The First Round of 2026 And The Streak Reaches 131.

Several days of above-freezing temperatures and a bit of rain melted away the snow, so on Thursday, I headed over to Washtenaw Golf Club for an early January round.

For anyone keeping track, today’s round marks the 131st consecutive month in which I have played at one round of golf in Michigan. The first week or so of January almost always has a few days of thaw, so I was not at all surprised by the window of opportunity.

As is usual, I was not the only one out for a winter round. Indeed, on nearly every round I can remember, there has been at least one other person — and usually several — braving the cold in pursuit of their golf obsessions.

On this day, I would not be surprised to learn there were fifty on course at Washtenaw. I saw several friends and got a chance to play with one.

I also would not be surprised if there were others out there with playing streaks as long as — or longer than mine. My friend Bill told me that his wife Nancy has a fifty-month streak in the works. That is also quite impressive.

Unsurprisingly (at least to me), Washtenaw was in great shape considering that it was under a blanket of snow at the beginning of the week. Below is a photo from two days ago, when Washtenaw was thawing out, and a cloud of fog blanketed the course.

There is not much to be learned about one’s golf game on winter rounds. The ball doesn’t fly as far in the cold air, and the extra layers of clothes restrict the turn and follow-through. Often ground conditions are sub-optimal. My friend Bill — a very good player — was carrying a four-club Sunday bag and said he was just out for the walk.

That was the thought of the day. On winter rounds, we are all just out for the walk; a chance to be outdoors on a beautiful parklands course for a few hours between weeks of snow and bitter cold.