Welcome to our February 2025 Newsletter!
Congratulations
Terry O.
You are the winner of the January Newsletter – You gave the correct answer –
The average golfer takes 34 putts per round.
Thank you for including your address. Your Golf Up North Schwag is on the way!
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Not Your Average Newsletter
This month’s newsletter is going to be a little different—and a lot shorter (hold your applause 😉). Instead of golf tips or course highlights, I’m focusing on life.
Golf Quote of the Month
Let’s start with this month’s quote, which feels more fitting than ever.
Right now, this quote is hitting close to home for me, but it really should be a reminder for all of us. On Monday, January 13, I got the call every parent dreads. Thankfully, I’ll start by reassuring you: my son is going to be okay. But on Monday night, it didn’t look that way.
First Flight out of Traverse City
The Kids
From left to right – Ness, Alex, me, Patrick & Jeff
My daughter-in-law called to say she was heading to the hospital, and my son, Patrick who had been battling a norovirus was unresponsive in the ambulance ahead of her. My first instinct was to jump in the car and drive to Virginia, but a cooler head (thank you, Guy) prevailed. Instead, I booked the first flight out of Traverse City, and by 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, I was on my way. It took less than 16 hours from that phone call to seeing him in person, but it felt like an eternity.
That night my other sons, Jeff and Alex arrived in Virginia and my daughter. Ness a couple of days later. The entire family rallied around him.
Ben Hogan’s advice—“smell the roses”—is more than a cliche. Most of us have experienced loss or a close call that shakes us awake for a while. But it’s easy to slip back into our routines, rushing through life and forgetting to appreciate the moments.
When my first husband, Steve, passed away at 53, it was a wake-up call. Even though his passing wasn’t unexpected, it still drove home how short life is. Although Steve was a type A personality and he worked hard, he did take the time to play hard. Surprisingly, he did take the time to smell the roses.
I have always been the “what’s next?” type, constantly looking ahead. After he passed, I started making small changes—saying “yes” to time with family, improving my health, and yes, even taking up golf (what was I thinking? 😅).
Patrick and family – First day of School
But this month’s scare with my son Patrick brought a fresh perspective.
At just 36 years old, Patrick nearly left behind a wife and two kids, ages 5 and 7. Watching them process this was heartbreaking. All this from a virus that went from vomiting to near death in 24 hours.
Now that he’s home, Brayden tells his dad how much he loves him at least ten times a day, and Annabella smiles contentedly just having him close. Lauren (wife) keeps threatening to call 911 if he so much as sneezes. LOL Even as Patrick recovers and doesn’t feel his best, I can see how much he appreciates having his family around him.
As of this email, I’ve been home for a couple of days. Leaving while he’s still recovering was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I know he’s in good hands. Lauren has been taking amazing care of him—he doesn’t need his mom hovering. But this mom needed to see for herself that he was going to be okay.
Reminder
So here’s my reminder—and yes, it’s full of all the cliches. Stop and smell the roses. Savor the moments. Hug the people you love. Life is short, and as Ben Hogan wisely said, we only get one round. That means embracing the eagles, pars, and easy chip shots, but also the bogeys, slices, and three-putts. Even the tough holes are part of the game. And as hard as it was to sit by my son in a hospital, I’ll take that any day over the unthinkable.
Thank you for indulging me this month. It’s been a rough few weeks, and frankly, my head isn’t in the right place to write about bucket-list courses or our last Northern Michigan round. I promise March’s issue will be back on track.
Open for the Season
If the weather surprises us with an early spring and courses open in March, we’ll update our website and social media with the “Open for the Season” section. Otherwise, we’ll gear up for April.
Until then, take care of yourselves and each other.
And maybe, next time you’re on the fairway,
pause for a moment and smell the roses.
Did You Know?
That a par 6 hold has to be 670 yards or longer to qualify for men and 570 yards or longer for women?
Yes, there are courses with par 6 holes. – 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.
Click here to see all the pictures we have taken of courses over the years.
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