Central Okanagan

A milder than normal Okanagan winter means at least two Central Okanagan golf courses will be getting a head start on spring.

Two Eagles Golf Course on the westside and Mission Creek Golf Course in Kelowna are both ready to open for the season.

Two Eagles expects to welcome its first golfers of the season today (Friday, March 1) while Mission Creek plans to open Saturday, March 2.

Michaelbrook Ranch could be ready in about three days - weather permitting.

Two Eagles Director, Dean Claggett says the course is opening a few weeks ahead of where it did the last couple of years.

Claggett says the course is in very good shape given the time of year.

"The month of February has been fantastic. It's been four, five degrees early in the month and it never got really cold overnight," says Claggett.

"We didn't have a ton of snow but we had enough and it had a nice gradual melt. We never had a problem with extra moisture on the golf course or freezing at night - it just melted nice and slowly."

Claggett says last year they decided to core the greens for the last time at the end of August instead of early October and, with the good weather in September it gave the greens an additional three weeks of growth.

"They are in much better shape now than they would have been last year at this time."

Many other courses in the Okanagan are expected to start up for the season within two to four weeks depending on elevation and other weather factors.