SALT LAKE CITY — It’s mid-December, but golfers at Nibley Park are still lining the fairways, taking advantage of an unusually mild stretch of weather that’s keeping Utah’s first public golf course open longer than usual.
With blue skies overhead and temperatures well above seasonal averages, players say the extended golf season feels like a gift, even as concerns about drought and a lack of needed water linger.
“I can honestly say this is the most we’ve golfed in December in the eight years we’ve been here,” said Darren Smith, who was out on the course wearing shorts. “Nothing but blue skies and sun — we get to swing a club and listen to some music.”
Smith says while he feels for ski resorts still waiting on snow, he’s enjoying every extra day on the course he can get, out this Monday with his wife Pam.
“We usually get a lot of snow in January and February,” he said. “If it lasts until then, we’re pretty happy.”
Golfers Brett and Wilson Webster made the drive down from Park City to get in a few rounds, saying conditions up on the slopes where Wilson went skiing just the day before weren’t quite ideal.
“There’s a little ribbon of white snow, and people are having fun,” Brett Webster said. “We’re golfing, my son and I together, but there’s a little anxiety too. The resorts need more snow, the community needs snow and the Great Salt Lake needs more water.”
At Nibley Park Golf Course, operations manager Brady Hansgen says the prolonged season is unusual but welcome. He’s worked at the course for the past decade and says they typically stay open as long as conditions allow.
“We stay open as long as there’s not snow on the ground or it’s muddy or unplayable,” Hansgen said. “We’re closed Christmas Day, but we’re open Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas. So we’re open basically right up to Christmas and then through.”
Staffing can be a challenge this time of year, Hansgen said, but most Salt Lake City public courses have managed to stay open. Mountain Dell, another course in the city’s system, has closed due to snow and frost, but others remain busy.
“We’re staying busy every single day,” Hansgen said. “It’s been awesome.”
Golfers say while the warmer weather raises questions about Utah’s future climate, for now they’re savoring the chance to keep playing. While local skiers wish the conditions were different, an unexpected perk of a December that feels anything but wintery is that the golfers seem to be enjoying their time getting in a few more swings in the sunshine.
