Improving your golf, learning to fly fish, sail and surf—check out this shortlist of unique learning opportunities happening in around the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore this summer.
Sail
[source: northportsailing.org]
Registration for youth sailing classes (students ages 8 – 18) at the Northport Youth Sailing School is now open. Enrollment is limited to six per session for Little Puffs, Beginners, Intermediate & Advanced Single-Hand and eight students for Advanced Double-Hand. Sessions begin July 5th (four days per week) and run until the first week of August.
Little Puffs: Designed for eight and nine year olds, this class will provide an introduction to sailing and comfort in and around the water. Activities include group sailing, knot tying, swim test, capsize drill, rigging and de-rigging an Opti and partner sailing.
Beginner: For beginning sailors ages 10-16 and sailors who have completed the Little Puffs Class. Emphasis is on basics and feeling comfortable on the water. Be ready to learn rigging, boat handling, terminology, capsize and recovery, knot tying, and marine safety. The maximum weight for beginners is 120 pounds.
Intermediate: Intended as a follow-up to Beginner. Sailors will strengthen their basic skills, become proficient at all points of sail and sail single-handed. Practicing tacking, jibing, sail trim, boat handling, knot tying, review of weather recognition and capsize and recovery are all goals of the class. The maximum weight for intermediate sailors is 120 pounds. Intermediate is offered in the morning only.
Advanced Double-Hand: Designed for those sailors who have mastered basic sailing. Sailors will strengthen sailing skills, and focus on boat handling, right of way, sailing in all conditions, and partner responsibilities. You must weigh at least 70 lbs. If you’re rated as an advanced double-hand sailor but weigh less than 70 lbs., please register for intermediate.
Advanced Single-Hand: Designed for those sailors who have mastered basic sailing. Sailors will strengthen sailing skills, and focus on boat handling, right of way, sailing in all conditions and racing. You must weigh at least 100 lbs. and have completed double-hand. If you weigh between 70 and 100 lbs., register for advanced double-hand.
Classes are held at 105 Bay Street in Northport (at the south end of the marina). For more information, and to register, go to www.northportsailing.org.
Surf
[source: sbsurfandkayak.com]
Learn to surf on Lake Michigan! Sleeping Bear Surf & Kayak in Empire offers regular 1.5-hour surfing lessons throughout the summer on the shores of Lake Michigan with an instructor-to-student ratio of 1:4 or less. Just meet at the shop fifteen minutes before your reserved lesson time to get suited up (SBSK rents wetsuits, if needed), then head to the lighthouse or, in some cases, venture off to find better surf. Whether it’s wavy or glassy flat, we can have a very successful time on Lake Michigan. Great Lakes surf lessons are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 am and 11:30 am at the Empire Public Beach. Pre-registration is required.
For more information, and to register, go to www.sbsurfandkayak.com.
Fly Fish
Learn about the art of fly fishing this summer during regular one- and two-day summer workshops being held from June through August at Northern Michigan’s only Orvis-endorsed school. Classes consist of indoor and outdoor instruction on tackle, aquatic entomology, fly selection, and knots compliment the finest fly casting instruction in the industry. Days culminate on the school’s private trout pond at The Homestead in Glen Arbor or the beautiful Boardman River just minutes from Traverse City (approximately 30 miles from the resort). School costs include course materials, use of all tackle, lunch, and licenses.
For more information, and to register, go to www.streamsideorvis.com.
Golf
Looking for the ultimate golf school experience in Northern Michigan? Legendary golf coach and Dave Pelz and The Homestead in Glen Arbor got you covered.
One- and 3-day Pelz Scoring Game Clinics (and private golf lessons for groups at Pelz-designed practice areas at The Resort) are offered every month this summer, starting in June.
One-Day Scoring Game Clinics provide six hours of instruction on the basics of the short game and putting. Taught by the same instructors who teach the 3-day golf schools offered by Pelz Golf, the clinic will help you understand the key shots to improve your scores. Classes are kept to a 6-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio.
The 3-Day Scoring Game Schools are the premier golf instruction program offered by Pelz Golf. The workshop includes three full days of putting, chipping, pitching, wedge and sand play instruction, and is designed to help golfers improve the skills that affect their scores. Students leave with a video analysis of their progress, and classes are kept to a 4-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio.
For more information and clinic reservations, please contact The Homestead at 800.833.7370, click here to see the full summer schedule of classes, or visit www.pelzgolf.com.