'I'm ready to shake off the rust': Golf is in full swing at Paradise Canyon
The holes are ready and the greens are prepped at Paradise Canyon Golf Club for the first day of the 2022 season.
"It's like spring training or opening the baseball park, it feels the same for us at the golf course," saidhead pro Jae Maegaard.
It may only be March, but Maegaard says it's the perfect time to get golfers on the links with warm days ahead.
"We made a decision Monday morning, we saw the long term forecast," said Maegaard.
"We also are very fortunate that we're down in the canyon here, it seems like it's a little bit warmer. We had no snow."
While golfing weather for much of the province is still weeks off, the first golfers at Paradise teed off at 10 a.m. and had their eyes on the hole.
"I’m ready to shake off the rust, make a few birdies, keep the bogies of the card and make a few putts," said Ethan Campbell.
Others were saying that their friends around the province were shocked to hear they were getting out already.
"I have a number of colleagues that live in Edmonton and Red Deer and around the province and I was telling them that we'd be open today and they couldn't believe it," said Bryan Horrocks.
BACK TO NORMAL
It's the first season the course has had since 2019 without any public health restrictions.
Maegaard and club members say they're glad their game is getting back to normal.
"We're still careful, we're still doing the sanitizations and what not, but it's nice to have signs everywhere," Maegaard told CTV News.
"It's nice to not have arrows everywhere and feel like we're directing Kindergarten kids around the golf course."
"It's just going to make you feel more comfortable around the golf course,” said Brett Jones, one of the club members.
"It's nice that we get to play with our friends finally, kind of makes it a little more fun, so yeah, excited," added Jones’ friend Sydney Bisgrove.
Paradise Canyon isn’t the first course open in the area though, Land-O-Lakes Golf and Country Clubin Coaldale opened Thursday, but they’re definitely ahead of the game.
However, a few others around town, including Henderson Lake Golf Cluband Bridge City Golf, aren't too far behind.
They hope to tee off their season by the middle of next week.
'Fore' more information on Paradise Canyon and other golf courses in Lethbridge and area, you can visit their websites.
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