Settlers Bay Golf Course boasts another early April opener

SETTLERS BAY — Already suitably reclined, Rollin Hull leaned back a little farther in the cart to describe the conditions on opening day at the Settlers Bay Golf Course Friday.

“I would say the word of the day is gorgeous,” Hull said to nods from his playing partners Jeremy Bonham and Freddie John.

“I mean look at us,” Bonham said. “It’s the first of April, the course is open and we’re out here in T-shirts.”

T-shirts — and shorts for some — were the order of the day as 2016 marked the second year in a row that course opened for play on April 1. Last year’s opening was a record for the season, said course general manager Amos Stephens. By early afternoon, the parking lot was more than half full and the pro shop saw a steady stream of traffic.

Friday’s sunny skies, temperatures in the mid-50s and a light breeze helped dry out an already playable course that featured no temporary greens or tarped off areas on the front nine holes. While golfers were regulated to the front nine Friday, Stephens opened the entire course as of Saturday.

“The course went through the winter extremely well,” said Stephens, who has worked at Settlers for 16 years. “There was very little damage. We are really happy to be up and running early again this year.”

Stephens pointed to the greens as a particular source of pride for the course. A switch to creeping bent grass that is slowly replacing the existing Kentucky bluegrass is paying dividends.

“The bent grass is performing well,” Stephens said. “We have worked with the (University of Alaska) experimental farm to test a few different types, so there is some science to it. It holds up nicely.”

Stephens said in pro shop news, new to the staff this year is teaching pro Becky Henderson, who moved up from Oregon to take on the role of director of instruction. She joins Jeff Woolcott on the instructional staff.

A graduate of the University of Idaho’s PGA professional golf course management program, Henderson has been a Class A PGA teaching professional since 2011 and has worked in the golf industry since 2006. She previously worked at the Eugene Country Club, Stephens said.

Stephens said in the last couple of years the course has made an effort to make the game a bit more accessible to the beginner. To that end, some tee boxes have been moved up and one of Henderson’s goals this summer is to start up a PGA-endorsed Get Golf Ready program.

Stephens said for $100, Get Golf Ready clinic participants will receive 7 ½ hours of instruction time spread out over five lessons. Groups will be held to eight people or less, he said.

“It will be a great way for those new to the game to get some instruction in a small-group setting,” Henderson added. “Like a group from work or a group of friends.”

Henderson added that kids’ camps also are planned for the season.

Scheduling for the camps and clinics will be available in the coming weeks on the course’s website at www.settlersbay.com, Stephens said.

While planning for the upcoming season continues for the course, Friday was an unofficial first day of summer for many golfers.

Meadow Lakes resident Dan Mingo walked 18 holes Friday in his running shoes. While there was some water runoff on the cart path and other low-lying parts of the fairway, Mingo stayed relatively dry.

“My shoes have hardly gotten wet,” Mingo said. “I can’t wait to see it green up now.”

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com