Golf Things That Make Me Happy: Rounds That Finish After 9 p.m.

I finished a round tonight at Indian River Golf Club at 9:30 p.m.

Evening rounds like these in Northern Michigan are absolutely delightful and near the top of the list of golf things that make me happy.

I teed off a little after 6 p.m., playing three holes fairly quickly before running into a couple of guys who were waiting for the group ahead. They asked if I wanted to join them; I happily accepted. Playing in a group of three set a pace that minimized waiting on the tee boxes.

Andy and James were fun to play with, but were done after nine holes. It was 8 p.m. at that point.

Given that the first nine had taken two hours, I thought I might not finish the round before darkness fell.

I didn’t see anyone ahead of me on ten. Or on eleven. Or on twelve. At that point, I realized that the groups with tee times in the five o’clock hour likely were only out for nine. I didn’t see another group until the seventeenth.

With the course to myself, I played a couple of balls, strolled leisurely and just enjoyed the cool evening air.

Deer were out. Ravens in the trees lectured me for having the audacity to be on the course when they thought they finally had the place to themselves.

Such a peaceful and wonderful experience.

I manage to play several of these late evening rounds each year in Northern Michigan. There’s really nothing I’ve experienced in golf like them.