#northportmichigan

[offmen-scott]

Finger Prose

I looked at my finger today,

And remembered how I had sliced off a hunk on a Sunday

There was so much wind blowing through my hair

And I of thought of how grateful I was beyond that little scare

A small bit of joy for a finger to keep in the self aware

And I let my digits run through to push the wind back into the air

[golfupnorth]

November 1, 2022 Newsletter

Golfing in Northern Michigan is over until next year.

As the season was winding down, I tried to play a few rounds in between the cold spells and the rain. Getting used to the new clubs and a lot of my shots are improving. Absolutely loving my 7-wood, still struggling with the irons although the 9 has started teasing me with some decent shots. 😊

We made a trip to Northport at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula in the northwest lower peninsula. There is a little 9-hole course that I have been following on social media that intrigued me and I had been wanting to try. So, we made a tee time, packed up our clubs and headed to Northport.

Northport Creek Golf Course

Northport Creek is a par 35 that was designed by Jerry Matthews on some old farmland. As we were golfing, we ran across solar panels in a couple of places and discovered that the course is solar powered. COOL FACT!! Northport Creek is the first solar powered golf course in the country.

The course does not server alcohol but is cooler friendly. They have vending machines for snacks and non-alcoholic beverages plus an ice machine that we very much appreciated. The staff was friendly, and rates were very reasonable. I think we paid $25 each for 9 holes with cart. It is obvious that the owners take pride in their course, grounds and facility was very well maintained.

One of the funny/strange/cute things we saw was a couple finishing their round. The woman was in a cart, the man was using a pull cart and then all of a sudden, I realized they had their little dog with them. The dog was walking with the man and seemed to be well behaved.

There is one in every crowd.

We arrived about 25 minutes early, checked in, bought some pops, added ice, and loaded the cart. Fully intending to wait for our tee time. The group that had the tee time ahead of us were a foursome and were waiting for one of their friends. We overheard them say that he was going to be late, so my husband asked if we could jump ahead of them. We were a twosome, their buddy was going to be late, seemed like a reasonable thing to ask. The look on one of their faces that we had the nerve to ask such a thing, shocked me. He very nastily asked how slow do we play? He assumed we played slow. As my husband started to tell them that we play quite fast, I stopped him and said we would wait.

By the time their friend arrived, loaded up his clubs and all 4 began, it was our tee time. Northport Creek generously books in 15-minute increments, plenty of time between groups. But because our tee time was happening as they were leaving the tee box, we had some slow play.

Let’s Golf

The first tee was awesome for me with my tee box being 140 yards closer. I think that is the largest advantage I have ever had. He had 390 yds to go I had 250 yds. The way the hole was laid out it seemed like he was playing a par 5 hole and I was playing a par 3 hole. I would not enjoy that kind of advantage again until hole 9 where I would be 130 yards closer to the pin.

At the second hole when the group in front were far enough away and we could tee off, the group behind us just finished the first hole. My husband had already hit his drive, at that point. Because I did not want to be followed that closely the whole round, we let them skip in front of us with the warning that there was a foursome in front of us.

After that we slowed our play way down, I did not tee off the second hole until the guys we let jump ahead were off the green. We continued this at almost every hole. This worked out well and we did not have anyone behind us until the 7th hole. It was a single and him catching up to us turned out to be a good thing.

Where is Hole 8?

Finding hole 8 proved to be a little challenging, not sure how we lost our bearings, but we did. We ended up back at hole 7th and the gentleman that caught up to us knew the course well and got us to the tee box. Once at the tee box I understood why we were confused. Hole 8 is par 3 with the tee box behind some taller wetlands with the green on the other side. If you see the flag and head that way you can easily miss the tee boxes if not paying attention.

The tee boxes were off the cart path in a little alcove that was easy to miss.

It was an interesting hole and usually when faced with a huge obstacle between the tee box and green you can bet, I will lose a ball. I did not, but I did hit it long. That worked out well for me because I was able to avoid the bunker protecting the pin and chip back towards the green.

Damn Dog Legs

The 9th hole was another long one for my partner at 390 giving me a 130-yard advantage, but it was a dog leg. That extra yardage was not going to save me. I do not like dog legs; my ball usually goes straight. I do not get that nice curve I see the rest of you get as it gently follows the turn. For me I need to hit it to elbow, or it will be a blow-up hole.

This picture was on the way to find my ball somewhere behind the sand trap on hole 9.

The turn looked to be the perfect distance for my drive, and I was feeling great about my chances. Although I was improving with the new clubs, I was still having moments with my driver where it would fly off to right. Yep, was short and went right. I was able to almost salvage the hole. I got a 7 on the par 4, so not a full disaster.

We will be back!

Even with the foursome being jerks at the beginning we had a lot of fun. Both of us enjoyed the course and will definitely be back again. The man we met at the 7th hole was a local and let us know that during tourist season the weekend are pretty busy and can be frustrating. He said mid-week was best and play was fairly smooth.

Being a very local course that is not on the way to anywhere, you expect some quirkiness. It is not unusual to have members at most courses jump around a little playing a hole here and there. There was an older gentleman that we first met in the clubhouse. He gave me directions on how to use a vending machine. 😊 We ran into him a couple of times sitting in his cart in the shadows waiting to jump in and play that hole. He was very kind, but it always startled me when we would turn a corner and bam, there he was.

