Welcome to our November 2025 Newsletter!
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Busy October
Hello fellow golf advocates of wind-swept northern Michigan (and the rest of you who suffer through the layers, the leaves, and the odd cart path “shortcut”). October was a busy one. I managed to sneak in rounds of golf on several fronts: with the Up-Mid Kid (that’s Alex to you), solo rounds, an outing with one of my sons and his wife, a round with Guy, a round with Josh (one of the owners of Golf Up North), a resort in Nashville, Indiana on our way to Tennessee (more about that resort in a future issue) and then the big family vacation in Tennessee where… yes, even the daughter officially became a golfer. She likes it! That is news worth celebrating.
Family Vacation (aka “Forced Family Fun”) Down in Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg was a hit. We called it “Forced Family Fun,” as the kids so lovingly labelled it—but let me tell you, the forcing paid off.
We went to Dollywood (yes, rides are off-limits for me), and I indulged in a funnel cake that took me back to my state fair days over 15 years ago. The sugar rush was glorious. We explored the inside of a mountain when we visited Tuckaleechee Caverns (still not a fan of the dark), had a sleep-over in the kids’ room with the little grandkids (yes-yes I enrolled myself), played a lot of games and cards, watched football, and consumed way too much junk food. All the ingredients of a classic vacation.
And yes—amidst the baconpalooza every morning and the grease laden funnel cake—I slipped in golf.
Wild Laurel Golf Club – Townsend Tennessee
We held a Family Golf Scramble at the Wild Laurel Golf Club up in the mountains near Townsend, Tennessee. Our group included four participants who’d never golfed before: two served as rules officials (impressive) and two decided, “Today’s the day—we’re ready to golf.”
Guy’s son Casey paired with his dad, Jeff and Arianna—all three claimed he did a “great job.” Ness (my daughter) teamed with her fiancé, one of the grandsons, and the Up-Mid Kid. They won at 2 over par. She said she had a lot of fun… and wanted to golf again. Cue internal high-five. We even unearthed an old set of left-handed clubs, gave them to her to take home, and told her to practice. (Lefty golf folks, wave your club proudly.)
My group: me + the Virginia son Patrick + his wife Lauren. We lost at 4 over par. But honestly, that’s beside the point because
BIG NEWS…
Hole In One Mystery!
Yes—you read that correctly. Patrick got a hole-in-one.
We were on hole 10. Patrick teed off, we watched the ball head for the green… then it disappeared. We assumed it was short in the water because the pro shop said it was 230 to hole, but played like 160 so he clubbed down a lot. He teed again and hit a provisional just in case. We progressed to the green ready to putt for birdie, when Lauren says: “There’s already a ball in the hole.”
Cue confusion and chaos. The group ahead of us (Up Mid Kid’s group) insisted they putted out and emptied the hole. The group behind us (Guy’s group) said they hadn’t seen anything. Jeff asked: “What ball was it?” The answer: a TaylorMade with two dots—the exact ball he had thrown down to Patrick before his tee-shot. Cue confirmation. That sealed it.
Patrick is still in disbelief. He says “I feel funny claiming a hole in one when I didn’t see it go in.” I told him: Guy didn’t see his either. All we know: his first drive headed toward the green, we lost sight, then there was a ball in the hole matching his. He got the ace.
Wild Laurel Golf Club – Townsend Tennessee Hole 10
So, fellow golfers—what do you think? The first drive vanished. Then the first ball is found in the cup when we get to the green. Do we count it? I vote yes. Everyone said it was a hole in one. But if the Golf Gods demand proof—well, we’re relying on faith, fun and questionable witnesses.
Pictured to the right is Hole 10 – the tee box is elevated and you can see why it may have been difficult to see it go in the hole.
So, Hole in one?
Interesting fact: Townsend is not a dry community but apparently getting a license to serve and/or sell hard liquor is difficult and expensive. We were told there may be one restaurant/bar that has hard liquor in Townsend. I don’t like beer, wine or seltzer so I stuck to just pop. Probably a good thing driving those wild mountain roads.
Golfing with the Up Mid Kid
Earlier in the month, We met up with the Up-Mid Kid (Alex) for a round at the Evergreen Resort & Spa – Spruce Course in Cadillac. What a pleasant surprise that course was. I’ll tell you more about it in a future issue—snow not included, just good golf vibes.
Did You Know?
I love golf, but I don’t always know golf. A kind reader reached out last month pointing out I’d said “best ball” when in fact we had played a scramble. I learnt the difference (turns out there is one). I truly appreciate when a reader clears up something I said or answers one of my questions. Please if I give bad information, let me know!
Rule for best ball and a scramble: In a scramble, each member of the team tees off, then selects the best drive, and everyone plays from that location. For best ball there can be 2-4 players per team and each player plays their own ball and the lowest score is used.
This month’s “Did You Know?” showing up for November was perfect timing.
That two players playing as a team but still playing their own ball is call betterball?
In betterball, it is limited to 2 players per team and each player plays their own ball, and the lowest score among them is used. Bottom line: lowest score of the pair on that hole is the one that counts (in the betterball context).
⛳ August Golf Weekend Update
In the September edition I teased about a golf weekend where one of the courses “didn’t take tee times” and we had to show up fingers crossed. Well, guess what—you’ll have to wait until December’s issue to find out all the details (yes—I’m cruel like that).
But here’s the glimpse: We went to Drummond Island and stayed at the Drummond Island Resort. I had been to the island before and golfed The Rock before, but had not stayed at the resort. I’ll say this: it was a mixed bag.
