January might not seem like an obvious time to play golf. But the City of Kalamazoo sees opportunity in the frozen surface of Woods Lake.
This Saturday the City Parks and Recreation department plans to host its“first Winter Golf Classic” – if Woods Lake has frozen to a safe depth of roughly half a foot. Participants will compete for prizes as they play nine holes.
According to Parks and Recreation Director Sean Fletcher, the idea came from a Portage tradition.
“I used to live on a lake in Portage and they offered this event on the lake in February,” he said.
“We wanted to try it,” he added. “We were trying to offer something fun for families and individuals and just get people outside and moving around.”
So far, the ice cover has looked promising. Fletcher said the City will make a final call on Wednesday and reschedule if necessary.
Assuming it goes forward, the Winter Golf Classic will take place from 1 to 4 pm Saturday.