The golf gods are not smiling on courses around southern Alberta.  In fact, they're laughing and pelting us with snowballs!

The very long, very cold winter of 2017 - 2018 has put the kibosh on the start of many springtime sports, golf being one of them.  The Director of Golf and Head Professional at the Apple Creek Golf Course in Airdrie, Tyrel Babkirk said, like everyone else, they're at the mercy of Mother Nature.

"If we could have a Chinook blow in for a couple of days and get those excessive temperatures, which we really haven't seen for a good month or so, that could do a lot of melting."

Babkirk said the course has wintered fairly well.  "Our superintendent has been walking the course daily to stay on top of ice conditions.  This is the time of year we're concerned with freeze-melt and what sort of ice conditions have formed because different varieties of grass can only be under ice for so many days or months.  We're also snow-blowing some of our greens off so we can create some air flow.  We had a great winter, we got the golf course put to bed properly and so far everything's holding steady."

When the course will actually be ready depends on the amount of surface water that melting leaves, according to Babkirk.

"Typically, we should be able to get going within a week or so once the course is clear of snow.  I think that, like a lot of golf courses, if there's the odd snow drift off to the side, I don't think we're going to be too concerned about it and nor will the golfing public because of this long winter everyone's excited to get going."

One thing seems certain. Apple Creek will not be open as early as they were during the 2017 golf season.

"We opened last year on Good Friday, which I believe was April 14th.  We're optimistically hoping for about the third week of April this year, but we'll just have to see."

See if the golf gods, and the people at Environment Canada, will smile on frozen, frustrated golfers.  

 

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