More and more golf courses, or at least driving ranges, opened up Wednesday with beautiful temperatures.
If phone calls to the clubhouse are any indication, Columbia Golf Club course general manager Marc Rymer was certain it will be a busy opener on the driving range with the warmest temperatures in over five months.
"Two hundred calls a day," he said. "That phone is off the hook. People are excited and we're excited."
The course and some of the range is still drying out and there's snow cover on low-lying areas of the course, defined by its mature trees and rolling terrain. The Parks superintendent will determine when the course is playable in the next week or more. Officials don't want to allow spikes or golf carts on the grass too soon and risk tearing it up.
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"I feel excitement as long as we're prepared, and we are," Rymer said. "Getting ready, March is busy time for us because we're setting up our leagues, getting the course ready, answering phone calls. People are excited to come out. We don't have a definite day we're opening, but everything's on a 24-hour cycle."
This spring's melt-off has been advantageous for golf courses. The surface is saturated, but it's been consistently and steadily getting warmer giving the surface a chance to absorb the moisture instead of pooling. Rymer says Wednesday's warm temperatures and wind helped speed things along.
About two dozen courses and/or ranges are open, per MNGolf.org, including Columbia and the Gross National Golf Club driving range. Some courses are opening nine holes, or require walking only, or carts only on paths, but that's how it is in early spring.
"I believe this spring is a lot better than last spring, even though the February was pretty rough," Rymer said. "We hit a lot of snow in April of last year so just getting out before April and anticipating an earlier start than last year, golfers are liking that."
