RUMPLE 2008: NEW BEGINNINGS
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RUMPLE 2008: NEW BEGINNINGS |
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LEWISTON, MI AUGUST 14-17, 2008 
Garland Resort 
Lewiston, MI 
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In 2008, the Rumple took on Garland Resort. A Michigan home-grown resort complex, built on insulated garage door money. Could that possibly be true? It is and we made it our own. Upside? Condos with propane piped under the ground to grills on the deck. Downside? The staff was, let's just say it wasn't the most welcoming of places. We also introduced the Saturday afternoon Rumple Scramble to rave reviews. Rumplers played barefoot, beer was gathered during rounds as we drove by the condos, then confiscated by the rangers. The German snapped Boo's 5 iron swinging at his ball in a tree and our second mascot, a fox fond of bunkers, carried D'oh's ball into the swamp. We had our biggest group yet and really gave Garland our all. The scramble was a bug success and we crowned two worthy champions. We had our first mini-cook off and discovered the wonders of Green Mountain family mustard. Just like the Rumple, delicious. |
The Golf: The courses were a nice mix of pure Michigan and watery novelty. A couple courses had 6 par 5s, 6 par 4s, and 6 par 3s, which wasn't a bad break from normal formats and a great set up for scrambles. There is a bald eagle's nest on one of the holes and as you play the previous hole and come back, it isn't as rare as you might think to see one of them soaring overhead or feeding an eaglet. Perhaps not the best shape of the courses we've played over the years, but a nice challenge for all and, for the first time in Rumple history, the last hole had a chance to decide the raw winner. In the end, Boo got his second raw title and Gun Range made the Grand title his own, going sub 100 for all 4 rounds. The courses were all served out of the same clubhouse and shared beer stands and beer cart girls. They also shared personalities. Good golf, good fun, but a fairly tame set of tracks. How do we know? No one threatened double par. This is our way. 
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The Story: Well, as I mentioned, the food in 2008 was spectacular. Boo's pork loins, Gun Range's ribs, Sherm's beer can chicken and Green Mountain family mustard, were excellent. We rolled up strong on the grills. We also found creative ways to liven up the place, like early morning cart rides through the woods to stock up the carts with a few cold ones. Perhaps one of the most memorable moments occurred as we closed in twilight on Friday afternoon. As we watched the final group hit up, a fox jumped out of the swamp and buried a golf ball in the green-side bunker. D'oh then proceeds to land a ball in the very same bunker. The fox picked it up and carried it back into the swamp. Rumple Ruling: The fox giveth and the fox taketh away. Bogey. |
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