Image Credit: Adam Donnelly / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

'may the course be with you'

Several Kamloops golf courses open for season ahead of spring-like weekend weather

Mar 15, 2024 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — It was such a mild winter for snowfall in the Kamloops area, some golf courses didn’t have to entirely pause operations throughout the colder months. But with a touch of warm spring weather in the forecast, several courses have fully opened their greens.

It’s not the earliest start to golf season that Bighorn in Sun Rivers has seen, but it is up there.

“We have opened in February before, but this is one of the very early ones,” notes General Manager Ian Henson. “It was very mild, and it’s why we were prepping ahead of time to get to this point.”

Some go-getters couldn’t help themselves and took to the temporary greens on the Mount Paul range in December, January and February, but the majority of golfers opted to wait until what could be considered shorts weather.

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“[We] came out under regular greens two days ago,” says owner-operator Dan Latin. “We’ll get the power carts going this weekend, I think, then it’s just hair straight back until the end of the year.”

Friday afternoon (Mar. 15), courses around the city were filled with people ready to stretch their legs and shake off winter.

“Is it your first time out on the course this season?” CFJC crews asked one golfer.

“No. It’s probably my fifth,” he replied. “I actually golfed every month. January 31 I golfed and December, five days I golfed.”

Another golfer said it was his first time out for the season.

“Usually, the weather is really good here. Everybody seems to take really good care of the courses. It’s local, it’s nice to be around.”

Golf in Kamloops has been riding a wave of popularity out of the pandemic, paired with favourable spring and summer conditions. If early season bookings are any indication, this year is shaping up to be another strong one.

“You see people coming across the parking lot with a spring in their step, they’re happy to be here, they’re with their friends and buddies and away they go,” says Latin. “It’s a pretty good environment.”

At peak times, most courses in the area, including Bighorn, will see about 200 people playing through per day, including this weekend.

“[Friday, Saturday] and Sunday is like we’re right in the middle of summertime. It is packed,” says Henson. “We’ve even scrounged up a crew to work in the kiosk for the weekend so we can supply some nice beverages on the golf course and everyone can have a great time, because the weather is beautiful and it’s going to be busy.”