Yeah, my day, Bay Harbor (
http://www.bayharborgolf.com/). On the
way to Bay Harbor we pass 7-11 – we’re not stopping because I can get a to go
cup at Sagamore’s. But, it’s no longer a 7-11! No need to keep that tradition
anymore. Sad. At least I have a picture of it when it was a 7-11.
Sagamore’s has the best of the Boyne breakfast buffets. Huge
bowls of cherries, blueberries and raspberries. Perfect omelets. Excellent
bacon and sausage links (local). Paul gets biscuits and gravy and says they are
the best.
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| Inn at Bay Harbor |
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| "Beach" at the Inn at Bay Harbor |
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| The Whites in matching orange and grey. |
Warm up quickly and then off to the Links. Bay Harbor has
this new iPad registration thing for carts that was a pain in the butt to fill
out and got us off late. Me, Heather, Tom – Mark, Paul, Pete. 9 Links holes and
then 9 Quarry holes in the morning. Heather gets to hit balls into the Bay as a
first timer, now understanding why we collect golf balls when we get to
Michigan. I like the Links, but like Quarry even more, especially the Par 3s.
The only hole I don’t like on Quarry is the Par 5 third hole. This time, I make
it over in 3 by hugging the right side more than I usually do.
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| Quarry, Par 5, #5 |
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| Quarry, Par 5, #5 |
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| Paul and Pete ball hunting on quarry, Par 5, #6 (Paul makes par) |
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| Quarry, Par 3, #8 (awesome view of the bay) -- two club wind. |
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| Hitting balls into the Bay on Links. |
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| Obligatory pose on the bench at House on Links, #8. |
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| Heather posing with her "son" at House on Links, #8. |
No lunch on the patio, as is tradition, because they are
getting ready to tear up the patio and redo it.
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| Paul in his colorful glory thanks to Jan! |
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| It's definitely an orange kind of day (except Tom who won't wear orange). |
Afternoon is Preserves/Links with me, Mark and Paul – and Heather,
Pete and Tom. I manage to shoot a 78 (my first round in the 70s in all of the
years I’ve been coming to Michigan!). Definitely save my mulligan for the 9th
hole of the Preserve, a par 3 that has an awesome view of the Bay (and a pretty
nice “little” house behind the green). These courses are now Mark and Heather’s
“favorites.” Mainly the whole package – views, course, conditions. But there is
still more to come!
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| Tom, Heather, Pete on the Links |
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| Mark hitting into the Bay. |
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| Paul hitting into the Bay. |
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| Obligatory picture on bench on Links, #8. |
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| "Father" and "Son." |
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| Mark with his new "son." |
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| For "Southerners" this pole is for them to find the hydrants in times of "big snow." |
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| One more ball into the Bay for Mark. |
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| Handstands on the Links par 5, 7th. |
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| And cartwheels. |
On the Par 5 last hole of the Links, we run into the
Marshall. Find out he’s recently retired and his son is the Head Professional
at Bay Harbor (from their website: Steve Niezgoda has stepped into Fuhrman's vacated role as
head golf professional. No stranger to Bay Harbor, Niezgoda spent time with the
club as an intern before beginning his full-time professional career with BOYNE
as an assistant golf professional. Steve returns to Michigan from Maine's
Sugarloaf Resort, a BOYNE-managed property where he was the Director of Golf,
Retail and Rental.). Not a bad retirement “gig.” Marshal and free golf at all
of the Boyne courses.
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| Mickelson played at Bay Harbor in the Wonderful World of Golf (note Bones signed the bib as well). |
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| Lehman also played in the Wonderful World of Golf. |
Sometimes after Bay Harbor we go to the marina for a “fancy
dinner” – nothing I’m all that excited about, but not bad. This time, we have a
drink down at the open bottom patio and watch the players come in (comments
about seeing if we could get some carts and play the 9th hole of the
Quarry over and over). Then, our first stop at the Bob In Again (a shrimp basket
for Paul – and Bear Claws). We place our orders (they stopped making the shrimp
basket so Paul is bummed and just orders a Bear Claw. Me the strawberry
shortcake with custard. Mark and Heather a Traverse Cherry (we find out that
Mark doesn’t like chocolate – you find out all kinds of things on this trip). I
pay and ask if Robert is there. They say, no, tomorrow.
And then Robert shows up to our table! Finally, after all of
these years (the first contact I had with him was a panicked phone call because
their website was down and I thought they were closed – happened that he let
the hosting expire so it went down and then had to redo the website). He bought
us onion rings. Mark buys Tom a Bob In Again tee shirt (he doesn't have one after all of these years).
Bay Harbor Day is over. Until next year.
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