Brock Becker was at the driving range on Thursday afternoon. (CHAT News Photo/Ross Lavigne)

By Chris Brown

Early openings

Golfers out on the range, soon to be on the course

Mar 4, 2021 | 3:01 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The warm weather this week has people thinking of summer activities and that includes local golfers.

The driving range at Paradise Valley Golf Course was full on Thursday afternoon with more people waiting their turn to swing.

Brock Becker was at the range on Thursday. He says he heard Wednesday the range was open and made plans immediately.

“Not a whole lot to do these days so it’s nice when you get a chance to get out in the community and safely proceed with some activities.

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He was happy enough with how it went – “really good actually, surprisingly,” –and has a tee time booked for the weekend when the club will have the front nine open for at least a few days while the weather co-operates.

Members can book now, and non-members can start on Friday.

General manager and owner Kim Bronson says the range has been busy since it opened Monday.

“The afternoons have been lined up,” she said during a quick break when the phone wasn’t ringing and there wasn’t a person buying a bucket of balls. “Everybody’s coming in with a smile on their face and just happy to be outside golfing.”

She said even people that aren’t golfers have come to rent clubs and take some swings.

Bronson says this is the second earliest they’ve been able to open, bested only by a Feb. 14 opening a couple of years.

Desert Blume will open its range tomorrow, and other courses CHAT News spoke on Thursday hope to follow soon after.