BARRIE, ONT. -- The arrival of spring has golfers ready to get back on the fairway, but courses need a little more time to prepare.

In Barrie, the driving range at Cedar Links has been jammed with people knocking the rust off their swings. The course is expected to open Sat. April 3, two to three weeks earlier than usual.

"They'll be cutting some grass, and getting the holes cut, just a clean up from the winter. But it's almost ready to go," co-owner Craig Membry said Saturday.

Other courses are also targeting the week leading up to Easter to re-open. Innisibrook is planning for Tuesday, Bear Creek thinking Thursday.

At Blue Mountain, they're not ready to put away skis and snowboards just yet.

"We are planning on skiing 'til at least Easter weekend, " said social media and sponsorship coordinator Melissa Kurtin.

"We had a ton of natural snow in December and January, and we were blowing snow even on March 19th. So, the combination of our man-made (snow) with Mother Nature, we have a solid base."

Kurtin isn't sure how long this year's season will go on but recalls that a few years ago people were going down the hill in shorts and t-shirts on April 30.