A late February thaw in Michigan

The 17th at Washtenaw Golf Club February 27, 2026

Everything felt right in the world on Friday, as the late February thaw brought me back to my love Washtenaw Golf Club for a round.

Friday was actually my second round of February. The previous round, Washteaw wasn’t open, so I played in nearby Huron Hills.

Temperatures on Friday reached the upper 50s, but there was a strong wind blowing, so I was in a sweatshirt most of the day. At one point I overheated, so I switched to a vest; that didn’t last long; the wind cut.

Because the course had just emerged from under a blanket of snow, it was in good condition. There were quite a few wet spots, which was to be expected. There was still snow in places in bunkers and around trees. But overall the course was more playable than it had any right to be.

Kudos to Mark and the grounds crew for their hard maintenance all year round, making the off-season play so enjoyable.

On the first shot, I threw my lower back forward and bent awkwardly to pick up the tee. That made the rest of the lap a painful walk and limited my turning tremendously. But by the end of the round, all that walking had caused the disc to move back into place. Walking through the pain is usually the cure for my back problems. The temptation is to sit down, but I’ve found that this only makes it worse when I get up again. It is probably the muscles that are contracting.

Growing old sucks.