Early opening to the golf season at Granite Pointe, Balfour tees off next week
By The Nelson Daily Sports
There are going to be a few changes at Granite Pointe this golfing season — the first coming with an early opening beginning Friday, March 29, 2024 with an 11 a.m. shotgun start at the Rosemont course.
The mild winter has allowed the greens crew to prepare the 18-hole course from the off season before placing the cups in the greens and pins on the tee boxes in preparation of the 2024 season.
Golfers taking to the course will see a different look to start the round as the recent sale of the course to a developer has forced the reduction of the first hole from a par four to a par three.
“We have decided to vacate the tee box and fairway of hole number one all together,” said Granite Pointe staff.
“Unfortunately the driving range will be closed (but) we intend to offer a smaller footprint practice facility in the future where the driving range is now.”
The Granite Pointe pro shop will be accepting tee times beginning Tuesday.
Another change to the course is the revamping of the Hole 12 green that was started near the end of the 2023 season.
“We will continue to play hole number 12 as a par four to the temporary green until (greens staff) is satisfied we can start using the new green.”
The normal opening for Granite Pointe has been in mid-April.
The course is a few weeks behind some of the other tracks in the region.
Christina Lake was the first course out of the starting blocks, opening play in mid-March.
Castlegar and Birchbank in Trail saw all 18 holes available for play Friday, March 22.
All courses have driving ranges open for use.
Balfour Golf Club opened the driving range Wednesday with the course ready for the first tee time next Thursday, April 4, 2024.
Balfour is also playing host to the British Columbia Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur comes during the week of June 10-14.
The tournament was first staged in 1895 at the Victoria Golf Club and won by Mrs. H. Combe.
Since then many of our countries’ finest women have captured the championship, including such past LPGA champions as Anna Jane Eathorne, Jennifer Wyatt, Lisa Young, and Dawn Coe Jones.
The tournament has also been the domain of such National and Provincial Hall of Famers as Margaret Todd, Marilyn O’Conner, Gail Harvey Moore.
Headlining the local club is Balfour’s own Jackie Little, who has captured the Amateur five times, and won the Mid Amateur trophy that is affectionately named after.
