Is Competitive Golf for You?

If Bubba Watson’s win in Augusta earlier this month showed the golfing world one thing, it was certainly the fact that technique isn’t everything when it comes to golf.

By now, everyone has heard about Watson’s “homegrown swing“ and the fact that the new Masters champion never took a golf lesson in his life. Watson won because he had one thing the rest of the field didn’t – a strong mental edge. Experts will tell you that the only way to develop the attitude of a champion is through competition.

Competitive golf is like a juiced up form of the game, according to Chris Mile, President of Miles of Golf in Ypsilanti, Michigan. For many golfers, competition adds an element to the game that makes it incredibly fun. For others, it is a form of torture.

In the three-part article, Miles kicks off with clues and questions to help you decide if competition is right for you. Answer “yes” and Part II continues with tips on how to practice when a tournament is looming. Part III covers how to prep on the day of the competition. Click here to see it.

Gearing Up: Steelhead as Trout Season Approaches

As winter turns to spring, the streams rise and fall, and anglers turn their attention to visions of leaping steelhead and trout rising to flies on northern Michigan’s many Blue Ribbon streams.

Opening day is the last Saturday in April. Is this the year you give it a try? Not only is the fishing in northern Michigan some of the best in the world for wild rainbow, brown, brook trout, and spring steelhead, it’s also a great place to learn exactly how it’s done.

Streamside Orvis offers casting and fishing school, plus full service, guided fly fishing trips on the Manistee, Boardman River, the Platte, the Betsie, and every local Blue Ribbon stream in between.

The experienced guides at Streamside Orvis are all Orvis Endorsed, fully licensed, highly skilled, and courteous experts. Most guides are FFF Certified Casting Instructors. Whether you’re looking for your first fly rod or just the latest hatch information, beginners and experts alike will always find the Streamside Orvis staff eager to share their knowledge with you.

Single-Parent Travel Tips

“Easy” is something single parenting is not. When you’re not at the office you’re home playing the role of mother and father, short-order cook, taxi driver, play-date planner, head-laundry technician, and household janitor. Weekends are grocery shopping, cutting the grass, and trying to catch up on some sleep.

For many single parents, just the idea of going on vacation probably sounds like an unnecessary chore. But what if there were ways to simplify your trip – and have some free time for yourself while you were there?

This article from the folks at Frommer’s, the travel books series, offers some great ideas on how to plan a successful single-parent family vacation.

More and more resorts and travel companies are beginning to offer vacation packages geared toward single-parents traveling with children. As with any vacation, you’re biggest expense will likely be the food and accommodations. Look for package offers that include stay-and-eat specials, some may even include some recreational activites or programs for the kids. Avoid “deals” that don’t make mention of the discounted room rates for children; the bane of single-parent travel is the “single’s supplement fee,” so make sure to look for deals that charge by the room, not the occupancy.

Women: Is too much stress making you fat?

If you pay any attention to health news, you no doubt heard about a newly discovered link between weight gain in women and elevated levels of the hormone cortisol.

Turns out, there might be more to winning the battle for good health than just cutting calories and exercising. Find out why, when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, your best course of action might be to quit fighting and simply retreat.

The day-to-day struggle to make deadlines and appointments and a less than tranquil work environment are just some of the things that can make every day feel like walking in a mine field. For many women, it might also be the reason it’s so hard to reach or maintain a healthy weight.

According to a recent article in the online magazine Women to Women, the adrenal gland - which governs the body’s stress response, helps balance a woman’s blood sugar, and regulate many other of our body’s processes – produces cortisol to help us mobilize energy production from carbohydrates and fats. But, says the theory, the body can’t tell the difference between one kind of stress and another. When daily life brings constant feelings of gloom and impending doom, cortisol levels can get out of whack and the body prepares for disaster the only way it knows how – by storing calories in the form of fat, especially in the belly region.

Reset Your Life

In recent months, online magazines from Forbes to Access Hollywood have been highlighting ways to de-stress and shed belly fat. Experts advise to women to get more sleep, meditate, take up yoga, drink less coffee eat less sugar, and more Vitamin C.

Other health expert tips include spending less time alone in the gym and more time doing something active with friends. With the list of “forbidden foods” constantly changing with every new diet fad, watching what you eat may also be causing you undue stress. Maybe the best advice is to just take a break from it all. Check out on the routine and hit life’s reset button with a mini-vacation where you can use the time to reframe your priorities and revitalize your spirit.

And here’s where The Homestead may be able to help. We’re kicking off the summer with a special woman’s weekend vacation package. Check out the details and book your visit today.

Now You’re Cookin’!

Looking to spring into the season with some new skills sure to impress friends and loved ones? Classes at The Homestead’s new Divina Cucina Cooking School kick off soon. Check out the new schedule and sign up to master the art of Italian cuisine.

Divina Cucina Cooking School

Beautiful, scenic places naturally inspire a passion for fine food and wine. Leelanau County is already becoming known throughout America as the Midwest’s best wine region. Last year, Leelanau County’s top resort, The Homestead, took a major step toward securing its position as one of the nation’s top culinary destinations with the opening of the 900 square foot cooking school facility, Divina Cucina.

