The 2017 golf season has now come to a close. I now have time to sit back, reflect on the season and look ahead to 2018. This year was my 8th season at the Shilo Country Club, 7th as a professional, teaching all over western Manitoba, and a year I will always remember on a personal level but I will get to that later.
ShiloCC had a much busier season than last with one of the best years of weather that I can remember, with the exception of some wind days that conveniently fell on tournament days. We introduced two new events to our club tournament list. The first was the SCC Ryder Cup which featured teams of two golfers playing 6 holes of better ball, 6 holes alternate shot, & 6 holes of scramble. This was something I really wanted to make happen. It is a great way to start the year off with something different and fun! It was well received, well attended and will be back in 2018. The next was our Shilo Vegas Open which was essentially a revival of our Men's Open but featured a trip for 2 to Las Vegas for the winner as well as another trip for two drawn at random in which all participants were eligible. Again, this event was something I was very excited about and I cannot thank McPhail Travel of Brandon enough for their support of the event along with the many other sponsors. We had many corporate tournaments again this season that featured a fun atmosphere and were blessed with great days of weather. I'd like to thank all of the tournaments that chose ShiloCC for their venue and I hope we see them all again next year. I would also like to congratulate our Club Champions, Dale Coulter (Men's), Bill Bolley (Senior Men's) & Gisele Sayer (Ladies), Our Vegas Open Champion, Dale Mackenzie and Senior Open Champion Mike Bernie on their victories this year. We had a great year celebrating Canada 150 at Shilo Country Club in 2017 and looking ahead to 2018 you can expect the same excellent service, conditioning and atmosphere that SCC strives to offer year in and out.
Junior golf is near and dear to me as I have mentioned at length in the past so to be able to offer junior programs at a number of different rural clubs throughout western Manitoba is something that gives me great satisfaction. This year from late April to the end of June I conducted junior golf programs at Boissevain, Glenboro, Carberry, Pleasant Valley and Shilo golf courses. All programs were well attended and I hope to continue to offer these type of programs at all of the above courses and potentially others as well! I also volunteered my teaching services, along with many other professionals, at the Tamarack Cubs golf clinic this year which was held at Poplar Ridge Golf Course just outside of Riding Mountain National Park. This year the Cubs clinic and tournament hosted over 80 young golfers. Junior golf is the future of our game and I cannot stress enough how great it was to see that many young golfers playing the game and showing enthusiasm doing so.
A look back at 2017 would not be complete without the highlight of my summer. I was able to get away to one of my favorite places to escape in the summer, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. This resort town is located just outside of Spokane and features some excellent golf, laid back atmosphere and excellent scenery. The most "famous" or talked about golf course in the area is the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course which features a 15,000 square foot floating green on the 14th hole. The entire course is unique, scenic and has always been one of my favorites for reasons I couldn't quite explain. It was just special. This year I gave myself a reason to say why this course is special. On the tee box of the 14th hole with the floating green in the background I asked my girlfriend to be my wife. She thankfully said yes in front of a crowd of golfers who forgave us for briefly holding them up. This was the perfect way to wrap up a summer to remember and will undoubtably ensure 2018 is a memorable year as well!
Finally, I have to thank everyone for their support this year. I cannot go in to naming names at the risk of missing someone and there are literally too many people to thank. Many individuals have offered me support in the form of helping out with my business to listening to (or reading) my rants on golf and the industry to just the kind words of encouragement and these gestures do not go unnoticed. Thank you all for a great golf season!
- Patrick Law