Some Seaway golf clubs preparing to open as early as next week
Longer days and warmer weather means golfers along the seaway are itching to get out on the course.
And that could happen as soon as next week in Prescott.
"Planning on opening Monday; we're just working on cleaning up the course and getting greens mowed and rolled," said Prescott Golf Club superintendent Warren Greenwell.
"Right on schedule, a little later than I think the members would like," he smiled. "Last year we were open on March 27."
His maintenance team is hard at work adding the finishing touches to the course, like raking brush and removing stumps.
"If it wasn't for the rain, we may have been able to open this week but it kind of set us back with cooler temperatures the week before," Greenwell said, noting they received more than two inches of rain, evident in some low lying areas.
Soggy grounds at the Prescott Golf Club after heavy rainfall last week. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
Golf carts won’t be allowed until the course dries in the upcoming weeks.
"We just have low lying areas that don't drain well and recovery this time of year isn't strong, so we like to keep the course as pristine as we can until we start to get recovery and we dry up and then we'll get the carts out," he said.
But even the soggy grounds won’t keep members away, he noted.
"A lot of guys floating through the parking lot, a lot of calls at night, 'When are we opening?' and my phone is blowing up with some of the members here," Greenwell said.
A short drive west down Highway 2 at the Brockville Country Club, it's a different story.
"I hear about it every day, it's amazing. Twenty minutes apart and the difference of properties," said superintendent Ryan Sloan.
The elevation and valleys on their 18-holes means opening day usually falls around May 1, with warmer temperatures needed to dry the course.
The elevation at the Brockville Country Club, with water in low-lying areas. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
"Right now, I haven't touched the greens yet. We haven't cut; we're looking at doing that next week and hopefully start going," Sloan said.
Saturday was a scheduled clean-up day for members, but after last week’s rain, it had to be cancelled.
"Save them some dry feet and save dredging through the wet spots," Sloan said.
"Trying to stick to the high areas because we can't get to the low spots yet," he added. "In our valleys, that would be almost three inches of rain when it starts to flow down, so it will be a good three or four days before we start seeing that disappear. Usually when I want to open, I try to have three consecutive days of cutting greens where I'm actually cutting grass and it seems to withstand traffic a bit better."
Sloan says, with a major golf tournament on TV this weekend, members are keeping a close eye on his progress.
"It's always Masters weekend when they are sitting watching the golf and they get the itch to come out and start nosing around," he chuckled.
"Since we wintered real well here, it's even more of an itch for golfers to get out and see the property."
Back in Prescott, a couple more long days for the crew should welcome golfers by Monday said Greenwell.
"Opening day is always exciting and then just getting back in the swing of things," he said. "I've got a really good crew of guys here; we all like to work to get the course in as good as shape as we can get it."
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