THE GREEN

Dear Shaughnessy members,

As many of you are aware, your Board of Directors put a pause on new term Golf memberships when the COVID-19 pandemic began last spring. This led to our waitlist growing to almost 50 applicants. This year, with a keen eye on ensuring adequate access to the tee for our current members while also considering our financial responsibilities, the Board approved a rounds-played restriction on any new term Golf membership. New applicants will be limited to 25 rounds in 2021 and 25 rounds in 2022. Only 13 applicants were offered term Golf memberships this year. The Board and Management will continue to monitor our play data and tee time variances when we make decisions on how many members to accept going forward.

It is my hope for the 2021 season that the membership will respect each other, our staff, the game, and the history of Shaughnessy in their commitment to being a member of one of the finest clubs in Canada. February was the first month since the beginning of the pandemic where the Club’s Disciplinary Committee did not have to convene. While one month does not make a trend, I am hopeful our message of respecting other members and our staff has been heard by the membership. Shaughnessy is a community, and respect is a critical part of everyone’s Club experience. All members of the Club should by now have a clear understanding of the expectations for behaviour while at Shaughnessy, particularly during this unprecedented time where the safety of membership and staff is paramount. A reminder that all members must review and confirm their understanding of the Club’s Code of Conduct and current COVID-19 protocols. Those who have not yet done so will receive follow-up communications and may be denied access to the Club.

Last year was a record for rounds played at Shaughnessy, we anticipate 2021 will be no different. We are actively monitoring access to the tee and pace of play. It is important that members share the tee, and members will need to make some sacrifices to ensure equitable access. Tee-sheet-blocking and no-shows will not be tolerated. This once again comes down to having respect for your fellow members.

This past offseason was also atypical; it was the busiest shoulder season in Shaughnessy’s history. The course experienced a tremendous amount of play over what traditionally have been the quieter months. I trust Andrew Hart, our Course Superintendent, and his fine staff will have the course in flawless condition come spring. On course, you will notice a great deal of work has been done over the winter months. As Course and Grounds Committee Chair Dr. Ed Bukszar reported, the most noticeable work has been between the back-right of the 3rd green and the creek on the right side of the 4th hole. Elsewhere on course, you will notice the extensive blackberry removal program that was done in partnership with the Musqueam First Nation (MFN). Other tree removals on course were completed as part of the Club’s ongoing maintenance program; most of these removals are dead or failing trees. Your Board is committed to ensuring that maintenance of the course to the highest possible standards is not compromised.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the members who have shared with me their excitement for Shaughnessy and the improvements they have seen in various areas of the Club.

Respectfully submitted,

Gord Chan
Club President

Hello members,

We’ve just come off an excellent Saturday of golf. With warmer temperatures ahead of us, we could be in store for some prime golf conditions in March. If the conditions hold up, we will be looking to run games for weekend golfers—details to follow.

You will all soon be receiving the 2021 Men’s Golf Calendar to let you plan your season accordingly.

With great conditions, there has been an increase in members practicing on the range and chipping green; please respect the space and your time using these areas so that everyone can have a chance to practice.

There will be a new format for the men’s fourball this season; we will have a qualifying period of two weeks to seed teams for season-long match play. As in past years, there will be a combined handicap of no lower than 10 between the two players. The qualifying period for fourball will be from April 24th – May 8th.

With increased opportunities to practice, our posting season just around the corner, and the rumour of green heights dropping each week, it sure does make me excited for the 2021 season.

• Aeration: Monday, April 12th to Friday, April 16th.
• Captains’ Classic: Saturday, April 24th.
• Men’s Opening Day: Saturday, May 1st.
• Men’s Night Opening: Wednesday, May 5th.
• Gold Cup/Qualifying Saturday: Saturday, May 15th.
• Gold Cup – Round 2: Sunday, May 16th.

If anyone has anything that they would like to see added to the Shaughnessy Experience, please feel free to email me at seancrowther@shaw.ca.

Respectfully submitted,

Sean Crowther
2021 Men’s Golf Captain

Hello everyone,

With the golf season coming up fast, you will all soon be receiving the 2021 Women’s Golf Calendar to let you plan your season accordingly.

In addition to our golf calendar, the BCGA is running a full slate of Women’s and Junior Girls competitions this year. Remember to check out their schedule if interested: http://britishcolumbiagolf.org/championships.

The Zone 4 Women’s schedule has not been posted yet—stay tuned.

I’m pleased to announce that our Golf Shop staff are working to set up the Seasonal Eclectic competition, affectionately known as Ringers. Ringers starts on your first 18 holes after opening day and ends on September 15th.

