Gilwood will officially open on July 8, come hell or high water. Or sparse grass or whatever.
The date is set and the show must go on.
On a pre-opening tour of the new holes last week, club president Duncan Fisk pointed out the good and not-so-good points. It’s a work in progress, he admitted.
“There are some good holes and some with bad spots,” Fisk said.
Grass growth on the fairways around the big pond in the middle of Holes 12, 13 and 14 has been a bit reluctant. Some of the greens are not completely greened out either, but to be fair, they’re as good as some on the front nine were for a lot of years.
Standing water on some of the fairways was a problem in the third week of June, but in last week’s heat wave there was none to be seen.
The course will certainly be playable on July 8. It will be a bit rough in some spots and a bit sparse in some, but also really good in others. In that, Fisk says, it’s not much different than most new courses when they open, except the ones that can afford to put it off for a year or two.
Work on cart paths was proceeding at a fair clip last week. Fisk says there’s a story to be told there about the almost heroic efforts of a few volunteers, but said it would have to wait for the appropriate time.
Ribbon-cutting for the new nine holes is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 8. The previous evening there’s a pre-opening banquet and auction at Northern Lakes College in town. NHL players Jay Boumeester and Joffre Lupul are expected to be there, along with ex-NHLers Dave Hunter and Norm Lacombe. There’ll be an auction for three spots on the Grant Fuhr celebrity tour as well.
Call the clubhouse at 849-4389 for more information.

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