Cooke Municipal Golf Course is opening back up, thanks to the province reducing restrictions. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D'Andrea

Fun Coming Back At Cooke and Kachur's

Cooke and Kachur’s golf courses benefit in first phase of Sask’s re-opening plan

Apr 23, 2020 | 2:30 PM

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken away a lot from people, the ability to eat inside a restaurant or talk to people without the assistance of a screen. In some cases, it has taken away our sanity.

But it won’t take away one of our favourite past times, golf. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe rolled out his five-phase plan to reopen Saskatchewan and slowly reduce restrictions. The first phase of the plan included re-opening golf courses starting on May 15.

Darcy Myers, the head professional at the Cooke Municipal Golf Course, has been waiting for that kind of news all spring.

The course’s rich history in Prince Albert traces back for over 100 years. It originally opened in 1909 as the Prince Albert Golf Club, before eventually being renamed to the Cooke Municipal Golf Course back in 1967.

“People really need this place,” Myers said. “For various reasons, just the mental aspect being able to get out, relax and know you’re safe. It’s a really important piece of Prince Albert.”

Court proceedings

'The impact of this trauma will echo for generations': court case surrounding La Ronge woman's death reaches conclusion

2h ago

Going Global

P.A.'s Zablocki named to Team Canada for U18 Women's World Championships

2h ago

Election 2024

Birch Hills staff won't share election decision

3h ago

The winter this year was long and snowy, and it just didn’t want to end. Snow is still melting and the temperature is slowly rising. So even if the COVID-19 pandemic not existed in the first place, Cooke would have opened pretty close to the May 15 date anyway.

“It’s been a long winter, so we’re excited to get going. It’s actually not much longer than we would open, regardless,” Myers said. “Things are going to be a little different with social distancing—one person per power cart, that sort of thing. But we know we can keep people safe out here.”

Other than the golf cart restrictions, there will be a handful of other changes to ensure all the golfers can safely physically distance themselves from each other and the course’s employees.

Tee times will be spaced out, golfers will be asked to arrive just 20 minutes before their tee time, and walk-ons won’t be allowed. Touchpoints will be reduced in various ways as well: cups will be raised out of the greens so golfers won’t have to retrieve the balls from inside the cup, ball washers and benches will be removed, and getting customers to prepay for green fees will be highly encouraged.

Similar restrictions will be going on at Kachur’s Golf Course as well, located just west of town on Highway 3.

Carts will also be retrieved and regularly cleaned. Kachur’s will be serving their golfers through the pro shop window, and not allowing anybody into the pro shop except to use the washroom.

“It will be different, but it will be good,” Patty Kachur, owner and operator of the course, said.

Kachur said despite the restrictions, there is already a ton of excitement from its patrons. Within a few minutes of the announcement, Kachur already had her tee time book open.

“We’ve already got some tee times booked,” Kachur laughed. “People are excited. They’re very happy. People had all kinds of stories, thinking that we might not open. But I’ve kind of been on top of it. When a golf course opens in the country, you know it’s soon going to follow here.”

Golf courses in B.C. started opening up at the beginning of the week. In Alberta, there are petitions being signed to try and get golf courses open, and Manitoba golf professionals are hoping to open in May, as well.

But even though courses in B.C. have gotten an early start this year, Kachur certainly isn’t complaining.

“It’s perfect timing,” Kachur said. “The course is just about to melt now, it will give the course a couple weeks to get ready.”

The Waskesiu Golf Course, which hosts the Lobstick tournaments every year, won’t open right away on May 15. They tweeted on Thursday that “Mother Nature has also had her say in our spring preparations as well as COVID-19,” and said they would release their opening day next week.

–

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW