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Club Championship Tournament

 The Gabriola Golf and Country Club held its 2007 Club Championship on the weekend of September 15th and 16th.

The ladies’ low gross Club Champion was Kim Mithrush who had a combined two day total of 181. The low net Club Champion was Bev Bickerton with a net score of 144. Other winners were: 1st flight low gross Carrol Craig, low net Claire Lefebvre; 2nd flight low gross Cheryl Larrivee, low net Carol Thompson; 3rd flight low gross Kelli Jenkins, low net Molly Henney.

The men’s low gross Club Champion was Andre Lemieux who had a combined two day total of 157. The low net Club Champion was Harold Jenner with a net score of 137. The second low gross was won by Curtis Smith with a score of 160.
Other winners were: 1st flight low gross Jim Wightman, low net Frank Gregg; 2nd flight low gross Mike Garrett, low net Jim Prunty; 3rd flight low gross Roy Strom, low net Ian Sheppard.

The long drive winners were Carolyn Pickett and Kim Mithrush for the ladies and Andre Lemieux for the men.

The KP’s went to Kim Mithrush for the ladies and Tino Dotto and Al Tanner for the men.

It is with great pride that the Gabriola Golf and Country Club announces that their own Lesley Hazeldine won the Silver Medal for golf at the B.C. Senior Games which took place last week. Congratulations Lesley!

Two winners!!!!

Over 40 Hdcp winner - Kelli Jenkins

House and Grounds

Since the last report several items have been repaired. The emergency lighting has been repaired by Y.B. Electric. The remaining kitchen cabinet doors have been installed.

The damaged dead bolt lock on the door to the deck was also replaced.

The current VIHA water inspector is somewhat dubious about our present water treatment system and mentioned that a “commercial system” is what we really need. These systems apparently start at $9,000.00. He is willing to work with us if the present system produces water to the required standards. A possible solution would be to add a flow restrictor upstream of the u.v. system which would increase the residency time of the water in the sterilizer. This fix would not be too difficult or expensive to install.

The “crash bar” on the lower exit door at the east end of the men’s locker room was badly damaged when run into by the Cushman utility vehicle. This type of emergency exit opener is a requirement and we were lucky that Peter Alexander was able to make temporary repairs to the damaged bar and later replaced it with a used serviceable bar at a very low cost to the club. Thank you, Peter.

Pat Tisdall

Director, House and Grounds

2007 Ladies Texas Scramble

A thunderous boom from Clyde Coats’ cannon signaled the start of the 2007 Ladies Texas Scramble, held on Sunday, August 26 at the Gabriola Golf and Country Club.

Thirty-one female members of the Gabriola club were joined by thirty-three off island participants from various golf ourses on Vancouver Island. Some traveled from asfar away as Victoria and Comox to attend this year’s fun tournament that was filledto capacity.

First place winners Marion Alexander, Cathy Elink, Rosalie Lawes and Kim Mithrush. Each received a golf jacket for their team’s effort and will have their names immortalized on the tournament trophy. Winners of their flight for the longest drive, carol Levins, Lynn Krieger, and Gerry Kuhn. Closest to the pin winners Rosalie Lawes and Edna Peavy, the winner of the Squiggly Line contest Lucille Hendry, were awarded gift certificates redeemable at the Vancouver Island Golf Centre. The shot of the day went to Cathy Squires from Victoria for a tremendous chip-in from an astounding distance of 85 yards from the pin on the 9th fairway. All entrants were awarded a prize based on their team’s finish.

Sporting red t-shirts and matching bandanas embossed with this year’s logo were volunteers Peter Alexander, Glenn Arndt, Lois Caldwell, Ted Caldwell, Dan Elink, Julian L’Heureux, Blair May, Gerry Nittel, Mike O’Rourke, Bill Reynolds and Ian Sheppard who generously contributed their talent and time to make this year’s tournament a  resounding success.

The clubhouse staff led by Sarah Kostiw, grounds and greens crew led by Craig Robertson, and the tournament committee Carrol Craig, Gwen L’Heureux and Carole Lemieux performed an outstanding job preparing the clubhouse, grounds and organizing the day.

