And Here We Go Again!

Remember this? Well, it will soon start up again.
Of course, Victoria Rd. South between Stone Rd. and (since last year) Arkell has been a mess for years. With the boon in housing construction, there's no question that a major fix is needed.
As many of you are aware, they began ripping up the road a year ago, from Arkell to the new McAllister Rd. So, the whole summer was a "ballet" of which way to go, to access the golf course. It was frustrating (to say the least), and a major construction delay at the land bridge just south of McAllister didn't help. However, the new road at the golf course entrance is great, and the centre turning lane is very handy.

Here's what's up for this season: at the beginning of June, construction will begin between McAllister and Stone. Victoria Rd. will be closed for 2 weeks at McCallister for deep service work, so access to Victoria Park East will be northbound from Arkell. After those 2 weeks, Victoria Rd. will be open both ways, but with restrictions, basically until November.

I will keep the Victoria Park website updated, as well as social media posts (Facebook and Twitter), with construction news.

Oy...

Hits and Misses

This year, it seems like the Masters, opening the golf courses (late) and the playoffs came smack together like a bad hit. Granted, it was an enjoyable last round at the Masters with Adam Scott prevailing over Cabrera... and of the course the Leafs finally breaking through to the post-season... but April made it tough for me to enjoy. My wife had a cancerous tumour removed, and fortunately the prognosis looks good. Her strength and attitude continue to amaze me. Now, we stay positive and look forward to a great summer.

Oh Come On!

Here's a screen grab of Environment Canada's 14-day trend for Guelph. Of course, here we are in April, everyone's patiently (or impatiently!) waiting for Victoria Park to get the tee blocks on for the 2013 season.
I've been updating the homepages of our websites with the following: "The golf course and driving range are not open yet. Our "target date" is April 12 or 13, however this may change. This page will be updated frequently with opening announcements - please check back!"
But look at that dip on the 11th! Things may change, but the weather sure has been a tease this spring. Anyways, we'll do our best to avoid "the latest opening ever" - opposite of last year's "earliest opening ever."
Feel free to come by the Pro Shop for a visit. And visit www.victoriaparkgolf.com for frequent Opening Day updates.

This Sure Ain't Like Last Year!

How many times have I heard that in the last few weeks! A year ago at this time, as it turned out, we were 3 weeks away from FULLY opening the golf course. Well, winter gave us another blast of heavy snow last night, and the 14-Day trend is looking seasonal to below seasonal, with more snow in the forecast. So, keep the clubs covered-up for a few more weeks.
Here's a pic of our 1st tee area, taken this morning at about 9am. Lots of snow...good for the turf!

Over the Hump

With February just around the proverbial corner, and our Year End (almost) done, we're beginning to shift gears and focus on the impending 2013 golf season. It sems crazy, but at this time last year, we were 6 weeks away from FULLY opening the golf course! Let's hope for another early start, it sure was a great bonus for us and the golfers.
Here's a snap-shot of stuff we'll soon be featuring:

• 2013 Membership Info is "out there", on our websites. We've kept prices the same as 2012, with the exception of the Combined East/Valley memberships - they went up about $40 - and the Junior meembership actually went down a bit.
• Road construction on Victoria Rd. finally came to an end, for now, at the beginning of December. As many of you can attest, it was a big pain in the butt to have this major roadwork being done on our doorstep during the summer. Apparently it will continue in the Spring, but they should be able to proceed with lane restrictions instead of road closure.
• We hope to have a "refreshed" website online by the end of February. Thanks to all of you who offered suggestions for changes.
• Jay Pembleton will be back at the end of February here at the East course, getting the shop in shape. Rob Douglas will also return to the Valley, probably at the beginning of March.
• John Teeter and Len Halsam have already been in contact with some of our Tournament customers, and they will continue to do so as we head towards March
• We have some great advertising opportunities at both courses, especially with our Tee Signs. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please give me a call. There's also a golf component to our advertising that's a great bonus.

I'll end off with a link to a funny "commercial" that was sent my way by one of our members. Thanks Harry!Play These Balls!

The Sign Says It All

Canadians at Q-School

Here's a good article from sympatico.ca's Robert Thompson:
http://bit.ly/UO8vKJ

I'm always interested in the Canadian contingent at Q-School, wondering if this will be a "break-out" year for Canadian pros: who will join DeLaet, Hearn and Fritsch?
Could this be Ryan Yip's time? Let's keep our fingers crossed!