Eagle Bend golf season has a cold, wet start

Cold, wet, and windy weather kicked off this year’s golf season in Bigfork when Eagle Bend opened on March 21.

“Any time you open in March is considered to be an early opening,” Eagle Bend’s golf professional, Mike Wynne, said. “It’s been a mild winter, everyone kind of anticipated this.”

Golf courses in the valley begin opening as the snow melts and warm weather makes its way north. Polson Bay Golf Course typically opens a week before Eagle Bend, then Big Mountain Golf Course in Kalispell followed by Whitefish Lake Golf Club.

Because of Eagle Bend’s proximity to Flathead Lake, it is one of the first courses to thaw. Until the other courses open, golfers from the north end of the valley come to Eagle Bend for an early start to the season.

Opening day for Eagle Bend typically falls around April 1. According to Wynne, opening day can be as early as St. Patrick’s Day and as late as April 20 depending on how much snow is on the ground.

Eagle Bend has 27 holes between three 9-hole courses, The Osprey 9 remains open year-round for members. The Ridge 9 and the Lake 9 are now open for play.

Wynne estimates between 50 and 60 rounds of golf are played at Eagle Bend when the weather is nice and the Kalispell and Whitefish courses haven’t opened yet. The busiest days in the summer have about 150 rounds played each day.

“Golfers dictate how busy we’ll be,” Wynne said. “They will come out in droves as the golf course improves its condition.”

Eagle Bend is currently open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the end of March. Hours of operation each day will gradually increase as the weather warms up and the days get longer.