Special thanks to the Coats Group for their on-going support and sponsorship and Summer Rain for providing bottled water for all to enjoy.

Miranda Barnes

2007 Tournament Director

Men's Amateur Survey

This year we conducted an anonymous on-line survey after the Men’s Amateur.
There were only 4 questions – what did you like best about the tournament?; what did you like the least?; how would you rate us on a scale of 1-10 and do you have any other comments about your experience at our tournament?

The survey was sent out to 45 players who had given us their email addresses and we have received replies from 30 of them, which is a tremendous response.

The majority of the respondents praised the organization and the hard work of all the volunteers. The Horse Race, Cleaners and the Sat. Calcutta were very popular as well.

Many people remarked on the friendly and welcoming atmosphere and how much they enjoyed meeting and playing with so many different golfers. Overall 48.2% , or 13 people, rated us at 8 out of 10. Nine people rated us lower and 5 rated us higher. We are doing a lot of things right but can always improve.

Slow play was the biggest complaint and is a real problem. It should not take nearly 6 hours to play a round and this will have to be addressed if we want people to keep coming. Another problem was the weather but, of course, we have no control over that. A few players suggested that with the wet conditions, players should have been allowed to lift, clean and place their ball anywhere on the course, not just on their own fairways.

One of the criticisms, which we have heard before, is that we are too expensive and should look at Salt Spring and March Meadows, who only charge $100 and sell out each year. I took the time to call March Meadows and spoke to their pro who told me that they did not sell out this year, and don’t always. They have raised their price to $110 and charge an additional $25 for the practice round on Friday. With the entry fee, the golfer gets a steak buffet on Sat. and a burger with all the trimmings on Sun. They use a double shot-gun each day and only award 36 prizes in total. I was not able to get to talk to anyone at Salt Spring on the phone, but checked out their web-site and found out that their Amateur was being played on Aug. 12/13. They do charge $100 and give a free practice round but their Amateur is a Mixed Amateur for men and ladies and their allowable handicaps are much lower – 22.1 for men and 31 for women. They also use a double shot-gun start both days. The entry fee covers a buffet on Sat and perhaps one on Sunday also.

This shows that there is really no comparison between our Amateur and anyone else’s. It is interesting that the complaint about the price has always come from members of Gabriola. The players from other clubs think that this tournament is a steal in terms of price. It is sad that some of our own members are refusing to support our major tournament and we hope that this report will help to change their minds and to take part next year.  

MarionAlexander

Advertising & Promotion

This past two months has seen two new winners in our Golf the Gulf Islands campaign. Both Peter Alexander and Shirley Cerniuk are the happy recipients of this prize. This will entitle them to free golf on Pender, Salt Spring and Galiano Island. Congratulations to both of you! Our last winner for this campaign season has been awarded to Fred Withey. I hope you too have fun with it. With the busy season I was only able to corner Peter so that his picture could be taken. Once again, congratulations to all our winners! Lyn ClarkeDirector, Advertising and Promotion

The World Cup

It was billed as a shotgun start, but at precisely 10:00 am on Friday July 27, with a boom that echoed across the Georgia Strait, a cannon whose last gig was a bit part in Tchaikowsky’s 1812 Overture started a global scramble. Or in the case of Team Hawaii a sashay complete with leis, swirling grass skirts and shirts that would have made a Thai die. For this was the inaugural Gabriola World Cup of Golf, an annual charity event with two simple objectives, to provide the players with a memorably enjoyable day and to raise money for the designated beneficiary - this year the Canadian Diabetes Association. The course was at maximum capacity as sixteen teams vied for the splendid new trophy donated by Pacific Western Brewery, representing either a country ( Australia, Trinidad & Tobago, and Korea for example), a state ( the aforementioned Hawaiian fashionistas) or a province ( British Columbia, sponsored by BC Ferries, Alberta, and La Belle Province). The majority of the players were naturally Gabriolans, though the tournament attracted from off-Island two genuine Aussies (albeit holidaying in Nanaimo), and residents of Kentucky, Coquitlam, Vancouver and Victoria. As impressive as the geographical spread was the differential between the youngest and oldest golfers- almost 75 years!

