THE GREEN

As I write this at the beginning of March with great weather, I am hopeful that we have had our last really cold snap, can finally put away our toques and gloves and look forward to the beginning of our spring golf season. With our soft spring conditions, please note how soft the greens are and repair your ball marks – even chipping will result in a deeper ball mark than usual with these conditions. In addition, please be mindful that the bunkers are now supposed to be raked. These have been the two most common complaints about the condition of the course, and this is all controlled by us, the members.

Our Handicap Committee will be meeting in the upcoming weeks to discuss our posting season which is just around the corner. The Golf Shop and the Committee are going to be planning the execution of our events, and I know the Course and Grounds Crew and Golf Shop are very excited about the condition of the course and the improvements to our practice facilities.

We have had to adjust the initial schedule that was posted in last month’s Green, so please make note of the following dates:

Mixed Championship and Men’s Fourball Qualifying between Saturday, April 30th – Friday, May 13th

Cold Duck – Friday, April 1st – click here to register.

Masters Week Par 3 Tournament – Wednesday, April 6th – click here to register.

Aeration – Monday, April 18th—Friday, April 22nd

Men’s Night Opener – Wednesday, May 4th

Senior Mixer Opening Day – Wednesday, May 4th

Men’s Opening Day – Saturday, May 14th

Legends Season Long Matchplay Qualifying – Thursday, May 26th

Gold Cup – Saturday, June 4th & Sunday, June 5th

The Vintage – Thursday, June 23rd

Men’s Member Guest – Friday, July 15th

Captains’ Classic – Friday, July 22nd

The Legends – Thursday, August 11th

Club Championship Sunday – Sunday, August 21st

Round Up – Friday, September 9th & Saturday, September 10th

Lastly, we will be running a fun rules seminar with the women on April 20th – during the week of aeration. Please keep your eye out for more information on this should you wish to participate.

Respectfully submitted,

Fraser McKeen
Men’s Golf Captain

Dear members,

Casual Tuesday Ladies’ Golf or Regular Tuesday Ladies’ Golf?

There are three distinct groups of golfers that sign up for Tuesday Ladies’ Day at Shaughnessy. Many of you are well entrenched in one or the other. However, there may be some members who are unclear about just where they belong.

Regular Tuesday Ladies’ Golf: The players in this group have current and accurate handicaps and of course play by the rules of golf. Many people ask for clarification on the definition of current and accurate. It is required by the Rules of Handicapping of the World Handicap System to post scores after each round as soon as practical and on the day of play before midnight. These ladies find it fun to add a competitive element to their game. Golfers of all handicap levels are welcome. The competitive golf calendar will be uploaded to the website by March 15th.

Casual Tuesday Ladies’ Golf: This is a group of members who play golf but don’t always keep score. Most of this group never play in competitions. Some members don’t have a handicap. If you are having a tough hole, you are welcome to pick up your ball without judgement. Of course, they always maintain a good pace of play. These ladies are known for being very supportive of one another. The objective is to have fun and meet other ladies who are more social than competitive. If this sounds like the group for you, please give Casual Golf a try. Teri Christopher is the key point of contact for this group. She will be sure to place you into threesomes or foursomes and mix groups up so that everyone gets a chance to know one another. You don’t need to commit to the season — it’s just week-by-week. Please let Teri know if you have any questions or wish to join the group at teric@mdev.ca or 604-351-5270.

Nine Hole Golfers: You may not feel like playing 18 holes, but you still want the fresh air and camaraderie that comes with playing golf. Sign up for 9 holes and join the other golfers for lunch afterwards.

Speaking of Handicaps: Handicaps are your friend! Golf is one of the only sports in the world where a handicap system is used to level the playing field. Handicaps take into account the difference in playing ability between you and your opponent. A player who records their scores accurately and regularly can play their best game against someone with a much lower handicap and still have a very close match.

Dates to note in your calendar now are:

Wednesday, April 6th: Masters Week Par 3 Tournament – click here to register.

Monday, April 18th-Friday, April 22nd: Course is closed for aeration.

Wednesday, April 20th: Mixed Rules Seminar

Monday, April 25th: Spring Meeting with a Guest Speaker — THIS DATE HAS CHANGED!

Tuesday, April 26th: Ladies’ Opening Day

I can feel spring in the air!

Respectfully submitted,

Carolyn Naylor
2022 Women’s Golf Captain

Dear Shaughnessy members,

As we enter the final stretches of the winter season, I wanted to provide the membership with a bit of insight on the topic of temporary greens.

One of the most challenging aspects of managing our putting surfaces during the winter months is that foot traffic damages the grass to a greater degree than during summer months. Complicating matters further, low temperatures and limited sunlight slow the growth rate of the grass, limiting recovery.