Drummond Island Resort/The Rock Golf Course
The Resort
When I called the resort in the morning to book the weekend, I got only the room via front-desk. Then I had to contact the pro shop separately and leave a message for tee times. Not ideal if it had been a busier weekend. I was told I booked past the cancellation window, so if something didn’t work out I’d still face a charge. What if I couldn’t get the tee time? Risky.
No callback by afternoon, so I called again. This time someone answered and we secured a tee time. Checking in, I asked to add friends to our tee time. They couldn’t just handle it. I had to drive to the pro shop. These may seem like small things—but when you’re traveling and expecting an “easy snap” this isn’t it.
Drummond Island Resort, Interior of our room in the Lodge
The resort feels dated. The rooms felt a little sketchy. The building has a metal roof and I learned quickly: you do not want a metal-roof building during a storm. Luckily, the storm hit Saturday night after we’d already golfed and were heading home Sunday.
Dining: There’s a nicer restaurant and a sports bar. I assumed we’d hit both. Mistake. The nicer one was closed on Friday/Saturday (used restaurant staff for weddings). The sports bar? “Okay” is generous; I call it Sysco microwaved food with a pizza oven we heard was good—but I was on vacation and didn’t want pizza.
Breakfast: Free, which is good. But the offerings were: strawberry yogurt, bananas, apples, Cheerios, plain bagels, toast and waffles. The waffle situation? Two machines, 10–15 minutes per waffle, plus a large group monopolizing them Saturday morning. I snagged a plain dry bagel and headed back to my room. We had a 10 a.m. tee time at the resort’s course, The Rock.
The Golf Course
I played The Rock years ago when staying on the island with friends. This trip we decided to hit the resort because I was curious about the place.
Drummond Island Resort – The Rock 1.2 Miles to first tee
We started with drinks in the clubhouse (bartender was awesome!). Then got our carts. From clubhouse to tee #1 it’s 1.2 miles—true story. Great ride through scenery, wildlife, a bit of “how slow is our cart?” Then we tee off. We somehow got the very slow cart; Terry & Alicia had the race-car. As soon as we left the clubhouse they were out of sight—but sweetly waited for us at the first hole.
The course is tricky. Rocks everywhere (the island is basically one big rock). If you hit a rock just right—it might catapult your ball farther than your driver dreams. Unfortunately, when I hit a rock—it sent it the wrong way every time. Trees are tight, fairways narrow. Between rocks and trees, many extra balls were used (thanks, extra ball bag). The final round ended with me at 103. Out of respect for the guys, I’ll not mention their scores. Alicia rode along keeping us in line.
Drummond Island Resort – The Rock Hole 12 Deer
Wildlife cameo on hole 12 a doe and her babies grazed right by our tee box, ignoring us completely while we chatted and got beverage from the cart girl. They are so used to humans teeing off next to them that they just nodded and carried on.
Guy has golfed there numerous times and seen bears, foxes and more. Seems I am destined to only see deer anywhere I go.
I liked the course the first time—I enjoyed it even more this time with improved skills. We’ll definitely be back—but next time we’ll stay in one of the privately-owned cabins at the resort. Why? Much nicer accommodations + the option to grill your own food. I had counted on a decent steak that trip. I’ve been craving one for months. We traded the gas grill for a Blackstone and now steaks are just… different. We’ve got limited steak houses up north, but finally had a nice rib-eye last weekend. 😊
👉 See all the pictures from our round at The Rock Golf Course here.
Golf Quote of the Month
This one fits nicely given the slow cart, the bad lies and my occasional wandering tee-shots:
Taking a risk of insulting baseball purists—but hey, we’re golfers: there may be some folks that never paid attention to America’s pastime.
Quick trivia: Mickey Charles Mantle (nicknamed “The Mick” and “The Commerce Comet”) played his entire Major League career with the New York Yankees. He’s regarded as one of the best sluggers of all time. But for our purposes—we’re just borrowing his quip.
The Leaves Are Falling (and So Are My Drives)
This time of year I always get a bit melancholy. Social media feeds fill with northern Michigan golf courses announcing their closing dates. The air gets chillier. The leaves do a fantastic job of stealing golf balls (I swear they have magnets). And I can barely swing a club with all the layers I’m wearing (sweater, jacket, gloves—by hole 5 it’s a full ninja-stance).
Still hoping for a mild winter and maybe—even just maybe—some Christmas golf (yes I’m already planning it).
🌀 Check Out Our Latest Blog
watch a lot of golf on TV and am always surprised by some of the random penalties the pros get. That’s why this month’s article on the blog is:
📍 The Ultimate Guide to Golf Penalties (And How to Avoid Them)
In short: extra strokes are like that unwanted third cupcake at the tournament—they sneak in if you’re not paying attention. Avoid unnecessary ones. Know your relief options, know when to drop, and most importantly—have fun. Because if you’re not laughing (at yourself, with your buddies, at the leaves stealing balls) then you’re doing golf wrong.
See you on the course!
October delivered a full roster of family memories, good golf, some mystery hole-in-one magic, and yes, a few lessons in patience (and ball retrieval). As the leaves fall and the cart paths get quieter, I’m already itching for next rounds, next travel, next scramble. And I’ll keep scouting for courses up north that let us keep swinging (even if we’re layered up like the Michelin Man).
Thanks for being part of Golf Up North, for reading, for playing, for laughing, for losing (balls/tees/pride) and for celebrating the wins (big and small). Next month you will finally find out if we were able to play the course that won’t take tee times and something very unique about it.
Here’s to hopes of a mild winter, maybe a Christmas round, and a new year of golf that’s even more fun than the last.
Click here to see all the pictures we have taken of courses over the years.
Wild Laurel Golf Club, Townsend Tennessee Hole by Hole
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