Talk of global warming notwithstanding, golfers in Colorado have been left out in the cold when it comes to getting out on the state’s courses this winter.
In other words, it’s a lot like last winter.
Longtime Coloradans accustomed to being able to play golf many days during December, January and February must be wondering what in the name of hell freezing over has been going on the last two winters.
It’s one thing to not be able to play golf this time of year in the Midwest, but this is Colorado, where average high temperatures in the 50s aren’t unusual in the winter months on either side of the mountains.
But between last winter’s big snowstorms and temperatures seldom clearing courses enough to play this winter, golf bags and clubs in this state have been collecting a lot of dust in recent months.
“This is pretty unusual,” said Doug Cook, director of golf at Flatirons Golf Course in Boulder. “I’ve been here 22 years and we plan on being open a lot (during the winter). But last year was crazy with the snow totals, though it wasn’t really cold. This year, there’s not a lot of snow, but it’s been too cold.”
This winter hasn’t been quite as bad as a year ago, when many Colorado courses were closed for at least two months starting shortly before Christmas. This year, some courses opened for several days in late January when the snow melted and the temperatures climbed, but there have been precious few windows of opportunity for players at most courses in the state since early December.
“We’ve had awfully good winters and falls over the last 15-20 years, but the last couple have been brutal,” said Andy Benson, head professional at Highlands Ranch Golf Club for almost a decade. “We’ve had two different times when we’ve been able to open up a little loop of holes that are more exposed to the sun — but not the whole course.”
Normally, Benson said, roughly 500-750 rounds per month would be played during January and February, but this January was a far cry from that.
Jim Greer, the head professional at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins for a dozen years, said his course was closed 81 days last year, and it didn’t open at all from Dec. 6 through the end of January this winter.
“It had been a long time since we were shut out an entire month,” Greer noted. “The last couple of years, we’ve been hammered” by the weather. “It affects us because golf in Fort Collins is not subsidized (by the city), so there’s not a lot of revenue. When you have a good winter, it helps you revenue-wise. But when you go from some money to zero, it has an effect.
“I own my own shop and driving range, so it affects me personally. When you lose some days of golf, you can’t make them up. It’s not like the (Colorado) Rockies where you can just reschedule.”
But, the pros acknowledge, a day lost in the winter at a course hardly equates to a day lost in the spring and summer.
“Revenue-wise, it’s better to have a wintery winter and then a mild spring (than vice-versa),” Cook said. “A day open in the spring is better than a week open in the winter.”
Though many golf shops are staffed almost daily year-round regardless of the weather, no players doesn’t mean no tasks to accomplish for the golf staff. Indeed, most pros use the winter months to do things such as ordering, refurbishing, budgeting, billing, meeting with product representatives, training, general paperwork, etc.
“Everybody asks what we do (during the winter), saying it would be a great job to be a golf pro,” Benson said. “But we’re working with a skeleton staff, and there’s a lot of stuff we shelve during the busier times of the year.”
Added Cook: “There’s always something to do. It’s just that you’re doing one thing at a time instead of the usual three or four.”
Still, there are times, when there’s several inches of snow on the course and no prospect of it opening in the near future, that cabin fever sets in for the golf staff.
“Sometimes you get to looking at each other funny,” Cook said with a laugh.
“Everybody has a different perspective,” Benson said. “Most people around here like a change of seasons, and it’s nice to have a break to get things done. But there’s a lot of people that would like to get out of here and go to Phoenix.”
When there is a little break in the weather, innovations can make playing in the cold more tolerable than it was decades ago. Golf carts that provide zip-up plastic covers on all sides keep some of the elements at bay, and space heaters can be placed in cup holders on some carts.
“When you get out there on 25-30-degree days, and these people are only out (of their carts) long enough to hit their shot, they keep pretty warm and they get their fix,” Benson said. “With those (space) heaters, you can be in there with just a T-shirt, it’s so warm.
“A lot of people love to play in the winter. It’s less money and you can play quicker.”
Now, if only Mother Nature would be a little more cooperative.
Colorado Golfers Forced
to Chill Out the Last Two Winters
By Gary Baines
Colorado Golf Journal, Friday, February 1, 2008
Unusual Conditions Provide Precious Few Opportunities to Get Out on the Course
