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Revelstoke golf season off to early start

Revelstoke Golf Club opens early thanks to warm spring; membership drive results in 100 new members
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Ken Norrie hits one out of the sand trap on the 18th hold during a round of golf on Thursday

Not much snow, warm weather and lots of sun meant for an early start to the Revelstoke Golf Club's season last Wednesday.

“For April 16, it’s really good,” said golfer Ken Norrie when asked about course conditions. “With this kind of weather, it will shape up real quickly.”

The club opened a week earlier than last year thanks to the favourable conditions. It's good news for a club who has been in the news lately for its financial troubles, and not the action on the course.

There's a few changes at the club this year. First, the club hired Dean Jackson to serve as the Director of Golf. Jackson, who was born and raised in Sarnia, Ont., comes to Revelstoke from Candle Lake, Saskatchewan, where he managed a four-season resort.

With his wife's family in Kelowna, the opportunity to move to the mountains and manage the Revelstoke Golf Club made sense.

Jackson will run the day-to-day operations of the club. He also owns the golf shop as part of his deal with the club.

PHOTO: Volunteers with the Revelstoke Golf Club give the clubhouse a fresh coat of paint in preparation for the upcoming season.

He's joined by new course superintendent Paul DeVries, who will be in charge of maintaining the greens. DeVries replaces Greg Austin, who left the club over the winter for family reasons.

The club is entering the season with almost 100 new members thanks to an aggressive membership drive that allowed new members and their recruiters to get a discount.

They have also given the clubhouse a fresh coat of paint thanks to the volunteer work of the members.

The club will be hosting many of its regular events this year. Ladies night is on Tuesday, men's get Wednesday, Shotgun Thursday returns, and the casual Grip It & Sip It is back on Friday evenings.

The club will be holding its Senior Open on Friday, Aug. 7, and a lady's team event on Saturday, Aug. 8.

The 85th annual Labour Day Classic is back, with the junior division returning this year.

The club is partnering with the Vancouver Canucks to host Junior Golf Day on July 6. The goal is to get young players involved in the game and introduce them to the sport, said Jackson.