We wake up – just like Groundhog Day, only
it’s Bay Harbor Day, AKA Liz’s Day! Off to Sagamore’s for breakfast. We don’t
know what the COVID set up will be there. We arrive at the Inn at Bay Harbor
and Sagamore’s about 10 minutes early. Head outside to walk on the “beach,”
look for Petoskey rocks (I’ve only found one since I’ve been coming up here –
we found more down in Glen).
The Sagamore’s buffet set up is more like
Mountain station wise, but more like Highlands serving wise. Omelet guy is as
usual, but instead of helping yourself to make toast, get bacon, sausage, etc.
AND fruit (this year, no cherries … bummer), someone puts your plate/bowl
together and hands it to you. I like this set up. And the buffet at Sagamore’s
is good (Pete loves Eggs Benedict, which they have on Thursday).
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| Inn at Bay Harbor ("back" of the hotel). |
Our tee time at Bay Harbor is at 8:00 am, so
not much time to check in and warm up. Off we head to Links, then Quarry. They
have added a single with us today, Matt Campbell. I saw him on the driving
range, and he looked like he was struggling with his game. We get to the tee
box and wait on Mr. Campbell. Tom and Pete are playing the Orange tee boxes (I
remember when he used to play from the tips and the one time a starter wouldn’t
let him because he didn’t have his card with him – Tom started from the next
set of boxes and then moved back on the next hole). Matt shows up and is game
from playing from the Orange tee boxes. Pete hits short of the bunkers. Tom sprays
his right. Matt, hits his right of right – not sure I would call it a spray.
But, he is quick about it. We don’t mind if you’re not good, we just want you
to be fast.
Matt lives in Chicago now. He’s from Grand Haven,
Michigan (north of Holland), went to Northern Michigan. Just got down from UP where
they were renting a cabin for two weeks. Staying with the family at the Inn
($800 per night – not for a suite, but two queen bed room! – you do get two for
buffet breakfast, if that makes you feel better – he only has to pay for one
night because he used Marriott/Disney on two free nights). Since he’s in
Chicago and they live in/near Wrigleyville, Pete has someone to talk Chicago
with. Matt clearly doesn’t play a lot of golf. But he’s fun, and quick about
it. Tom gives him a quick lesson on the 5th hole (the one with the
crater in the middle of the hole that you don’t want to get in – it’s filled
with sand, but not fun to walk through) that helps.
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| Peter on the Links. |
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| Hazy on the Links on Thursday. |
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| This is Tom on the cute par 3. |
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| This is Matt on the cute par 3. |
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| This is Pete on the cute par 3. |
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| That is the "crater" in the middle of the hole. |
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| Par 5, #7 |
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| We left the "posing" bench empty this year on #8. |
Pete doesn’t like Bay Harbor courses, and
never has. And has no problem letting you know about it. It’s not that he doesn’t
like the course, but he just hasn’t scored well out here, so he hates the
courses as a result. Especially Quarry. Especially Quarry (my favorite of the
three). We get to the Quarry and Matt knows how much Pete hates the Quarry. Pete
pars #1. Pete pars #2. Pete gets on the par 5, #3 in regulation – I comment how
Pete is going to finish this hole for a change. Pete pars #3. We get to #4 and
Matt is even talking about the hate Pete has for the Quarry. We like poking
Pete. I love the Quarry. The holes are
great (#3 is probably my least favorite because my second shot needs to be on
the far right, next to the gorge, in order for me to get over the gorge onto
the green). The views are great. You see
Quarry, water, ducks, Lake Michigan, beautiful houses.
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| #9, Quarry, finishing hole. |
Tom shows off and drives #6 (he didn’t think
he made it over the marsh stuff but does). Pete makes his first bogey on this
hole and the next. But Pete finished the Quarry at only two over. He likes it a
little more than he did!
Lunch on the patio. The food wasn’t as
special as it usually is, but maybe because of COVID? We do enjoy it before I
head to the pro shop and buy a hat (new white one, with this new fangled back for
ponytails, that I may actually like after I get more hair back; and two new
right hand, small, golf gloves with Bay Harbor ballmarkers—it’s hard enough for
me to get gloves, but these have Bay Harbor ballmarkers!
And then we drive to the Preserves, early
for our tee time, but they may let us off. Or not. It’s a 10-minute ride to the
Preserves and they are doing a lot of work/construction on the houses (oh, I
want one of these!) on the way. Dick, the starter, says we’re early, but when
he finds out we know the course, says he won’t do a lot of talking. The foursome
next gets Dick’s “full spiel” on the course—encourages them to download the app
so that they can get yardages and know where the holes go, etc. Even recommends
that they play one tee box forward than normal since they have never played the
course. They tee off. The next group doesn’t show up so Dick lets us go.
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| Bell's Oberon on the Patio at Bay Harbor |
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| #9, Preserves, a great par 3. |
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| Almost bought the Boyne golf puzzle. Took a picture so I can zoom in on the holes that made it to the puzzle. |
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| "Girlie" drinks at Forty Acres. Left is a Bourbon smash. Right is a raspberry tipper nipper (or something like that). |
OK, this is the first round I actually play.
Yes, play golf (and don’t do poorly for not having played 9 holes since January
– 44). I think it was probably easier to play than to just chip and putt, since
I could “baby dink” a wood, over trying to hit a full wedge (I don’t do well
dinking my wedges – they turn into shanks). But, it is slow. Another slow
afternoon round. Really slow. And nowhere to go. When Tom and I get to seven,
we’re talking about how we could quite after this nine and not play the Links. Really
– this is Bay Harbor!?!? Yes, it’s that slow that after we played 9 – an awesome
par 3 overlooking Lake Michigan – we quit and headed back to the Mountain, for
dinner at Forty Acres Tavern (yes, Tom had the salmon, again). It was a great
day, as always, at Bay Harbor, but these “campers” don’t have the patience for
5+ hour rounds of golf.
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