Climate Change and Golf - What does the Future Hold for Southern Ontario?

St. Marys, Ontario – Do any of you dream of playing golf more often? Do you wish that the winter ski and pond hockey seasons were shortened so that you could swing the golf club just a few more days every year? Because if this sounds like something you’ve been saying to yourself during the long, cold Canadian winters that we experience every year here in Southern Ontario, you may be in luck.

The average golf season in Southern Ontario, today, lasts for about 214 days every year. According to a recent study by the Ontario government, however, the average golf season is expected to increase. In fact, the study predicts that by the 2020s, the average golf season could be as long as 265 days a year – a 51 day increase from the 2000s! This could mean another 15 or 20 rounds added to your golf season, each year; depending on how many rounds you play each year [maybe even 51 more golf days if you play every day!?!]. What’s even more, by the 2080s, it is expected that if current weather trends continue, the average golf season could be up to 323 days a year – this equates to only 42 non-golf days each year! Does this thought get you excited? Imagine what you could with that many more golf swings per year – I bet the effect on your golf game would be dramatic.

Now this will probably not affect most of the readers of this article, but it could have substantial effects on your children’s children, and their children’s children, and how they view the Southern Ontario golf scene. And who knows, with the dramatic enhancements in life longevity, these weather changes could directly affect some of you as well. As a matter of point, at my Grandma Barb’s country club down in Sarasota, Florida, there is a gentleman golfing that is over 100 years in age!

This year, we are already starting to see the effects of climate change on the golf industry. As I sit here writing this article in mid-April, I look out on the St. Marys course and see golfers on every hole. This year, we opened the golf course to the public and members on March 18th, 2010 – believed to be the earliest the St. Marys golf course has ever opened. I also heard the other day that the Muskoka Bay Club is already open to golfers. To put this into perspective, the course, located in Muskoka, Ontario (approx three and a half hours north of London, Ontario) typically opens around mid-May. With a number of beautiful days already above 20 degrees Celsius, we should expect a great golf season ahead. For now, live in the moment and appreciate the fantastic weather that Mother Nature is providing us by getting out on the golf course and swinging the club. You’ll be glad you did.

How do you feel about the effects of climate change on golf? Feel free to write your opinions below.