Golf Forums - Michigan in Summer -- Gulf Coast in Winter!

I love Michigan golf courses in the summer -- Gaylord area, Traverse City, Charlevoix -- almost anyplace you go in Michigan is close to an exciting golf experience in the summer or even into the autumn months.  I haven't found any area of the country with as many excellent courses within a short day's travel.

Wintertime -- I head for the panhandle area of Florida, or the adjacent Gulf Shores area in Alabama.  Some of the best golf courses in that area are in or around Destin, FL.  Pricy, but well worth the investment!  Or, a short drive up to Windswept Dunes near Freeport, FL will reveal a sleeper, just waiting to be discovered -- beautiful!  Gulf Shores has a few nice courses as well -- try Kiva Dunes for a real test,,,,,,,,,,,,

Both my summers and winters are spent in great golfing travel destinations.   Gotta love it!

Blimey, that sounds like a tough old life you have there!! 

Yepper!  Of the two areas, the Michigan courses are much more reasonable in cost -- we can actually play pretty decent courses in the summertime for less than $20 (about 15 Euro) for an 18 with cart -- of course, we can also spend 150+ Euro, if we are so inclined.  I'm usually not.  See my hdcp -- I don't have an official one any longer, but it probably isn't really 28.   My days as a 12 are long gone, though...........! 

The southern courses are OK, but would not really be worth the cost except, of course, they are playable when the ground in Michigan is under a foot of snow.  Quality is comparable to the mid-to-upper range of Michigan courses, but there aren't the lower to low-mid range courses available "down south".

Among the more upscale Michigan courses I have played, I particularly like "The Bear" in Traverse City (Nicklaus course) and "The Legend" at Shanty Creek in Bellaire.  Courses I would like to play include Arcadia Bluffs and Treetops in Gaylord. 

Retirement is nice.

OK -- Christmas is past, the New Year is upon us.  We now have received over six feet of snow here in Michigan -- it's (past!) time for the 1,080 mile drive south to Gulf Shores!  Unfortunately, due to family reasons, I will have to wait yet another couple of weeks -- but I will be preparing for our stay all the while..........

The warm two months in Gulf Shores will go quickly -- then it will be time for spring golf back here in Michigan.

Hi Jack the extra two weeks in sub zero Michigan temperatures will just make you appreciate Florida even more...

Life is good! 

I'm sitting in my condo on the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, looking out at the beautiful Gulf of Mexico -- deciding where to go for lunch.  Counting on a couple dozen oysters for a start!  Last year I was looking at the Mediterranean in the south of France, this summer it was the shore at Lake Michigan.  The interesting part is the view is essentially the same -- white, sandy beaches, breakers rolling in and lots of sun.  And -- NO SNOW.  Right now, mornings in Michigan are running -20C, with a total of nine feet of snow received this season.  Great place to be from!

OK, the bad part.  On Thanksgiving Day, I walked out of Ford Field in Detroit after watching my American football team, the 0-16 Detroit Lions, lose badly (again).  I tripped on the lovely sidewalks of Detroit and broke my left wrist, trying to catch myself.  I am still wearing a stabilizing cast -- recovery is not going as well as hoped.

No golf for me.............................yet!

Oh well, I'll be here for a couple of months -- I'll enjoy the weather and the people for a while, the golf will have to wait.  I will play before I head back north!