Mild weather is helping give golf courses in the region a bounce back year.
"This will probably be, when it's all said and done, the longest we've ever stayed open here at Erie Shores," says Ryan Peltier, the head golf professional at Erie Shores Golf and Country Club in Leamington. "I've been in the business quite some time and I can't recall ever playing this late consistently into December."
Speaking to BlackburnNews.com, Peltier says a pair of bad winter seasons closed courses earlier than usual in the last couple of years. He says the mild weather extending this season into rare territory has been more than welcome.
"The more days we can stay open and the more revenue the courses can bring in, it's better for the industry," says Peltier. "From middle of June on to this time of year, it's been a really good year It's been dry, sunny and we haven't had a lot of really hot days. It's definitely been a bounce back year for the industry in this area."
Owner of Ruthven's Orchard View Golf Course Isaac Friesen has usually closed the course by this time of year.
"We've been in business almost 20 years and probably out of the 20 years it's been maybe three [times] that we've been open in December," says Friesen, adding he may keep the course open for up to another two weeks.
As for Peltier, he expects to keep the course at Erie Shores open for another week potentially, but doesn't expect to be open into the new year.