A Vacation with Class

Think of it as play with a purpose—a little “constructive recreation.” That’s the idea behind a learning vacation at The Homestead where you can come, relax, and take classes to learn your way around a golf course, a tennis court, a trout stream, and, now the kitchen.

Those who’ve visited The Homestead and have experienced the classically inspired, contemporary Italian cuisine at Nonna’s often go away wondering just how the man in charge of the kitchen makes everything taste so sublime.

That question is answered in a series of two-hour classes offered this spring and summer by The Homestead’s own Chef Piombo and a variety of distinguished visiting chefs. In April, for instance, the special guest chefs will be The Homestead’s friends at Carmela Foods who will treat students to a wine and cheese tasting Friday night followed by Saturday’s class where students will learn how to prepare exquisite Italian offerings using products provided by Carmela.

Divina Cucina classes aim to teach students the techniques of Italian food cooking and preparation, how to realize a full high-level menu, how to choose dishes according to the season, and the different techniques in dish presentation.

Watch, Join In, Learn

Classes are informal and blend professional demonstration with hands-on student involvement. Chef Piombo involves students in every stage of the cooking process: from selecting the right ingredients (some from The Homestead’s own gardens) to the kitchen where students learn the techniques that lead to the explosions of flavor and color that the foods of Italy are known for.

To cap off the experience, students get to eat what they have prepared. Classes will be offered for at least four students, up to a maximum of eight. Check out the class schedule below and call 231.334.5150 to secure your spot.

2012 Class Schedule

April 28 Baked Pastas Cooking Demonstration
May 5 Tenderloin Three Ways Cooking Demonstration
May 12 Art of Making Gnocchi Hands-On Cooking Class
May 19 Pastas of Italy Cooking Demonstration
June 2 Art of Risotto Hands-On Cooking Class
June 9 Cuisine of Genoa Cooking Demonstration

Did You Know: Easter Brunch Quiz

There are a couple must-have food items on every Easter Sunday table. Check out what they are, what they mean, and get a sneak peak at what’s on the Easter brunch menu at Nonna’s April 8th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

What Would Easter Be Without Ham?

What would Easter brunch be without eggs and ham? Not very traditional, that’s for sure.

Eating ham traces its roots back to pagan times when you couldn’t buy your cured and salted meats in a grocery store. Back then, pigs were slaughtered in autumn and the curing process wasn’t finished until spring. Those poor pagans didn’t have refrigerators either, which meant the meat had to be eaten rather quickly once it was finished. This whole process coincided with the Easter meal, spring, and new beginnings, which is why ham is also associated with good luck.

Eggs symbolize life, immortality, and rebirth for many religions and cultures throughout the world. But they became a food staple on the Easter table many centuries ago. Seems the egg was a banned food item during the 40-day fast of Lent, which made them a very desirable food item during the Eastern Sunday feast.

The traditional Eastern brunch table has changed over the centuries. Foods that used to be hugely popular but are increasingly uncommon include lamb (associated with Jesus, the “lamb” of God) and “twisted dough pretzels.” You remember as children singing about hot crossed buns? Well, the twisted dough of these pretzels is considered symbolic of praying arms, while the three holes symbolized the Holy Trinity.

New Traditions

Fresh lobster and shrimp, rib eye mignon (served with smoked tomato vinaigrette and scrambled eggs), eggs Benedict, mimosas, and Bloody Mary’s are food items you would have never found on a pagan Easter table. But they are on the menu of the Sunday brunch The Homestead is planning for guests of Nonna’s on April 8^th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Easter Sunday Brunch is a growing tradition for guests and residents at The Homestead. So after you check out this sneak peek of what’s on the menu this year, make your reservations early by calling 231-334-5150.

Play For the Cup!

You love to golf and she doesn’t? No problem. This June marks the first annual Manitou Cup—a two-man tournament for male amateurs—and The Homestead is kicking it off with this special, competition-weekend package that has a little something for everyone.

Manitou Passage Golf Club

One of the goals in founding of the Manitou Passage Golf Club was to design a course that provided players an equal measure of challenging play and breathtaking, natural scenery. This summer, the competition will decide if these lofty aspirations were met.

The Manitou Cup is an amateur, 18-hole contest held on Northern Michigan’s newest Arnold Palmer designed course. The special event takes place June 1-3^rd when two-man teams will compete in a net-best ball format played over two rounds. Competition will be intense, but the field will be limited to just 60 teams. The Manitou Cup and other prizes will be awarded in the afternoon on Sunday, June 3^rd.

So what about the ladies, you ask? To make this event fun for everyone, The Homestead has come up with some great vacation package options for you and your significant other, whether the latter is a golfer or not.

