And so is the countdown to the end of the 2018 golf season.

“It feels like we just opened up and now we’re getting ready to close down,” said Oakwood greens superintendent Ken Bordynuik. “That’s kind of the nature of being in the seasonal business. You go from zero to 110 miles an hour and then back to zero again. It’s a little trying at times. At the same time I’m looking forward to a little bit of family time again but you reflect back on the things you did do, what things you got done, and I can say it was a positive year.”

Just like every golf course in southeastern Manitoba, the picturesque 18-hole layout near Ste. Anne encountered a tough start to the 2018 season due to water damage, ice, low temperature damage and then a very dry spring.

“Trying to bring back the turf was a challenge but mother nature definitely helped us out a little bit through June," Bordynuik said. 'We had some good timely rains and there was no shortage of sunshine this year. It’s been a fantastic year weather wise.”

Golfers enjoyed a second straight hot summer as weather conditions in June, July and August were exceptional.

Bordynuik says they had no issues keeping the course green while dealing with all the heat.

“We did quite well. We have a pretty good water supply here so we were to keep things growing quite well. It’s probably a little easier working with a golf course with dry weather. For a number of years we were extremely wet. It was a nice break. I’d rather be pumping the water onto the golf course than off the course. Our turf did very well this year. Our rounds are up and it was a very positive year.”

As awesome as summer was, the start of autumn has been the exact opposite.

Temperatures have been nowhere near normal and it seems like we’ve experienced more rain in the last few weeks than the last few months.

“I’m not complaining about it yet,” said Bordynuik. “The ground is still dry enough underneath that and it’s soaking up everything quite well. At the same time, we want the turf to go to bed naturally, let it dry down a little bit and let it start going dormant on its on. We don’t want a lot of growth going into this time of year. That being said, it’s a little early to be speaking like that too.”

Bordynuik says Oakwood will stay open until the last weekend of October but weather conditions will dictate if they have to put the course to bed earlier than that.