FOREcast
FORT WILLIAM GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
winter 2018, ISSUE 4
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The Super NewsWe are pleased to introduce our new goose dog, Finn. He started work February 5th and is eight weeks old. He was purchased locally from a border collie breeder and will be roaming the fairways this summer. Come by the shop and say hello to him!
Our winter snow cover is 12 - 16 inches deep with drifted areas over 2 feet deep. Weekly patrols of the course show no signs of snowmobile traffic and minimal 'human' traffic. Greens are insulated with sufficient snow and samples taken mid January look promising. More will be taken this week from greens 3/13 and warmed up in the shop sunlight. A special meeting of the Shareholders was held on December 16th, 2017 to vote on the acquisition of new turf equipment and golf carts. I have been in contact with our equipment (John Deere) and golf cart supplier (Club Car) and things are going smoothly. The new logo looks sharp on the front of the golf cart cowlings. A full trailer of new equipment is ready to go and should be delivered soon, with trade in equipment heading back to Winnipeg.
Some new programs wil be implemented with our equipment upgrade. A brush assembly has bee added to the new greens mower so grass can be lifted before cutting, thichening the greens without sacrificing speed. Rough cutting will be more efficient and performed more often. We also upgraded our topdressing and spraying abilities. Extra attention will be given to our cart path smoothness with the new 7 foot blade attachment for our tractors. The mainline drainage work on the range started in November and will be completed before opening day! We have also been busy in January with shop upgrades, priming and sealing the ceiling, cleaning up 25 years of dirt, smoke and grime build-up. Hopefully the floors will receive the same attention in 2019 with an epoxy coating. Stay warm! Greg Hollins, Course Superintendent
Re-Naming the clubhouse LoungeEnter the contest for re-naming the lounge for a chance at a $100 certificate that can be used in the lounge or Proshop! Please forward your entry by March 30th to directors@fwcc.ca
2018 membershipThe membership application for 2018 is now available in the Office. Take advantage of the earlybird rates by purchasing your membership before March 1st, 2018. Every member must submit a new signed application each year as a requirement for the FWGCC audits. Colleen Brown, our new office administrator will be available to assist you! Please review the FWGCC Code of Conduct by following the link below.
annual general meetingThe Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday March 27, 2018 at 7pm This is a great opportunity for you, our members to have a role in future planning of your club. The Nominating Committee will be accepting nominations for positions on the Board. Please forward nominations to directors@fwcc.ca
flood updateOn January 2nd, one of the water pipes in the men's locker room succumbed to the frigid temperatures. Fortunately, we had staff on site and the restoration crew was called in early. We do not yet have accurate details of the damage but are working with our insurance adjuster to start repairs and clean up. We will keep you updated as details arise. Unfortunately, a fantastic team of volunteers replaced all the flooring in the main hallway two weeks prior to the flood. Hopefully the quick action of our Superintendent Greg minimized the impact of the flood on the new flooring.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Message from the Club PresidentFor those of us that still spend winter in Thunder Bay, the days where we see -30c can make it hard to imagine we are getting close to golf season, but the countdown is on! We are working through the final budget process for the 2018 season and through that process, we continue to work on finding ways to reduce costs while still maintaining the high level of service we owe our members. Our business depends on good weather to succeed. The horrible weather last year (26 days of rain in June) translated into the expected poor financial performance for the past year. Even though membership numbers rebounded from a slow start, we did not meet budget for the year. As always, we do our best to keep costs in check, but the absence of revenue hurts the bottom line as most of costs are fixed for the summer. The AGM is coming up and we will be able to provide a full report on the overall financial performance for 2017 at that meeting. We look forward to seeing everyone this spring, and hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable winter. Gord Wickham, President welCOME Aboard!The Board of Directors are excited to announce that Colleen Brown has accepted a fulltime position at Fort William Golf and Country Club. Collen brings with her more than 15 years of accounting experience and office administration. She is looking forward to meeting everyone this spring and getting a few rounds of golf in! Please join us in welcoming Colleen!
In memory of our Golf FriendsLife is like a round of golf with many a turn and twist, but the game is much too sweet and short to curse the shots you've missed. Sometimes you'll hit it straight and far, sometimes the putts roll true, but each round has it's wayward shots and troubles to play through. So always swing with courage, no matter what the lie, and never let the hazards destroy the joy inside. Keep a song within your heart, give thanks that you can play, for the round is much too short and sweet to let it slip away. Criswell Freeman Rest in Peace Alva Llewelyn Art Kirk Gary Donly
arbor memorial ProgramWe will be implementing an Arbor Memorial Program for family and friends who would like to leave a living legacy as a memorial for a loved one who has passed. Greg Hollins, our course superintendent will keep a log of all memorial trees, shrubs and gardens as well provide advice of what would be optimal for our course. If you are interested in joining a small committee helping to develop this program, please contact Rick Bevilacqua at directors@fwcc.ca
Legacy giving
The Fort William Golf and Country Club (FWGCC) has developed a powerful and meaningful way for members to create a pilanthropic legacy for our golf course, providing longterm financial stability and sustainability for future golfers. We believe that through this approach, we can accomplish much needed building repairs and upgrades while maintaining an exceptional golf experience for our members and guests. In addition, these resources can be used to promote the game of golf in schools and on our course by supporting golf developoment programs for our members and future golfers. Anyone can create a legacy gift by naming FWGCC on the beneficiary form of a savings, checking or pension account; remembering FWGCC in a will or living trust, or purchasing a small life insurance policy naming FWGCC as beneficiary. We would like to thank members who have already created the legacy gift for our club and encourage them to talk to friends and supporters about legacy giving.
volunteersThank you to our many volunteers this season that helped to make our club beautiful. Everything from gardening, painting, refinishing benches (indoor and outdoor), building walls and replacing flooring in the office and main hallway!
We express our sincere gratitute for all the time you put in making a difference for our members and visitors to FWGCC.
If anyone would like to share their talent and volunteer this coming season, it's a lot of fun and there are many projects that need to be done that could use your help! It benefits everyone and is much appreciated!
Please contact directors@fwcc.ca if you are interested!
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