Courses usher in spring

PALMER — In the Mat-Su Valley, a golf club can serve as a barometer for the seasons. Because as soon as the club comes out of the bag and the ball hits the tee, it’s spring in the Mat-Su Valley.

And spring starts today.

The Palmer Golf Course is set to open today at 9 a.m., continuing its tradition as the first 18-hole course in the state to open for business.

A dozen holes will be available for local golfers to play at a rate of $10, PGC director of golf George Collum said.

Holes 1-7 and 14-18 will all be open, and as of Wednesday, Collum expected temporary greens on only holes 5 and 6.

“For this time of year, (the course) is looking great,” Collum said. “It wintered well.”

Collum said there was plenty of snow covering the course. While that was partly a good thing, Collum said the extra coverage didn’t allow the frost to go as deep in the ground. But the amount of snow actually delayed the opening of the course a bit.

“We didn’t have the snow blow off like we’ve had in the past,” Collum said. “It just kind of stayed.”

Last season, PGC opened on March 20, and typically, Collum said, the Palmer course is open on or around April 10.

PGC did open more than a month earlier, but the course did have to temporarily close last year due to a late-March snowfall.

“Hopefully it won’t snow again,” Collum said.

Assuming Mother Nature doesn’t throw a snowball at local golfers, Settlers Bay Golf Course is slated to open Monday, Settlers head professional Ryan Sparks said.

“(The conditions are) excellent,” Sparks said. “Better than last year.”

Last year, Settlers was slated to open on April 11, but it snowed eight inches that day. It was about another 10 days before golfers could hit the course, Sparks said.

Most of the greens are looking very good, Sparks said, and most holes should be without temporary greens.

With all 18 holes open, Sparks said Settlers is operating with regular rates — $32 for round on weekdays and $45 for weekends — but the course is offering special $100 discount on season passes, but that sale ends on Sunday.

Fishhook Golf Course, a nine-hole course located north of Palmer, was actually the first local course to open, getting its start on April 9 according to its Web site, www.fishhookgolfcourse.com.

Fishhook also has the only driving range that’s currently open.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.