Despite some delays due to a long, cold spring, Thunder Bay golfers are taking to the links at three privately-owned courses in the city.

Rounds are being played at Centennial, Northern Lights and Dragon Hills. And while cart use is limited, the courses confirmed regular greens are in play.

The two city-owned courses — Strathcona and Chapples — are lagging a bit behind, but they'll be open for play starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 11, said Pat Berezowski, Thunder Bay's supervisor of golf operations.

Lack of rain a concern

"Myself and my two superintendents at the golf courses are very happy with the conditions of the greens, and that's typically what people are concerned about to start the season," Berezowski said. "We would like to see a little bit of rain in the forecast, so we can chase some of those frost lines out of the fairways."

"We're looking at a little bit of undulation on some of the fairways at both Chapples and Strathcona, but we feel like when we get some rain, that that'll help us out."

Berezowski said when the city courses do open, carts will be allowed, and all regular greens should be open, as well. Staff at the city courses will start taking tee time reservations at 6 p.m. Monday, May 7.

Jack Watson, owner of Emerald Greens, said his course should be open by May 15, and the Fort William Country Club announced on Twitter last week that play will start there on Monday, May 7.

Late start to golf season

Mike Komar, owner and president of Dragon Hills, said the driving range and the course both opened about a week ago.

He said that's about a month behind the normal opening date.

"We basically closed early last year, and opened late this year," Komar said, adding things are "steady" at Dragon Hills.

"We get lots of phone calls asking when we're going to open," he said. "A lot of people are pretty surprised. Well, the snow was still there two weeks ago."

The driving range and both courses at Northern Lights, meanwhile, have been opened for some time, too, said course employee Pat Hnatiw.

The driving range opened April 23, while the par-three course opened a week later. The regulation course opened May 1.

"This is later, way later than last year," she said. "Last year, we opened March 31 for the range, and then about a week later we opened the par three."

Representatives of Whitewater could not be reached for comment.