Golf courses in the region are finally open after a winter that seemed to last forever.
The Carstairs Community Golf Club held its opening day on May 3. The semi-private 18-hole championship golf course is managed by Kirk Williscroft, who is also the golf pro for the club. The club also has a full service restaurant with patio overlooking the course.
"The course wintered very well," Williscroft told the Gazette last week. "The greens look great. It's drying up really nicely these past few days and greening up nicely. We're looking forward to getting the season started. It's been a long winter. We're a couple of weeks delayed, but the snow did go away relatively quick."
The club is open for members as well as for public play. Williscroft encourages people to book tee times.
The Carstairs club offers ladies' night on Wednesdays, men's night on Thursdays, both of which are open to the public, and seniors' on Tuesday mornings, he said.
"We have junior lessons on Wednesday starting May 16," he said.
The Carstairs Community Golf Club started up in 1951 and has been going strong for 57 years.
"We're certainly what some would call a hidden gem," he said. "It's certainly worth the time to come out and either enjoy the golf course, restaurant or both. We get people coming up from Calgary and all around. We're also offering a 'nine and dine' on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. If you book a tee time after 5 p.m. for two players to play nine holes with a power cart, it's $60. That also gives you a $10 voucher for the restaurant. You can enjoy nine holes of golf and enjoy a couple of drinks or a snack."
The club offers a variety of club-hosted golf tournaments during the season, said Williscroft, including the Fred and Wilma couples' event on July 20 and the Carstairs Open on July 28 and 29.
The Carstairs club is located on Highway 2A across from the town.
The Didsbury Golf Club is also open for business. The club features a nine-hole course accessible for all ages with a mixture of narrow and wide fairways.
The course is run by a volunteer board of directors with the day-to-day operations managed by a committee of four board members, also volunteers. There is also a restaurant at the course, which is leased and managed by Peter Blauveldt.
Shelly Miller, treasurer and operations committee member, told the Gazette the course opened on Friday, May 4.
"We're open basically from sun-up to sundown," said Miller. "We're very excited that we have new people running the kitchen for us. He's been open for awhile. You don't have to be a member to come up and eat."
The club operates a men's league for members on Monday nights starting on May 14, seniors go Wednesday starting May 16, and ladies have a Tuesday morning drop-in and Thursday night fun league, which is open to non-members as well as members.
"Thursday mornings are juniors, which doesn't start until July 5," she said. "They get lessons for an hour and then are able to do a round on the course."
The club also runs a number of tournaments throughout the season.
"It's a good community golf course," she said. "Anyone is welcome to come and try it. Families are welcome. Peter is wanting to rent out the tournament room for birthdays, parties, events, meetings. He's licensed. It's a great view off the deck to eat and enjoy the sunshine. You can see the mountains on a good day."
Miller said the course is very well established and features many old trees lining the fairways. There are also three small ponds that enter play on several of the holes.
"It's very inexpensive," she said. "This is the first time we've put up our green fees in seven years or more. It's walkable. There's only one big hill on hole 7 that's a challenge, otherwise it's pretty flat."
The course hosts several tournaments throughout the season including Mr./Mrs. and Him/Hers on July 14, the club championships on Aug. 11 and Gil's Truck and Auto's junior golf fundraiser on Sept. 15.
The Didsbury Golf Club is located in Didsbury at the end of 20th Avenue.
The Tooth of the Dogpound Creek Golf Course opened on Saturday. The course is nestled in the scenic Dogpound Creek Valley about 10 kilometres east of Cremona and features an 18-hole course as well as a licensed clubhouse and snack bar.
"It's a beautiful course with plenty of challenging holes," said Arla King, clubhouse employee. "We have the Dogpound Creek running through it. So some water hazards for sure. There are lots of ups and downs throughout the course. Everyone that has been here knows you can walk the course; it's a good workout."
The course has a driving range and practice green as well. Snacks are available including sandwiches as well as burgers and hotdogs on the weekend, said King.
The club features a men's league on Wednesday nights and ladies' league on Tuesday morning.
Course owner Brenda Odell said they will be having family night on Friday evenings starting at 6 p.m. in June.
"We would like to encourage families to come out," said Odell. "We would like to see parents come and bring their kids out. It'll be a discounted rate and the kids are free."
The Tooth of the Dogpound will be hosting Driving Fore a Cure, a tournament to raise funds for MS, on May 23.
Located 10 minutes southwest of Cremona, the Water Valley Golf and Country Club is a semi-private full-sized 18-hole course opening soon.
Course manager Marion Oldfield said it's a beautiful course offering a great view of the mountains on clear days.
"Our fairways are mostly tree-lined," said Oldfield. "We have a beautiful view of the mountains on different holes. We're well manicured. It's beautiful. It's up and down, it's not flat. There is a creek. We pretty much have it all."
The club has a restaurant on-site, which is open every day, as well as a driving range.
"We have club rentals, cart rentals, pull cart rentals; we pretty much have it all," said Oldfield. "It's really beautiful here. The view from the pro shop and the restaurant, if it's a beautiful day, view of the mountains is just spectacular."
