A Birthday Round In Michigan

A Birthday Round In Michigan

I always count myself fortunate when I can get out to play a round of golf on my birthday. Too often in Michigan, the end of October and beginning of November bring slush and snow.

Fortunately, Friday was a beautiful day at Washtenaw Golf Club in Ypsilanti.

With temperatures in the upper fifties and periodically sunny skies it was perfect golfing weather. I started my round with my new TRUE Linkswear Dead Golfer Sweatshirt on, but had to switch it out by the second hole for vest.

Ultimately, I’d rather be a little chilly than a little warm. One can always put on another layer. On the other hand, there’s only so much one can take off before being arrested.

Friday’s round also marked the 117th consecutive month in which I have played at least one round in Michigan. The “streak” is now nearly ten years old.

As I’ve written before, November and December generally have weeks where there’s no snow and courses are open. I’ve played on Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas Eve (when my wife was at work at a nurse). January and February — and particularly February — are the real tricks.

After the round, I had a terrific chicken parm sandwich lunch at the Washtenaw Grill. I need to eat there more often. I love basic bar and golf course food, and Washtenaw has some of the best.

For what it’s worth, I ran into the Detroit News’ sports writer Tony Paul while at the course. He remarked about how much he enjoys Washtenaw Golf Club.

I have two shout-outs today. The first is for the dedicated greens crew that manages to keep Washtenaw Golf Club in top tip shape. With the multiple hundreds of trees at Washtenaw, it would be very easy for the fairways and greens to be innundated with leaves. They aren’t. I didn’t lose a single ball to leaves on my round (I did lose one to the driving range when I badly sliced one on the first).

The second is to Dave and Karen Kendall, whom I saw in the grill while I was in there for lunch. The Kendalls are warm and gracious owners and hosts. It always brightens my day to talk with them.

In particular, I find that I always walk away from talking with Dave Kendall — a Michigan Golf Hall of Famer — with a tidbit of wisdom about golf and life. I don’t think he intends to offer these morsels of wisdom, but he does in just casual conversation. A couple of weeks ago, he talked to me about the value of setting realistic expectations and then working to exceed them. That’s something I am currently putting into play: my realistic golf goal right is just to make consistent contact. If I get consistent contact and also distance, that’s just a plus.

Today’s (unintentional) lesson was about intention. Earlier this year, Kendall was diagnosed with an inoperable cancer. He was told he had only months to live. Many, including Kendall, thought his golf days were over.

But, as he explained to me, Kendall had a conversation with Dennis Walters at the annual Washtenaw Golf Club charity outing. Walters, a World Golf Hall of Famer who was paralyzed as a young man, has spent the last forty years performing a inspiration and golf trick shot show. Kendall told Walters that he would never play golf again, and was admonished. “Of course you’re going to play,” Walters told him.

So with the intention of living as well as he can as long as he can, Kendall went back to playing golf — a few holes at first, and then nine and eighteen holes. He got a hole in one, and shot his age.

On this day, Kendall and his wife Karen had just finished playing nine holes.

Kendall used the word “intention” in our conversation to describe his return to the course, to the miles he walks every day for physical and mental well-being, and to living as well as he can for whatever time is left.

Intention is inspiration. As I age into my sixth decade on this planet, I have been inspired by Dave Kendall to live with the intention of living as well as I possibly can for as long as I can.