In early April we didn't even know if there would be a golf season. Later that month we found out that we could open at the start of May. Since then there has been a lot of golf played. The weather has been warm but windy. There aren't a lot of other sport alternatives. It seems like a fairly low-risk activity that includes social distancing by it's very nature. Every year many of us are eager to get back hitting golf balls after our long Manitoba winters. Add a spring pandemic and those feelings are even stronger.
Personally I have played 18 days since the start of the season. That includes 408 total holes which is equivalent to 45 nine-hole rounds. Yes I am tracking them. Last year I didn't get to golf until June 19. This year I am making up for it. If it sounds like I am bragging I apologize. I am simply excited to be playing regularly and grateful that our golf season hasn't been canceled.
What other signs are there of increased golf in Shoal Lake. Several people have already got full value from their membership. Another big indicator is the number of new people who are golfing including lots of youth. It is great to see the increase in play among the under 20 crowd. This may be attributable to COVID-19. Many planned activities for kids have been canceled or have yet to start. In the absence of school functions, team sports, and summer camps many are heading to the golf course to fill the gap.
And there is more golf to come. Right now it looks like we will make a go of all of our tournaments. There will be social distancing and other COVID-19 measures employed but we will still have the tournaments. For our fundraiser we will likely reduce the number of entrants. We may have to adjust the horse race tournament in later July. Also we had our first Nine and Dine last night. We intend on running a couple each month for anyone who is interested.
And of course there is Men's Night. We had a fairly good turnout this week with 26 golfers including several people making their first appearance of the year. Skins went of three holes. Winners included Charlie McNabb / Dave Gill ($20 on #1), Troy Chwaluk / Jason Hunter ($30 on #2), and Brad Benton / Shane Kimpinski ($20 on #8).
Wind was once again a factor. Brad Benton managed the conditions well with a low round of 37. Others were not so fortunate. There were six of the 26 scores over 50 and the middle score was 46. That is as high as I can recall it. Closest to the pin was Scott Maynes on #5 and Kendal Koroscil on #9. No deuces were recorded which means next weeks pot will be well over $100.
One final thing to note is that July 1 is on a Wednesday this year. If my memory serves me correct we usually get a huge boost in attendance when this happens. Maybe we will hit 50 golfers then.
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