THE GREEN

As we move into May, we are excited to see signs of better weather ahead, marking the true start of the golfing, outdoor tennis and patio dining season. It is the time to make the most out of what Shaughnessy has to offer. 

I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Andrew Hart and his team on a successful aeration last week. The team once again used Dryject for our spring aeration and when combined with a deep tine aeration, over 30 tons of sand was added to the profile of the greens which will certainly help alleviate compaction and aid in rootzone health. In addition to successfully completing another wall-to-wall aeration, the fairways saw a new process this time around where full cores were pulled and then left on the surface to dry where that can be separated from the soil, with the remaining soil dragged back into the aeration holes. This new process ultimately helps with aiding compaction and should help slowly improve the rootzone in our fairways to help with the heat stress we have experienced over the past few seasons.  

In April, we hosted our 108th Annual General Meeting, and it was an honour to welcome Mrs. Chinami Hancock to the Club’s Honour Roll. Mrs. Hancock has been a proud member of Shaughnessy for over 35 years, and her dedication to the sport of golf and the Club has been unwavering. Her passion for the rules of golf began with being certified as an RCGA National Rules Official in 2004, and she quickly attained level-4 certification, which is the highest level of certification related to rules. Mrs. Hancock’s contribution to the golf community has been immense. She sat on Golf Canada committees in recent years, such as the Rules and Amateur status and Pace of Play committees. She joins 21 other past or current members who have significantly contributed to the game of golf or tennis through their accomplishments, achievements, and volunteerism at the National, Provincial and Local levels. Should you see her around the Club, please congratulate her on this wonderful honour. 

President Mr. David Plunkett congratulating Mrs. Chinami Hancock at the AGM

As we look ahead, we are excited to see our members continue to return to the Club and we are excited once again to provide a full slate of offerings and experiences to the standard that members expect and deserve.  

Respectfully submitted, 

Brian Mossop 

General Manager and Chief Operating Officer 

Dear Members,

I would like to say thanks to Chinami Hancock, a recent Honor Roll Wall inductee, and all the volunteers who organized an exceptional rules seminar during aeration. My personal favourite rule is that you won’t get penalized for taking out your frustration and grounding your club in a bunker. Let’s hope no one needs to use it! However, I do recommend brushing up on Shaughnessy’s local rules to stay on the safe side during tournament and match play.  

May is shaping up to be a busy month with the start of Senior Mixer and our first Men’s Night of the season. We are also excited for Men’s Opening Day on Saturday, May 13th, which features the best seafood buffet in town (keep in mind that Mother’s Day is the following day.)

Also coming soon is the highly anticipated Gold Cup on Saturday, June 3rd, and Sunday, June 4th. Registration opens on Saturday, May 6th at 12:00 p.m. – you can find more details here. Gold Cup will serve as a qualifier for the Season-Long Match Play. For more information, click here.

This year, we have implemented a few changes to the season-long brackets, so please read your emails and the event details carefully to avoid any confusion. Also, remember to post your scores and note that we began playing summer rules on Saturday, May 6th. 

Finally, thank you to all members who make it a point to fill divots and repair pitch marks during each round. Andrew Hart and his team have been working tirelessly on course improvements that will showcase Shaughnessy’s best this season. Let’s all show our course some love and give it the TLC it deserves.  

I wish all of you good luck in your respective flight matches this season. And remember, there is no shame in putting from 30 yards out.

Respectfully submitted,
Chris Read
2023 Men’s Golf Captain

Dear Shaughnessy members,

I wanted to start by giving a special shout-out to Shaughnessy Junior member Victoria Liu for winning Ivy League Player of the Year in her sophomore season at Princeton and wishing her luck as she competes in the NCAA regionals this coming week. Well done, Victoria! 

A reminder that Golf Canada has recently launched The National Golf League (NGL). Built for golfers of all skill levels, the National Golf League will feature a six-week regular season that takes place within existing recreational league play during the summer. A series of regional playoff tournaments across Canada will take place in the fall at premium golf courses. The National Golf League will culminate with the NGL National Championship at Hamilton Golf and Country Club as part of the 2024 RBC Canadian Open tournament week celebration.

