One of the few Canadian cities to offer year-round, all-weather golfing, the park board was forced to close Vancouver鈥檚 three public courses Dec. 5 because of uncharacteristic and prolonged winter conditions.
Snow and ice on the tee boxes, fairways and greens created what maintenance crews identified as a 鈥渉azard,鈥� forcing the courses to closed for a record number of days.
鈥淭he golf courses were closed for seven weeks, the longest extended closure in 20 years or more,鈥� said Green commissioner and the board鈥檚 chairman, Michael Wiebe, in a news release.
鈥淲armer temperatures have finally made the greens, tees and fairways playable again. I look forward to getting out there soon as I expect other golfers do, too.鈥�
Fraserview, Langara and McCleery golf courses will reopen Monday, Jan. 23. Typically, they are open every day of the year, including holidays such as Christmas, and golfers have already booked into 149 rounds.
According to park board staff, the freeze and thaw cycle of recent weather patterns has presented a particular challenge.
Although snow and ice might have melted, that water could not drain away because of ground frost deeper below the surface, causing it to re-freeze where it pooled on the ground. Furthermore, greens required additional time to drain and firm up enough to support the weight and activity of golfers.
As weather permits, maintenance teams will continue to prepare for the busier spring season.
In a typical year, according to the park board, the three courses host a combined average of 6,500 rounds of golf during the months of December and January. 聽聽
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