Hello, 2011 Season!

It's official: we will open our driving range and temporary 9-hole layout tomorrow (Thursday April 7th). Finally. And, if conditions are good, we should have the whole course open by Saturday (April 9th).

We've been looking forward to this for awhile.

David DeCorso, our Superintendent and General Manager, has started his own blog. He'll discuss the "turf" side of the business, as well as up-coming plans for our new golf course, Victoria Park Valley. Here's his link:

http://daviddecorso.blogspot.com/

Finally, here's a shot of our 1st tee, taken this morning at about 8:15

Still Getting Ready...

We've been keeping busy getting ready for the season, despite this snow-induced haitus. One important thing we did change: we've gone back to quoting our greens-fee prices "Tax In". Last year, many golf courses opted to change this practice and quote the prices "plus tax" due to the introduction of the HST on July 1st 2010. We felt that it would be important for the customer to know how much the actual greens fee was, and how much was tax. Well, according to our front-line staff, most customers really just wanted to know "the bottom line". So, back we go. In rounding-off our tax-in rates, the regular greens fees become a little cheaper this year (believe it or not!). Here's the link to our 2011 regular rates: http://www.victoriaparkgolf.com/ViewPage.aspx?pg=66 And here's a pic of our first tee, taken this morning at about 8:30. It looks like we're still a couple weeks away from opening. That snow storm last Wednesday really set us back. Bummer!

DaVinci and Michaelangelo in the Pro Shop!

Here they are, folks, "Leonardo DaVinci" Teeter and "Michaelangelo" Williams with their paint brushes out, adding their version of the Sistine Chapel to our humble pro shop!

Stop by and have a look... and make sure to compliment them when you see them on the golf course.

Mike Weir in 2011

I'm a big Mike Weir fan. Not just as a PGA Tour player and Masters champion, but as a supporter of Junior Golf in Canada, as well as other great initiatives.

Coming off elbow surgery before the end of last season, Mike's now in the process of getting his game back. Needless to say, it ain't easy!

Here's a great article from our local paper, well worth reading:

http://bit.ly/fRwHbj

It certainly Is a Different Year!

At this time last year, we were very close to opening the golf course! I was in Niagara Falls for a few days during March Break, and we were walking around with short-sleeves and basking in the warm sun. We even had our driving range and temporaries open during that time.

Not this year!

Environment Canada has forecast a cooler-than-usual March, even going into April. So an "early" opening isn't in the cards.

On the plus side, the turf conditions appear to be very favourable, as opposed to last year, when we experienced the worst winter-kill ever. Good snow cover and gradual temperature shifts will keep the grass happy.

Above is a shot of our lonely 1st Tee, taken at 8:15 this morning.

Pro Shop News: Some new stock has arrived, specifically great-looking bags by Titleist, Callaway and Taylor Made; Footjoy shoes; and some clothing. Come on out and have a look!

A Struggle for the Next Generation

One of the main hurdles that many golf courses encounter is the need to keep the game of golf an attractive sporting option for young people.

Over the past few years, we've lived through a few events that have taken the "caché" from golf, in the perceptions of some of these junior players: the "star power" of Tiger Woods, and all of the cool endorsement stuff that went along with it, has definitely waned - and no other pro golfer has replaced Tiger on that very high "mass marketing" pedestal; and here in Canada, Mike Weir's fantastic Masters win is slowly becoming an historical bookmark, and (arguably) no other Canadian golfer has since hit that high a mark.

Although we welcome, and encourage, the game of golf for any age level, it's critical for us to promote the game among juniors. And with all the new technology and diversions that are appealing to this younger market, the challenge will be huge. "Thinking outside the box" has never sounded more appropriate!

Welcome to 2011?

It's finally done... again. The busy Christmas stretch, lots of visiting, travelling, hockey, shopping, etc. You know the drill.

And with the passing of the 1st decade of the "new millenium", I truly believe that's it's best to look forward, not back; at least, not so much. I guess the argument could be made that there's lots of fun stuff to look back on. Like the guy on the right, for example!

But looking forward: 1) The economy is showing signs of waking up, so we hope this translates into more golfers.

2) If I'm correct, there are now 6 Canadians on the PGA Tour this year, so there may be some exciting golf ahead from this contingent.

3) We're going to focus a little more on enticing junior golfers to pick up the sport, or get back in. But heck, we'd like to see golfers of all ages enjoying the game.

4) Social Media: I've tried Twitter - sometimes it's fun, often it's a load of bunk (who cares that you're out walking your dog!), but it's now time to tackle the big one... Facebook. I'm going to get my kids to help me with that one. I've started on Facebook, but I'm finding it a bit of a challenge.

Oh well, each day done is a day closer to Spring!