Workampers Needed For 2011 Season At Thunder Bay Resort - (Hillman, MI)

Well, it's that time of year when Thunder Bay Resort is starting to gather applicants for workamper positions for the 2011 season.  The goal is at least six couples but they can have up to ten couples with the right mix of skills.

Thunder Bay Resort is located in Hillman, Michigan on state highway M-32 in the northeast section of the "lower peninsula".  The name of the resort comes from the Thunder Bay River which runs through the property on its way to Alpena where it flows into Thunder Bay in Lake Huron.

View Thunder Bay Resort in a larger map

Travel Times

• I-75 & Gaylord - About an hour
• Alpena, Thunder Bay on Lake Huron, & Super Walmart - Less than 30 minutes (22 miles) 
• Petoskey, Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan, Odawa Casino - About an hour and a half
• Mio & Au Sable River (world class trout fishing and flatwater canoeing/rafting) - About 45 minutes
• Mackinaw City/Mackinac Bridge - About an hour and a half 
• Sault St. Marie - About two and a half to three hours

Hillman

• The Village of Hillman is located about a mile from the resort in Montmorency County 
• Reasonably priced laundromat with good machines
• IGA grocery
• Family Dollar & Dollar General
• Pharmacy
• Post Office
• A few restaurants with home cooking/grill fare, but nothing to get too excited about (Subway and an old Dairy Queen are the only chains)
• Produce stand on Wednesdays and Saturdays

Thunder Bay Resort

• 26 site, full hook-up RV park (paved pads, 50/30 amps, cable TV, Wi-Fi, grass between sites, community firepit, birdwatching blind, horseshoe pits, short walk to grill, pro shop, practice area, tennis courts, hot tub - NO bathhouse/showers)
• 18-hole championship golf course
• Grill/Bar
• Suites, villas, chalets, and rental cottage
• Catch and release fishing pond
• Paved roads for biking
• Can walk or bike paved golf cart path on back nine (2 1/2 miles) in morning before golfers and in evening after golfers
• Hot tub in lodging area a short walk from RV park
• Tennis courts (not in great shape)
• Home of Elk Viewing & Gourmet Dinner/Wine Tasting Event

Workamping At Thunder Bay Resort

• Season runs from May 15 - October 15 (partial season may be negotiable, but prefer full season commitment - fall is busiest)
• Commitment is 36 hours per week per couple in return for full hook-up RV site AND unlimited golf with cart;  Also get "membership" at golf course which allows you to play in the many leagues (men's, senior men's, ladies', couples') and privileges at many other courses where you can play for $20 - $25
• 10% off meals at Grill
• 10% off lodging/RV park for your guests
• Employee rates on other products and events
• One free Elk Viewing & Gourmet Dinner/Wine Tasting Event
• Can work additional hours to "pay" for elk tours, golf, and lodging for guests
• Can work additional hours one week (or over the season) in order to get more consecutive days off for special trips or spend time with guests
• Absolutely no wages provided no matter how much you work, however there are occasionally opportunities to earn tips for some duties
• Duties include:  RV Park hosts, mowing grass in RV park and common areas, picking up range balls, cutting greens on weekends, rolling greens, administrative assistant duties, golf course rangering, various maintenance projects, gardening, assisting housekeeping with cleaning rooms in peak times, maintaining feeders and birdbaths at bird blind, internet promotion and blogging, working on increasing activities for resort guests (birding, rafting, fishing, walking/hiking, biking, etc.)

Here are a few RV Park photos taken yesterday.

The Scoop

Pros:

• Full hook-up, 50 amp, paved site for the summer
• Unlimited golf with cart on a challenging golf course (plus the other golf perks)
• The people we've gotten to know by being involved in the various golf leagues - the local members and the resort staff are wonderful
• Remote, quiet area of Michigan - the least populated area of the lower peninsula
• Flexibility - though we do turn in time cards, we can work extra hours one week or trade off duties in order to enjoy the local area or take trips
• Good cell service

Cons:

• Not much to do in the area if you don't play golf or fish
• Duties tend to be spread out over the week; We had hoped to work three straight 6 hour days or two and a half 8 hour days and have four days off, but the needs of the resort make that difficult - it's two hours here, three hours there, etc.
• Lack of organization and structure;  To work here, you have to have an open mind, be willing to pitch in with little notice, and be proactive in pursuing your own schedule
• Wi-Fi is not the most reliable - better if you have your own internet connection and use Wi-Fi as back-up
• Cable is okay, but better if you have satellite
• Road noise from M-32, but not too bad

Most places require about 20 hours per week per couple to cover the RV site.  Here they require 36 hours per week per couple and the additional hours are in exchange for golf.  For the extra 16 hours, a couple breaks even if they play four eighteen holes rounds per week or six nine hole rounds per week.

