As the snow lifts and fields begin to dry out golfers look to the greens to determine the kind of season it will be and if it looks anything like the Smithers Golf and Country Club’s greens, the future is bright.
After a tough winter, in which water damage tore through a large portion of the SCC
club house, things are looking up as renovations near completion and the first tee-off of the year is only a couple days away.
“It was a little bit of a set back with the building, we had some water damage come in, with the ice backing up on the roof,” Smithers Pro, Chris Herkel said.
“The ceiling was coming down inside so we’ve had to do a fairly large restoration inside the clubhouse, upper and lower.
“But I think we’ll be done by the end of the week here with that process.
“So it’s kind of like getting a new building right now.”
Despite the troubles inside, everything is shaping up perfectly outside.
Even with a hard freeze and thaw which can be detrimental to a pristine green, Herkel said this might be one of the best seasons for greens ever.
“Things are shaping up really well [on the course],” he said.
“We were a little worried over the course of the winter especially after December when we had a lot of freeze and thaw we thought we were going to have ice on the greens this year.
“When we did clear them in early March there was no ice damage what so ever so they were actually looking really good, probably one of the best years we’ve had with our greens coming in through the winter.
“There’s not a blemish on any of them.”
Looking ahead, it goes without saying that Smithers is a mecca for golf in northern B.C.
Every year weekend tournaments like the Four Man Scramble and the Northern Open attract golfers from all over the central interior of B.C.
None more so than the coveted Celebrity Golf Tournament, which last year hosted NHLer Dan Hamhuise as well as a list of former NHL players and current Olympic athletes.
However, this year is shaping up to be one of the best in SCC history.
“This year we have the celebrity tournament again and looks like we’re going to have more players from different teams especially the Vancouver Canucks, so that will be exciting for a lot of people.
We have our four-man scramble which is a big event the long weekend in May.”
Come Friday all holes will be open as well as the driving range and club house bar and restaurant with new improvements and a summer of fun on the fairway.
“I think it’s going to be a good year,” Herkel said.
“When your greens are in good shape, everything else sort of follows suit that’s the key to golf so here we go.”