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Weather no problem on these links By KATY SAVAGE ksavage@eagletimes.com 3 min ago golf Crown Point Country Club in Springfield, Vt. is open despite the weather. KATY SAVAGE SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — It was sleeting one recent weekend and the hills were covered in snow, but Crown Point Country Club was open for the season. The 18-hole golf course opened April 13. About 24 eager golfers played despite the 40-degree temperatures. “It was chilly and breezy,” acknowledged Andy Bladyka, who played nine holes. “If you dressed right it wasn’t bad.” Bladyka was on the golf course at 9:30 a.m. Saturday with three high school classmates he always plays with. Bladyka said they like to be the first on the course and the last off. They’ll play in rain, sleet and snow, until “they tell us we can’t,” he said. Last season, Bladyka and his classmates didn’t stop playing golf until Dec. 3. “We were the only ones out there,” he said. Bladyka is the director of the Springfield Parks and Recreation Department. He’s also the Springfield High School varsity softball team coach. He started playing golf about 10 years ago with his three classmates, who are all ages 58 or 59 now. “I’m just one of those people who would rather be outdoors than in,” Bladyka said. He wasn’t the only person. “It was chilly,” admitted Crown Point board member Christine Campbell, who played a round on Saturday. “You had to layer up a little.” Crown Point strives to be open from April to November every season. “We try to be one of the first open,” said PGA professional Richard Vacca, who heads the golf course. “It helps with our marketing.” Crown Point, like many golf courses, has struggled with declining membership in recent years. A recent study from the National Golf Foundation said the number of people who played golf fell 1.2 percent between 2015 and 2016. Researchers say the sport struggles in part because of its inability to attract millennials. Campbell said the 2008 downturn in the economy also hurt the golf industry. “Golf got labeled a luxury sport,” she said. “We’ve had our ups and downs when it comes to membership,” Campbell added. “I think a lot of people just don’t feel they have the time to play golf.” Crown Point memberships are $599 this year for unrestricted play — a lower price than previous years. Vacca and Campbell hope the drop in the fee entices new members. “What we’re trying to do is just get them up to the golf course and get them excited about playing golf again,” Vacca said. Crown Point has 165 members, which is up from about 130 members last year. Vacca hopes to have at least 200 members this season. The golf course on Weathersfield Center Road is open for walking only until conditions are dry enough for carts. Rates without a membership this season are $50 for 18 holes and $30 for nine holes with a cart or $30 for 18 holes and $20 for nine holds without a cart.
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