Be the ball

Trails, campgrounds, mountains and rivers weren’t the only outdoor venues teeming with COVID weary recreationists last summer. Golf also saw a huge upswing in participation. According to Hillcrest Golf Course, the local muni saw a resurgence of golf participation last year, with more than 57,000 rounds played in 2020 – a 37 percent increase over 2019. This is more than double the national trend, which saw golf numbers increase 14 percent year-over-year, the largest gain the industry in 17 years. 

However, just as river runners found it hard to land launch dates last year, local golfers also grappled with a shortage of tee times.

“The increased participation in 2020 developed a new challenge of obtaining specific tee times throughout the season,” Hillcrest General Manager Michael McCloskey wrote in an email this week. He added that heading into 2021, the big question on everyone’s minds is tee times. But rest assured, he and the rest of the Hillcrest staff are working on coming up with “creative booking solutions” for the entire golf community. Whether or not this could include putting at night, is unclear. 

In the meantime, dust off the clubs and funny shoes – the Hillcrest driving range is open for your swinging pleasure.