It was the day after New Year’s, a time Coloradans associate with skiing far more than with golf. But don’t tell that to Kirk Mease, head professional at Wellshire Golf Course in Denver.
“On Jan. 2nd, I likened it to July 4th,” Mease said of a day that topped out at 64 degrees. “We haven’t had that many players on Jan. 2nd for years.”
And that hasn’t been an isolated occurrence this winter. After two straight winters that were uncommonly inhospitable to Colorado golfers, this one has been far kinder so far.
Two years ago, heavy snow closed many Colorado courses for at least two months starting shortly before the Christmas of 2006. Last winter was a little better, but courses were fortunate to open for more than a handful of days from early December through the end of January.
The situation at Indian Tree Golf Course in Arvada isn’t at all unusual. There, head professional Alan Abrams reports that 2,200 rounds have been played so far this year, compared to zero at this time a year ago.
“It’s been good for us so far,” Abrams said. “I’m excited. I hopes it continues.”
Weather-related reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tell the story. From December through February in both of the last two winters, NOAA said Colorado experienced “much above normal” precipitation and “below normal” temperatures. And while December of 2008 was only a little better, January of 2009 precipitated a spike in play on Colorado golf courses, with above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation.
“It’s been a heck of a lot better,” said Jeff Martin, one of the pros at Patty Jewett Golf Course in Colorado Springs. “The last two winters we were closed from mid-December through the latter part of February, pretty much straight. This year, we’ve just had little spotty snows. The numbers have been 100 percent better.”
In many cases, numbers of rounds have gone from virtually zero to well over 1,000. At Wellshire, there were 1,400 rounds played in January (vs. none in 2007 and 2008), and Mease said he’s even had some 200-round days.
At Pelican Lakes Golf Club in Windsor, the course was closed most of the early part of 2008, and for 108 days in a row two winters ago.
“I’ve been in the golf business since 1980, and I never remember a winter that bad,” said Bob McNamee, director of golf at Pelican Lakes. “We didn’t have any play starting from sometime in December until March.”
In comparison, McNamee reports 983 rounds were played at Pelican Lakes in the first month or so of this year.
The situation hasn’t been as pronounced in Grand Junction. Still, head professional Brian Franco indicated that Tiara Rado Golf Course has been closed about one-third fewer days this winter than last.
In many cases, it’s not so much that this winter has been markedly different than normal, but that the previous two marked big departures from the norm.
Conditions vary from course to course, of course (pardon the pun), but generally speaking the large increase in winter rounds played is being welcomed in a big way, especially at public facilities. Besides keeping cabin fever from setting in, it helps the bottom line to have a flow of revenue during the winter.
“These are bonus days; you want to have them,” Abrams said. “If you don’t, it hurts the budget. But you really don’t want to lose days in April, May, June, July and August. Those are prime-time days, and you can’t make those days up. But it’s nice to have play during the shoulder months.”
There is a flip side, of course. Being open a lot during the winter often means a lack of precious moisture that comes with snowfall. And too much play during the winter can take a toll on a course.
“I remember one winter when (Tiara Rado) was only closed eight days,” Franco said. “When the course is open all year and if it gets a lot of play in the winter, by April it’s just beat up. If it’s closed about a month, that’s ideal.”
While the year is off to a good start, most golf course operators in Colorado have been around long enough to know that things tend to even out over time.
“You may start out the year plus $100,000 in revenue, but that’s going to change,” Mease said. “It usually balances out. You may lose revenue because of a wet spring. The weather fluctuates. I don’t mean to be a pessimist, but while things may look good (now) and you wish it could continue, Mother Nature is what controls things.”
