The End of an Era

Louise DeCorso from Victoria Park East Golf Club (left) with

Maria Colaizzi from Chatelaine Lighting

On August 18, Victoria Park East and West Golf Clubs held our annual Chatelaine Lighting Ladies Invitational for the 38th time! The event was sold-out at both courses, and is certainly one of the biggest and longest-running Ladies invitationals in Ontario... maybe even Canada.
This was, though, the last time that Chatelaine Lighting of Guelph will be sponsoring the event. Although we'll miss their involvement, we certainly do not regret their decision; 38 years is a remarkable and generous run, and in that time this event has raised many thousands of dollars for cancer research and, most recently, for St. Margaret's Hospital.
My sister Louise gave an excellent speech at the tournament. Here's a portion of that speech:

"The tournament was the idea of Louis Jansen, owner of Chatelaine Lighting. There were few tournaments for ladies at that time and so in 1973, the first Chatelaine Lighting Ladies Invitational was held at Victoria Park Golf Club West. Sadly, Louis passed away in 1985 and graciously; his wife Diane and sister Maria Colaizzi have continued to co-sponsor the tournament. The tournament has grown tremendously over the past 38 years and we are proud to say that it is the largest ladies invitational in the province. Today we shared our love of golf and camaraderie with 164 participants here at Victoria Park East and 148 ladies at Victoria Park West. The raffle that you so generously participate in is in Louis’s memory, with all proceeds going to the Princess Margaret Hospital, Gerry & Nancy Pencer Brain Trust Fund.
We are all aware that things change in the passing of so many years. In saying that, we need to inform you that Chatelaine Lighting will no longer be the co-sponsor of the ladies invitational tournament. We have had a great working relationship with Chatelaine Lighting and the individuals there, and know that we will continue this relationship on a personal level. We will miss all the beautiful lights on the prize table and will have to work very hard to find another co-sponsor as generous as Chatelaine Lighting. We hope that you will continue to support Chatelaine Lighting if and when you are in need of lighting. In future, you will recognize the tournament as the Victoria Park Ladies Invitational."

Well said, Louise. Thanks Maria, Diane, Angela, and everybody at Chatelaine Lighting for your years of support.

A Great Taste of Summer

Our annual Patio Grilling Night here at Victoria Park East was a huge success: great food and a sell-out crowd! This was our 7th event (we did one in the winter, too!) and I find it curious to note how it's progressed over the years.

Wendy Gottmers, our Banquet Manager, presented the idea when she first came on board in 2004. It started out as a "hands-on" grilling course: guests were encouraged to come up to the BBQ and lend a hand, which they did. As the years went by, we began inviting wineries to the event, to sample their fine wines. Well, that did it! Guests were having too much fun socializing, sampling the wine, and tasting the food - very few wanted to venture up to the BBQ for the hands-on part!

And so, it's no longer a grilling course, it's become a grilling show - and that's fine. Our chefs, Steve, Gerald "JJ" and Giovanni did a fabulous job. And of course, so did Wendy! Here she is discussing a wine pairing...

Fun, Games & A Whole Lot More

I've been on the committee of the Guelph Wish Fund for Children Golf Tournament for 10 years. This annual fund-raiser was held here at Victoria Park East last Saturday (July 9th), and as usual, it was a well-attended and fun day.

It was the 24th tournament, and it also marked the final one (as a golf committee member) for Guelph Wish Fund co-founder Ron Asselstine, pictured here with his wife Wendy.

Many of you are familiar with Ron as an NHL linesman. Ron "Bear" Asseslstine worked the line in the NHL from 1986 until 1997. He founded the Wish Fund (actually, it started as the Make-a-Wish Guelph) with the late Guelph journalist Al Ferris in 1984. Together, they grew the Fund into what it is today: a local organization that grants "wishes" to children who are critically ill, require long-term medical care, or are in need of specialized medical treatment. The Guelph Wish Fund is now administered by a board of directors, and handles all of it's own fund-raising initiatives - the annual golf tournament being a key one. Ron officially retired from the Wish Fund last December, and I'm hard-pressed to think of anyone more deserving of a healthy and happy retirement.

Our community is lucky to have Ron, Wendy, and all of the Wish Fund volunteers and committee members. They've brought a measure of happiness to so many children and their families throughout the years. And they've never taken a penny for themselves.
Golf Tournament Committee (left to right) Peter Baldasso, John DeCorso, Ron Asselstine, Barry Scutt, Al Bevan-Stewart, Barry Fowler, and Mark Dalbello

Dream Job

An interesting article appeared online today: Mike Weir is involved in designing a golf course. Here's the link to the article http://bit.ly/m3caPq by Sympatico's Robert Thompson.
Obviously, a Pro, especially a PGA Pro, will provide some design insights that would enhance an architect's plan. Mike now joins the ranks of Nicklaus, Norman, Player, and a host of others who have lent their brush-strokes to golf course design.
I'm reminded of the early days here at Victoria Park East. As a young teenager in the mid-1970s, I was around here a lot; picking the range, planting trees, cutting grass, etc. and I overheard many comments - or, was spoken-to directly - by some of our members and public golfers, basically giving their two-cents worth on golf course design. "You guys should'a done this... you guys should'a done that... planted more trees here, smaller bunkers there, too many dog-legs... too much water, not enough water, bigger tee decks..." You get the picture. And East Course architect Rene Muylaert was no slouch - he designed about 30 golf courses in Ontario, including Brooklea, Glen Eagle, Pheasant Run, and Caledon Country Club.
It's fun being an arm-chair architect. But many of us don't appreciate the skill and thought-process that goes into designing a golf course. With the construction of our new Victoria Park Valley course, I was privy to seeing architect Scott Covell's planning strategies develop from Step One. And believe me, it's no armchair job!

Our New Victoria Park Valley Course

The grass is growing nicely at Victoria Park Valley, slated to openSpring 2012. Above is a picture of Hole B7 - there will be 27 holes. More pics on our website:

http://www.victoriaparkgolf.com/ViewPage.aspx?pg=78

Take a Kid to the Course

During the week of July 4, Victoria Park East will be participating in the "Take a Kid to the Course" promotion.

From July 4 - 10, children age 16 and younger golf for free, with a paying adult. There will also be a free golf clinic here at the East course at 5pm on Thursday July 7.

For more information, Click Here to view the official Website, or call our Pro Shop at (519) 821-2211. This great event is administered by the National Golf Course Owners Association, and Coca-Cola is the National Sponsor.

June Marches On...

It's the first full day of Summer, and the busy month of June is on the downswing. And it has, indeed, been busy.

June is our Number One month: more tournaments, more member & public play, the banquet hall is busy, business meetings try to fit a busy schedule into June before the traditional July holiday escape.

This year - as many of you can appreciate - June also got us away from (arguably) the worst April and May on record. It was cold, and incredibly wet, and so NOT golf weather! Even the first week of June proved a challenge, with some major down-pours. Even the "anyweather" golfer was tamed!

Onwards...