FORE!

By John George

sports@eot.com

Ah, spring is in the air. The birds are chirping, the snow is melting and those little flags are now flapping in the breeze in every hole on every green at area golf courses.

The only recreational activity that can rival fishing in Lakes Country is golf. Now, the moment all you duffers have been waiting for is here. Its time to tee it up.

Weather permitting, Perham Lakeside Golf Club and Thumper Pond Golf Course in Ottertail will open on Friday. Balmoral Golf Course, on the east side of Otter Tail Lake, opened Tuesday.

Golfers will see little change at Perham Lakeside, according to Club Pro, Nick Anderson.

Greens fees and club memberships went up modestly, Anderson said. We have the same crew back working the course and they have it in great shape.

Anderson said 18 of the 27 holes will open this weekend. The Pine Course will open in a few weeks.

PLGC will start taking tee times for Friday, but Mulligans Pub and Eatery has already resumed full-time summer hours with a full menu.

To entice golfers to get in some early rounds, Lakeside will institute their Twilight rates for the month of April. Weekday rates for 18 holes and a cart will be $35. Weekend rates for 18 holes and cart will be $37.

For more information of PLGC, call 346-6070, e-mail info@perhamlakeside.com or go online at www.perhamlakeside.com

New pro at Thumper

While the course at Thumper Pond in Ottertail didnt go through any major changes, there will be a change in the pro shop.

Jeff Olson recently took over as the new Head Golf Pro. He started March 1, taking over for Tom Beaudry, who will stay at Thumper Pond as General Manager. Beaudry, who was the pro since Thumper Pond opened, will now over see the entire operation, including the Red Pine Restaurant and Comfort Suites Hotel.

Olson was the assistant pro at Village Green Golf Course in Moorhead for the past eight years.

The course brought me here, Olson said. Ive wanted to be a head pro and I really liked the layout here at Thumper Pond. Everything about this place made it an easy decision.

Olson has a solid background in teaching the game, in groups and with individual lessons. He was also a big part of the junior program at Village Green and hopes to start a junior program at Thumper Pond in the near future.

He will have a new driving range to give those lessons on, but the range is not expected to be open until sometime in May. Another change coming to Thumper Pond in the near future will be an executive nine-hole course.

Executive courses generally have a par between 27 and 30 and dont have any par-5 holes. Thumper Pond hopes to have that ready sometime in 2007.

Green Fees are up slightly at Thumper Pond, about $5 on average across the board.

Leagues will be forming at Thumper Pond. They are planning a couples league for Sundays and a mens league for Wednesdays.

For more information on golf at Thumper Pond, call 367-2000, e-mail golf@arvig.net or go online at www.thumperpond.com .

Tee times for Balmoral can be made by calling (800) 943-2077 or go online at www.golfbalmoral.com