An unseasonably warm winter and early spring had golf clubs across the northern part of the country opening their doors a bit sooner than usual in 2024. Jason Pearsall, Managing Partner at Warren Valley Golf Course and Banquet Center in Dearborn Heights, Mich., discusses what goes into an early opening.
In the northern part of the United States, April 1 is the unofficial start of golf season.
As someone who’s lived nearly his entire life in the colder section of our country, I’ve become accustomed to the rhythms of the changing seasons, and I typically don’t think much about teeing it up until the calendar has nearly reached April Fools’ Day. If, however, I had paid more attention to the unseasonably warm weather we often experienced this past winter, I might’ve been able to venture out in March to take a few swings. One of my three sons was mindful of the weather and already played his inaugural round of 2024.
This past winter was the warmest that I’ve experienced in my lifetime. I’ve definitely noticed multiple stories about golf courses in the northern section of the U.S. opening earlier than usual due to the mild winter weather. I decided to ask country club and golf club general managers if the warm winter was prompting them to open their courses sooner.
Phil Keren, Senior Editor
I heard from a familiar name: Jason Pearsall, Managing Partner at Warren Valley Golf Course and Banquet Center in Dearborn Heights, Mich., told me he had decided to open the course in the second week of March. I visited with Pearsall and his staff last August as they worked on restoring their Donald Ross-designed golf course.
Pearsall says that opening the course each season is a “multifaceted endeavor.” I would imagine the process is accelerated when the decision is made to move up the opening date by a few weeks. According to Pearsall, the work on his to-do list includes clearing drainage systems, preparing course bathrooms, cutting pins, rolling greens, placing tee boxes and flags, and preparing the carts. Students often work in the golf services and food and beverage departments, and most of them won’t be available until their school years end. This means Pearsall must find temporary employees or adapt the club’s service offerings based on available staffing. Plenty of behind-the-scenes administrative work has to happen, too. The web site and other systems must be updated, and supplies need to be replenished.
“The early opening…is far from a simple task of ‘unlocking the doors and turning on the light switches,’” says Pearsall. “Our ultimate aim is to deliver an outstanding golfing experience, a goal that necessitates navigating a unique set of challenges to achieve success early in the season.”
With the early opening, Pearsall says he’s noticed “a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation” among Warren Valley’s dedicated golfers.
“Reconnecting with these familiar faces, sharing stories of the winter months, and witnessing their excitement to start the season highlight the strong bond within our golfing community and reinforce the significance of our early opening,” Pearsall says.
There are definitely many passionate golfers across the country who are excited about dusting off their clubs sooner than expected.
Pearsall adds he hopes that opening in early March can become a regular practice.
“If the weather continues to favor us with mild conditions in early March, we are fully prepared to welcome golfers for ‘cart path only’ play,” Pearsall says.
Since the course is located in a flood plain, Pearsall says he and his staff must stay alert to environmental factors and keep a close eye on weather conditions when deciding on an opening date.
“While we are optimistic…about the possibility of continuing to open in early March in future years, our decision will always be guided by the condition of the course and the weather patterns at the time,” Pearsall says.
Due to Pearsall’s responses and other stories I’ve seen about northern golf courses getting an early start, I’ve wondered if the unofficial start of golf season in the north might soon become, say, March 15.
If you are a country club or golf club GM at a property in the northern U.S., did you open your course earlier than usual? Would you consider doing that in the future? Feel free to e-mail me at pkeren@wtwhmedia.com. Now it’s
time to polish off the clubs and head to the range.
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