Provincial Golf Courses Open For 2001

Honourable Don MacKinnon, Acting on behalf of Tourism Minister Greg Deighan, announced today in the Legislature that Prince Edward Island provincial golf courses will open over the next couple of weeks. The Brudenell River and Mill River courses will open on May 18th and Dundarave and Crowbush will open May 25th.

"We were a little spoiled last year with an exceptionally dry spring which allowed the courses to open early," noted the Minister. "With all the snow we had over the winter we want to be sure that we don't compromise the integrity of the courses by opening too early. The dates set out will allow the courses to be completely ready for golfers to hit the greens."

Golf as a sport has been rising in popularity since 1990 and is expected to continue to increase in popularity for many years to come. The Confederation Bridge provides easy access to and from our neighbouring provinces, increasing the number of visitors and impacting on the shoulder seasons of Prince Edward Island. Bookings at the provincial courses have been brisk and it is expected that the province will see a strong year in the golf market.

"PEI's reputation as a golf destination continues to grow. Last year over a half a million rounds of golf were played on the Island and we expect the tourism generated by golf to continue to grow for many years to come," said the Minister