Small Town Wednesdays

I will do the Men’s Night recap first for those who simply want that information. Then I will launch into my weekly reflection.

There were only 25 golfers this week. Many were likely scared away by the solid rain from 4:20 – 5:15 pm.

Skins went on five holes. Winners included Dawson Tanner/Jason Neufeld ($20 on #1 and $20 on #9), Scott Maynes /Jason Gorrell ($147.26 on #4), and Ryden Lanouette/Myles Shingoose ($20 on #7).

The win by Gorrell, coupled with his large deuce pot last week, vaulted him into second place on the season money list with $203.95. He is closing in on leader Dawson Tanner who sits at $200.34.

Darcy Kowalchuk is leading the ringer board at -6.

Charles McKay was closest on #5. Jason Neufeld was closest on #9 plus he converted the birdie to win the $46.88 deuce pot.

While on the golf course earlier this week, I mentioned how lucky we are to live in somewhere like Shoal Lake. I thought of that again this morning while reflecting on our recent Men’s Night round. The more I replayed the evening, the more I realized that Wednesday evenings here aren’t just about the golf. They are a snapshot of what makes rural life so awesome.

We are extremely fortunate to have own little nine‑hole course where the barriers to playing golf are almost comically low. Most times you can pull up to the first tee, stretch a bit, then hit a ball without waiting. No online booking required. No waking up early to get a good tee time. If two groups land at the same time, we sort it out with a quick wave and a “you guys go.” Or you can head to another open hole. Try to do that on a larger course.

Whether it be on Men’s Night or any other day, we move with a ready‑golf rhythm in Shoal Lake. What doesn’t happen is a five‑hour grind to complete a round. Here you can head out after supper, play 18, and still beat the darkness home.

We also have memberships that fit real budgets and don’t break the bank. A regular green fee at Clear Lake this year is in the ballpark of $115 for 18 holes. Four of those rounds and you’ve basically covered a season membership at Lakeside. You can trade four destination splurges for months of unlimited local golf.

Another thing that makes Men’s Night unique here is how completely level the ground feels once you arrive. Job titles and social status stay at home or in your truck. Nobody cares if you run a business, drive a school bus, seed 5,000 acres, or just got home from your first year of university. We’re all even off the first tee, armed with a mix of shiny new drivers, regripped hand‑me‑downs, and whatever ball we found under a spruce last week. Social status isn’t so much erased as it is irrelevant. That is the case for Men’s Night but it is also sort of the default setting for our community.

Then there are the little things you can’t buy somewhere else at a fancy course. Prairie evenings that linger and let you hit golf balls later than you should. Deer drifting along the tree lines. Foxes trotting across the sixth fairway like they own the place. Kids pedaling bikes across the course while you are playing. The smell of 10 to 20 fires coming from the campground. The constant sound of pickleballs on paddles. The hum of a nearby generator as you tee off of #3. All of those things are what make Shoal Lake unique.

Small‑town golf is possible because people care about our course and do things to make it better. Many volunteers trim trees, take care of flower pots and planters, paint decks and cart shed doors, install new weeping tile across a fairway, create roads to the campground, and occasionally MacGyver irrigation systems that aren’t working properly. And these people aren’t just those on the golf club executive. If help is required on the course or campground, we often see a call for a work party on Facebook.

The beauty about Men’s Night is what it says about rural community life. You show up, share space, laugh, compete a little, and head home better than you arrived. In a world where so much feels scheduled and structured, our Men’s Night is wonderfully unscripted. We don’t need a dress code, a starter with a two-way radio, or high greens fees. We need $10 for skins, sunlight, good humour, a flag to aim at, and people willing to pause midweek to hang out.

Have a good end to your week everyone. And for those participating in tomorrow's Horse Race...good luck and have fun.