The foursome, Scott Harper, Frank Richard, Leo Gaudet and Paul Martin, is the same group that teed off first when the nine-hole course opened for its first season in 1999.
What’s different this time is group member Paul Martin is now the new owner of the nine-hole course. After purchasing the property in December, he spent the winter renovating the clubhouse and planning changes to the course.
While Martin admits the heavy rain on Tuesday night into Wednesday wasn’t needed, he said most holes should be in good condition for Friday’s opening.
“The course looks good,” Martin said. Like most courses on the Island, the St. Felix course is opening later than normal, a casualty of a winter that lingered long into spring.
Even the French River Golf Course, typically the first course on the Island to open, had a later than normal opening. It kicked off its season on April 25, but owner Wilbert Lamont said that after a good opening day start, six days of rain and snow slowed activity to a crawl. The course, he said, has attracted some regulars since then as well as golfers who couldn't wait for their regular courses to open. Fifteen of the course’s 18 hopes are open. Snow is still an issue on the other three hole.
Andersons Creek Golf Course in Stanley Bridge has been open since May 9. “When the sun’s been out the golfers’ been out,” said pro shop employee Isaac Thomas. He said good weather conditions being forecast for the upcoming long weekend should help further dry out the course and bring more consistent colour to the greens which are already improving steadily.
At the nine-hole Red Sands Golf Course in Clinton, events coordinator Darrell Doucette said a limited opening is set for Friday. Golfers can play five holes twice for the regular nine-hole round. “We just knocked down the (snow) banks on the other four holes,” he said. He’s hoping, with good weather over the weekend those holes will be playable by early next week.
Blair Duggan, superintendent of the Mill River Provincial Golf Course, said West Prince’s 18-hole course survived the harsh winter well. “Conditions are good,” he said. “We’re really good.” Duggan said the ice shield system utilized on the greens helped prevent winter kill. He said the greens should be in really good condition when the course opens for the season on Friday, May 22.
May 22 is also shaping up to be the opening date for the Summerside Golf and Country Club. General Manager Brad Cook said they hope to have the practice greens ready this weekend, but he suggested the course itself needs a little more time to recover from the brutal winter. The cooler than normal temperature and the heavy rain earlier this week, he said, has stunted the growth on the greens. He’s hoping more favourable temperatures will help provide golfers with good course conditions by next weekend.
The clubhouse is open and Cook said it is receiving considerable traffic from golfers eager to see how the course survived the winter. After the type of winter the Island experienced, Cook admits no one is surprised courses across the province are opening later than normal.
Back at St. Felix, while Martin will be in the first group off the tees, he’s not expecting to get as many rounds in as previous years, concentrating instead, on upgrading the 16 year-old course. Now that the proshop is completely refurnished and the meal menu expanded, he will be moving outdoors to aerate the greens and improve drainage in the bunkers.
The foursome, Scott Harper, Frank Richard, Leo Gaudet and Paul Martin, is the same group that teed off first when the nine-hole course opened for its first season in 1999.
What’s different this time is group member Paul Martin is now the new owner of the nine-hole course. After purchasing the property in December, he spent the winter renovating the clubhouse and planning changes to the course.
While Martin admits the heavy rain on Tuesday night into Wednesday wasn’t needed, he said most holes should be in good condition for Friday’s opening.
“The course looks good,” Martin said. Like most courses on the Island, the St. Felix course is opening later than normal, a casualty of a winter that lingered long into spring.
Even the French River Golf Course, typically the first course on the Island to open, had a later than normal opening. It kicked off its season on April 25, but owner Wilbert Lamont said that after a good opening day start, six days of rain and snow slowed activity to a crawl. The course, he said, has attracted some regulars since then as well as golfers who couldn't wait for their regular courses to open. Fifteen of the course’s 18 hopes are open. Snow is still an issue on the other three hole.
Andersons Creek Golf Course in Stanley Bridge has been open since May 9. “When the sun’s been out the golfers’ been out,” said pro shop employee Isaac Thomas. He said good weather conditions being forecast for the upcoming long weekend should help further dry out the course and bring more consistent colour to the greens which are already improving steadily.
At the nine-hole Red Sands Golf Course in Clinton, events coordinator Darrell Doucette said a limited opening is set for Friday. Golfers can play five holes twice for the regular nine-hole round. “We just knocked down the (snow) banks on the other four holes,” he said. He’s hoping, with good weather over the weekend those holes will be playable by early next week.
Blair Duggan, superintendent of the Mill River Provincial Golf Course, said West Prince’s 18-hole course survived the harsh winter well. “Conditions are good,” he said. “We’re really good.” Duggan said the ice shield system utilized on the greens helped prevent winter kill. He said the greens should be in really good condition when the course opens for the season on Friday, May 22.
May 22 is also shaping up to be the opening date for the Summerside Golf and Country Club. General Manager Brad Cook said they hope to have the practice greens ready this weekend, but he suggested the course itself needs a little more time to recover from the brutal winter. The cooler than normal temperature and the heavy rain earlier this week, he said, has stunted the growth on the greens. He’s hoping more favourable temperatures will help provide golfers with good course conditions by next weekend.
The clubhouse is open and Cook said it is receiving considerable traffic from golfers eager to see how the course survived the winter. After the type of winter the Island experienced, Cook admits no one is surprised courses across the province are opening later than normal.
Back at St. Felix, while Martin will be in the first group off the tees, he’s not expecting to get as many rounds in as previous years, concentrating instead, on upgrading the 16 year-old course. Now that the proshop is completely refurnished and the meal menu expanded, he will be moving outdoors to aerate the greens and improve drainage in the bunkers.
