A lot has changed since Mike Areddy applied to become the fourth Head Golf Pro for Travis Pointe Country Club some time around Christmas of 1989. The course itself had been established a dozen years earlier, but had only become a wholely member-owned concern in 1988. Never a place to rest on laurels, it had already been renovated. [1]
At the same time, Mr Areddy had well prepared himself to add commensurate value on the grounds. He was coming from a position held five years as assistant professional at Pine Lake. For seven years before that, he was with Franklin Hills. And now after twenty-nine years in Lodi Township, Mike Areddy has announced plans for retirement effective December 31. [2,3]
Before that, however, Saline Journal made arrangements to sit down with him on site in order to gather some of his thoughts on that history, his work, and “the game of life.” [4]
In a nutshell, the role of the golf pro here is to own the golf shop and run all in-house programs. This accounts for about ninety days in a typical season. This year, Travis Pointe is slated to host sixteen Monday outings on the course. But Mr Areddy described his work in more personal terms. [5]
“I try to teach the game and make it fun.”
Earlier this year, Michigan Golf Live! host Bill Hobson distinguished golf as a game that “develops character” and “demands honesty.” These are words that show up regularly, clearly establishing integral philosophy if not bordering on religion or risking cliché. The approach one takes to golf is the approach one takes to life, the argument might hold; and vice versa. Mr Areddy very much sees it this way as well. [6,7,8]
This is the only sport that doesn’t have a referee. You call penalties on yourself. That is why we talk about ‘character’ and ‘trust.’
This is also an individual sport. ‘Three hundred’ in baseball makes you an All Star. In golf, if you don’t perform, you don’t get paid; you don’t reap any benefits. Other sports have signed contracts. We don’t.
Look for character. It’s great for socialization skills: You are in front of people, so you see how someone playing handles tough situations. If I was a corporate person, I’d have to play golf with someone to know him as a someone I’d work with in business.
Mike Areddy has his next moves set starting January 1, 2019 as well. “I plan to be in every Michigan PGA tournament. I’m absolutely a passionate golfer. I’ve kept my body in shape for this.” [9]
He went on to credit Tiger Woods for one of the more significant changes to the game that he has seen over his own career, as well as instructive to this thinking. “Tiger Woods made the game athletic. The press became to get your body in shape to play golf. He was the motivating factor. [10]
“When I got into the game, players were five-foot, nine. Now they are six-foot, six-foot, four. The game is attracting these players. They have an advantage in hitting the ball further.”
Looking to the future of golf in this area, the LPGA Volvik Championship was an obvious touchpoint. First and foremost, he cited the significant revenue that that tournament brings to Ann Arbor and Saline through the people it attracts. Locally, this is far from limited to Travis Pointe — benefitting Brookside, Stonebridge, and X-Golf. “It helps the golf industry by previewing the game of golf for a lot people who have never been. It shows the public what is already happening in the strong men’s and women’s golf programming in Saline schools. [11,12,13,14,15,16]
Two months ago, Bill Hobson told Saline Journal about rumors of a PGA return here. If so, don’t be surprised to see more coverage of Mike Areddy post-retirement, as an active competitor on the links.
References
- Travis Pointe Country Club (home page).
- Pine Lake Country Club (home page).
- Franklin Hills Country Club (home page).
- “Golf: The Game Of Life” Brent Beshore (August 20, 2012) Forbes.
- “Active Michigan Golf Season: Official Michigan golf season is April 1 – Oct 31” Golf Association of Michigan.
- “Tee Time Is Set for 6:00am Saturday on Radio Station AM 1600 in Washtenaw County” Dell Deaton (May 4, 2018) Saline Journal.
- “In golf, brutal honesty is par for the course” David Wharton (September 27, 2010) Los Angeles Times.
- “Golf is a game that depends on honesty and integrity” Donald Allred (January 11, 2010) Dayton Daily News.
- Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) (home page).
- Tiger Woods (home page).
- Volvik Championship (home page).
- Brookside Golf Course (home page).
- Stonebridge Golf Club (home page).
- X-Golf Ann Arbor (home page).
- “It’s 35 Degrees in March, the Sun Has Set: Perfect Time to Play Golf” Dell Deaton (March 20, 2018) Saline Journal.
- “SHS Senior has Connected LPGA Volvik Championship to Saline on National Stage for Years” Janet Deaton (May 2, 2018) Saline Journal.
