Saskatoon golf courses teed up to open

Saskatoon’s three municipal golf courses open for the season on Wednesday, albeit with some limitations.

All holes at the Holiday Park and Silverwood golf courses will be ready for 10 a.m. on opening day, but according to a City of Saskatoon news release, only the back nine holes at Wildwood are ready for play.

The front nine holes at Wildwood open at 6 a.m. on May 3, the city says.

Residents can currently reserve tee times by phone or online, and in person at the pro shops starting Tuesday at 7 a.m.

Driving ranges at Holiday Park and Silverwood are already open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

As courses open Wednesday, city councillors will mull a request to purchase 47 golf carts. The city’s lease agreement for the carts is up and it has the option of buying some of the currently rented vehicles outright.

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“Utilizing this buyout or purchase option will reduce the quantity of golf carts required in the new golf cart lease contract beginning in 2025,” Saskatoon’s recreation service manager Brad Babyak writes in a report before council this week.

Administration assessed the condition of the 40 golf carts and seven light utility vehicles up for purchase and concluded the market value is higher than the buyout price, he says.

“The 40 golf carts would be located at Wildwood where cart usage is lower in volume than Holiday Park. After two or three seasons, the carts could be sold and the funds directed back to the golf course capital reserve.”

Babyak says the city earned almost $900,000 in revenue from cart rentals at Holiday Park and Wildwood last year.

According to his report, Saskatoon’s three municipal courses recorded 138,380 rounds of golf in 2023.

People played more rounds of golf at Holiday Park last year than any other course in the province.