Solstice Golf in Michigan

I took a six day van adventure to lower Michigan to enjoy some amazing public golf and a grueling day of solstice golf with The Fried Egg.

Fried Egg Golf flag at Diamond Springs

I took my time heading west, starting with a golf coach check-in with Erik in Erie and an overnight at ESP Brewing west of Cleveland. Big highlight was a repeat birding stop between Huron and Sandusky. Got some good photos of indigo bunting, some warblers, wood ducks, and swans.

One of my golf overnight stays

Played a small muni golf course then worked my way up to Michigan for an overnight and some pre-storm golf at Woodlawn Golf Club.

Teeing off at Calderone

My first Fried Egg community meetup was with 4 other golfers at Calderon Golf Club in Grass Lake, MI. Excellent course and an excellent value, around $50 walking though I rode a cart to conserve energy for the upcoming solstice. They claim to be a links-style course but I think prairie-land is a better description. Reminded me of Wild Horse in western Nebraska.

Before sunrise at Diamond Springs

After a dinner at a brewpub in Kalamazoo with one of my new golfing friends, we drove to Diamond Springs where we would overnight (Jeremy had an RV) at the course for the next two nights. We would both be up at about 5am to check-in, have some coffee and breakfast snacks, hit a few range balls, then venture to hole number 6 for our long day of golf. I rode the cart out with my playing partner for the day because number 6 was a long trek from the clubhouse. I’d ride for those first four holes then pick up my trolley and walk the rest of the day.

Grinding through 72 holes at Diamond Springs

The course was spectacular and a real treat to play each hole four times. We mostly played from the same tees (white) then moved up a tee box for the final round. We played 72 holes and I walked 68 of them, over 50,000 steps and about 26.2 miles of walking. Lots of lost balls as the first (and only) cut of rough was thick deep grass right of the fairway. The course cuts grass at two levels: one for greens, another for everything else (that gets cut). No distinct tee boxes as they are just an extension of the fairway. This gives a huge range of options for where to drop the tee markers. I don’t understand why more American courses don’t follow this template. Lower maintenance costs, more flexibility.

Bourbon to end the day

We concluded the day at about 8:30pm after 72 holes. A few groups played 74-75 holes, but I’m fairly certain I walked more than anyone else there. I was also one of the oldest players there. Jeremy and I shared a couple bourbons for tasting and had fun chatting with Fried Egg events guru Will and the other sicko golfers.

I wasn’t done with golf yet, joining about 15 other golfers the next day at Mines Golf Club, a Devries design (like Diamond Springs) that was a perfect bookend to my Michigan golf fun. The course started off a bit meh but ramped up in beauty and complexity at about hole 4. Massive green complexes with some very tricky approaches and putting.