LUMBERTON — Along with warmer weather, the NCAA basketball tournament, and blooming flowers comes another sure sign that winter is coming to an end — Daylight Savings Time.

A key provision of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was to extend Daylight Savings Time by four weeks. Beginning in 2007, daylight saving time dates in the United States and Canada started three weeks earlier — 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March — and ended one week later — 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. The intent was to cut the nation’s power use with more daylight at the end of the days, which delays people’s return to their homes and their need for power.

The extra time of daylight gained by springing forward an hour tonight should stimulate the economic fortunes for area golf courses and other recreation-oriented businesses.

Dwight Gane, the golf professional at Pinecrest Country Club, says daylight savings definitely translates to more dollars. This week golfers will be able to play until about 7:15 p.m. — giving them a chance to tee it up after a full day of work.

“It’s a boon economically,” he said. “It’s good for the golf course and it’s good for the golfing community. It allows golfers to come out after work and play nine holes before dark.”

Gane said the extra hour translates to an extra $200 a day in cart fees and green fees at Pinecrest.

Al Wall, golf professional at Cliffwood Golf Course, agrees.

“It gets the golf season cranked up,” he said. “People can come by after work and get in nine holes without having to rush their shots. They’re able to have a relaxing round of golf without trying to finish before dark.”

Cliffwood has scheduled its first twilight golf tournament of the year for Thursday.

Alan Fowlkes, owner/operator of Sports Jam, said he’s thankful for the extra time he’ll use to get his facility ready for a grand reopening next month.

“I’m looking forward to having more time to get more things ready and remodeled for our reopening the first part of April,” he said. “Daylight Savings is great for our business because most of our activity occurs in the afternoons and evenings. When we don’t have to run all of our lights as long, it helps us control costs and we can pass that savings on to our customers.”

Raymond Cummings, transportation director for the Public Schools of Robeson County, is less enthusiastic about Daylight Savings. The change means thousands of students will be waiting for buses while it is still darks.

“Every year it’s a concern of ours because school busses will be on the road when it’s darker,” he said. “The most dangerous time for students is in the morning as they’re loading onto the bus because, statistically, every school bus in the United States is passed illegally one time a day. We run 274 busses a day, so that’s 274 times a student has the potential of being injured.”

Cummings said drivers need to be extra cautious around school buses.

“I hope there will be a heightened awareness among the motoring public around school busses,” he said. “They need to be extra cautious.”