Palmer Golf Course, first to open last to close

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

PALMER - Palmer Golf Course prides itself on being the first in the state, each year, to offer greens and fairways to Alaska golfers.

First to open, last to close.

This year is no different.

On Monday Palmer became the first golf course to open for the season, offering 10 holes and a reduced rate to local golfers. Palmer Golf Course general manager Jeff Barnhart said holes three through seven and 14-18 were the first to open, and he is pleased with the overall status of the course.

"Everything looks pretty healthy," Barnhart said. "We are checking it daily to see how much golf course we can give everyone."

Officials hope to open holes one and two tomorrow and have the entire 18-hole course open by Wednesday.

According to Barnhart, 100 golfers teed off on Monday and the numbers steadily increased throughout the week.

Until more holes open, Palmer is charging $10 for a day full of golf. Barnhart said the price should remain through the weekend, and officials will make adjustments once more holes become available.

"I wouldn't anticipate full price until the end of the month," Barnhart said. "Only when I believe I am giving much closer to their money's worth."

The course is still walk-only and carts are expected to be restricted until at least the weekend of April 23. The driving range will also be closed for at least another 10 days.

Officials are currently taking reservations for tee times and will hold spots up to seven days in advance.

Barnhart said conditions appear to be better than this time last year, and officials were able to open three days earlier than last season. Holes eight through 12, which lie on the back portion of the course that borders the Matanuska River, still have lying snow, Barnhart said, because of the amount of shade on that part of the course. Because of the way the ground of the first fairway is sloped, as of Thursday, conditions were still to sloppy for play.

Another positive, Barnhart said, is the amount of moisture below the surface. While standing water is not exactly conducive to play, officials stress keeping the ground moist until the irrigation systems can be used, is important. Barnhart said last season, the course suffered from dry, almost drought-like, conditions.

First to open, last to close is a slogan for the Palmer Golf Course and during Barnhart's nine-year run as the general manager, it is a slogan the course has always been able to live by. Barnhart said the characteristics of the course and the area allow Palmer to be the first each year to

open.

"Primarily, we don't seem to get the snowfall Settlers Bay and some of the Anchorage golf courses get," Barnhart said. "Settlers Bay seems to get a lot of what Anchorage gets, weather-wise."

Barnhart said warmth and wind is also a factor, noticing that Palmer seems to be a few degrees warmer during this season than other courses in the area, and the Palmer winds blow much of the standing snow from the course.