Edmonton never had could have been wickedly ugly

“The winter we had was about as bad as it could get for golf courses,” said Grant Puddicombe, managing director of Puddicombe Golf Course construction as well as the managing partner for RedTail Landing golf course.

“The warm weather and lack of snow combined with rain and freeze-and-thaw cycles that turned into ice could have been devastating.

Instead — and while it’s far from unanimous across the city — several courses like RedTail, Whitetail, Glendale, Riverside, Northern Bear, Victoria, the Ranch and Blackhawk — came through better Ping G20 irons than ever.

“I’m still shaking my head. I’ve never seen conditions like this — this good — for this early in the year,” echoed Duane Sharpe, head superintendent at Blackhawk.

“The most worrisome was the ice that formed in the low areas where the rain and snow melt collected.

“By far the best I’ve seen Riverside in,” said Ross Armour, longtime Riverside men’s club member.

“We were all worried but I guess there was nothing to be worried about,” said Asher.

“An ideal winter is a cold November followed by snow cover until March and then a slow melt with a warm April — which is just about opposite to what we did have,” said Sharpe.

The first, at Highlands, came on No. 3 callaway diablo edge irons when Don Remeika aced No. 3 from 144 yards with a 7-iron. Playing with Vic Ewasiw, Tom Sanden and Ken Segin, it was Remeika’s fourth ace.

“This winter was ridiculous. Outside of a couple of cold spells, it was shirt sleeves a lot of the time.”

The Quarry, located not far from Raven Crest in northeast Edmonton, will be the longest course in Canada, some 7,600 yards long from the tips. Not to worry though, the forward tees will play from 5,100 yards.

The Ranch has gone to TrueStrike golf mats for their driving range. The latest in golf mat performance, they replace the unrealistic, hard synthetic grass mats and have a forgiving strike surface and divot simulating gel pad subsurface.

Sharpe and Puddicombe said courses that have A-4 bent grass instead of poa would have wintered the best.

Speaking of Cardiff, St. Albert’s Cody Hancock, who plays out of that course, finished tied for fourth in the boys 17-19 age category in the first Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event of the season at Paradise Canyon in Lethbridge. Hancock shot a final round of 1-over 72.

“Thank goodness for bent grass,” concurred Sharpe. “Poa annua can only withstand being under ice for 60 days, whereas bent grass can withstand up to 120 days. That’s why some of the discount golf clubs older courses with older turf would have had problems this year.”

The second hole-in-one was at Cardiff where member Mark Miller aced No. 17 from 150 yards.

“It came on just the second day we were open,” said Cardiff executive professional Trevor Commet. “What a way to start the season.”

“It’s an awesome surface to hit off of,” said Murray McCourt, The Ranch’s general manager and executive golf professional.