NEWS

Golf season opens early in southern Minnesota

By Dan Nienaber
Published on

MANKATO, Minn. -- Earlier this week Tim Johnson was sweating a bit as he knocked off a few rounds of golf in 80-degree weather in Jacksonville, Florida.

The late-winter vacation didn't keep him from thinking about Terrace View Golf Course back home in Mankato, where he works as the director of golf. He was on the phone Monday talking to Andy Prange, the course's grounds superintendent.

"I said, 'Let's kick around opening when I get back," Johnson said Thursday morning as he was answering calls from people looking for afternoon tee times. "I got home at about 1 a.m. and we're opening at noon."

The warm weather in Mankato prompted Terrace View, just south of Mankato on Highway 22, and North Links in North Mankato to open their courses early. Johnson said it's the earliest Terrace View has opened since he started working there more than two decades ago.

The course opened March 13 a few years ago when March temperatures pushed through the 70s. They beat that record by a day this year.

Shoreland Country Club east of Kasota opened its driving range. There was no answer at the Minneopa Golf Course phone number.

Jason Harrell, Shoreland's head professional, said no date has been set to open the course there. He was waiting for the frost, which was still just 2 inches under the ground, to thaw more before making a decision. He wanted to wait to see how the ground settled after the melting frost softened it up.

"We're just evaluating day by day," he said.

It was a bit too early for Ray Beal to hit the links, but the North Mankato resident did take the time to stop out at Terrace View to practice a bit on the putting green outside the clubhouse. This is the first time in a while he hasn't spent a good chunk of his winter down in Florida.

So he's ready to start golfing.

"It's pretty darn early, but I'm ready to get going," Beal said. "I just came out to say "Hi" to Tim and get ready for a new season."

He likes the casual course and golfs with a regular group of guys during the summer. He used to be a serious golfer, but it's more about enjoying the day and getting some fresh air than tapping out pars these days.

"The golf game is not the golf game anymore," Beal said. "Some days you have a good round, some days you get some good exercise."

Johnson said he and Prange were the only employees working Thursday at Terrace View. They spent the morning stocking the clubhouse with snacks, pop and beer; setting up tee boxes and greens; and loading the golfing range ball machines with golf balls and buckets.

They weren't going to allow carts on the course this week to keep the turf from getting beat up. Both the regular nine and par three nine were open for walking.

A little more time will be needed to get regular shifts of employees to set their schedules to fit in some time on the course. So golfers will have to get their beer and pop at the clubhouse for a bit yet.

It is March, so it wasn't clear if the courses would be open for good. Snow is always possible and spring rains could slow things down again.

"We just want to prime the pump and get people out golfing," Johnson said. "Most of our customers will be happy just to get out, swing the club and hit some balls.

"It's always nice to add some time to the front end or back end when the weather is nice."

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This article was written by Dan Nienaber from The Free Press, Mankato, Minn. and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.