- Half-way through November, neighbors are still teeing it up. How long might golfers get to stay on the green?
- Many, if not most courses say they are closing for the winter, but some, including Calderone, Hankerd Hills, Devil's Lake, and Hickory Hills, will stay open through the winter, weather permitting.
- Course managers say many golfers are enthusiastic about playing year-round — even in the colder months.
- WATCH THE VIDEOS (INCLUDING THE BONUS VIDEO BELOW) to hear from neighborhood golfers and course managers.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Late autumn used to be the end of golf season here in Jackson. But many of our golf-addicted neighbors are getting out in November, December…even through the winter!
I stopped by a few courses to see what those added rounds mean for golfers, and those golf courses.
"It's kind of late in the year, but it's still not late for us," says David Canterbury. He and his golf buddies say cooler weather won't keep them off the golf course. "We played up into December and February."
And they're not the only ones.
Bob Patel is visiting from Florida. He says he plays whenever and wherever he can — and is glad to hear courses like Calderone are open year-round.
"As long as there is a course open, and it's playable — I don't mind," says Patel. "You just put another layer on."
"Well, we've got heated vests," says Canterbury, "and we've got golf cart covers and heaters, so we manage."
Another Jackson-area course that stays open through winter is Hickory Hills, where I met John Barber enjoying his 79th birthday on the links.
"I wanted to get 18 holes in and make sure I at least got 18 holes one time being 79," says Barber.
Even if it's chilly, he says he just layers up and heads out: "Every day I can. Every day I can."
"Golfers will come out in almost anything," notes Cathy Khon, Clubhouse Manager at Hickory Hills. "They're a pretty hardy bunch."
In and around Jackson, other courses open year-round include Hankerd Hills and Devil's Lake.
"We usually stay open until we get a heavy amount of snow — makes things mushy," says Khon.
Most others are closing for the season. But Lakeland Hills tells me golfers are welcome to walk the course for free in the colder months.
And if the weather outside is frightful, we have several golf simulators in the area — Calderone and Sharp Park have them, as does Apex Sports and Entertainment, and Axis Golf in Brooklyn.
Enough to keep us golfing in some way all year long.
BONUS VIDEO:
(Transcript)
"The weather's looking good. We'll stay open as long as we can," says Khon.
Hickory Hills is one of a few golf courses that plan to stay open in the Jackson area through the winter. Others include Hankerd Hills and Devils Lake.
Last season, courses were opening up as early as February.
And some, like Calderone, didn't close at all.
"We're open year-round, weather permitting," says Steven Saari, Director of Golf at Calderone Golf Club. "I think last winter the only month we didn't have golf was January."
Golf course managers in our Jackson neighborhood say when temperatures are mild, frost, snow, and other precipitation are really the only obstacles.
"It seems in recent years, there's more and more people playing through these months," notes Saari. "I don't know if it's just the shifting in the seasons, or what it might be, but it seems anymore that we pretty much plan on golfing to late November, even into December. It's become kind of a regular occurrence."
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