So, if you have one golf fanatic in the couple or if both like to play 2 - 3 times a week or more, it's a really good deal.  If you aren't into golf or don't play that much, it's not a very good deal.  Of course, there are many volunteer jobs out there that require 24 - 32 hours per week without any additional perks.  :)

If you choose to join in with the locals, it's like being a member of a no frills country club for the summer for free.  You get good golf and great camaraderie with no membership dues or cart fees.

Our Experience

At five months, this has been the longest of our six workamping experiences.  If not for the golf, we would never have signed up for that long.  It was the golf that made the length of the gig bearable for me.  Linda is happy almost anywhere.  :)

We were fortunate to have great weather for the most part.  There were a few muggy days in the 90s and some rainy days, but the majority of our time it was nice with temps in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.  Now, we were told that the prior summer was terribly chilly and rainy with only a few days in the 80s.  Had we experienced that, it might have changed our opinions.  :)

Thunder Bay Resort is not like working in a private campground.  It is first and foremost a golf course with lodging with emphasis shifting to elk tours with lodging.  It's a changing enterprise with various duties and skill requirements, and it has department heads with different needs.

They take the approach of getting commitments from workampers, and then, before the season, they start gathering information about the committed workampers' skills and interests.  But, duties are not assigned until everyone arrives, there is a meeting with the department heads, and personalities and skill sets are gauged for the best fit.

Sometimes, what needs to be done is sort of thrown out there in the abstract.  Guidance is not always clear, so there are some frustrating times trying to figure out who is doing what and what it is that is supposed to be done.  Of course, there are some routine duties where that is not so much of an issue.

The bottom line is this.  Workamping at Thunder Bay Resort is best if you have a love of golf (at least for one person in the couple) AND if you are flexibile when it comes to duties and days/hours worked.

If you are looking for a strict schedule of days and hours you will be working, and you have to know your exact duties before arrival, this may not be the place for you as free golf may not overcome your discomfort.  On the other hand, if you like a variety of duties, the flexibility to get your hours in via a schedule you mostly control, and you are content playing golf and being away from metro/touristy areas, Thunder Bay Resort is a great place to spend the summer.

Jack, the owner, has a big heart and cares about the workampers a lot.  He doesn't want anyone to be unhappy, so the more you know, the better it is for everyone.  Feel free to contact him directly at jack@thunderbaygolf.com if you have an interest in working here next summer.

It has been an interesting experience for us.  Has it been our favorite place to work?  No.  Has it been our favorite area to work?  No.  But it has been a very nice summer and I've certainly enjoyed all the golf and getting to know a bunch of good people.

Will we be back? No, because we have far too many other places to see.  Would we recommend working here?  Yes, IF you 1) like to play a lot of golf, 2) are looking for decent summer weather, 3) don't require a lot of structure, and 4) don't mind being in a rural area where basic needs are easily accessible but tourist attractions are not.  :)

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Comments

[Kathy]

Howard,
On Workamper News Forum, someone asked about Thunder Bay Resort a few days ago. He asked the question on a 2 year old thread. I think I might send him a link to your site. (I do that alot anyway) :-D

[Jimbo]

WOW Howard. You must really love golf to workamp 36 hours a week and no strick schedule. That would drive me crazy. You will have wonderful memories. Hey for CarQuest how about a new digital air gauge? We all need one of those :)

Good luck on your next move.

Jimbo

[Melanie White]

Hi Howard,

My nail tech is from Pearl River Louisiana and her family is going to be on Swamp People! I had never heard of that show....guess I'll have to watch it
Melanie