On a day that was warm and cloudless some balls did find the fairways, but it must be said that many (some newly won as a reward for tee shots to the 16th green) gave further proof that freewill is not an exclusively human characteristic by seeking the shade of the woods, the welcoming coolness of Hoggan Lake, or succumbing to the magnetic attraction of the creek in front of the clubhouse. (Thank you Mulligan, wherever you are!) For their owners meanwhile consoling refreshment was never far away as the ubiquitous beer cart and the caboose at the far end of the course did brisk business, while the hot dogs sizzling on the grill were difficult to resist as players moved off the 9th and 18th greens. All the on-course refreshments were dispensed, and the specialty holes manned, by volunteers without whose tireless enthusiasm both on the course, in the clubhouse and in all facets of its organization the tournament would not have been possible.

And so to the 19th hole, to check out the silent auction, relax in the buzz of bonhomie and history rewritten (who was it who said that “golf is a game where the ball always lies poorly and the player well”?), and run the eye over a groaning prize table which every one of the 80 participants would share. Items valued at more than $3,000 spoke volumes for the generosity of the event’s prize donors, headed by Vancouver Island Golf Centre which supplied an impressive selection of golf equipment and apparel - as well as the welcome package received by every registrant. Random draws for everything from fine dining gift certificates, through crystalware to fire extinguishers (not to mention replacement golf balls by the dozen) ensured that no-one went home without a tangible memento. Nor would anyone go hungry, after enjoying one of the Club’s famous steak barbecues courtesy of the tournament’s principal sponsor, Village Food Market. It was thus appropriate that the trophy and awards should be presented to the winners by Marg McCollum. And the winners were . . . :

1. Team Mexico (Randy Hayward, Georgene Brunell, Pat Tisdall, Will Der, Vic Whitney), with a net 65.

2. On a countback, Team Ukraine (Nanaimo)(Steve Cikaluk, Ian Leslie, Greg Grayson, Leo Therrien,Hugh

MacNaughten), 67.

3. Team England (Peter Alexander, Bob McClelland, Marion Alexander, William Crowther, Roy Innes)67.

Good Sports Award : Team Switzerland (Marj Vernon, Mary-Louise Wright, Ina Hadfield, Marg Foster, Marj Clarence - represented by Ted Caldwell).

KP at #7 : Ted Caldwell (whose impersonation of a Swiss Miss needs some work!).

KP at #16 : Will Der.

Closest to wavy line: Ladies: Kim Mithrush.

Men : Roy Innes.

2007 Gabriola World Cup charity : Canadian Diabetes Association : $8,000 net.

Thanks to . . . all additional World Cup sponsors: Arbutus Building Supplies; Ben & Krista (Winnipeg); Ancar Artworks; Coastal Community Credit Union; Coastal Community Insurance Agencies; Coast Realty (Jennifer Lynch); Colleen’s; Degnen Excavators; Eternal Flow Creations Inc; Gabriola Automotive Ltd; Gabriola Wine Cellar; Island Septic Service; Judy McGhee & Co. Inc; McLean’s Specialty Foods; Medicine Centre; The Surf; Tofino Air; Village Liquor Store; Watercress Developments Inc; Wesley Street Café; Western Canada Fire Protection (Nanaimo) Ltd; Withey’s Water Treatment.

. . . the hard-working volunteers : Marion Alexander, assisted by Lucille Hendry (registration and scoring); Miranda Barnes; Gisela Cavill; Lucille Kenny; Pamela Christenson; Al and Leslie Macdonald; Merry Shannon; Rachel and Joe DiUbaldo .

. . . and lastly the supportive and indefatigable organizing committee members through whose energy an idea became a reality : Andre Lemieux ( designer of the tournament website); Sarah Kostiw; Carrol Craig; Doug Cavill; Dixon Kenny.

The final word is a recommendation to anyone fortunate enough to have one of the specially-designed tournament wine labels : hang on to it - when the Gabriola World Cup celebrates its jubilee in 2056, that 2007 label will be a collector’s item!

Don Clark

19th Hole

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