I’m again from extra Michigan golf and speak about relaxed…it might be troublesome to be extra relaxed than I’m proper now
There’s simply one thing about Pure Michigan this time of 12 months that has true therapeutic powers. On this journey with the blokes, our goal was to hit the Tullymore Golf Resort, which incorporates the St. Ives golf course. The resort threw in 36 holes, a steak dinner, and one night time within the resort for $200 per individual to play Sunday-Monday.
That included taxes.
Merely put, that an absolute steal on this economic system, and this put up IS #NOTSPONSORED in any style. I PAID extra hard-earned $200 like the remainder of the group.
I’d heard the tales: Tullymore is a Golf Digest Prime 100 Public Course within the U.S.
I hear that stuff and simply determine the programs pay Golf Digest’s advertising group for a spot within the prime 100.
Blah, blah, blah.
Then we acquired out of the automobile Monday and I began seeing bronze golf statues all over the place and it rapidly grew to become clear this place was totally different. Then we headed into the clubhouse and holy crap, this place was actually totally different. $200? And I’d already sucked down a steak dinner the night time earlier than and stayed in a really good Hampton Inn knockoff on the course?
Okay, so let’s see if this place actually is a prime 100. I went to the lads’s locker room to see the lodging (I needed to take a leak) — one of the best of one of the best has to have an expensive locker room, proper?
Disclaimer: It was like 7:45 a.m. The place was empty on a frost-delayed Monday morning.
I couldn’t imagine my eyes. The tile work was wonderful. There have been particular person bathroom stalls with most privateness with lovely tile work. The lighting. The plush chairs within the lounge. The granite. The tissue packing containers. The art work on the partitions was wonderful.
Then we went out and performed a course that was unimaginable. #notsponsored.
There have been no throwaway holes the place the designer (no concept who designed the course, I’m a D-player who doesn’t analysis such issues) didn’t take a piss break through the design course of and instructed some intern to throw a straight par-4 into the combo.
There are very brief 90-degree doglegs that require exact pictures. There are tee pictures into par 3s the place you’ll be able to barely see the highest of the flag. There are pictures blocked by 50-foot bushes that require exact navigation. The greens have been like placing on laminate flooring with all types of motion. There are bunkers all over the place. There are all types of mounds that punished my ankles.
There was a transparent consensus on the way in which house: We’ll be again. For $200 (WITH TAXES!!!!) this was the steal of our golf 12 months.
Fast information and notes:
• Canoe Kirk was spot-on together with his two dive bar choices. Flat River Saloon in Six Lakes, MI was a giant hit for Sunday breakfast. The 4 of us walked in and it was like a scene out of Animal Home as this full bar of locals simply stared at us. The opposite gem was the Blanchard Bar in Blanchard, MI. The unincorporated village has a inhabitants of roughly 1,200, nevertheless it felt like about 500 this time of 12 months. We stroll in and the place — once more, 5 individuals flip round and take a look at us in amazement that we have been there on a Sunday night time — was professionally adorned for Halloween. I’m not speaking just some spiders on the ceiling. I’m speaking full-on Hollywood Halloween decorations accomplished by a bartender who not too long ago relocated to the world to handle his dad and mom who had all of the provides from a earlier job close to Detroit. Now tiny Blanchard, MI has one of many best-decorated Halloween bars in Michigan.
• We did 4 meals and a bunch of drinks — now I do know what Galliano tastes like — on the Flat River Saloon and our invoice got here to $58. Beers have been $2.50. Biscuits and gravy was $4. Bloody Marys have been $2. I maintain seeing these Instagram memes about how fall golf is wonderful in Colorado, New England, Pennsylvania and all these different locations, however I simply can’t pull myself away from the worth supplied by Michigan. The state simply retains making it unattainable to go elsewhere.
• Tullymore to Toledo was 2 hours, and 55 minutes on a Monday, based on Apple Maps.
• BTW, St. Ives was wonderful, too. I imagine the starter instructed us all 18 greens on that course are elevated. It’s all a blur at this level. I want to return.
• Monday afternoon we stopped at a dive bar close to Lansing and came upon that VooDoo Ranger has these 3 1/2 foot bobbleheads. It was chained all the way down to the bar. The bartender stated a man kinda threatened to steal it the primary day the house owners displayed it. It’s been chained ever since.
For the individuals who continually say, ‘Wow, I really feel outdated’
This one is for you.
Watching soccer on the golf course
• Unique Wooden Mike in Pasadena writes:
Hope you had fun swinging the sticks. A couple of weeks again somebody reached out to you about retaining monitor of soccer video games whereas on the course. I’ve had this set-up for no less than the final 3 years.
I maintain a bungee twine in my golf bag. The Ipad case is slung over the bungee and is resting on the cupholder. It doesn’t transfer, the sound is taking part in by way of my Wingman. We put the Purple-Zone channel on or the Bears.
Additionally, I’ve to imagine we have been the primary (or among the many first) to introduce music and audio system on the golf course. My buddies and I began that in Rochester Mn. in 1999, with Mp3 gamers and moveable audio system.
Kinsey:
The programs at Tullymore have the golf carts with the Bluetooth GPS screens, so I simply linked my YouTubeTV to the cart and we had full audio of the Lions recreation after which the Bengals recreation later within the afternoon. It was priceless. Once more, all of that for $200!
