Upon the opening of the Kitchen Creek golf course, perhaps the Beatles put it best: “Little darling, that ice is slowly melting . . . Here Comes the Sun.”
Despite a few weeks delay, the Kitchen Creek golf course opened its doors yesterday and “officially” marked the beginning of the summer golf season.
Snow and inclement weather had held the scheduled opening back. Last year’s date was April 17. But the wet and muddy grounds gave way to dry surfaces after extended periods of sunshine. While the course bosses received some grief in the form of phone calls from Fort Frances’ golfing diehards, head professional Steve Wood said things worked out smoothly for himself and colleagues, Glen Mills and Brian Johnstone.
“Everybody’s been pretty anxious to get out and play,” he said. “ but also very understanding of the delay.”
And the golfers wasted little time. Wood said close to 100 people hit the 18-hole course on the first sunny morning.
The May 27 Memorial tournament will start a string of competitions hosted by the course. The crown jewel of these tournaments will be the Anniversary tournament in July to celebrate the club’s 75th anniversary.
Opening in 1926, the course was originally called the Rainy Lake Golf Country Club. In recent years, golf’s popularity has lifted to the point where children are picking up clubs, sand wedges and putters instead of the usual playthings. The course has 120 junior members.
“I think everybody is looking for new forms of recreation and this is a great way to spend a summer,” said Wood.
Young beginners can learn the game through a series of five hour-long weekly clinics that begin this Sunday. Cost is $25 for non-members, and free for members.
Lessons for golfers 13-18 years of age hit the greens at 2:00 pm, while the 12 and under groups meet at 3:00 pm. Registration can be done at the main office anytime including the day of the first clinic.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
