Vancouver golfers enjoy warm February. But climate change concerns remain

While recent warm, dry weather has been bad for Vancouver-area skiers, a hotter February has been a boon for golfers.

The city's three golf courses are at full capacity for this time of year, according to the Vancouver Park Board.

That's after weeks of high temperatures that shattered records since late January — some almost a century old.

Dennis Luick, the board's supervisor of golf operations, said the unusually balmy weather has more than made up for the 10 days city fairways had to close during January's cold snap, which he said came at least a month later than most years.

That brought out more golfers than usual for this time of year, he said.

"This is fantastic from our perspective," he told CBC News at Langara Golf Course, one of three operated by the city. "Not great for skiing, but really great for golf." 

"We're at full capacity with the daylight we have."

Recent weeks saw some local ski hills forced to temporarily close mid-season or, in one case, make customers take off their skis and walk over part of the slopes. Last week, three sports at the B.C. Winter Games were cancelled, dashing the hopes of roughly 240 athletes.

Climate change is on the minds of some course operators as they prepare for water shortages and restrictions, and more unpredictable, extreme weather.

Golfers enjoying a sunny round of golf on Monday, some in short sleeves, said they were ecstatic to pull their clubs and caddies from winter storage.

"This used to be a swamp at this time of year, but now it's perfectly playable," said golfer Byron Stewart, as he climbed into a cart with his friends. "It's magic."

It's not just the unusually high temperatures that have drained the swamp. Over the last several years, Vancouver has spent an estimated $3 million on a state-of-the-art drainage system to help increase the days it can open, Luick said.

He said excess water from winter storms can be quickly removed from the course. Instead of going into storm sewers, it is stored for dry months.

That will help prepare Langara's course for a changing and more unpredictable climate, he said, and others in the city are also upgrading their water management systems.