A sudden warming and overnight rains washed away weeks of February snow, bringing out dozens to play yesterday at Huron Hills in Ann Arbor.
Huron Hills is open year-round, and has an honor box for payment when no one is in the modest clubhouse. I’ve seen people out on the course in sub-freezing weather and when there’s more visible snow than grass (I may have been one of those myself).
The staff must have been anticipating a lot of play on Wednesday, because there were actually two gentlemen behind the counter.
The price to go around and shake off the winter rust was just $5.
One of the best Lincoln’s I’ve ever spent.
When I teed off around noon, the day was grey and fifty degrees. By the time I started my second go around the seven open holes, the skies were sunny and I shed the sweatshirt for a vest and the winter hat for a summer one.
I’ have been working diligently the last month on a major swing change, and this day was the first live fire test. It went ok. I struggled a bit off the tee, but hit the hybrid and two irons I brought fairly well.
On winter days, I find that a five-club bag is all I really need. I have a driver, a three hybrid, a seven iron and a pitching wedge for some altitude. I actually considered skipping the putter and putting with the wedge edge, but thought better of it at the last minute.
Winter rounds are not about scoring well, or working on your game. They’re about being outdoors after being cooped up for weeks. Every shot — no matter how bad — is a win.
There was more snow on the ground than I expected, creating some interesting roll-outs. I count snow as “casual water” — what the USGA calls “temporary water.”
Under the Abnormal Course Conditions rule, a player can get free relief by dropping within a club length of the nearest point clear of the water, no closer to the hole.
What is snow, if not frozen casual water?
Snow aside, the course also was very wet, as would be expected from an overnight rain and sudden thaw. On a couple of the greens, putting left a rooster tail of water flying out behind the ball.
The bottoms of many of the cups were either full or water, or a plug of ice.
After nearly losing a white ball in a snow drift, I switched to an orange and yellow Vice sunset ball.
I spotted what I am pretty sure is one of the bald eagles that calls the Huron River valley home. I’ve spotted a Bald Eagle on several occasions over Washtenaw Golf Club.
Huron Hills also boasted the carcass of a deer.
My playing partner thought it might have frozen under a snow drift. I think it more likely it was hit by a car on the nearby road and staggered on the course afterwards.
Temperatures are going to drop again over the next couple of days, but the ten day forecast says it should get back up into the forties again by the end of next week.
That’s warm enough. Hopefully, I’ll get another round in before March arrives.
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