Player’s Package

Just-for-Fun Par 3 Tournament on Mountain Flowers, the course at The Homestead that offers stunning water views
Welcome Reception at Manitou Passage Golf Club, cookout, alcoholic beverages, and transportation included
Breakfast buffet at The Homestead or at Manitou Passage Golf Club
Transportation to and from two 18 hole rounds with box lunches at the Manitou Passage
Three course, gourmet dinner with wine pairing at The Homestead’s top restaurant, Nonna’s
Cocktail hour and awards dinner with wine pairings at The Homestead’s Camp Firefly
Hospitality room for three nights
Accommodations for three nights
Tournament gift bag

Non-Player’s Package

The Homestead is centrally located in the heart of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, which means non-golfing spouses will have plenty to do when Saturday’s competition kicks off.

For starters, the nearby towns of Glen Arbor, Leland, and Sutton’s Bay offer shopping for everything from unique clothing and gifts to local arts and crafts. Find a nice stretch of beach to call your own for the day or simply go on a drive along the now famous M-22 coastal highway. This beautiful stretch of road winds past farm stands, local produce and wine shops—truly the gateway to everything that inspired the country to vote this region “The Most Beautiful Place in America.”

Once back at The Resort, your weekend package includes:

$50 Gift Certificate good at either The Homestead’s luxurious Spa Amira or new Lillyjade salon
Welcome Reception at Manitou Passage Golf Club, including cookout, alcoholic beverages, and transportation
Three course gourmet dinner with wine pairing at The Homestead’s top restaurant, Nonna’s
Day pass to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, allowing you to drive and walk the any of the stunning trails
Cocktail hour and awards dinner with wine pairings at The Homestead’s Camp Firefly
Hospitality room for three nights
Shared accommodations for three nights
Gift bag of select welcome items

For more on package pricing and to book your vacation today, contact 231-334-5100.

Take a Photography Tour

The Homestead has partnered with naturalist photographer, Mark Carlson, and digital imaging guru, Bob Grzesiak, to offer Great Lakes Photo Tours this season. Find out how to get your insider’s pass to discovering the most scenic coastal outlooks and breathtaking natural wonders in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The Homestead has partnered with naturalist photographer, Mark Carlson, and digital imaging guru, Bob Grzesiak, to offer Great Lakes Photo Tours this season. Find out how to get your insiders’ pass to discovering the most scenic coastal outlooks and breathtaking natural wonders in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Have you ever been on vacation, looked at the postcards on the rack of a local souvenir shop, and wondered, “Wow! Wouldn’t it be great to take pictures like that?” If you’re Up in Michigan at the Sleeping Bear Dunes, The Homestead knows two great northern Michigan image makers who would be more than happy to show you how.

So many guests of The Homestead have used the resort as a home base while attending one of Mark Carlson and Bob Grzesiak’s Great Lakes Photo Tours that we decided to start promoting this unique adventure to our guests. Having our region voted “The Most Beautiful Place in America” last year means this year’s tour dates will likely fill up fast; in other words, book now to reserve your spot.

Whether just learning your way around the camera or come into the tour as a more advanced “photog” looking to deepen your files, Carlson and Grzesiak can personalize your experience to make sure you get the most out of it.

Carlson’s images have appeared in magazine, books, and calendars. His fine art photography regularly exhibits in galleries & private collections throughout the country. Carlson has been exploring the region since boyhood and presents a wealth of naturalist information to attendees, as well as many helpful tips and suggestions on how to make you a better nature photographer, regardless of equipment or skill level.

Grzesiak decodes the “tech-talk of digital image photography into understandable, layman’s terms. His expertise in assisting digital photographers with their camera and accessories allows tour attendees the opportunity to create cherished photographs, not just memories, while enjoying this unique photo excursion.

Together, your guides bring over 50 years of combined experience as professionals in their respective fields. To check out the 2012 schedule, go to www.greatlakesphototours.com. The Homestead is offering discount Great Lake Photo Tour packages throughout the season that includes a special rate that combines lodging and tour costs.

To find out more, contact 231-334-5100.

Something New, Something Blue

Artist Rendering of Camp Firefly Addition

Conventional wisdom says change comes slowly. It didn’t at Camp Firefly. The work on the recently announced expansion designed to accommodate up to 100 wedding guests wasn’t a day old when a change, a major change, was made.

While working together, the builders and the wedding sales team saw an opportunity to use a new, altogether different design to create a stunningly beautiful ceremony site. Almost immediately, plans for the screen porch and a deck cantilevered over a pond were scrapped.

In their place is a plan for a porch that flows seamlessly down wide stone steps to a two-tier pond side ceremony site surrounded by wildflower gardens. The ceremony site will be visible from a guest seating area on the opposite side of the pond.

“We wanted to create a very romantic, very natural setting with unmatched visibility for all. This does it,” said Barb Ellis of the sales team.

Artist Rendering of Camp Firefly Exterior

Start with Vitamin D

The January 16th Rochester-Rochester Hills Patch did a feature on Megan Wilson an experienced esthetician who offered secrets to great winter skin even when it is suffereing from the lack of Vitamin D.

“Get outside!” is the first tip Wilson offered. “In Michigan fair-skinned people should get five to eight minutes of sun exposure without SPF. People with darker complexions can get 10 to 15 minutes of exposure.”

Recommended exposures are two to three times per week. Vitamin D helps everything in our bodies including our skin.