Spring Golf In Michigan

Spring Golf In Michigan

Just a couple of weeks ago, Washtenaw Golf Club was under a blanket of a spring snow. This week, the weather has warmed, the grass is green and the trees are flowering.

One of the great pleasures of having a “home course” is enjoying the way it changes through the seasons.

Playing conditions have changed as well. Warmer weather means balls will fly further than they did in March and April. It is also breezy this time of year, testing both club selection and line.

The way Washtenaw is routed, a wind blowing from the west will push half your shots left and the other half right. If it is from the south or north, half your shots will be into the wind, and the other half with. Breezes from the southwest or northwest can create analysis paralysis, as you try to gauge both distance and direction.

Changing ground conditions offer another challenge. Spring is fickle. A couple of rainy days will leave the ground soft; then the breezes dry the grass and the ball rolls out once again. Greens are alternately fast and slow, although at Washtenaw, they usually are on the fast side. It is just a matter of how fast.

My favorite season for Michigan golf is autumn, but spring is a close second. I love the cool days and chilly mornings and evenings. I walk every round, so it is easy to stay warm. I might start with a sweater, switch to a vest and be in shirtsleeves by the fourth hole. Then the breezes rise and the outerwear goes back on.

It won’t be long, though, before all those beautiful blossoms have fallen and blown away in the wind.

Summer is fast approaching.