Nameless Lions Fan is beginning to imagine
• Nameless in Tennessee writes:
Lifelong Lions fan right here as soon as once more – Alright, gotta admit, I’m at about half-chub (is that acceptable right here?). However on a scale of the Lions will ultimately allow you to down, I’m at about 8/10. Final week I used to be 9/10. Give me a convincing win vs the Ravens quickly and I’ll be down to five/10. Proper now my guard remains to be up.
Didn’t watch stay – performed golf and instructed the blokes that there can be ZERO discuss relating to NFL scores as we teed off round 10:30am and I knew I wouldn’t get house till 3:00pm on the earliest. I recorded Redzone and watched it once I acquired again. Averted social media or any interactions for a couple of hours.
And Joe B appeared manner higher than we have been led to imagine. Season get a bounce begin? Or are you considering this was a fluke and he actually is damage and may’t maintain this?
Kinsey:
Primarily based on the most recent chances, the Lions at the moment are at 84% chance of constructing the playoffs and have a 13% chance of taking part in within the Tremendous Bowl. I’m simply sayin’. In case you guess futures, you would possibly wish to get these Tremendous Bowl future tickets now. The quantity retains taking place.
This one is for all of the T-ball coaches on the market
• Due to Mike T. in Eagle, Idaho for forwarding this:
Mike T. and Cindy T. have additionally been getting out and about as the autumn colours begin to explode
• Mike T. provides:
Lovely climate right here in southern Idaho so we determined to take the 8-hour loop from Boise up and over the Rockies to see the autumn colours, spectacular!
Doing good this fall with chili
• John L. writes:
Saturday night was the annual Chili Dinner for the Bovina Middle, New York EMS squad. It was good chile climate: Damp, dreary, and 50 levels. We served over 200 visitors all they may eat with a alternative of the next home made varieties:
White (no tomatoes or peppers)
Candy (baked beans as a substitute of kidney beans)
Vegetarian
Gentle
Gentle with peppers and onions
Medium
Texas scorching
Dove looking
• Chris B. in Houston writes:
Went dove looking final weekend. Having fun with the fruits of that labor with an Astros win. I forgot to take a pic of them cooked however they have been incredible.
The Roanoke journey
• Andrew F. in Pittsburgh writes:
I grew up simply south of Roanoke in Franklin County (the moonshine capital of the world). Roanoke was a significant hub for Norfolk and Western (earlier than it was Norfolk Southern) however most the whole lot has moved to Atlanta. In case your driver took you through the hood, I’m gonna guess he took you down Melrose Avenue. It’s the shortest route however positively not ideally suited.
Hopefully, you bought an opportunity to see the Roanoke Star on the prime of Mill Mountain. It’s the world’s largest freestanding illuminated man-made star. And if no one instructed you to get a bowl of chili and a Tacky Western from Texas Tavern, my outdated hometown of us failed you miserably.
Kinsey:
Throughout my Roanoke journey final week I had zero time to do something in addition to seize dinner on the resort restaurant, work, sleep, stand up, work, seize breakfast on the resort restaurant, get into an Uber and go to a press convention earlier than going again to the airport. Perhaps the subsequent time.
Odd locations to look at sports activities and sunsets
• Rob in Little Elm, TX writes:
So, oddest place to look at sports activities….nicely, large Seahawks fan right here, born and raised in Seattle, and my Dad was a Season ticket holder from inception till nicely into the 80’s. I’ve so many nice reminiscences of watching the often aggressive Seahawks within the Kingdome as a child. Quick ahead to 2011, and I’m a contactor within the United Arab Emirates, coaching Tactical Groups and Paramilitary members exterior of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Needed to watch soccer, particularly my Seahawks, nevertheless it was a problem because the UAE is 12 hours forward of the US. Many occasions, I’d set an alarm to get me up at 2 or 3AM to look at a recreation, usually this meant leaving our condo at 7 to get to work, nonetheless watching the sport on my telephone! Fortunately, I pulled that pin and got here house for good in 2013, in time to look at the ‘Hawks win Tremendous Bowl 48.
Dawn or Sundown? Undoubtedly sundown. Listed here are a few pics from our place in Fairhope AL, magnificent sunsets virtually each day, and only a excellent place to go to or stay.
Hopefully subsequent Sunday can be a terrific recreation…right here’s a little bit throwback for you as a Bengals fan….SEA and CIN performed on Monday Evening Soccer, October 1st of 1990. I used to be there with my Dad, they usually handed out Seahawk hankies, which I nonetheless have framed in my workplace. SEA received 31-16 beating the undefeated (at that time) Bengals. Perhaps some repeat historical past subsequent Sunday?
I can’t think about a morning with out my espresso and Screencaps, maintain doing what you do!
That’s it this morning. It’s not misplaced on me that this world is in a precarious spot proper now. It’s the job of this column to maintain bringing the power that has made it a must-read for this group. In case you can inform a buddy is down within the dumps in regards to the world, ship him the column for per week to cheer him up.
We’re going to maintain transferring ahead.
Always remember how lucky we’re to name this place house even with all of the warts and the dummies who additionally get to name it house.
Take care. Have a terrific day.
E mail: joekinsey@gmail.com
