Welcome to our December Newsletter!
Congratulations to the winner this month!
Jim P.
You are the winner of the November 1st newsletter – you submitted the correct answer:
I got a 7 on Hole 9 at Northport Creek Golf Course.
Your Golf Up North Schwag is on the way!!
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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
Meet FisherBecause 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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We hope you enjoyed our latest issue of The Golf Up North Newsletter.
