Golf course closes for season

Uncommon Season Ends

To say that 2020 was a golf season unlike any other would be a huge understatement. Starting with the uncertain outlook in March and April where we were not sure if we could even open, to a summer that saw our membership numbers soar as people discovered golf as a safe outdoor activity. Without our over 200 Canadian members and the related green fee play the outlook was bleak early on but the reality is the total number of rounds played was only down a small percentage. Most of our Canadian members had their membership fees for 2020 rolled over to 2021 or were granted a refund, so if Covid is under control next spring we expect to see those members return.

As the early golf season was on hold last spring the community discovered the golf course as a great place to walk with their friends in the open air. We were happy to accommodate the local citizens and hopefully that was appreciated by our community.

Covid changed the way we set the golf course up with the elimination of touch points, leaving the flags in the hole, no rakes or sand divot containers on the tees. We discovered that some of these changes, along with one person per cart, actually resulted in a reduction in time to complete rounds of golf.

Financially the golf course suffered from the loss of green fee guest play, but managed to make adjustments and delay some projects until later so that we were able to maintain all our employees and operate both courses efficiently. Across the country golf had one of its biggest gains in number of rounds played with an overall increase of over 5% nationally.

We all at Whitefish Lake Golf Club wish everyone a safe winter and hope that we can get this Covid-19 pandemic in our golf cart rearview mirror. Be safe, wash your hands, wear a mask and help protect our older population.

Winter Golf Tip

One of the best things you can do for your golf game during the winter is to work on keeping as much flexibility as possible. Stretch daily; walk when you can, attend classes that promote flexibility and balance. I always suggest that golfers swing a club about 20 times per day during the winter with some of those swings in super slow motion. Another great idea is to find time to head south and play some golf.

Thanks Pilot

My thanks go out to the Whitefish Pilot for allowing me to offer this column each week to hopefully keep our golfing community informed about what’s going on at their course. Thanks Heidi, you rock.