Golf As I sat down to write this column, spring had sprung. March marched on and Mother Nature gave us Ontarians a taste of warm weather. As the grass gradually came out of dormancy, and the robins returned with their early-morning melodies, for a brief moment, everyone forgot about the pandemic. Spring is the season of renewal. This year, more than any in recent memory, renewal is something we all need. And hope is in the air, slowly replacing those nasty germs that cause the COVID-19 virus. Vaccines are being administered and rolled out across the country and, by the time you read this, you will hopefully have received at least your first shot. Spring also brings a return to golf. As I’ve written previously, golf was one of the pandemic’s silver linings. It is a sport with social distancing built in and it offers many health benefits − both physical and mental. In 2020, golf exploded. Many newbies picked up a club for the first time. According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of newcomers who teed it up for the first time hit a record three million. Many others, with extra time and looking to get outdoors, played more rounds than ever. Getting a tee time at courses was more difficult than securing a reservation at a four-star restaurant. Toronto’s municipal courses saw a 95 per cent booking capacity for the season and, nationally, golf rounds increased by more than 19 per cent year over year. This upward trend shows no signs of slowing down in 2021. As I pondered what to write about for this issue, my wife suggested that I shine a light on women. What a great idea. Historically, golf has been a sport and pastime dominated by men. I recall when I was a junior spending my summers at Westmount Golf &Country Club, there were very few girls my age who played. Why? I don’t know, but the good news is that the times they are a changin’. Last summer, whenever I looked out on the range at the club where I work, I saw many girls practising. The proof is also in the stats such as these from south of the border: the number of female golfers (adult and junior) rose by approximately 450,000 in 2020, with 24 per cent of on-course golfers in the U.S. being women. Closer to home, did you know that the Ladies Golf Club, just north of Toronto, is the only remaining private club in North America established by women for women? It was founded in 1924 and remains a vibrant place 48 | www.snowbirds.org
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