year January arrives and laughs directly in my face.
That said, I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe, and joy-filled holiday season. However you celebrated—quietly, loudly, or somewhere in between—I hope it brought you happiness and maybe even a little rest.
December, surprisingly, was terribly busy for me this year. I really thought semi-retirement meant I’d have more time. That theory has been completely disproven. If anything, I seem to find more things to do. I suppose that’s a good thing, because without golf to occupy my time, I’d probably just sit at home and drink. And I am very easily bored. 😊
Did You Know?
Last month we learned about bullarding. This month is a term most golfers are familiar with:
“Sandbagging.”
In golf terms, a sandbagger is someone who intentionally misleads others about their ability level—playing worse than they actually are to inflate their handicap. I’ve witnessed this more times than I care to count in golf leagues. A team brings in a “friend” as a regular sub. The sub plays horribly for a few weeks to establish a nice, high handicap. Then—surprise!—once another team member mysteriously disappears (often when they’re playing stronger teams), the sub suddenly plays like a single-digit handicapper.
Sometimes it works beautifully for the team. Other times it backfires spectacularly. Either way, it’s not a great look. Best practice? Just play to your ability, have fun, and don’t worry about trying to finagle your way into first place. Golf has a funny way of sorting those things out on its own.
🎄Mini Christmas in Virginia
The Virginia kids weren’t able to make it to Michigan for Christmas this year, so I decided to head south and do a mini Christmas with them in mid-December (maybe get in a round or two). I traveled with one suitcase full of gifts and another with my clothes. On the flight home, I nested the smaller suitcase inside the bigger one so I only had one to deal with.
Well—Guy dealt with it. He picks me up from our small regional airport while I wait in the car and let him retrieve my luggage. It’s a system that works very well for me.
Kiddos look to be natural golfers
A few weeks before I flew out, Patrick had sent me a couple of videos of the family at Topgolf. I may have mentioned this before, but my Virginia daughter-in-law has a natural golf swing, especially for someone who doesn’t golf all that often. She plays occasionally—mostly when it’s a family outing—which is honestly a shame because she’s actually quite good.
The videos showed Anna and Brayden, and it was immediately clear they inherited their mother’s swing. Anna has an incredible follow-through, and Brayden shows the same potential—plus he’s incredibly competitive, just like his father. Naturally.
I told the kids we’d go to Topgolf while I was there, so the Saturday before I flew home we packed up the family, grabbed a few of Patrick and Lauren’s clubs, and headed out. One thing I really like about Topgolf for kids is that they have clubs sized for toddlers on up. They’re learning proper grips, swing mechanics, and club speed early—without even realizing they’re learning.
Confession Time: Golf Simulators
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again—I am not a fan of golf simulators. One of the things I love most about golfing is being outside, moving from shot to shot, with the warm sun beating down on me. Standing in one spot hitting ball after ball—whether it’s into a movie screen or repeatedly from the same mat at a driving range—drives me out of my mind. I’m easily bored, and if I’m not walking, thinking, and reacting to different shots, I lose interest fast. If I’m going to be stuck in one place indoors, I might as well go bowling.
That said… I do enjoy Topgolf.
Part of it is that it’s open to the outdoors, and part of it is that I’m not pretending I’m really golfing. I’m aiming at targets. I’m chasing points. It’s a game, and everyone knows it’s a game. On the course, low scores win and I usually have high ones. At Topgolf, high scores win and I usually have low ones. Either way, I’m not exactly chasing the podium. 😊
I’ve only been to Topgolf a couple of times in Virginia. There isn’t one in Northern Michigan, and the closest one is in Auburn Hills—more than four hours away. I do know there’s one in Minnesota that stays open even in the snow, and I’m really hoping someone decides Northern Michigan deserves one too.
We were there for three hours and played several rounds of different games. As expected, Patrick beat us all. But I was pleasantly surprised when Anna came in second a couple of times—and so did Brayden. Lauren and I mostly battled it out for fourth and fifth place. ☹
I Brought the Snow with Me!
I left the cold of Northern Michigan and somehow managed to bring it with me to Virginia Beach. During my week there, it snowed about an inch, and the kids even got a snow day. I left Virginia Beach on a mild day, flew home, and landed right back into cold, snow, and wind in Northern Michigan—and it’s felt that way ever since. Wasn’t able to get even one round in while there, it was just too darn cold!
I’m exaggerating. Slightly.
But I swear, the only time it snows in Virginia Beach is when I’m there.
Golf Quote of the Month
This quote made me chuckle, especially because of an incident at Topgolf. It talks about childlike golf players—but honestly, you can take it even further. Not only do some golfers struggle to count past five, they’re also prone to temper tantrums.
At one point, Brayden was beating Anna, and she was upset because she’s older than him. Brayden, on the other hand, didn’t like anyone beating him—just like his dad. LOL.
What I witnessed from a 6½- and 8½-year-old at Topgolf, I’ve seen many times on actual golf courses—usually from grown men.
January Thaw?
Maybe—just maybe—the golf gods will be kind and give us a little January thaw. Just enough warmth to tease us about the upcoming season. I’m still amazed at how much I love this game and how much I miss it over the winter.
Guy has three more years to retirement!!!
Not that I’m counting.
🌀 Check Out Our Latest Blog
Before titanium drivers and GPS rangefinders, there was Old Tom Morris—the original golf legend. Born in 1821 in St Andrews, Scotland, Old Tom helped shape the game as we know it. He was a master clubmaker, greenskeeper, and four-time Open Champion who lived to 86 and worked on the course until his final days.
His influence still ripples through golf today. Every well-kept green and every respectful nod to “the old course” owes a little something to the Grand Old Man of Golf.
📍Old Tom Morris: The Grand Old Man of Golf
Allan Robertson may be the most important golfer you’ve never heard of. He mentored Old Tom Morris, pioneered new shots, and even inspired The Open Championship. His story is golf history at its finest.
🏌️♂️ Bonus Did You Know?
Old Tom Morris still holds a record that’s more than 160 years old—he’s the oldest winner of The Open Championship, winning in 1867 at the age of 46 years and 102 days. Even more impressive? The very next year, his son Young Tom Morris became the youngest winner at just 17 years and 156 days—beating his own father for the title.
Talk about a family dynasty. 👏
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