Rush Creek Prepares for Golf Season
Now that spring has arrived, golfers are eager to play. At Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove, that day is coming.
“After the February we had, I thought we were not going to open until June,” said Rush Creek GM Derek Stendahl. “But it’s certainly looking a lot better.”
Like other courses in the northwest suburbs, Rush Creek got hit with a double dose of winter this year. Polar vortex cold and multiple blizzards battered the course.
But, according to Stendahl, the resilient venue survived old man winter’s best punch.
“The course is actually pretty good,” Stendahl said. “Nobody wants to get open more than we do. This is our livelihood and our bread and butter, so we want to go as soon as we can.”
Despite recent temps in the 40s and 50s, there is still plenty of snow on the Rush Creek greens and fairways. Officials aren’t sure when it’s going to open. But in the spring, that’s par for the course.
In 2012 there was “green on the greens,” as Rush was ready to go on St. Patrick’s Day.
“It was 80 degrees and we were looking at each other going why can’t we open?” Stendahl said. “We did and it was great.”
On the flip side, tee time last spring was just before Cinco de Mayo.
This week workers are busy getting the course ready for the upcoming golf season.
“In this area, Maple Grove, we had a lot of ice that came down in December and stayed and has stayed,” Stendahl said. “Once that goes we can see what we are dealing with as far as turf conditions.”
The good news for Stendahl and others at Rush Creek is that sometime soon, the tarps will be pulled off the greens, and the ice and snow will melt away.
