The first golfers of the day were just teeing off this morning when I called Leonard Country Club, a 45-minute drive from America’s Toughest Weather City.
Course GM Mike Pulczinski says he expects about 150 golfers to play today. He said the course hosted 50 golfers Saturday and Christmas Day.
The lack of snow in the region is not all that surprising, but considering temperatures (40 degrees now in Leonard at 10:30 a.m.) could reach 50 a day after Christmas is amazing.
It might not stop, either. Asked whether or not there’s a possibility the course could open again in January, Pulczinski said some golfers have asked him to host a tournament if the weather cooperates.
A quick look at the long-range forecast has 39 degrees in Leonard on New Year’s Eve day, but considering there’s a chance of snow three days next week, it might be tough to accommodate that request.
With family today, I would have jumped at the possibility to get my sticks out from the closet today and play there. (It’s extremely odd to get a text message from a co-worker on Christmas saying he has a 1:30 tee time while asking me to join him today.)
I last played a round Oct. 27 and I thought that was late. In my 31 years of playing golf, I don’t remember playing past Oct. 15. And here we are two months later and golfers in the F-M area can still get out for what could be, repeat could be, the last time today before spring.
