Local golf courses hope for conditions to heat up
Normally area golf courses are at least a week or two deep into the season by the mid point of April. This spring, cooler-than-normal temperatures have kept most golfers indoors and meant some courses haven’t even opened the doors to the pro shop yet. Erie Shores Golf & Country Club planned to put the pins in Wednesday for the first time. The telephone recording still says Sutton Creek is closed for the season. Ambassador Golf plans to open Friday, the 13th.
“We look at it on a business level and for us to open just doesn’t make sense,” said Ambassador’s director of golf Adam Wagner of forcing an earlier start. Pulling in staff to accommodate the handful of players who turn out on a questionable weather day simply isn’t cost effective. And there have been a lot of questionable days in April. “Cool has been the watchword not just in Southwestern Ontario, but across the province it’s been significantly cooler the first nine days of the month,” Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson said Tuesday.
The warmest day of the month so far for the Windsor area was 6.7 C on April 6, and that’s well below the normal average high of 13 C. “We haven’t really seen any double-digit days so far,” Coulson said. “It looks like Thursday is the gem. If you can get outside Thursday that’s going to be the day to do it.” Thursday’s forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 20 C. The pleasant temperature only lasts a day, however, as two weather systems pushing up from Colorado and Texas bring a forecast of clouds and significant rain through the weekend, although the temperature stays seasonal. The thermometer then dips back into the single digits for much of next week.
“It certainly has affected us,” said Roseland head pro Randy McQueen. “The diehards have had enough of waiting and they’re out there today. They’re not waiting anymore.”
McQueen said Roseland opened on a mild Good Friday and “was packed” for play but opening has been hit or miss since then. Doyle Braznell was one of those who bundled up and toured Roseland Tuesday.
“This is actually my fourth round for the year,” Braznell said. “I wanted to get out, especially after watching the Masters all weekend.”
He just keeps adding layers to ward off the cold.
“I wear thermals; I’ve got winter golf gloves and I double up on the socks,” he said.
Warm weather or not, Braznell is taking advantage of some extra free time since he’s currently on strike from his job as a valet at Caesars Windsor.
The city’s other municipally owned course, Little River, still hasn’t opened.
“It doesn’t have the same drainage (as Roseland),” McQueen said. “So it’s mush out there.” Head pro Ryan Peltier usually has Erie Shores up and running by April 1.
“It’s been a slower start than normal that’s for sure,” Peltier said. “The course is in good shape we just need some warm weather to get the grass growing.”