THUNDER BAY – Local golfers wasted no time hitting the links as provincial restrictions on outdoor activities lifted this weekend.
The enforced delay to the season made it extra sweet to score a tee time for one Fort William Country Club member who had gone to some lengths to secure a slot when the course’s booking system opened Friday morning.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “We set our alarms for 6:55 a.m. the other day just so we could get some times for today… It seems like everyone else did, [too]. I think 30 seconds in, there were about 16 times left out of the whole day.”
A golfer at the city’s Strathcona course was thrilled to be back, saying the province’s decision to close golf and other outdoor activities province-wide in April had always been misguided.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “It’s about time they changed their mind and opened up the outdoor sports. Everybody’s looking forward to it, especially in Thunder Bay and the area.”
For Brian Bruni, general manager of the Fort William Country Club, the shifting regulations had made things a challenge, but nothing could take away from the joy of opening the course on a beautiful Saturday morning.
“[It’s been a] very interesting and late start to the golf season, but we’re ecstatic about being able to welcome golfers out today,” he said.
The course managed to pivot after the announcement by the province Thursday that courses could reopen Saturday.
“The announcement with two days’ notice has made it a bit of a challenge in terms of rounding up staff, particularly in the middle of a long weekend,” he said.
Tee times, which were opened to members only for the first weekend of operation, were fully booked for all three days of the long weekend. The public can start booking as of Tuesday.
The last-minute announcement led to a “pretty chaotic” season opening, agreed Brian Duguay, clerk at the Strathcona golf course.
The booking system had slowed due to high demand, with the course nearly entirely booked over the coming days.
“The tee sheet filled up in probably about an hour and a half for all three days” of the long weekend, Duguay said.
If there was a sliver of good news in the delayed opening, Duguay said, it had given extra time to prepare the grounds at local courses.
“This is the best shape we’ve seen it in at the opening, I think, just because we had an extra week or so of nobody being on it,” he said. “You can take a look for yourself, but it’s all green, the fairways are lush…”
Municipal courses ended up marking a “bumper year” in 2020 despite a similar pandemic-caused late start, Duguay noted.
Courses will operate with restrictions similar to those in place last year, though two riders from separate households can now ride in the same cart, with masks on.
Local golfers said they’re entirely comfortable with the rules, seeing golf as a low-risk activity.
“Going back to last year, there were no issues from what I gather and from what I’ve seen online,” said the FWCC member.
“Golf is safe – we demonstrated that last year, and we’ll continue to demonstrate that,” agreed Bruni.
