'Like a brand new season': Warm November weather suits Winnipeg-area golfers to a tee
Some courses reopening after weekend forecast shows unseasonably warm weather ahead
Golfers in the Winnipeg area are getting an unexpected gift in the form of a late-season warm stretch that has allowed some courses to welcome players back to the links.
The last tee times at Southside Golf Course were booked on Oct. 31 and staff put up snow fences the next day, general manager Jaclyn Steep said.
But with warm weather in the forecast for this weekend, the course was inundated with calls from golfers eager to get in some last-minute swings, she said.
"The phone's ringing off the hook and we've got golfers out today enjoying this weather, and it's awesome," she said.
Daytime highs reached double digits on Thursday, and are expected to stay there until at least Sunday.
Gus Podarchuk put his clubs away in his garage two weeks ago, but pulled them out again on Thursday.
"Feels like a brand new season, almost," he said.
The last time he remembers being out on the course this late in the season was six years ago.
Dennis Toi and David Zhang also took advantage of the warm November weather.
"It's phenomenal, it's amazing," said Toi.
This has already been an especially long season, Zhang said.
"We started the season earlier, now look, we end the season later, so probably we had an extra month to golf," he said.
For Steep, the extended season comes after a resurgence in interest in golf due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has seen them set records the last two years.
"We've been able to offer an enjoyable experience, a safe activity for people the past couple years and it's definitely brought new people to the game," she said.
Steep says she expects to be busy this weekend, and depending on the weather, may consider staying open into next week.
Other courses with plans to reopen for the weekend include Shooters Family Golf Centre and Oakwood Golf Course.
