Golfers flock to fairways as Tor Hill and Murray courses open for the season

The sound of laughter and golf clubs hitting balls filled the air at Regina’s Tor Hill Golf Course on Friday morning.

The Tor Hill and Murray courses officially opened for the season Friday. Aspen Links in Emerald Park and the Deer Valley Golf Club also recently welcomed back golfers for the season, and the Royal Regina Golf Club is set to open its course on Saturday.

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Many golfers were smiling from ear to ear after pulling their bags out from storage to hit the course.

Mickey Kupchyk said he was feeling great about being out with his friends on the first day of the golfing season at Tor Hill.

“Normally, we play on the seniors – like Monday through Thursday – but we’ve got to get out on the first day and play golf, especially because it is my birthday today,” he said.

“It is fantastic! I’m just looking forward to getting out there and walking again, knocking the ball again, having a few laughs with the guys.”

Kupchyk said he plays between four and five times a week during the golf season, and his group of friends always walks the course. In fact, he said they’re some of the fastest golfers there.

“We manage to get the first tee time every day, and we are fast. We will blow around 18 holes – walking – in about 2.5 hours,” said Kupchyk.

“Everybody just knows who we are, and they just let us go.”

(L-R) Conway Samuelson, Mickey Kupchyk and Robert Cotterill were excited for their 8 a.m. tee time on Friday, April 25 at Tor Hill in Regina. (Abby Zieverink/980CJME)

Robert Cotterill was also eager to be golfing again at the start of the season.

“I’m above ground and I am having the opportunity of a lifetime; I am out here golfing,” he said.

Cotterill said he thinks it’s important to make the most of the season by coming out to play on opening day.

“I think it is because the season is so short that you’re not going to miss a single day,” he said. “If the sun is shining, I am going to be playing.”

Cotterill said his favourite thing about golf is the camaraderie.

“I have a bunch of people I like to play golf with. But we have a couple of rules. You have to be able to laugh at yourself, and if you can’t take a joke, don’t play with us because we’re going to let you have it,” he said.

Jason Henry said he’s happy to be back on the golf course, socializing with friends and getting some exercise at the same time.

“I haven’t played opening day in a long time, so I am just excited to get out there and see what it is like,” he said.

“I got new clubs this year for the first time in 20 years, and I’ve just been itching to get out.”

Henry said that he believes opening day has a bit more excitement around it in this province compared to places with warmer climates.

“With long winters in Saskatchewan, people are a lot more keen to get out and play,” he said. “There’s a little more hype, I think.”

Ryan Pollock, general manager of the Royal Regina Golf Club, joined the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Friday. He said he is eager for the course to open on Saturday at 9 a.m.

“We’ve done a lot of work over the last couple of days to get the course up to playable standards,” Pollock explained. “We are really excited about how it wintered, and things out around the course look fantastic.”

The Lakeview Par 3 Golf Course is scheduled to open on May 2, while the Joanne Goulet Golf Club on Kestrel Drive is expected to have a delayed opening due to spring flooding.