LONDON, ON -- The first swings of the club feel so good after a long wait.
"It feels like being released from house arrest," says golfer Julio Devuono.
That was the consensus of golfers at Thames Valley Golf Club on opening day Saturday.
However getting to that first tee is a little different these days.
"When cars arrive they are stopped by a greeter," says JP McGonigle, city of London division manager of Parks and Recreation.
"We communicate with the greeter by radio and tell the next group when it is ok to come up . Two people at a time can enter the pro-shop, and are read the new rules. After that they head to the first tee."
Then it is time to tee it up and let it fly.
"The new normal, will never be same as old normal," says golfer Brent Woodcock, who did get to play a little earlier this year in Florida. "We do appreciate being out here and playing.
His playing partner Rob Wharry is coming off having work done on his knee, and was riding solo thanks to new rules of just one golfer per cart. He wasn't sure how strong his game was going to be, but didn't care because he was golfing.
"I don't usually get to close to these guys, we're always 10-15 feet apart," Wharry joked.
"None of us every get that close to the hole anyway, so there will be a lot of 'gimmies' in this group."
For most about to hit the links, the strangest aspect was not getting a few warmup swings in ahead of time. Some players were seen using a piece of grass near the parking lot to take a few chip and pitch shots ahead of the round.
"I'm a little stiff, so I’m trying to stretch it out," says Carolyn Walker. "Normally you have a chance to warmup before the first round of the year, but not this year. I'm hopeful I just make contact with the ball, and hopefully the first few scores don't matter much."
The first few golfers hit the links at 7 a.m. and to ensure distancing rules, the city assigned a marshal to patrol the course in a cart. However, they weren't needed much according to McGonigle.
"I've heard nothing but everyone being respectful," says McGonigle who arrived at the city run course at sunrise.
"Everyone is happy to have activity and be outside. On the first hole we are reminding people to be good examples and the marshal is out there asking to maintain that practice."
Walker was so appreciative of the staff for working hard to open the course.
"It is amazing they are here, so kudos to the staff letting us get out here."
As long as players follow the rules, they should be able to enjoy the links for the rest of the golf season.
