As we head into what looks like a sun-filled week of warm weather, perhaps the happiest are those running a golf course around Southeastern Manitoba.

Mitch Tetrault is the Director of Golf for the La Broquerie Golf Course and he says with new ownership and management in place, they're ready for a fun year. "There's been a lot of action here already" explains Tetrault. "We've renovated our clubhouse. When people walk in, that's the first thing they see and everything is brand new, it looks really good. We have brand new easy-go lithium golf carts coming, they are a bit delayed but we're expecting them this month and we're very excited. We've also done lots of improvements to the course itself. There's a lot of hype in La Broquerie and the surrounding area and we have lots of people coming out to enjoy, it's great to see."

Tetrault says the biggest worry for any golf course is how it handles the winter but the La Broquerie Golf Course did much better than anyone expected. "It wintered absolutely awesome. Our greens have come out looking great and that's the most important part. The greens are nice and green and in great shape. The rest of the golf course is really good as well. We need some overnight lows to be a bit higher and then everything will green up. We're looking forward to the weather this week."

Because of the pandemic and there being fewer options for recreational spots, golf has become very, very popular and it's something Tetrault thinks will be staying around for a while. "It's one of the few good things to come out of this whole mess, is that golf has been seen as one of the things that's safe to do. We're outside, people can spread out and play around. Families have really gotten into it and I haven't seen that in years. You usually have your die-hard golfers but now there are new people and new families getting involved. It's been amazing to see. We hope the love of golf is here to stay."

Also, one of the new things at the course is a different layout for the 18th. "We've converted what used to be the 18th from a par four into a par 3," an excited Tetrault says. "We've dug out our pond and it's going to be a short par 3 over a pond. The tee box is being built and we're getting it ready for play. There is a temporary tee now but I'm really looking forward to playing that hole cause when you're standing on the tee box, it sure looks like a lot of fun to play."

Another exciting part about the golf course being under new ownership and management is reinvesting in a number of leagues they can offer to the public. "We haven't had too many league opportunities the last few years," says Tetrault. "Our men's league has always been popular and this year, we're two teams shy of selling it out with the deadline being this week. We're bringing back the ladies league/ladies night which will be Wednesday night, it's perfect for ladies who want to come out and play. We've got his/her's nights going a Friday night once a month and we're starting a seniors league during the week. Those are all new things that we are bringing back and we're hoping for good turnouts."

To book a tee time, get more info on the leagues or any general questions, Tetrault says go to the website https://www.labgolf.ca/ or call the pro-shop at 204-424-5046