Reminder Dates:

• Aeration: Monday, April 12th to Friday, April 16th.
• Spring Meeting: Thursday, April 15th, 4 p.m., via Zoom.
• Opening Day: Tuesday, April 20th, 9:30 a.m. start, nine holes, then lunch.
• Captains’ Classic: Saturday, April 24th.
• Pick a Partner: Tuesday, April 27th, best ball.
• Austin Taylor Cup: Tuesday, May 4th, qualifier, 16-best go on.

I look forward to playing with all of you this season, even if there is a squall.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan M Russell
2021 Women’s Golf Captain

Dear members,

We will be starting our active posting season on Monday, March 22nd, so start getting excited about lowering those indexes! If we receive some unforeseen weather and we don’t feel our conditions are up to par, we will postpone to Monday, March 29th. Our Spring aeration is scheduled for April 12-16th with our Fall Aeration scheduled for September 28-October 1st. The week following both Spring and Fall aeration, we will plan to play mark, lift, clean, replace and continue to post scores. A friendly reminder that when you travel to play other courses, that you should still be posting your scores if you plan to compete in events at the Club. This goes for players who are playing in the U.S. as well. Wishing everyone a great season of golf ahead!

Respectfully submitted,

Ashley Zibrik
Director of Golf

Dear Shaughnessy members,

Members are able to book the Outdoor Courts. Doubles play is allowed outdoors only. The available booking times are between 11:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., subject to court conditions. We will adjust the available booking times as the season progresses.

Al Dickey Memorial
Mixed Doubles Tournament

Saturday, May 29th

9:00 a.m. — 2:15 p.m.

Cost: $35

Includes: snack bag (apple, banana bread, Gatorade), tennis balls, and prizes

Weather permitting

Number of participants to be determined

No guests, no spectators

Tennis Club Championships

June 21st – July 3rd

Dinner at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 3rd

No guests

Max 42 members for dinner

For dinner reservations, please call or email Tennis & Communications Assistant, Ichiko Shiiya at 604-266-9165 or tennis@shaughnessy.org.

Weekly Leagues Are
Postponed Until Further Notice

Tuesday Men’s Night

Wednesday Ladies’ Day

Saturday Morning Men’s Tennis

Members can book a court or sign up for tournaments by calling either the Tennis Centre at 604-266-9165 or call/text the booking phone at 236-878-4320.

A quick reminder that the ball machine is not available until further notice.

Members are encouraged to stop playing a few minutes prior to the end of their booking time, allowing you to pack up and maintain proper distancing from the group of members arriving at the court next.

Guests are not allowed on the Tennis Courts at this time.

Respectfully submitted,

Jerome Fournier
Director of Tennis

With warmer temperatures and longer days around the corner, we are all excited for the golf season to start. Below, we discuss what we have done to the greens over the winter, what we are seeing now, and what we can anticipate in the coming month.

First, a look back over the last few months. The height of cut (HOC) was raised to .150 of an inch. This increase allowed more surface area to pick up the limited sunlight. In addition, frequent light topdressing throughout the winter helped protect the crown of the plant, both from foot traffic and temperature fluctuation. Our small greens have a number of choke points, and we have been careful to rotate to temporary greens, allowing for recovery as needed. The greens have never seen this much foot traffic during the winter, and considering the relatively miserable weather we have experienced, we are happy with the status of the greens.

A few types of our Poa cultivars are slower to come out of winter and are noticeable throughout the greens, as they look thinner and slightly shorter. The plants are in good health and will catch up with the other cultivars in the coming weeks.

The last week of February saw our first HOC decrease. This decrease will help close the gap between the height differences of our cultivars. Weather permitting, we will lower the HOC to .125. We will remain at this height as we wait for temperatures and sunlight hours to increase.

As March signals the return of maintenance Mondays, we will be using this opportunity to work on intensifying our fertilizer program, verticutting and venting our greens with our needle tines. These activities will open up oxygen to the root zone and relieve compaction created throughout the winter. Although we have many more weeks of limited sunlight and low temperatures ahead of us, these activities begin preparing our greens for the coming season.

Fun Fact
Have you ever wondered why our greens turn a purple/red camouflage during the end of winter? The purple and reddish tones are primarily found on the perennial Poa cultivars on the course. Daytime temperatures stimulate the plant’s production of sugars (including glucose) through photosynthesis in the leaf blade and sheath. Cool night temperatures trap these sugars.

Glucose is chemically bound with anthocyanins, a pigment—the same pigment that causes the colour change in leaves during the fall. It is this pigment that creates the colour change seen in the greens. Once nighttime temperatures increase, this colour change disappears quickly.

Respectfully Submitted,

Andrew Hart
Course Superintendent