Set in Stone

I've been asked frequently about the stone chimney and shack, located near the 17th green here at Victoria Park East. How old is it? Why is it still there? Is it authentic? Etc.

It certainly is a fine example of an old Ontario fieldstone chimney/hearth; and it is, indeed, authentic, not a recent reproduction.

As for it's history, here's what I know:

The site had a simple frame cottage attached to this chimney when the DeCorso family bought the property in 1971 from the Hales family. Alf Hales was the Member of Parliament for this area from 1957 until 1974, and "the Cottage" was used by the Hales' as a getaway and, yes, a party place! I remember it had some pretty cool antiques in there: furniture, knick-knacks, and a hand-cranked Victrola gramaphone. In 1973, the cottage was separated from the chimney and moved to the current location of our Clubhouse, where it became the original Pro Shop and Snack bar for the golf course. When the Clubhouse was built in 1977, the cottage was moved sideways, and it became strictly the Pro Shop and Club Storage. In 1984 it was finally demolished when a permanent Pro Shop and Office addition was constructed.

Here's a shot from 1977 of the Cottage as Pro Shop, Club Storage, and Cart Charging Station. The newly-built Clubhouse is in the background.

So, what's the shack (top picture) that is now attached to the chimney? Ever since the cottage was moved, a simple wooden structure was built in its place for fertilizer storage. The one that is there now is the second such structure. We decided to keep the chimney in place because it is, indeed, an authentic historical piece. We hired a bricklayer in 2001 to apply mortar around the stones, since the old mortar was flaking off. Our research on its history went cold, but we were given the opinion that the chimney pre-dates the Hales cottage. Puslinch Township historical records indicate that the first recorded settlers on the property were the Stone family (as in Stone Rd.), but we can't be certain that this chimney was built by them.

In the meantime, it certainly catches a lot of stray golf balls!

Victoria Park West

As mentioned in a previous post, 2011 is the "Farewell Year" for Victoria Park Golf Club West. Pictured above is founder and owner Ted DeCorso (centre) with his children David and Tina. Here's a link to an article that appeared in our local paper, an interesting retrospective of the West's 45-year history and the man behind it: http://bit.ly/msjIJN

New! Public Mens League

We're starting a Mens League for public golfers, here at Victoria Park East. Over the last few years, we've been approached numerous times by players inquiring about a league. So our Pro, Jay Pembleton, came up with the framework, and we're now ready to go. The League will run on Wednesdays, starting May 18 and run for 15 weeks. Click here for full details: http://bit.ly/e5VwMp

What to do...

No disrespect meant to the sand & gravel industry, but this weather is the PITS. Rain, cold... blah! So, here's a link to the "Top 10 Funny Golf Commercials". What else to do on a rainy day?
http://bit.ly/h398tT

Trials and Tribulations

Here's a link to an interesting article regarding the (so far) quiet performances of Canadian players on the PGA Tour: http://bit.ly/gzt5jN

The season is still young, so there will be plenty of opportunity for the Canuck contingent to make a showing. It's an interesting article, though, and I'm certain it may provoke some good discussion.

Victoria Park West...

18th Hole at Victoria Park West

There's still a rumour floating around that our sister course, Victoria Park Golf Club West, is closed. Nothing could be further from the truth. The West course is fully open for the 2011 golf season. This is their "Farewell Season", because (as mentioned in a previous blog post) our new Victoria Park Valley Executive Golf Club will open next Spring, replacing the West course, which will be re-developed into a residential subdivision. The East course will remain unchanged.

But for now, it's Business as Usual at the West course. Here's a link to their website: http://www.vpgcwest.com/default.aspx

Post-Masters Hangover

What a weekend! We finally got the course fully open here at Victoria Park East, and had a great crowd of rusty golfers here on Saturday (April 9th). But by the end of the weekend, our opening day excitement was supplanted by a fabulous final round at Augusta. There's already been a lot of analysis and comment about Charl Schwartzel's predominance on the final 9 - so I won't add to it... much. In my humble opinion, it was the un-expectedness of some of the names in the finishing field that made it really great. Anyways, April marches on, the grass is greening-up nicely, and warmer air is on its way. Come out and golf!