Snow puts damper on opening day of Edmonton golf course

While spring snow should come as no surprise to seasoned Edmontonians, it was a bit of a disappointment for golfers hoping to hit the links.

Victoria Golf Course was originally scheduled to open on Wednesday. But with a fresh blanket of snow overnight, the course did not open as planned.

“We were all set to go, courses wintered great, and Mother Nature greeted us with a little surprise,” said Brett Prosser, sport programmer for City of Edmonton golf courses. “We woke up to the golf course covered in snow, so it’ll push us back a day or two.

“It was looking really good, the tees sheets were booked up very nicely, so a lot of people excited and ready to come hit the golf course but yeah, a couple more days we’ll have to all wait.”

After opening up for the season last week, Rundle Golf Course was also closed again on Wednesday, according to the City of Edmonton. However, the driving range at Victoria was still open.

“Typically, the city tries to open our golf courses by the third to fourth week of April, weather dependent,” said Christina Chu with the City of Edmonton.

“The staff are disappointed with this snow setback but we are still ahead of the usual schedule. Plus, the additional moisture is very welcome.”

By the time Wednesday afternoon rolled around, most of the snow on the course had melted.

Riverside Golf Course was originally scheduled to open on Thursday. Prosser said both Riverside and Victoria courses should open on Friday, or worst-case scenario on Saturday.

“Book those tee times because it’s looking like a nice weekend ahead,” he said.

Snow started falling in Edmonton on Tuesday evening and continued until Wednesday morning.

The snow and cooler overnight temperatures made for to less-than-ideal road conditions in and around the city, leading to a slippery morning commute.

“It was very, very slow,” said Brendise Fehr, who was driving to two appointments on Wednesday morning, admitting she was very late for one of those appointments.

“The roads were very icy so the traffic was moving extremely slow. Even big buses were actually sliding all over the road.”

Melissa Salmon was also caught in traffic.

“It was very slippery, that’s for sure. The roads are not the greatest right now.”

Thankfully, she still has her winter tires on her vehicle.

“I usually wait until the end of April just to be on the safe side. You never know when we’re going to get snow,” Salmon said.

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Global Edmonton weather specialist Ciara Yaschuk is forecasting a high of 4 C for the city on Wednesday. Cooler weather continues Thursday with a high of 1 C expected in Edmonton. Highs of 4 C Friday, 10 C Saturday and 13 C Sunday are forecast through the weekend, according to Yaschuk.

The normal high for this time of year in Edmonton is 13 C.

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