Local golf courses getting ready for 2013 season

Ashad Mukadam                                                                  
Times Contributor 
 
With spring here, and the snow melting, golf courses around Wheatland County are gearing up for the 2013 season.
 
Strathmore Golf Club
“We’re always excited at this time of year,” said Strathmore Golf Club General Manager and CPGA Executive Professional Brian Bassen. “We are dictated by the weather, but we hope the snow melts quickly so that we can get going.”
The highlight of the 2013 season at the course is the Strathmore Cup, which starts May 26 with the Mixed Open. The Strathmore Cup is made up of tournaments that are held during the spring, summer, and fall. The tournaments are open for both members and non-members, but eligibility for the Strathmore Cup is restricted to members and shareholders. 
Points for the Cup are awarded based on participation in tournaments and with the club. In total, there are 200 members combined in the Men’s and Women’s Leagues.
Bassen also said that the weather will determine how well this season will go, but he does have hope for a good year.  
“We hope for warm spells so that we can stay open more,” he said.
The Club is not without its challenges beyond the weather, though.  
“As we are a semi-private club, we are trying to get the golf players from Calgary to head out here and play on our course,” Bassen said. “We are always coming up with ideas to get more people to come from there, such as the Men’s League on Mondays, the Ladies League on Tuesdays, and we also have a Seniors Day on Wednesdays.”
While many of the people that play at the Strathmore Golf Course play there for fun, some do play at the course to earn their Canadian PGA Tour card.  
“We do have two golf pros here that are members of the CPGA, myself and (Assistant General Manager and CPGA and CFM Head Professional) Morris Groves,” said Bassen. “Some of the kids that play here also look at golf as a career. One of them is Josh Witty, and he is looking to qualify for his CPGA card this year.”
There will be no CPGA or Alberta PGA tournaments held at the course this year, but Bassen said that Strathmore might be in the running for 2014.
 
Speargrass Golf Course
Speargrass Golf Course is getting set to open up too, as the tarps covering portions of the course have been removed.
“We’re pretty excited, and the golfers are getting excited,” said Speargrass Head Professional Jamie Driscoll. “We had a great year last year, and we had an overwhelming response at the Calgary Golf Show about our rates and course info.”
The course will not host any Canadian or Alberta PGA tournaments this year, but they will have different tournaments at the course, including corporate tournaments. One of the tournaments that will be held there is the Emco HVAC Men’s Night that is every Wednesday starting May 1, as well as a new men’s open in August that has never been done before.
Driscoll hopes that a lot of people come out to the course to play some golf.  
“The course is in great condition,” he said. “We are creating great value, as we have value days on Mondays and Wednesdays, plus we lowered our rates to allow for those who are driving to the course from Calgary. We need to help those that work, and we have a ‘help family concept.’”
Among the specials that the course is hoping will entice people to come out is an “After Three Special,” which allows people who come by the course after 3 p.m. to have a discounted per round rate of $42 for weekdays, and $49 on weekends. They also have a value pass of $199 for five rounds that can be used on any day except for Wednesdays. The course also will have a special that allows children under 16 to play free after 3 p.m.”
Speargrass does have some hopes for the season.  
“We hope to see an increase in our rounds, and have a normal weather year,” Driscoll said. “We also have space available, so if people want to book rounds, they can do so.”