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A brisk spring morning wasn’t about to stop Sharon Scott and Kate Blau from being some of the first golfers in the province to tee off on Friday morning.
The pair of sisters had to wait longer than usual to begin their weekly Friday round of golf thanks to COVID-19, but in subzero temperatures, the sisters were still smiling from ear-to-ear waiting to tee off at Greenbryre Golf and Country Club.
“It’s a beautiful sunny morning. People might think it’s too cold, but there’s no way,” Scott said, bundled in winter clothes from head to toe ahead of her first round of the year.
“We’re Saskatchewan tough, right? We can golf in anything.”
Scott has recently retired and is used to spending Friday mornings on the golf course with her sister before Blau has to get to work for the day. Being out on the golf course surrounded by sunny skies, the smell of freshly cut grass and the sounds of swinging clubs makes for a perfect day in Blau’s books.
“Sharon and I playing together has always been a lot of fun, so we enjoy that as sisters and friends,” she said. “I think the exercise and even once in the entire round hitting a great ball keeps you coming back.”
Lloyd Moker and Bob Heppler prepare for their first round of the year on May 15, 2020. (Keenan Sorokan/650 CKOM)
Shortly behind Scott and Blau on the first tee were Bob Heppler and Lloyd Moker, two longtime golf buddies.
Moker was happy to see how the course fared over the winter and was even happier to finally swing a club instead of imagining it.
“For the last few months we’ve been looking from in the inside out, now we’re looking from the outside out, and that’s the way it should be,” Moker said. “I think the important thing is to get out there, loosen up, swing the club for a couple rounds and then settle in for a nice summer of golf.”
Heppler is happy to get all that out of the way, but he’s not exactly confident in his skills for the first round of the year.
“Well I brushed up on my swear words, so I’m ready,” he said. “Looking forward to it, and it’s nice to see a bit of green on the course.”
Heppler was also happy to see temperatures so cold on Friday morning, which makes it a lot easier to find an excuse for his performance.
A golfer secures his bag to his golf cart and organizes himself before heading to the first tee at Greenbryre Golf and Country Club on May 15, 2020. (Keenan Sorokan/650 CKOM)
“This early in the morning it’s cold, so I can blame my game on that.”
Golf looks a little different with the province lifting some of its restrictions during Phase 1 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan. Each person gets a golf cart, there are no washrooms for public use and pins will remain in the hole to keep anyone from touching them.
Scott had only one issue with the altered rules of the game: no satisfying sound of the ball rolling into the cup.
“The main difference for us will be the putting — not being able to hole out on the putting green, but that’s fine,” Scott said. “It makes me sad — I live for that sound.”