Golfers tee up with the opening of 2 Saskatoon driving ranges

Saskatoon residents can dust off their drivers and work on their swing when the driving ranges at Silverwood Golf Course and Holiday Park Golf Course open on Thursday.
Hours of operation at the 3503 Kinnear Avenue and 1630 Avenue U South locations will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with the city noting this is weather dependent.
Driving range rates are:
·         Large basket is $13
·         Medium basket is $9
·         Small basket is $6
·         Season pass for both ranges is $475
Brad Babyk, the recreation services manager for golf courses, said he is very excited to see the golf courses opening up this early.
“I think for everyone who’s a golfer, we’re all itching to kind of get outside and get that first round in. For us here in Saskatoon to kind of be mid-April. I think it’s super exciting,” Babyk said. “You know, if we think about it, last week, our ground was full of snow, so who knows.”
Golfer Clint Thomas went to the Holiday Park driving range Thursday to enjoy the spring weather.
“Once you get swinging, you’re warmed up, like, bring it on. We’ve golfed in, you know, two degrees. So I mean, today feels really nice,” Thomas said.
Ryley Mcnaught, the first golfer at the Silverwood Golf course on Thursday, said he had to come to the driving range as soon as he found out it was open.
“Well, as soon as we heard that the range was opening at 9 a.m., we came at 8:45. We’ve been playing at the Golf Dome all winter and pretty excited to see the ball fly in the air. And it’s a beautiful one-degree day,” Mcnaught said.
Mcnaught said he tries to go to the Silverwood Driving range every day before work.
“The kids love it, and it gets them outside and teaches them a great game. So, yeah, it’s a good family affair,” Mcnaught said.
Opening dates for the Holiday Park, Wildwood and Silverwood golf courses are set to be announced soon.
More information about rates or league registration can be found on the city of Saskatoon website.
— With files from Global Saskatoon’s Brody Langager