Victory in Victoria

I just returned from the annual National Golf Course Owners Association annual conference and trade show, held this year in beautiful Victoria, BC. It was my turn to go - lucky me! I've been to Vancouver, but this was my first visit to Victoria. And what a venue for a conference: the grand old dame of Victoria, the Fairmont Empress.

Anyway, we find it a good experience to attend these conferences. There's a great cross-section of the industry that's represented, from mega-upscale resort course owners to 9-hole rural "mom & pop" operations. 

The thing I enjoy most is sharing stories and concerns with other golf course operators from different provinces, and it's uncanny how, despite some very real regional differences, many of the challenges facing us are common. How can we attract more golfers without discounting ourselves to death? What can we do to encourage kids to take up the game? 

The last day of the conference features an event called The Idea Forum, where groups of us submit ideas in the morning session, and by the afternoon a "selection team" chooses the 10-best. How about "soccer-golf" at your golf course? I don't know...

Oh, the Fun!

Last weekend was our annual 2-day "VicFest Fall Scramble", sponsored by Sleeman Brewery. Saturday was more like a winter day: windy, cold, rain, then snow, then rain again. After an hour delay, though, the call was made to forge ahead and get the game going. Most of the players agreed that it was THE WORST conditions that they've ever played in.  Surprisingly enough, low score for the day was in the double-digits at 10 under.
Sunday proved to be a little better, weather-wise. It was cold, but no precipitation.
This event has been going on since the early 80s - maybe even the late 70s! As far as fall scrambles go, it's a popular one. This year was just one team shy of a full field (140 players). They played Victoria Park Valley on the Saturday, and the East course on Sunday. Winning score over 36 holes was 20 under.

Time for a New Clubhouse

The house that we renovated in 2011 at Victoria Park Valley to serve as our "temporary" pro shop and snack bar has done it's duty. Soon after "The Valley" opened in 2012, plans were beginning to take shape for a permanent building.

The last week of September was a whirl-wind of activity: we moved the operation - or bits of it, anyways - into a construction trailer, in preparation for demolition of the house. The staff worked hard, the trailer became functional, and the demolition began on October 2nd.

It didn't take long! By the afternoon of October 3rd demolition was complete and the site was cleaned-up. New construction is slated to begin after Thanksgiving. The plans for the new clubhouse are available for view in the trailer - come on out and have a look!

Hello, September!

And here we are, staring down the tube at Fall Golf.
September has always been the other "bookend" month for us, in terms of busy-ness: the biggest tournaments of the year happen during the middle two weeks of September.
This month also presents its traditional challenges - many of our seasonal staff are students, so scheduling becomes a huge challenge, if not a downright nightmare!
And of course, everyone's fishing for a deal. At the first sign of leaves changing colour, we start getting the call: "What are your fall rates?"
We've also put out a deal for prospective 2014 members - join now and play the rest of this season free. Now that's a deal!

You Think You've Seen It All!

Now, this was something to wake up to! Very early last Tuesday (July 30) morning, a confused gentleman decided to check out our property, somehow oblivious to the fact that he was on a golf course. As the above picture attests - just below our 18th green - he didn't get very far. David DeCorso was, well, gob-smacked! He immediately called the OPP and did a quick survey of the surroundings. Thankfully, the wayward chap stayed on the cart path and didn't damage any turf. To make a long story short, the "guilty party" returned to the scene with one of our staff members, the police arrived, and a tow truck fished the vehicle out of the pond.
Anyways, this led to a discussion about security for the golf course property. It has been on our minds, since the recent build-up of residential blocks right beside us has introduced a new problem: people wandering onto the golf course, just "out for a walk". So the talk has started: fences... gates...?? Don't know yet, but we'll have to do something eventually.

Triskaidekaphobia

Fear of the Number 13!

This year, we have experienced a definite lack of wedding bookings here at Victoria Park East. Historically, we have about 20 weddings a year, more or less. This year, we have 9!
I've been involved with the Clubhouse business here since 1993, and I've seen some unusual wedding trends... but never this severe. One theory is the year: 2013 - an unlucky year to get married.

© John Wood Photography

Oh well, at the least the tournaments have been unfazed by Trikaidekaphobia!

Rory vs. The Robot

Here's a great little video, featuring Rory McIlroy on a driving range, being challenged by a smart-assed computerized ball-hitting robot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft2fLuz9mF0