Mar 12

Mar 12 A golfer's guide to when courses will open in the Rochester area

(THE MED CITY BEAT) - Golf season will get into full swing this weekend in southeast Minnesota with at least three courses planning to open if the weather cooperates.

It's a much earlier start to the season than normal — most courses typically don't let the first golfers on until April.

This week's unseasonably warm temperatures are expected to stick around through the weekend. Daytime highs should remain in the 50s and 60s.

Below is a timetable of when some of the area's courses plan to open. At least three other courses were contacted for this report but did not return messages before publication.

This weekend:

Willow Creek (1700 48th St SW, Rochester)
- Driving range open Thursday
- Front 9 open Friday at noon
- Back 9 could open sometime this weekend
Oak Summit (2751 Co Rd 16 SW, Rochester)
- Possibly Friday
- More than likely Saturday
Pine Island (920 8th St SE, Pine Island)
- Playing it "day by day"
- More than likely Saturday (walkers only)

Later this month:

Rochester Municipal Golf Courses
- Soldiers Field (244 Soldiers Field Dr SW) by the middle of next week
- Eastwood (3505 Eastwood Rd SE) TBD
- Northern Hills (4721 West Circle Dr NW) TBD
- Hadley Creek (2447 Hadley Valley Rd NE) TBD
Maple Valley (8600 Maple Valley Rd SE, Rochester)
- Possibly by the middle of next week
Somerby (975 Somerby Pkwy NE, Byron)
- Possibly next Friday
Chosen Valley (1801 Main St S, Chatfield)
- Sometime in the next "couple of weeks"
Zumbro Valley (25202 615th St, Mantorville)
- "Give us a call next Wednesday and I think we'll be pretty close by then."