“I’m not smiling,” said Brian Miller, general-manager of the River Bend Golf Course Thursday.
His reaction summarizes a golf season that’s been blighted by rain, snow and smoke.
Despite having “only nine or 10 golf-able days in wintry September,” Miller is still hanging onto the scheduled course closing date of Oct. 9. But he admitted Saturday’s Maximum Challenge tournament is “at the mercy” of the winds, which will hopefully dry out some of the wetness that’s accumulated on the course.
Miller said the 2018 golf season had a “horrible,” wet start and finish. In September, he figured at least three major signature events had to be cancelled because of inclement weather.
And in August many golfers were staying indoors because they had health conditions that couldn’t tolerate the forest fire smoke that blew over the city. Even the Discovery Canyon waterfall at River Bend wasn’t well used during those “extremely hot” and smoky days: “It was too much for the kids to handle,” said Miller, who’s hoping for a more typical 2019.
Anyone wondering about whether the Thanksgiving golf tournament at River Bend will go ahead on Saturday should check: www.rbgra.ca.
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