Wolverine784

Amazing how quickly the summer flies by up here in Michigan. A few golf highlights to not bore you with all my round updates First off, I am still in the year long club championship at my course. I shot my handicap both times I went out and won my matches on the last few holes each time. A few more wins and I will be diving head first Scrooge McDuck style into some shop credit. The second highlight was our annual guy's golf trip where I didn't lose money and we had the fortune of playing two of the courses at Forest Dunes. If you live in Michigan, book a time, and if you don't live in Michigan, it is worth the trip. They have great on course facilities and the courses are a great test. The original Forest Dunes course has a lot of solid golf holes through woods, sand, and water and other than breaking my driver mid round it was a great time even though I shot an 87. The next day we played The Loop - Black. For those unfamiliar, this course plays clockwise around the property one day (Black) and counter clockwise the next (Red) using the same greens for both routings. It reminded me a lot of Bandon Dunes with similar grass and wide open fairways but plenty of trouble and creativity required the closer you get to the greens. We were also blessed with a rare 60 degree, 30mph wind day in late June so we got the true links experience. I shot 82 with a few big holes thanks to some interesting lies in the various sand structures but was more than pleased with the result. They also built a short course called The Bootlegger. For $49 per day you can play it as much as you like and the holes range from 70-129 yards. The 12 of us played this a LOT as one group! I am happy to report I netted $90 to the positive with our various closest to the pin contests and I played barefoot most of the time to really soak in the relaxation. My handicap has dropped but my game is still a work in progress from my weight loss and the flat stick still is my weak point but improving. Aim and speed are getting there but I still don't make enough 10-15 foot putts to really drop my scores. Here's to keeping it in the short grass!

The year long club championship kicked off at my club and I was paired up with the lowest indexed player who also spent some time playing collegiate golf. This is what I love about golf though and how handicaps can level the playing field. I was also thankful for those $100 matches with my friends every summer to help calm the nerves and remind myself that there is always the next hole. I missed a short 5 footer to start the day and go 1 up but kept my head in it and found myself even after the first nine. He shot -1 and I was +5, both of us holding true to our handicaps. This course is pretty exposed so as the wind picked up on the back, there were some 2 club differences and for once I put my ego in the bag and pulled out the extra club when needed. We continued to halve most holes until the only par 5 on the back where we couldn't give each other the hole. I salvaged a miracle bogey after almost dunking it in a pond left of the fairway on my drive and pull hooking my 3rd shot to go +2. I proceeded to get the chipping yips on two consecutive holes to let him back in. We rolled to 17 with a forced carry par 3 and the wind in our face. I pulled out the extra bat and put it 20 feet from the pin and made a testy 2 putt to win 2 and 1. We won't talk about 18 and my three putt I shot net 71, and am on to the second round, nerves intact. Still need to work on my approach shots but the game is finally started to resemble my pre kid days. i just need to work on scoring to start knocking off meaningful numbers off the handicap but I am enjoying this season more than most.

I took the plunge this year and joined the local club which also happens to be a very nice university run course. I want to suck at golf because I suck and not because I don't play enough. I have been out about 8 times already, braving all the weather Michigan can offer. My scores have been higher than I am used to but I attribute some of that to spring rust, getting in golf shape, and losing 35lbs since January. I have to relearn my swing a bit without having to move that extra mass towards the ball. I am slowly getting there and look forward to updating this forum more on my progress of dropping 2 shots off my handicap. The best part is I stumbled on a group of guys that play almost every weekend, enjoy the game but not too seriously, and help me lose money. Golf is an amazing game for the health benefits (I walk), the mental challenge (don't hit it in that same pond again), and the great people you meet. Happy golf season northerners! Hope we find the short grass more often than not.

Hope you didn't mess around and get a triple / double

I am very lucky that I have a few successful friends in my life that haven't forgotten their golf loving buddies I hope I get to play again when there is not the threat of a downpour with each swing.

