The count down has begun.....

Last week snow - this week sunny skies!  So where were you a year ago? Chances are if you're a Links regular you were waiting on winter! It was a particularly cold wet spring and we had to endure snowfall after snowfall. This year it looks like we've seen the last of the white stuff.

The extended shoulder season is finally coming to a close. This weekend for the first time temperatures are expected to reach double digits during the day and, more importantly stay at or above freezing at night!  The course is mostly bare and all we need is some sustained warmth and a little bit of rain and things will be green in no time!

Regional micro climates mean that Taylor's Lone Wolf course is always the first local course to open. Flying home from Vancouver last week, my plane descended over Taylor and I noted that the course seems to have come through the winter well. Another friend who lives in the Charlie Lake area tells me their snow has also retreated but never as fast as residents would like. Pictures taken April 21stth at Links show we are almost snow free. We've pulled the snow blankets off the greens and had our first peek at what's beneath. Greens 2, 4, and 6 came through really well. The others will need a little TLC but should be ready soon. Len was out with the seeding machine this week and if the weather is as predicted, warm and a little moist, new growth should be popping up in no time.

Some of the patchiness you will see early on comes from the presence of poa annua in many of our greens. An invasive species that is actually a weed, the poa did not do well with the extended freeze thaw cycles of the past winter. Similarly, there has been some ice damage to low spots where slower drainage caused water to stand and freeze. Fortunately, due to the forgiving nature of grass the greens should bounce back quickly

From here on the news should be good!  With the Canucks faltering in the playoffs, the golfing jokes are flying. With some continued good weather and concentrated preparation efforts members shots will soon be flying too! Opening day is projected for sometime later in the week. Hopefully, the weather cooperates and folks will be able to start swinging by before next weekend!