Coming events

There are quite a few things happening at and around the golf course. After a brief update on this past week's Mens' Night, I will highlight some of these coming events.

This week 33 golfers enjoyed one of the nicest evenings of the year. The sun was shining, the greens and fairways were cut, and the pins were placed in ideal locations.

The deuce pot that had accumulated for three weeks disappeared when three golfers made 2's. Congratulations to Ian Paterson, and Scott Martin who split the $139.50 prize.

Closest to the pins were Ron Huberdeau on #5 and Ian Paterson on #9.

Skins only went on two holes. Dale Martin and Ken Ostash won $20 for #1 while Stephen David and Kevin Bartram won the same amount on #4.

So, now for the upcoming events:
- This Friday is an exciting day for the golf club as we will have lot selection for those on our seasonal camping list.
- The ladies are hosting a Jack and Jill on Tuesday.
- The annual fundraising tournament is next Friday, July 3rd.
- Our next Nine and Dine is July 17th.
- The annual Horse Race tournament is not that far away...scheduled for Saturday, July 25th. If you are interested in signing up, send me a text at 847-0161.
- The Seniors' tournament is July 29th and the Credit Union event is July 30th.
- Finally, don't forget that our next Mens' Night is on the Canada Day holiday.

Let's Set a Record

Wednesday was our tenth Mens' Night. That is significant because it occurred in the middle of June. Assuming we get to mid-September as we did last year, we have the potential of having 13 more evenings of golf. Given that it is still mid-June is significant for another reason. The first day of summer is officially next week...so we are still enjoying spring golf.

For those who enjoy variety in their weather, the afternoon and evening had sun, then some high winds, a bit of thunder, and reports of hail before a few heavy downpours made way for relatively clear skies. It was cooler than anticipated and I realized the need to pack some pants in my golf bag. There were a few toques in play as well as some long underwear and mittens and some borrowed wind pants. On a positive note there were no bugs. It was even too cold for the wood ticks.

We had 29 golfers with skins going on four holes. Winners included Brad Benton and Ron Huberdeau ($30 on #1), Darcy Kowalchuk and Blake Hunter ($60 on #3), Joel Ostash and Wes Arnfinson ($20 on #4), and Scott Martin and Dan Stokes ($30 on #5).

Closest to the pins were Luke Funk on #5 and Scott Maynes on #9. For the second week in a row there were no deuces recorded. That means a big pot next week...at least $130 I would guess.

There was a report of an interesting mix up on #4 with Jason Hunter hitting the wrong ball or something. It was a complicated multi-part story that I wasn't completely able to follow. Talk to Brad Benton for further details.

In two weeks the stars align for possibly the greatest Mens' Night ever. In two weeks it is Wednesday, July 1st. This is perfect because almost everyone will have the day off and few people should be away because the holiday is not attached to a long weekend.

Having Mens' Night coincide with July 1st is pretty rare. The last time it occurred was 2009. The next time this happens is 2020 and then not again until 2026. It is actually rarer than a Leap Year. Therefore, I encourage everyone to not only come out on July 1st but to bring someone along who doesn't normally play.

In two weeks, let's beat the record of 55 golfers that we set a few years ago. I have already made arrangements with the Municipality. It we have the best turnout of all time they will set off fireworks later in the evening to acknowledge our efforts. How cool will that be?

Thank you, thank you, thank you

I am going to flip the script a bit this week. I will start with the quick highlights from Wednesday and then write about this week's theme...thankfulness.

 

Terry Brandon and Brad Swereda teamed up for two skins including $23.50 on #2 and $59.50 on #4. Other skins went to Brad Benton and Dave Gill ($20 on #6) and Ian Paterson and Randy Tully ($23.50 on #7).

 

Closest to the pins were Cubby on #5 and Robin on #9. Neither they nor anyone else converted a deuce.

 

With seven Mens' Nights already this year, some pots are building up quite nicely. Also, our secondary hole-in-one prize just passed $1000 to go with the primary pot which was capped at $1500.

So back to the theme for this week...thankfulness. Increasingly, I hear complaints about different aspects of the golf course. It seems that a lot of people have a hard time focusing on anything but the negative. This can become frustrating if you don't remember that the majority of people are grateful for the awesome little course that we have here in Shoal Lake. I would hope that I am among those who focus on the positive. Therefore, the last few paragraphs this morning will acknowledge some of the good things.

 

Thanks to John Derhak, Shawna Hebert, and Tara Horne for the great customer service on Mens' Nights so far this year. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks to Dave Chegwin and his crew for working hard to get the course in shape for play. I know it can be a challenging job in which you heard more complaints than praise.

Thanks to the guys who come out every week to make Mens' Night a success.

Thanks to the golf club executive members for all they do to support the course. Most recently, you may have seen two members, Dan Stokes and Brenda Simspon, repainting the deck and picnic tables. This was made possible because Mel Maynes previously sanded everything.

 

Thanks to the countless people who have volunteered at our campground development, including those gentlemen already working as of 7:45 am this morning. As I sit her on a nice Sunday morning, the scrapers are hauling clay down my road toward the course. This clay will form the base for the interior roads and lots in the campground prior to the addition of gravel. The project is coming along nicely.

Since I mentioned the campground, I will admit that I have been part of conversations complaining about the occasional low turnout at campground workout parties or lamenting why it seems it is always the same people involved. Going forward, I resolve to be excited about those people that do show up and to be respectful of those that are not able to be there. Lots of people have lots of things going on beside building a campground. There are jobs, families, and other volunteer commitments.

Finally thanks to anyone that I missed acknowledging today. If you were overlooked someone will let me know.

 

 

Chase the Ace...and Chase the Canola

 

This will be a quick one. It's almost 7:30 and I have to be at the campground by 8:00.

Last Wednesday we had only 16 out for Mens' Night. That was due largely to the fact that our farming friends had to reseed their canola due to a recent frost.

Four skins were won. Mark Pawluk and Milt won two, getting $20 for #5 and $44.50 for #5. Neuf and Ron Anderson cashed in for $44.50 on #1 while Charlie McNabb and Brad Benton won $30.50 on #9.

Closest to the pins were Scott Maynes on #5 and Dale Newton on #2. The $24.00 deuce pot went to Jason Neufeld who allegedly drained a 40 footer for two on #9.

Mark Pawluk was a surprise winner of the Chase the Ace fundraiser, pulling the lucky card despite 49 others in the deck. He won half of the $300 pot as a result.

Since I mentioned the campground, I should give you an update. We are nearing completion of the sewer and water lines and have some electrical work requiring completion. We should be getting close to bringing the clay and gravel in for the roads. Of course, there is always work to be done and that work is predicated on volunteer labour. To date, there have been countless man hours and machine hours dedicated to the cause. If you are interested in lending a hand, please let us know.