The couple with the dog was odd as well. I am not sure if the course is dog friendly or not. Their Facebook page shows pictures of a couple of dogs on the course helping with maintenance. I do not see on their website or social media pages that dogs are welcome. If you want to golf with your dog, I recommend calling first.

The picture below is a to scale 3D model that was on display in the clubhouse that I thought was pretty cool.

See all the pictures we took that day

We took pictures of every hole with a few extras to show various parts of the course. You can view them all by clicking here.

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We hope you enjoyed our latest issue of The Golf Up North Newsletter.

Disclosure: We never tell a course who we are when we book and play a course. We do not ask nor will we accept free rounds to write about a course. We pay full price for our rounds for everyone in our group.

[themagiccrafter]

Thank you @leelanauuncaged for fishing me out of Lake Michigan for this year's wild celebration 🖤 I had a great time at Leelanau UnCaged and am happy to report that all of my little helpers successfully recovered ALL of my Dragon Stones from the pesky ferret fairies. 😇 It was great seeing so many smiley (and glittery) humans walking around today. I hope to see you all again next year! 🧜🏻‍♀️🖤🌊 . There will be a video (or two) of Leelanau UnCaged coming soon. But first, this mermaid needs to catch some zzz's 😴 . What was your favorite part of the festival? And if you didn't go, what was your favorite part about today!? 💕 . #leelanauuncaged #northportmichigan #leelanaucounty #michiganmermaid #lakemichiganmermaid #northportmi #northportmermaid #traversecitymermaid #professionalmermaid #mermaidsofinstagram #MermaidPhantom #GothMermaid #TheMagicCrafter (at Northport, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2-bb8uHiMs/?igshid=ou836bpup03b

[mafmove]

#sunset #northportmichigan #photography #photooftheday https://www.instagram.com/p/ChTU8-Iu47x/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[newestfrances]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Frances Valesco (@fvalesco1)

What do you do in Northport Michigan when the real feel temperature is 99 degrees. Sit under a fan! #northportmichigan #heat https://www.instagram.com/p/B0HBRp0B4xh/?igshid=ijk33m9iwsts

[mythyhuynh]

Everything we've been eating and drinking has been amazing here in @northportmichigan! @chet_offensive and @kyleevansdesign has been gracious showing us around Northport. I've been wanting to come to @thenptribune for some time now and this Pan Seared Carlson's whitefish sandwich with pickled red onions & remoulade hit the spot. Everything is solid and I can't wait to come back for breakfast & their Sunday Suppers. I maaaaay have had Espresso Leelanau ice cream for dessert! 😉 #TheTribune (at The Tribune : Ice Cream & Eatery)

[offmen-scott]

Twenty eight sunrises

Search the dawns light

Beyond warm confines

In scrubbing wind

And frigid water

Drown the reputation

With anyone willing

Together it’s a new day

[themagiccrafter]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brittany Adams (@the_magic_crafter)

Are you coming to Leelanau UnCaged? Mermaid Phantom is swimming over to Northport this Saturday the 28th to take part in this wildly fun festival! 🖤 This real live Lake Michigan mermaid will be sitting near Tuckers bowling alley to meet and interact with humans of all ages. She may even have a gift for you if you help her out... come to the kids area for more details 😉🧜🏻‍♀️🌊 . Will I see you this Saturday? . #leelanaucounty #LeelanauUncaged #northportmichigan #northportmi #northportmermaid #mermaidvideos #mermaiding #professionalmermaids #underwatervideos #mermaidswimming #michiganmermaid #lakemichiganmermaid #MermaidOfTheGreatLakes #GreatLakesMermaid #northernmichiganmermaid #mermaidphantom #themagiccrafter (at Northport, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/B21n64CnLFb/?igshid=10y08fxm8s9dw

[mafmove]

#sunset #northportmichigan #photography #photooftheday https://www.instagram.com/p/ChTUvcmO_H2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mafmove]

#sunset #northportmichigan #photography #photooftheday https://www.instagram.com/p/ChTUg6OOMQ3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[offmen-scott]

Temple of Day Break

Photo credit: Scott Cain

I strode through the snow

To capture colors before the sun

My work to fill your heart

For you are the one

-SAC

[offmen-scott]

Sunrise in the fog

[offmen-scott]

Dock with a bench at sunrise.

[offmen-scott]

The big lake rages. • • • • • #lakemichigan #grandtraversebay #northportmichigan #leelanau (at Northport, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAU6BpGDYAT/?igshid=76723dbit5iz

[offmen-scott]

Sunshine hiding in the solitude of those who daydream. #lakemichigan #grandtraversebay #northportmichigan #sunrise (at Northport, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAScxjvDrGC/?igshid=1bngjx17xcsv4

[offmen-scott]

The mooring yard is not yet populated with boats. Worry not, this too will happen soon. Summer is going to happen eventually. This seen, a reverse sunset June 2018. #lakemichigan #grandtraversebay #northportmichigan #leelanaucounty (at Northport, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAP4vGYjuXD/?igshid=1s5n5zvqsdgk4