up in michigan
The author's Dad, enjoying a walk down memory lane.
A NICE DAY FOR A DRIVE by CAROL VOTAW
Reliving sweet summer memories at Crystal Downs.
Designed by Alister MacKenzie and Perry Maxwell, Golf Digest ranks Crystal Downs the 14th best golf course in the U.S., and Golfweek ranks it the best private course in Michigan. Arguably the greatest golf course designer of all time, MacKenzie also designed Augusta National, Cypress Point and the Royal Melbourne. The views at Crystal Downs are spectacular, even on cloudy days. I park the car and we climb up to the restaurant. We make our way carefully, although we do take a daunting shortcut for a 91-year-old. It’s a bit steep, but I take Dad’s arm and together we climb. We make it to a long stone stairway with a wrought-iron railing that sweeps elegantly to the restaurant perched atop the hill. Like a trooper, Dad climbs to the top. We walk around the patio and admire the gardens and striking views. Five years earlier, I NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE
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photo courtesy of Carol Votaw
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he deck is wet from last night’s rain. It’s gray and cool. What to do on a summer day when the weather didn’t get the message that you’re on vacation? Rather than let the day slip away, I come up with a way to pass a few cloudy hours. My 91-year-old dad is just finishing breakfast. He’s immersed in an article when I interrupt his reverie. “Hey Dad, I’m going to Frankfort to pick up some smoked fish, want to come?” “No, I think I’d rather stay home and read.” Hmm … I try again: “Why don’t you come just to keep me company?” “When are you leaving?” “Fifteen minutes.” “Fifteen, huh?” “What else are you going to do on a cool, cloudy day?” That did it. “You know, Carol, I think I will join you.” Yes! The lake is churning out waves full of attitude. Clouds are slung low and heavy across the sky. I doubt Eeyore could have ordered a gloomier day than the looks of this one. Yet, soon we are cruising along the north shore of Crystal Lake listening to a new CD I picked up in Empire by a kid who just graduated from Hillsdale College. The bluesy folk music matches today’s moody clouds perfectly. As we round the west shore, I see the gate to Crystal Downs and suggest we take the scenic drive to the clubhouse that overlooks Crystal Lake to the east and Lake Michigan to the west. Summer homes nestle in the high hills above this remarkable Scottish links course that steals me back to another time. We drive through a tunnel of trees that winds higher and higher until it opens up to a vast backdrop of rolling land speckled with sand traps and tall, heather roughs.
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