WYOMING, Mich. — "We have a story to share now," Luke Griemsman said before teeing off on the first hole with his father-in-law, Wally Wiegman.
The two play golf whenever they get together, but never this late in the year – in Michigan.
"I jokingly said this morning that we should go out there, now here we are," Griemsman said. "It's a little crazy."
The pair joined nearly 50 golfers playing on Christmas Eve at Maple Hill Golf on Ivanrest Avenue SW near Grandville.
There have been past years with golf all 12 months of the year, but this may be the first time Maple Hill is open on the holiday, co-owner Andy Kitchen said.
"If the snow melts, and if it's golfable, we'll let people golf," Kitchen said. "We've had some decent weather...but usually not where we can actually hit low 50s, where it's actually enjoyable."
Maple Hill opened its front nine to walkers Tuesday. It's one of several local golf courses open on Christmas Eve, including Ironwood, Indian Trails and Thornapple Pointe.
The course ebbs and flows with the weather, said Kim Davidson, horticulturist at Ironwood Golf Course in Byron Township.
"If it's balmy and the temperatures are par for the course, we will stay open," Davidson said. "[To] say you played golf on Christmas eve in Michigan, that's pretty cool. As far as Michiganders go, we're a tough brood. We'll go out if it's 40 and there's no snow on the ground. Why not?"
Some West Michigan courses do not post specific closing dates but have weather-dependent hours.
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