I resisted posting in this thread for the longest time, as it came off originally as one of those contrived threads where there's not much else to do given our current state of affairs, but come up with off-the-wall topics to help pass time. That said, the more I delved into it, the more I delighted in many of the contributions made, in addition to the stories and courses where the events took place. As several from the mitten state of Michigan have already intimated, there is a contingent of hearty, die-hard golfers in our state that will play virtually in any conditions provided the course in question is open for play and not snow covered. Typically, there is at least one day if not one weekend in our coldest months (Dec., Jan. and Feb.) where you can get out and play many courses in Southeast, MI, as temps usually warm to 40 degrees plus and there is no snow covering the ground. That's how golf hungry some are in the state. As for me..............I prefer not to play in inclement weather or temps below 50 degrees. I typically have the luxury of picking and choosing when I play, but when you make a commitment to play with someone - either a casual round or tournament - you show up and play regardless of the conditions.
One such occasion happened back when I was a member at Western Golf and Country Club. The club has a trio of Toughman tournaments held in mid Oct. (Toughman), mid. Nov. (Tougherman) and wherever they can fit it in Dec. (Toughestman). I played in the Tougherman tournament in Nov. 10th, 2016 in the most miserable conditions I ever experienced in my golfing life - either as a caddie or player. It was a shotgun start and the temps that day were 33 at the start and never got above 35. In addition to battling high winds and driving rain squalls much of the day, there were holes my partner and I were on where it was hailing, sleeting or snowing. Oh, and the sun did manage to come out for a hole or two, which gave us virtually every fall/winter weather condition in Michigan one could experience in a 5 hr. round. I was cold and uncomfortable the entire time. Were it not for the full cart cover my partner had I may have got frost bite. I don't know. The veterans at the club who knew better had portable heaters in their carts. My partner brought one of those as well, but couldn't get it to work, thus we were at nature's mercy.
Ironically, I played pretty good golf despite not always being able to fully feel the grips on my clubs or even hold on to them at times. Of course, when you survive an experience like that you tend to share and relive it with those in the same boat at the 19th hole, which is always a ton of fun. But thanks to the creation of this thread, I am able to share it with my GCA family. As fate would have it, I never played in another Toughman tournament at the club past the first one in October, as once in Nov. or beyond was enough for me and my thin blood. LOL!