The skiers were still on the hills when Meaford Golf Club opened for play on March 17 this year. With temperatures predicted in the low teens this weekend, getting out for a round of Easter golf might be just the ticket. The Meaford Golf Club is right in town, right next to the Meaford Haven retirement community, and offers a twin nine-hole configuration, so you can play 18 holes of golf in two different ways – on the same day if you want!

Stone Tree Golf Course, just south of Owen Sound, is also open this weekend, accenting the golf with a delicious Easter brunch on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. And with “Pay-the-temperature” green fees, the price is right. Pay only $20 plus the temperature for 18 holes, and $10 plus the temp for nine holes.

The same deal applies at Legacy Ridge Golf Course, which is the new name for the Owen Sound Golf and Country Club. With sweeping views of Owen Sound Bay, the 91 year-old club has started new life under ownership of Stone Tree. And during April, you’ll pay only $30 plus the high temp for 18 holes, and $20 plus the high temp for nine holes.

Cobble Beach, the much-lauded new links-style course north of Owen Sound, opened for the season today. Among other praise, the course has been named one of the top 20 courses in Canada by Links Magazine; Ontario’s Best New Course by Ontario Golf Magazine, and Top 10 Best New Courses in the World by Travel & Leisure Golf. It’s just a half-hour drive.

Just a few minutes down the road, the Golf Club at Lora Bay is also open Easter weekend – the earliest opening weekend yet for the course. This weekend, all greens fees are only $59, including power cart and just $39 after 3 p.m. The course has hosted the Telus Skins Game, and the PGA Nationwide Tour Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic.

Monterra Golf, at Blue Mountain, is also offering a deal on greens fees – only $49 through the weekend, cart included. Monterra (the “and at the bottom of the mountain”) was designed by Tom McBroom and opened in 1989.

These are just a few of the golf courses you’ll enjoy in your Ontario retirement community at Meaford Haven. So why not start checking them out now?

Visited Blue Mountain earlier this week, twice in fact. Canada’s third busiest ski resort is just a 20 minute drive from Meaford Haven, but if you’re an avid skier, you don’t have to worry about the “busy” part. A Blue Mountain 5×7 pass is a great deal and allows you to ski Monday through Friday day and night, and nights on Saturday and Sunday. Head there during the week, and you’ll be surprised at how short the lift lines are – if there are line-ups at all. More often than not, you’ll be skiing right up to the lift.

But back to this week’s visits. Blue Mountain isn’t just about winter. Come summer, it seems like there are even more things to do. Last Friday, the mountain bike got its first real ride of the season with a tough climb up the trails alongside Scenic Caves Road. With few glimpses of the road from the treed trails, you didn’t really have an idea of how far you up you were until you finally emerged right across from the popular Scenic Caves Nature Adventures attraction (more on that tomorrow). Then, thankfully, the course flattened out (for a little while). A few downhills were invariably followed by more climbs, which had me dreading the next descent, until the final ride down to a well deserved lunch in the Village at Blue. (It’s the downhill trails that attract most bikers to the hill – an easy ride up in the gondola followed by an exhilarating descent has something to recommend it over the cross-country climb, except for the bragging rights, of course.)

Back on Monday for more leisurely pursuits. For a few years, Plunge! Aquatic Adventure has been welcoming kids (and the young at heart) year round with its indoor/outdoor pools, indoor water playground, hot tubs, rope swing, dock and slides. Paddle boats and kayaks ply the pond during the summer months. Kids try their hands (and feet) at the climbing wall. Shoppers tour the array of shops in the Village, followed by a drink or a meal in their choice of pubs and restaurants. And this year, the Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster offers new thrills. It’s like a roller coaster ride down the hill – for more than a kilometre – but you control your speed with a brake; if the max 42 kilometre per hour is too fast, slow down and enjoy the views.

But the newest attraction, and one that might just attract the real golfers among us, is the miniature golf currently under construction at the base of the hill. This looks like it’s going to be much more than an ordinary mini-putt, with realistic greens, bunkers, and challenging lies, all set among monolithic blocks in the side of the hill, recalling the ruins of Greek temple or amphitheatre.

Blue Mountain's new mini golf course under construction

This is one golf tournament that will definitely be a blast.

Next Friday, May 27, the Meaford Golf and Country Club will host the Fourth Annual Combat Golf Tournament. That doesn’t mean you attack the next foursome with your 3-wood or a well-targeted Titleist. The event is a fundraiser for the Military Family Resource Centre, a Meaford organization which offers services to the families of our soldiers stationed at the Land Forces Central Area Training Centre. The golf tournament kicks off at 8 a.m., and it’s followed by a military reception at “the base”, with a variety of military activities on display during the afternoon and evening. Enjoy dinner, a silent and live auction, and enter a draw for a ” Combat Golf Adventure” weekend trip to Kingston Military Base. There, you’ll “living the military life” for three days and two nights – a life that includes a day of golf and use of carts at the Garrison Golf and Country Club.

Registration is limited to 36 teams and there are still a few spaces available. Call the Military Family Resource Centre at 519-538-1371 ext. 6509 for more information.

The Meaford Golf and Country Club lies immediately south of the Meaford Haven property, and offers a challenging 18 holes in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.