Golf season is ready to launch

Aspen Lakes Golf Course will open its doors for this season on Friday, March 16. The fair weather has brought the opening a little earlier this year, much to the approval of the local golf enthusiasts who enjoy "a good walk spoiled."

A number of new programs and events are planned this year to build on the foundation that Aspen Lakes has created over the previous years. The golf club's calendar includes most of the familiar programs from the past with some interesting new additions.

Tuesday, March 27 will mark the start of Aspen Lakes' outreach to the local community with Golfer Appreciation Day.

"We want to expand our local base of players. We have a lot of people that come here from outside the area, but we would like to strengthen our local position with the people of Sisters," said Derek Johnson, the head golf professional.

Aspen Lakes is conducting a drive for the Sisters Kiwanis Club Food Bank on Golfer Appreciation Day. There will be free range balls, golf and golf cart usage for anyone who brings three cans of food or makes a donation to the food drive. In addition, a demo day will be held in conjunction with the event for those who want to try out the latest and newest in equipment. Tee times can be made in advance by calling Aspen Lakes.

Many of the events that have proven popular during the last years will be carried over to this year.

"We don't have the dates scheduled yet, but we will be having our Sunset Serenade concert series again this year. We just don't want to produce a schedule until we have contacted all the bands and know that they can be there for sure," said Grant Cyrus, General Manager of Aspen Lakes.

The series will be organized as it was last year with a free golf clinic available before the start of the evening's concert. Both the clinics and the concerts were very well attended last year. It is Aspen Lakes hope that this series will continue to grow in quality and diversity over the coming years.

This year there will be an expanding focus on women's golf. A special women's golf week will be held in early June. The event will feature free clinics, putting contests, social hours and other events that will include wine and appetizers.

"Women always seem to get left out when it comes to golf. There is so much available for men, but women are often forgotten. We would like to change that here at Aspen Lakes and are trying to provide more services and opportunities to women to improve their enjoyment of golf," said Johnson.

Also planned for this year, is a "take your daughter to the golf course" day. This will be another outreach to connect with the younger girls of the area who Johnson also believes are generally neglected by the golf industry. The specific date is not yet set, but the event will be held in July.

June 15 is an important date this year for golfers who want to support Sisters High School programs that are in need of a financial boost. Aspen Lakes will host the Outlaw Open Golf Tournament as a fund-raiser for the school. Aspen Lakes will be donating the full use of the course and its facilities to enable this local benefit to provide funding for both athletic and arts programs.

The new clubhouse is still not completed.

"We haven't set a date yet for the opening of the new clubhouse, as we really don't know exactly when it will be finished. All I am willing to say is that it will be ready sometime this spring. We really hope that when this is completed, it will become a gathering place for Sisters, sort of like has happened with Sisters Coffee Company - a place, especially in the winter, where people can gather around a fire and make it like a home away from home," said Cyrus.

In a new outreach to local golfers, Aspen Lakes will be initiating a Player's Card for this year. The card will cost $24, and the person will receive a logo hat, a bag tag and a logo ball at the time of the purchase. However, that is just the start of the benefits the card provides. Numerous discounts and free services will be offered to those who possess a Player's Card.

There are a number of small changes and upgrades this year, many of which will pass nearly unnoticed. Chief among these improvements is an entirely new fleet of golf carts. More information about Aspen Lakes' upcoming season is available online at http://www.aspenlakes.com.