April 15, 2015 at 4:57 p.m.
Golf courses opening around the Northwoods
Golf courses opening around the Northwoods
Warmer weather is a sure indicator summer is drawing near and that means residents and tourists alike will soon be hoping to enjoy some of northern Wisconsin's most beautful golf courses.
Despite a smattering of snow last week, temperatures in the 50s and 60s have allowed most of the courses in and around Rhinelander to open for the year.
At Northwood Golf Club, located off U.S. Highway 8 just outside of Rhinelander, the driving range has been open for a couple weeks. The course opened to golfers Wednesday at noon, club pro Dan Buckley said
"This is one of the best spring opening looks that I've seen, and I've been here 25 years," he said. "The course came through fantastic. The greens, tees and fairways all look really great. We were actually hoping to open even earlier before all that snow."
Compared to recent years, a mid-April opening is a huge improvement for area courses. Chip Bromann, owner of Pinewood Country Club in Harshaw, said the type of winter that hit this part of the state played a big part in keeping the courses in good condition.
"The condition of the course is really good," he said. "It was a pretty good winter. There wasn't a lot of snow cover and there wasn't a lot of frost on the ground. When it started to melt, it melted pretty quickly. Everything is in pretty good shape."
Pinewood had carts on the grass and was ready to open at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Jon Konz, club pro at the Rhinelander Country Club, said his was the first of the Rhinelander courses to open. The country club started letting golfers tee off at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Konz said the winter left the course in fine shape and it's a great feeling to be able to get out and golf a littler earlier than usual.
"I'm looking at the first tee right now," he said. "We've got our tee markers and ball markers out. The only thing the club ever kept records on, dating back to the beginning in the 1920s, is average opening date. The average opening date for the club is the 13th of April, so we beat that this year."
With nearly all area courses now open, including all three in the Rhinelander area, it's only a matter of time before courses around the Northwoods are packed with golfers.
Due to the fairly mild winter and early melting, Northwood Golf Club, Pinewood Country Club and Rhinelander Country Club are all in great shape and ready for a long summer of low scoring.
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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