For those who need the practice – if you play the game, that means you – the Hillcrest Golf Club season opens Wednesday.

The driving range, putting green and pro shop will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, club pro John Vickers said Tuesday.

The club announced in an email Monday that it has pushed its opening day for course play up to Friday. The course will open at 10 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The course will shut back down Monday through Thursday, then open up again on Friday, Feb. 27, if all goes as planned, Vickers said. A storm, expected to hit this weekend, might cause Hillcrest to rethink its plans for Sunday, he said.

The club had announced earlier this month it would open March 2 but decided to move the opening ahead by 10 days. Vickers said that course superintendent Ken Kirby feels the course needs a break after the opening weekend.

“It’s really dicey opening up this early with the turf in a delicate state from winter time,” Vickers said.

Last year the course opened for golf Feb. 14. The lack of snow isn’t a good trend for Nordic skiers, who this year got just a handful of days of groomed skiing around the snow-covered golf course.

“Here we are already. I feel bad for the cross country skiers,” Vickers said. “It just seems like this is the new normal.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service’s prediction for Durango for Friday is mostly sunny with a high of 57. Friday night calls for a slight chance of rain. Saturday and Sunday both show a chance of rain or snow.

Memberships, coupon books and more will be available at the pro shop, which will open at 9:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday.

For more information or to make tee times, call the clubhouse at 247-1499 or visit www.golfhillcrest.com.

johnp@durangoherald.com