TORONTO -- Golf courses and other outdoor recreational facilities can reopen across Ontario today as COVID-19 cases continue to trend down.

Residents can also resume using tennis courts, skate parks and sports fields.

However, outdoor sports and classes remain off limits.

Golfers have been teeing up for this news for weeks, after lobbing sharp criticism at the provincial government.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Thursday, as he unveiled a three-step reopening plan that will bring the province out of a stay-at-home order that's been in place for well over a month.

The province is due to enter the first stage of reopening in mid-June, after 60 per cent of adults have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2021.