Cold and wet weather in British Columbia this spring has put a major damper on business at many golf courses, but the Stanley Cup playoffs are also keeping golfers off the links.
Gary Nederguard of North Vancouver's Northlands Golf Course says its bookings are 30 per cent behind where they normally are for the spring.
"This is the worst start in 15 years we've been in operation. We've had bad weather before but nothing of this extent," he said.
It isn't just courses feeling the pinch that are angry at Mother Nature. Most golfers are also parking their clubs.
"About three weeks ago I came with some buddies and it started hailing. Hail the size of a golf ball basically," golfer Kian Khoshnevis said.
UBC Golf Course Manager Mike Mather said the problem is further compounded by the fact this is the time of year with the most daylight to play.
"You just haven't been able to take advantage of this," he said.
Nederguard says Stanley Cup playoffs are also turning the links into a ghost town – everyone leaves the greens when the Vancouver Canucks take the ice.
"It's like a rainy day," he said.
Mather said the early starts are making the situation worse.
"Seven o'clock starts aren't too bad but five o'clock starts are painful," he said.
"You can draw a line across your tee sheet at a certain time of day people aren't teeing up."
Khoshnevis said even though he loves golf, his team comes first.
"It's a time commitment. If the Canucks are playing it's number one," he said.
But while it's hard to complain about the Canucks, Mather is just hoping the weather will take a turn for the better.
"I think people are waiting to get some shorts on, work on the tan and enjoy being outside. Soon," he said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson
