Day Four: Liz’s Day: Bay Harbor: Goodbye to the Pink Sweater

This morning, they were asking about why I like Bay Harbor so much. It’s just everything. The courses. The breakfast at Sagamores. The lunch on the patio overlooking the course. The pro shop. The ladies’ locker room. I think I like Quarry, then Preserves, then Links – for playing. But Links, then Quarry then Preserves for views. And all of the par 3s are great (a lot with water views). We’ll see what Levi thinks when the day is over.

I’m thinking about taking my pink sweater to retire at Bay Harbor. But, it’s tough to part with this old friend, even at Bay Harbor.

Gorgeous flowers in the back of the Inn.

Bay view at the Inn.

We start our day at Sagamore’s for breakfast, always getting there early with time to walk out back and check out the water and the flowers at the hotel. I find a Petoskey rock for Levi – a good one with the “pattern” all of the way around it! After a quick Yahoo! search (yes, I’m one of “those”) I am reminded of my science days and need to correct myself. It’s a stone, not a rock! Mr. Fraser in 9^th grade science at Brookfield High School would be happy with this correction of my oversight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petoskey_stone

While there were no bowls of cherries at the buffet, the breakfast was great. Omelets, sausage, bacon, lots of fruit. Pete is eating scrambled eggs these days (he used to say he hated scrambled eggs!). Levi had biscuits and gravy (he can put the food away). Then screech into Bay Harbor for an 8:00 am tee time on the Preserves, which is a five-minute ride to the tee box. No time to warm up. I’m driving Levi, our rookie, around on my day. I get to choose what I want on my day!

While the Preserves 9 isn’t the “favorites” of this Arthur Hills course, I have always really liked it, especially the par 3 #9 hole. #1 is unassuming. #2 is a fun little par 4 with a shared green with hole #7. Levi is spraying it around and makes par from the #7 side of the green. I think we had four birdies in a row on Preserves (none mine, but I shoot a 42 on the front – for day 4, I’m fine with that). We see a muskrat on #5 so a new critter sighting. We notice that the threesome behind us is the same threesome that was behind us on Arthur Hills the day before.

Critter: this is a muskrat!

#9 Par 3 on Preserves

When we get over to the Links, there’s a pile up (Marshall says the group ahead was 10 minutes late getting to the tee, thus a pile up). Levi and I go and get beer (we drink beer early in Michigan and Bay Harbor finally has Blue Lights – we haven’t gotten most of this trip. Levi is drinking Oberon). The threesome shows up in the pile up and we start talking to them. They are also from Dallas – well, Waxahachie, Rowlett and Burleson. The Burleson guy seems to be the leader on the trip, since he’s also played Forest Dunes, Arcadia and others around Michigan. It’s their first time at Bay Harbor. They are also playing in the afternoon (but not behind us since they are playing Links/Quarry).

Links views are amazing. And worth the wait and pile up (to me, but not to Pete who gets a little weary by the end of this nine because of the wait). Rarely do I make par on #3, but I do (I did over club and ended up going way long, but still salvage par). And Pete makes birdie. This hole is also the hole we hit golf balls into the bay.  The next hole is the little par 3 that I seem to airmail. I do again. On #5, we see a bunny on the tee box. He’s not scared of us one bit.

Links #3

East Jordan Manhole Cover 

Levi hitting a ball into the bay.

This hole has a big sand dune in the middle of it.

We found a bunny.

I told Levi not to go into the sand dune. He didn't listen.

Par 3 #8 on Links

Putter boy lives next to the green on #8.

Obligatory photo on the bench next to putter boy.

When Kelly, the cart girl comes by, we get the guys behind us a round of beers. Today has been a good critter day – deer on our way out of the cabin at the Mountain. Deer on 131 on the way to Sagamore’s. Muskrat. Now bunny. Still lots of Canadian Geese.

Lunch on the patio. So nice. And Tom finally gets his sweet potato fries. I get a turkey Rueben panini with lingonberry – really good. We like watching people approach and finish out their round on the Quarry #9 – my phone screen for many years.

They grow herbs on the patio.

Sweet potato fries.

Then off to the Quarry. We have decided that pinkie is definitely going to retire at Bay Harbor. Levi brought his knife, and he has an idea of leaving it tied to trees around Bay Harbor. I want to do a bay send off as well. The hood comes off first and Tom takes it on at the first. Levi starts off with a pinkie vest and then moved to a sleeve up his leg. Pete ties one to his belt. I go around my ankle. It’s sad, but funny. Pinkie is getting a good send off. On #8. A bunch of pinkie goes into the bay, courtesy of Levi and some rocks to launch it. My bit of pinkie gets tied to my bag. Levi makes birdie on #9 and the watchers on the patio clap. On #5 we see that the swans that live on this hole had two babies! I didn’t know that swan babies are grey. Pete makes birdie on #5. I almost make birdie. We all screw up the short, drivable #6.

We have two rounds on the Preserves today. Levi says it’s his favorite of the three. But agrees that the other two are great. He now knows where to go since this is the first course he’s now played twice. Parts of pinkie are still being tied to trees. Wondering if we’ll see any next year when we come back.

Pinkie's hoody comes off first.

Pink as a vest.

Pinkie as a leg sleeve.

Pinkie as an ankle bracelet.

The swans with their two babies on Quarry par 5.

Quarry #9 (next to the patio).

Dinner on the patio. Levi called it. He didn’t want to not get dinner by going offsite like happened on Monday in Harbor Springs because everything was filled up. I don’t mind. I still have half of my lunch to eat. Levi gets the same Philly sandwich. Tom gets wings again (but the BBQ sauce on the side because lunch wings with the sauce were “too sticky”). Pete mixes it up and gets shrimp something. I added tomato soup to my sandwich. Pretty good, but more thick and gazpacho-like than soup. Pete’s phone isn’t working for some reason. Back in the car, we try to get it going. No luck.

Stop at Kilwin’s at the Mountain for ice cream, but it’s no longer there! But, signs lead us to ice cream – Moomers! While they only have four flavors (I got tart cherry), it was good. And we met Turbo, the Weineramer (sp) and Daisy, the bulldog. They stopped by for ice cream as well. It’s been a good day on Liz’s Day!

Daisy and Turbo getting ice cream on the Mountain from Moomers.

[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.]