The National Golf League will also contribute to the development of a more sustainable and inclusive future for the sport by supporting a charitable component through First Tee – Canada. First Tee is a youth development program that provides accessible pathways to golf participation at schools, community centres, and golf courses across the country.

National Golf League competitions will utilize an official Golf Canada Handicap applied towards a net Stableford scoring system that allows golfers to earn points for the net score they record on each hole.

Regular season NGL competition will take place over nine holes during six weeks of identified league play called “NGL Majors” that are integrated into existing league play and scheduled at the convenience of the local league operator. A golfer’s best four net Stableford point totals of the six NGL Majors will count towards their season-long points total on the NGL leaderboard.

A portion of the top regular season finishers in each participating league will qualify for the NGL Regional Playoffs, which will take place at premium courses across Canada. Qualifying golfers will select a guest teammate who also played in their regular season league and participate as a team of two in a best-ball net Stableford competition over 18 holes. Successful teams in the NGL Regional Playoffs will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to the NGL National Championship.

The NGL is open to recreational golf leagues played at both private and public courses. Participants must be Golf Canada members to ensure an official handicap is used.

There is no registration fee for golfers to participate in the NGL. However, in the launch year of NGL, there is an expected donation of $50 from each participating player to directly support First Tee within their province. All donated funds will stay within the provincial First Tee chapter and will be used to introduce traditionally underrepresented youth to the sport of golf and its inherent life lessons. Tax receipts will be provided to individual golfers upon request.

The size of the National Golf League will be limited in its launch year to ensure a positive experience for players and league operators. A limited number of spots remain for leagues to join the National Golf League in 2023.

Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club will be one of the clubs in Canada that will be able to participate in the launch year. Members will not be required to “register”, you will simply need to submit an attested scorecard to the Golf Shop if you choose to participate. The Golf Shop will register you and add your score into Golf Genius. Below are the six dates that you should note to submit a score if you would like to participate:

Saturday, May 27th
Saturday, June 10th
Saturday, June 24th
Saturday, July 8th
Saturday, July 22nd
Saturday, August 5th

Please sign up in the Golf Shop.

Respectfully submitted,

Ashley Zibrik
Director of Golf

Dear Shaughnessy members,

Our Food and Beverage Team is excited about the arrival of May and the return of members from their away homes. May is one of our most important months, as we host our first Ladies’ Day, Men’s Night, Senior Mixer, and Men’s Opening Day, and we see the start of Shaughnessy’s wedding season. 

We have a number of events lined up for the next several months – Be sure not to miss them: 

Sunday, June 18th
Father’s Day BBQ Dinner

Saturday, July 1st
Canada Day Pancake Breakfast

Sunday, July 16th
Family Fun-Day

Friday, July 28th
Summer Party: “A Night in Vegas” 

Aside from these events, Shaughnessy’s beloved Patio Entertainment Series starts on Friday, June 2nd – Stay tuned for more details. 

A quick reminder that in April, we officially opened Monday Nights again for dinner service in the Player’s Bar, 19th Hole, and Patios.  The last call each day for food service is 9:45 p.m. and the last call for beverage service at 10:45 p.m.

Online reservations are available again through a new, yet familiar program for most – OpenTable. Please click here to make a reservation up to 30 days in advance. Alternatively, you can also call the Host Stand at 604.264.5249 to book a reservation. 

For the next two months, Shaughnessy will be offering a Fresh, Ocean-Wise Halibut Entrée Feature.  West Coast Halibut is a must-eat seasonal seafood. Our Culinary Team put together a dish that showcases the tender white flakes and flavours of halibut at its best.  Our feature will be served with Umami Shoyu Broth, BC Mushrooms, and Microplaned Black Burgundy Truffle.

Wishing all of you a fantastic start to the season and thank you for your continued support of the Food & Beverage Department.

Respectfully submitted,

James Choi
Executive Chef