Greens have the shortest grass on the course, having only a .1” of leaf blades to capture sunlight. We raise the cut height during winter months to increase the surface area of the plant to help with photosynthesis, but once damage occurs, it persists.

The average golfer takes 75 steps while on a green. On an average sized PGA tour green, that damage is dispersed over ~ 7000 ft². But Shaughnessy’s greens average only 4200 ft², and our smallest greens are less than 3500 ft². Furthermore, this winter, we have had 4x the number of rounds played compared to pre-pandemic years.

Since we are unable to grow out turf damage at a meaningful rate during the offseason, we must adopt preventative measures to protect our greens. We manage our cultural practices carefully by weighing temperatures, sunlight hours and moisture along with the number of rounds played to help inform our daily decision on when to move play to temporary greens.

With a few weeks of winter still to come, temperatures and sunlight hours remaining low, and rounds played increasing, we expect to utilize temporary greens into the month of April.

We thank you for your understanding.

Respectfully submitted,

Andrew Hart
Course Superintendent

New singles and doubles ladders will begin on April 1st. Please contact me if you are interested. If you are currently participating in ladders, I will contact you directly.

Country-Themed Mixer

On Friday, April 8th, we will have a Country-Themed Tennis Mixer. Sign up with the Tennis Centre staff.

2022 Tennis Club Championships

The 2022 Tennis Club Championships have been postponed to May 9th – 21st. They will be held indoors.

2022 Al Dickey Memorial Mixed Doubles Tournament

The 2022 Al Dickey Memorial Mixed Doubles Tournament will take place on Saturday, June 25th. Sign up directly with me.

Shaughnessy Member/Guest Doubles Challenge

The Shaughnessy Member/Guest Doubles Challenge (formerly the Rackets and Runners Tournament) will take place on Saturday, August 20th from 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Tennis Pro Shop

New Nike merchandise has arrived!

Quick Reminders

• The Outdoor Tennis Courts resurfacing will begin on Monday, May 23rd and take approximately 10 days to complete.
• The Outdoor Tennis Courts have been power-washed and are ready for play.
• The ball machine is now available. Members can book it the day of.
• Members may bring guests again to play tennis during non-prime hours (weekdays before 6:00 p.m., weekends after 1:00 p.m.)
• Members can book the Indoor and Outdoor Courts for singles and doubles play. The available booking times are between 6:45 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. on weekdays and 6:45 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekends. You can book a court by calling the Tennis Centre at 604.266.9165 or by calling/texting the booking phone at 236.878.4320.
• 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.

Weekly Leagues

• Tuesday Men’s Night Tennis – 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday Morning Masters Tennis – 9:15 a.m.

Please sign up at the Tennis Centre or call 604.266.9165.

Respectfully submitted,

Jerome Fournier
Director of Tennis

Dear Shaughnessy members,

Spring is almost in the air and our Food and Beverage (F&B) team is excited and all ready to welcome back many traditional events with the recent relaxing of the  provincial health restrictions.

Our Sunday Nights have seen a resurgence upon reopening the Sequoia Dining Room a few weeks ago. A gentle reminder that we highly recommend reservations due to seating capacity and popular dining times – reservations can be made up to five (5) days in advance by calling 604-264-5249.

Our Spring Menu is expected to launch in April and Executive Chef James Choi and his team will continue to showcase Shaughnessy’s must-haves and classics while adding new seasonal dishes. We appreciated all the positive reviews and feedback on our February features—the Crispy Brussels Sprouts Salad and Almondine Rainbow Trout. We look forward to continuing to introduce regular features showcasing our Shaughnessy cuisine while adding variety to your dining experience. Until the end of March, try a Soba Noodle Salad with tiger prawns and a ponzu vinaigrette, Roasted Sablefish with an unagi glaze and charred broccolini, and a Lemon Tart with meringue and fresh berries.

Piril Erbakan, our Club Event Manager, has already lined up a number of weddings and events for 2022. We are all so excited for the return of our member-sponsored gatherings with the recent provincial health changes, which removed many dining and capacity restrictions. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Piril directly at perbakan@shaughnessy.org if you are interested in hosting private room gatherings.

Though the recent changes in the Provincial Health Order have allowed us to better return to normalcy, we are still facing labour market challenges which require Monday closures in the month of March. It is still our intention to bring back dining services on Mondays and we will update the membership as soon as we are able to do so.

On behalf of our Food and Beverage Team, we thank you for your ongoing support and feedback as we work towards serving you better.

Respectfully submitted,

Kerry Enzie
Director of Food & Beverage