The biggest news at Bahle Farms this summer had nothing to do with weather or golf.
Owners Melissa Obis and her husband, Crosley Duckmann, were married on the property in early June.
“It truly felt like a dream come true,” Obis said. “We couldn’t imagine doing it anywhere else.”
A shaky forecast gave way to a 75-degree, blue-sky day, and much of the wedding party was visiting Leelanau County — and Bahle Farms — for the first time from the Duckmann’s roots in Indiana.
“It was really special to get to share that moment with them, and show them what we’ve been up to for the past five years,” Obis said.
Bahle Farms Golf Course is deep in its steady peak season, according to co-owner Melissa Obis.
“It’s been interesting navigating the different weather we’ve been getting this summer,” Obis said, pointing to a wetter-thanusual stretch of rain and, more recently, a run of wildfire haze that settled over the region. Earlier this month was the worst of it.
Staff moved indoors, and the course left the call up to golfers themselves — about half canceled, half came out anyway.
By Friday and Saturday, the haze had thinned and golfers were ready to get back out.
Looking toward August and September, the calendar fills in fast.
On Sunday, Aug. 2, Bahle Farms hosts its annual Dre Day golf scramble, a four-person event held in memory of Andre Schnapp, a Leland local and Bailey Farms regular. Proceeds benefit Moondog: Dre’s Legacy, an organization set up by Schnapp’s partner, Alison, who also runs Sundog Kennel. The fund supports local causes focused on youth golf and animal welfare.
Live music follows the round. The course’s annual Big Hole Scramble follows on Sept. 26 — played with 8-inch cups — and Obis said registration typically fills up fast once it opens.
“That one goes quick,” she said, pointing golfers to the course website and its eclub list for the earliest word when signups open.
Ladies Night continues weekly through September: a 9-hole scramble every Wednesday at 5 p.m., followed by complimentary charcuterie on the patio.
It’s a drop-in league open to golfers of any skill level, though golfers need to call ahead to reserve a spot for the week they want. Obis said the night has grown into one of the course’s favorite traditions, with local businesses sponsoring prizes and a low-key, non-competitive atmosphere. “A lot of people end up meeting female golfing friends,” she said, “and then you’ll see them out on the tee sheet on a different day golfing together, which is just amazing and makes me so happy.”
TCJGA Heads into Championship week
Traverse City Junior Golf is closing out its regular tournament season, and Executive Director Todd Hursey said turnout has held up despite a rough stretch of wildfire haze in the middle of the summer.
“Our numbers are good,” Hursey said. “We’re blessed to serve the kids of the area, in a great game that we get to play.”
The haze did force one cancellation at Crystal Lake.
Hursey said Bay Meadows, the program’s home course, didn’t fully shut down but was noticeably quiet for a few days as families weighed the air quality.
T he9-holechampionshipsare set for Tuesday, July 28, closing out the regular season with both regular-season and championship awards.
The 18-hole championships follow Aug. 2 and 3, when the program will crown its player of the year. Hursey described the structure as more akin to a series of standalone events than a season-long league.
“These are all standalone tournaments,” he said. “It’s not like we’re handing out awards at each one — we’ll do our final awards” at the close of the 18-hole championships.
Junior golf camps are running at Bay Meadows nearly every day through August.
“You could almost come out any day at Bay Meadows and there’s some sort of camp going on,” Hursey said.
The program also holds junior clinics for younger kids on Monday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Hursey noted the program is also hosting a tournament at Bahle Farms Sunday.
