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It’s time for the people of Regina to unleash their inner tiger.
Tiger Woods, that is.
Golf courses are starting to open across the city.
On Thursday morning, people hit the links at the Royal Regina Golf Club for the first time this year. It was sunny with a high temperature of 28 C, perfect for golf.
“I’m excited. This is going to be fun,” James Matonovich said with a grin before teeing it up at the Royal Regina.
Brent Donald, Gary Herback and Graham Topp all went together for a fun morning. They were all glad to take a break from watching playoff hockey and get some sunshine.
But that doesn’t mean they were confident they’d do well.
“We haven’t teed off yet. That’s why we’re at par. We play our best round before the game,” Herback joked.
“We’re probably a little rusty, but we’ve been waiting a long time for this, so we’re going to enjoy every minute of it,” Topp added.
For many of these guys, it has been six or more months since they’ve hit the links. So just how do you stay in good form over the winter?
“I watch a lot of hockey on the couch and drink too much,” Donald chuckled.
That might not be the most effective way.
Rick Fescic has a different method.
“We have machines here to do some virtual rounds. (I went to) Palm Springs in January, and I drove out and played a couple of rounds in Abbotsford with my brother,” he said.
“Retirement’s great. Every day’s Saturday.”
While he was particularly happy about the great weather, his buddy Emil Forest said the golf is what matters the most.
“Every day that you’re up and golfing, it’s a great day. It doesn’t matter what the weather’s like, as long as you’re on the right side of the grass,” he said.
As great as it is for the golfers, the general manager of the course is beyond stoked. Ryan Pollock spoke to the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Thursday.
“It’s nice to finally get here. It feels like it has been a long winter, but we’re here. It’s an exciting day for our club and all of the participants coming through here today,” he said.
His crews have been hard at work to get the course looking nice, and he believes they’ve done a great job.
“There are still a few wet areas in some shade and some lower areas, but overall, it’s really, really good, considering that we were getting (bad) weather up until seven days ago,” Pollock said.
“Overall, the course looks absolutely fantastic. All playing areas are ready to go (and) we’re up on all regulation tees and greens. Everything looks really good and this sunshine is definitely going to help it.”
When 980 CJME went to the course, it was no trouble to find people to talk to, with dozens of cars in the parking lot. That’s something that didn’t surprise Pollock.
“We’re not fully booked, but it’s a busy one. Obviously lots of people (are) excited to get out here and get going,” he said.
Those who weren’t able to get a tee time or want to try a different course will be able to soon.
The Wascana Country Club and Deer Valley Golf Club are set to open Friday, while the city-owned courses are to open Saturday. Flowing Springs Golf Greens expects to open sometime next week, but an exact date has not been set.
