It’s February in Edmonton, but you wouldn’t know it by looking around.
With temperatures above zero, sun shining and snow melting, golf clubs are back in hand.
At Canada Golf Card Driving Range on Wednesday, golfers teed off and took a swing at an early start to the season.
“A little bit of breeze but once you start swinging and get warmed up, it’s plenty comfortable for an Edmontonian,” said golfer Ned Bizeau.
Golf clubs at the Canada Golf Card Driving Range on Feb. 4, 2026. (Sasha Pietramala, CityNews)
Since 2020, Canada Golf Card Driving Range opens as early as the weather lets it. This year, the warm winter made it possible to open earlier than ever – on Jan. 30.
“We like to kick off golf in Edmonton, so when the weather starts warming up, we go for it,” said the driving range’s co-founder Jeff Ivanochko.
For golfers, it’s a welcome back from the cold. For staff, it means a lot of work to make it all possible.
“We actually created fairways and lanes down here where people can golf and smack the balls down here 200 or 300 yards,” Ivanochko said. “It’s taken about a week, there’s three feet of snow on the field and we are ready to roll.”
A bucket of golf balls at the Canada Golf Card Driving Range on Feb. 4, 2026. (Sasha Pietramala, CityNews)
Golf pro Bruce McArthur says 2026 is record breaking.
“Scott will be my earliest outdoor lesson ever in over 30 years of teaching,” he said of his golf student on the day.
“I’m very happy to be here,” added Scott Green. “I’m able to hit balls, especially outside instead of in a simulator.”
It’s not just golf records being broken. Environment and Climate Change Canada tells CityNews weather records are breaking too.
“If we do reach our expected forecasted high of 11 degrees, that will be a new daily record for high temperatures,” said scientist Christy Climenhaga.
And there’s still time to grab your clubs, with the warm weather expected to stick around for the rest of the week.
“I’m going to bring my kids tomorrow and I’m probably going to bring them again on Friday,” Bizeau said.