PALMYRA, Pa. — It's not often for golfers to be out this early in the season. Zachary Cortese and his friends say they try to get out whenever they can but weren't expecting to play in February.
"My buddy was saying we gotta check all the courses because we finished work a little early, and I was like there's no way anybody's going to be open, and then it turns out Paupack Hills," Cortese said.
Cortese says he came prepared for soggy and sloppy, but it wasn't as bad as expected.
Jessie Hobbs is the general manager at Paupack Hills and says the location of the golf course helps.
"When the sun is up here on the mountain and out like this, it dries very quickly. And our greens, the guy that just played today said, 'I could not believe how fast the greens were running,' and it rained so much yesterday."
Last month, a fire destroyed the clubhouse and restaurant at Paupack Hills, a major hit to the business. But now, the staff is working hard to make sure they can have as many amenities available to guests until they can rebuild.
"We had our new temporary pro shop installed on Monday, and we saw the opportunity to get open and get some golfers out here once the grounds crew said we're looking good. We can have golfers out on Wednesday if it's nice enough. So here we are."
"This warm weather might not stick around for very long, and golfers we spoke with say they just wanted to get out and have some fun before the bad stuff rolls in," said Hobbs.
"We're just going to try to get it out of our system now and then maybe stick to virtual golf until spring comes," Cortese said.
Managers at Paupack Hills say as long as the course is in good shape, they'll open whenever they can before the season's scheduled opening day in April.
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