A December round in Michigan and the streak extends to 130 months

December started with a snowstorm and persistent cold. Just a week ago I thought I had played my last round of 2025.

Then the wind shifted, the cold air lifted, and the snow quickly melted away. On Monday the 23rd the mercury reached the mid forties and I went out for a spin.

With the round, my streak of consecutive months of golfing in Michigan extended to 130.

Others also benefited from the brief warm-up. I got out well before noon and by the time I left, the parking lot at Washtenaw was half full.

For a trail that had just been thawed by several weeks of snow, Washtenaw was in good shape and unexpectedly green.

The ponds were still frozen as a reminder that despite the recent warming, it was still December in Michigan.

I tried out a new (for me) product on the course: Royal Tees winter tees.

Royal Tees Golf, based in Jackson, Michigan, makes a variety of soft rubber tees with a distinctive crenellated top, like a rook in a standard chess set. While most of their products have rubber tops with a pin on the bottom, these have large rubber bottoms that allow you to place the tee on the frozen ground. There were three sizes in the package: two different heights for drivers and a nice low one for irons. The base of the low tee is shaped like a crescent, allowing the iron to hit the ground before it hits the tee. It has been well thought out.

The tees worked very well, but the iron tee really flew off after I hit it. A few times I had to spend more time looking for that T-shirt than I would have liked. In both cases I found it a few meters away.

As a bonus, I also got out on Christmas Eve for another round. It was ten degrees cooler and the sun wasn’t shining, but I still had a good time.

And again, I wasn’t the only person on the course.

Michiganders love golf, and this proves it.

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