Mild winter means a strong start to golf season on P.E.I.
P.E.I. Golf Association relieved to see courses open on time, one year after wintery delays
P.E.I. golfers and Mother Nature are back on better terms this spring, after a record winter in 2014-15 led to very late openings for golf courses last year.
The P.E.I. Golf Association says a relatively mild winter has meant a strong start to the season.
"My understanding is that 90 per cent of the courses are open or will be open this weekend, and some have actually been open a couple of weeks," said executive director Ron MacNeil.
"Not only are they open a month earlier, but they're in incredibly great shape … Because of the mild winter we had, turf conditions are just wonderful. Everything is green and healthy."
Winter ran into Victoria Day
It's a stark difference from this time last year. The recordsetting snowfalls of last winter took their toll on many Island courses, forcing a late start to the season.
"I think winter went officially until about Victoria Day weekend. There was a lot of snow around and things were pretty quiet," said MacNeil.
"Last year, we didn't see much open until almost the first of June, and we literally lost five to six weeks of the golf season last spring."
That contributed to the slight drop in the number of nonmember rounds played on P.E.I. last year, despite increases in many other areas of Island tourism. MacNeil is hopeful the earlier start to this season will help turn that around.
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