Up North For Golf And Relaxation (but those are the same thing)

Up North For Golf And Relaxation (but those are the same thing)

I’m in Northern Michigan this week for some golf and relaxation.

But those two things are really the same thing.

I have a hard time thinking of anything more consistently relaxing than playing a round of golf. I love the walk, the fresh air, the quiet, and the (usually) beautiful surroundings. If I play well, that’s a bonus. If not, it was still a few good hours in the great outdoors.

Reading a good book at the shore is in my estimation a close second. Fortunately, I can both golf and read on a lakeshore in Northern Michigan (like Mullett Lake, in the photo at top).

I started my getaway with a round at my second favorite course — Indian River Golf Club (Washtenaw Golf Club is of course my favorite).

The Indian River Golf Club was established in 1923 as the Burt Lake Golf Club. In 1924, Wilfrid Reid was brought in to convert the original homegrown design to a more professional design. Reid — often partnered with William Connellan — designed or remodeled a hundred courses, including the original lakeside course at Olympic Club, and the Old Course at Indianwood. Reid did twenty designs in Michigan alone.

In the late 1950s, the clubhouse was relocated from near the current second tee to its current location. The nine were rerouted, with the ninth becoming the first. Three new holes were added in 1960 (the current 2, 8 and 16). The course was expanded to eighteen holes in 1986, with Warner Bowen doing the design work.

In spite of the changes over the years, Indian River retains a lot of the classic vibe, which may be why I like it so much. The course has wide fairways, open front greens and some very cleverly placed bunkers. I love that there are multiple ways to play every hole, especially around the greens. The fact that that there are no forced carries also makes the course playable for a wide variety of golf skill sets.

Like Washtenaw, the more I play it, the more I appreciate it.

Fourth of July week is upcoming, so the courses will be crowded. Still, I hope to be able to some twilight tee times somewhere.