Day 3: Boyne Highlands – Heather and Hills!

Up early (this year, all of the troopers are ready well before we leave at 6:00 am to head to the Highlands for breakfast). I blog. Our cabin doesn’t have TVs in the rooms anymore. We’re missing an ice maker. And a washer and dryer. But, it’s still nice. This group is good: all of the troopers are ready to go ahead of time. I have on my new purple not-a-sweater (trying to get used to saying it – need to find something to call it).

On the bedroom floor, with coffee, blogging. Not sure my back can handle this for a week!

The Highlands breakfast is much better in 2022 than 2021 (COVID shut down the buffet). Still not as big as pre-2020. We don’t have the same omelet man we’ve had over the years – but it’s Monday and we usually play the Mountain on Mondays and it’s different! The Heather driving range is on the ski slopes and pretty unassuming. Tom is bummed that they don’t have the hover boards to ride (won’t hold a charge long enough to make it 18 holes?). I’m with Pete this morning and off we go at 8:00 am.

Still no critters, but we do see goose and deer tracks in bunkers. Levi birdies the par 5 fifth hole (featured in Big Break Michigan in the “worst hole” format). We have a call on which course in Michigan he’ll like the most. I said Arthur Hills. Tom said Heather. Pete didn’t say. Hidden River is holding #1 still. On #9, a hole that Pete hates (tee shot is right to left, second shot is a layup, third shot is two clubs extra uphill, with bunkers in front and clubhouse in back). Pete makes par (the rest of us sixes).

I try to take my purple jacket off a couple of times, but it’s breezy and on it goes again.

We get to the “photo pose hole” (everyone on the trip has their picture there). Levi wasn’t as impressive as others have been. I should try and do a post that only has those pictures over the years.

On 18, Levi turns the bench over for me to see what’s under there! Free drop if you hit it into the pond. I tried but didn’t succeed. Heather is over and on to Country Club of Boyne, lunch and then Arthur Hills. I discovered that my phone was almost out of juice – the carts now have GPS and plug things. I’ll be able to charge on the Hills.

The Country Club of Boyne is closed for lunch – it’s Monday. Again, we’ve always played the Mountain on Mondays and didn’t know it’d be closed. Bummer. Lunch on the patio, then time to kill. I have 53 golf balls (one in a sleeve) in my bag. We keep finding colored ones!

My golf bag is filling up. 53 total balls.

I start off the Hills with the shanks. Uh oh. I kind of fix it after a shot and a beer, but not great. Wasn’t sure how I’d hold up on this trip. I haven’t played much golf since last year. I wasn’t really cleared to do more than chip and putt until spring. But, worst case scenario is that I ride around in the cart later in the week. And drink beer. I do manage to make it through the round. The distance is gone (the reconstruction surgery zapped my core strength and even working out every day isn’t getting it back to full strength – not sure it will ever come back).

Still no critters (one lone black squirrel). But beautiful weather. I wore my purple jacket most of the day. A few birdies from them (I still have my one birdie in Michigan). Levi likes this course – but they just verticut the greens and added sand so they just aren’t rolling as well as they usually do. That’s disappointing.

Obligatory group shot on Arthur Hills #13! Down, down, downhill!

Off to dinner. They decide Harbor Springs. But, this is definitely now “what COVID?” in Michigan and it’s a two hour wait to get into the Pier (seafood place). An hour wait to get into the place we went last year. A wait to get into the place we went a couple of years ago. The pizza place isn’t doing outside dining. They all have ice cream at Yummies. I don’t because they didn’t have a flavor that interested me (I love ice cream, but not if a flavor doesn’t interest me). And stop at the gas station for snacks on the way back to the cabin. I shower and crash. It’s still light in Michigan, but I don’t care.

[NOTE: I am not blogging live. Right now, I’m sitting on the floor in our cabin at Boyne Mountain, trying to drink coffee, blog and stretch at the same time. Internet is also slow and my photos aren’t uploading to email quickly.]