Finally decompressed (and dried out) from the 12 man golf trip to Northern Michigan at the end of June. I won't bore you with all the details but wanted to share a few highlights and help anyone out that might be thinking of golfing up in Petoskey. Friday - Was fortunate that the rain storm let up enough to play Blythefield CC (home of the LPGA Meijer Classic). All of their improvements put in over the last year paid dividends and there were only a few holes were finding a dry place to hit from was difficult. Great track to walk and very appreciative of my rain gloves so I could shoot a mid 80s round that I will take given the conditions. Saturday - Crooked Tree - Rain, Rain, Rain. Probably the worst conditions I have ever been a part of. I stopped tracking my round half way through b/c the conditions were a bit comical at times. We made it thanks to some decent drainage and lots of gear but next time, I will quit when it gets to that point of saturation. The best stat of the day was it took 2 days by a fireplace to dry my shoes. Sunday - Bay Harbor (Preserve/Links) - This course is one of the nicest and most picturesque I have played. Some holes had me feeling like I was back at Bandon Dunes. Definitely a learning curve on some holes on where and what you can hit to be safe but whenever I had a bad shot, there was a view of the lake to calm me down. Putting woes continued as the greens dried out and speed was an issue but I will take the 85 and money I won. Monday - Bay Harbor (Links/Quarry) - Another magical round with views that are hard to top. If I was going to play one of the 9s twice, Links would be my pick and I did 4 shots better with some course knowledge (and a driver that didn't flare to the right). More consistent green speed helped as well thanks to no rain for a couple days. If you golf in northern Michigan (and you don't mind splurging a bit) play Bay Harbor a couple times to get in all of the 9s but if you can only do one 18, make it the Links/Quarry. Managed an 83 and a few dollars in my pocket thanks to a skin, CTP, and some of my trip mates having some blow up holes. Tuesday - Boyne Monument - The last day is always a tough one as the consumption leaks from your pores but besides a woeful first and last hole, this was by far my best round on the trip. The course is carved through a forest for much of the 18 but the greens are what made it tough. Quickest and most severe of the trip but my speed issues were cured a bit since I was leaving everything short the other days. The 83 was good enough for 4th in our secret partner calcutta and secured my positive winnings for the weekend. I always forget about Boyne when planning an up north get away but I won't sleep on it in the future. Great golf, fair accommodations, and some views that are second to none.

My final league round before my golf trip to Northern Michigan this weekend and going in with good vibes. Some errant drives cost me some strokes but when I kept it in play I found some greens and rolled in some putts. Finally getting used to the distances and flight for my sub70 sticks so that is also a positive. The most important task of the day though was visiting the bank to withdraw my bankroll. Fingers crossed for a redeposit next week. Front 9 @ The Meadows - 41 17 putts 3/7 FIR 5/9 GIR Any Michigan Grinters out there can add me at cheddarbag419.

The return to warm and windy conditions meant an early start to the 18 hole round at the local college track just west of the city. Everything was just a little off but the putter continues to be my most baffling stick. Speed, a slight pull, and just a huge lack of confidence are hurting potentially decent scores. I plan to hit the putting green for practice soon or it is going to be a very expensive golf trip coming up. 44/47 for my splits with a variety of penalty strokes and missed opportunities. A couple things to remind myself of though... * Intermittent fasting is not a good idea to stick to when you are playing an early round and need energy. * New clubs take some time to get used to and I think my higher than normal scores this season prove that out. Rebuilt most of my bag during the offseason and learning the new distances/trajectory/flight path take time especially when 9 holes every other week is the norm. Still love the game, but right now I am struggling to like it

How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? I have been playing since I was 7 years old and will be entering my 36th year. I got down to a 5 in my pre-kid days and am up to an 8.6 thanks to a balky driver and bad chipping. What do you love about golf? It is a game you can play for a lifetime. My son just started, I play with my dad often, and it is something we can share until they put dirt on me. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? I don't know too many spies but I love reading about equipment and all of the way people are trying to make this game accessible to more and more people. Where are you from? What is your home course? I am from Grand Rapids, MI and mainly play at Scott Lake Golf & Practice Center where I used to be the director of golf or The Meadows in Allendale. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? The abundance of different tracks and styles in this state is pretty much second to none and is fairly affordable based on my other travels. The weather is always a downer when you have to wash up the clubs and store them away for a bit. What do you do for a living? I am an IT professional managing agile projects How’d you pick your user name? I went to the U of Michigan and part of my long time phone number was 784. Gotta use things already in memory so you can remember who you are.

Cink -9

Keith Mitchell -9

Keith Mitchell -12

Zach Johnson -12