April ‘transition month’ offers Minnesotans opportunity for indoor golf

(FOX 9) - April is a transition month in Minnesota, and there’s no way around that. The weather can be nice, it can be miserable, and it;s often somewhere in between.

"It’s terrible," Shelly Murr told FOX 9 with a smile as she took her dog out for a walk in the persistent rain. "Too wet and muddy, but it will be nice soon enough."

But soon enough can’t come soon enough for those ready for spring to fully spring.

"I hate it," said John Remes, a retiree taking his clubs from his trunk at the Braemar Golf Dome in Edina. Does this get old, he was asked: "really old, and it looks like it’s going to last a while, too, so that’s going to be a problem!"

Inside the dome, full of golfers warming up their games indoors while the rain and gloom continued outdoors, the waning patience for brighter days was clear.

"Definitely," Maureen Brener said. "Whose isn’t?"

Of course, rainy, inconsistent spring weather is not at all abnormal for early April, as winter is in full retreat. But the fact this is not unusual does not translate to acceptance.

"No, it’s not [abnormal], but it’s always hard every year," said Brener. "Even though it happens all the time, it’s still hard when it’s April and it’s like this."

The Braemar Dome stays open until the end of April, because they learned long ago that the month is entirely undependable. Some courses around the Twin Cities have already opened, but many are hoping to do so soon. Braemar plans to open next week.

Outside, while hauling his clubs in, Remes was asked what this does to his mood. His answer was probably pretty common.

"Makes me want to leave, go someplace else," he said. "Somewhere that it’s not raining and 32."