It was all smiles at Kachur's Golf Club on Friday morning. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff

By Jeff D'Andrea

On the course Again

Back in the swing of things

May 15, 2020 | 4:45 PM

Late on Friday morning, a man dressed in bright blue golf pants threw his golf bag over his shoulder and smiled ear to ear as he walked to the first tee block at Kachur’s Golf Club.

It was a little brisk out at times, but with how the last two months have gone, there’s little doubt that man would still have been smiling even if it was -30.

He walked out of the tree-covered parking lot, which will likely continue to be full for the foreseeable future and onto the fully booked golf course.

On the first tee, players either silently admired their drives with a faint smile and a nod when they nuked one down the fairway, or got teased mercilessly by their playing mates when they shanked one into the woods.

The world may only be starting to get back to whatever ‘normal’ is, but Friday morning on that first tee block was about as ‘normal’ as you could get right now. Barring that, it certainly was a much-needed breath of fresh air in more ways than one.

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“It’s really good. I thought it was going to be a little bit weird with the COVID-19 rules but everybody is super good,” owner Patty Kachur said. “They’re trying to stay safe themselves. We’re doing it, they’re doing it. We started at 7:30 a.m. this morning and it’s been perfect. Perfect. No issues at all. So far, so good.”

It’s been a popular spot as you could imagine, with the May Long weekend beginning. Kachur said she has full tee sheets throughout the weekend and anticipates business to still be strong after that.

“With school out, restaurants closed, casinos, bars, people have more freed up money and more time on their hands,” Kachur said. “We’re hoping to be busier than the average year.”

Granted, there are some changes that were made.

Tee times are separated by 12 minutes to reduce congestion on the course. Foam is being put in the holes and on the bottom of the pins to prevent golfers from digging their hands into the holes to retrieve their balls. Benches were removed and carts aren’t being shared—unless they live in the same household. Club workers were wearing masks, including Kachur herself, while wiping down carts and performing other duties around the grounds.

The clubhouse and restaurant are also closed to the public as well, which is a big change for the course.

“That’s kind of really weird for us, because right now, it’d be full of people having breakfast, and beer and chicken wings,” Kachur said. “That’s going to be a little bit different.

“And the 12-minute rule, it’s so busy today—but it’s not. But it’s good. It’s actually going really good, we’re really happy about it.”

The Cooke Municipal Golf Course couldn’t open on Friday, as they are currently undergoing a $50,000 renovation to install a new washroom and entrance to comply with the provincial COVID-19 guidelines.

There hasn’t been a new date announced yet for when Cooke can start its season, but City of Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne said he will make an announcement on Cooke on May 20.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW