Golf!!!2!

[Slava]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Honestly the annual new technology & improvements aren't for Joe Golfer who pokes it down the fairway 190 yards. It is not going to make a noticeable difference for 95% of golfers.

They are for improved distance and control for the guy who hits a 290 yard high draw down the middle and wants to hit it 305 instead.

95% of golfers will score the same regardless of their equipment. The other 5% are the ones who see the noticeable difference with the new & improved technology. It's all just marketing.

I watched a show a few years ago (and maybe posted that at some point) where they had pros hitting old clubs, new clubs, and old balls as well as new. They concluded that the biggest difference isn’t actually the clubs, but the balls. Obviously if you crush it and it ends up off course it’s not going to help. But when the pros were hitting the hickory shafted clubs on that show they were getting the same distance as with the new clubs.

One thing I think the clubs can do though is straighten you out. I had a driver that was supposed to do that and it was awesome. I guess that’s the idea of the hybrids as well.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Clubs are way more important to the weekend hacker, they cannot generate the club head speed naturally like the pros can. But yeah the balls really are the difference, I mean just look at how guys today can generate ridiculous spin even out of the rough. You watch old school golf highlights and you pretty much never see that.

[prarieboy]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Checked the website and apparently no spring package. Ok, so that's more advanced - maybe later on when I'm not terrible. Any suggestions as to where to look for lessons in the NW? I saw earlier suggestions but they're a bit of a haul to get to.

Also are there any covered driving ranges in the city? I know there's the indoor facility in parkdale, but I can't tell where my shot's going if I hit into a net. Just wondering where I could go if it's raining out.

For a good pro in the NW contact

Tyler LeBouthillier
CPGA Head Golf Professional at Lynx Ridge
403.930.7364

Wes Heffernan and him team up for events on occasion. Tyler is really good but I'd still go see Wes if I had a choice.

Confederation Golf Course has a portion of their range covered.

[Weitz]

Ended up playing 3 rounds down in Scottsdale on the weekend. Was extremely hot haha. I don't know how people do it regularly!

[Hockeyguy15]

Who was the guy who used to sell used balls on here?

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Ended up playing 3 rounds down in Scottsdale on the weekend. Was extremely hot haha. I don't know how people do it regularly!

I played down there in a July a few years ago, it was over 110f every game we played, but on the plus side, it was cheap and not busy.

[prarieboy]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Who was the guy who used to sell used balls on here?

Tawiskaron

[2ArmBands]

It’s been pretty common knowledge that Bearspaw has been in some financial troubles with its clubhouse renovation. My friend who is a member just told me he received an email today stating that the club was ceasing operations. It sounds like the membership is refusing any more cash calls.

Sounds like an ugly situation. Apparently the contract for the clubhouse and additional renovations was estimated around 20 million and costs to date are in the neighbourhood of 40. The contract was originally awarded to one of the clubs members.

This is all word of mouth so take it as you will. 20 million sure seems like a large sum of money for a new clubhouse....

[thatguy]

https://previewplay.mickelsonnational.com/

For anyone interested in seeing/playing some holes this year

[thatguy]

Originally Posted by 2ArmBands

It’s been pretty common knowledge that Bearspaw has been in some financial troubles with its clubhouse renovation. My friend who is a member just told me he received an email today stating that the club was ceasing operations. It sounds like the membership is refusing any more cash calls.

Sounds like an ugly situation. Apparently the contract for the clubhouse and additional renovations was estimated around 20 million and costs to date are in the neighbourhood of 40. The contract was originally awarded to one of the clubs members.

This is all word of mouth so take it as you will. 20 million sure seems like a large sum of money for a new clubhouse....

That sounds insane I thought I heard original budget was 11mil and ballooned to just over 20? But 40 million doesn't sound believable. Just a mess no matter what though right now.

[2ArmBands]

Originally Posted by thatguy

That sounds insane I thought I heard original budget was 11mil and ballooned to just over 20? But 40 million doesn't sound believable. Just a mess no matter what though right now.

Yes would agree... the values seem a bit dramatized.

Either way it’s a real shame. I have a lot of good memories from that course. Worked there as a kid for a few years as well. Really good track. Will be very interesting to see how everything unfolds.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by 2ArmBands

Yes would agree... the values seem a bit dramatized.

Either way it’s a real shame. I have a lot of good memories from that course. Worked there as a kid for a few years as well. Really good track. Will be very interesting to see how everything unfolds.

I suspect one of the groups like Windmill will snap up Bearspaw with papers, assume the debt and take over the operation.

[Bigtime]

https://globalnews.ca/video/5229184/...ses-operations


It's crazy to see in a way, I had a friend that was a member there with his family when we were kids. I took my first swings on that driving range with him and his dad, pretty much where it all started for me.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

https://globalnews.ca/video/5229184/...ses-operations


It's crazy to see in a way, I had a friend that was a member there with his family when we were kids. I took my first swings on that driving range with him and his dad, pretty much where it all started for me.

Not overly surprising as the fully private model isn't really sustainable in this day and age. Not enough people have the money to be forking out $7-10K a year plus equity buy ins when they can join other semi private courses in the area for relative pennies on the dollar.

They should have made the move to a semiprivate model 10 years ago and worked harder to attract some new blood into the club. If someone is willing to step in, finish construction and turn this into a public course, I could see the future being bright. If not, I'm guessing the land is sold off for real estate purposes.

[DoubleK]

How many private courses are actually "full"? Maybe Calgary?

[thatguy]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

How many private courses are actually "full"? Maybe Calgary?

I would guess just Calgary and Glencoe and i think being a member at those two places is about more than just golf.

[DoubleK]

Glencoe is not full. The only one beside Calgary that might be is Canyon.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

nm

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Glencoe is not full. The only one beside Calgary that might be is Canyon.

Also apparently not full.

[Roughneck]

Calgary GCC is the only one that's full with a wait list, and a large one at that. A couple more are 'full' but without a wait list (so if somebody went up tomorrow and wanted to join, they could, but if say fifty now former Bearspaw members wanted to join, the clubs could afford to wait list all of them). Willow Park has a discounted buy-in right now but I think they're the only non-equity club that's dropped their initiation. Any of the equity clubs can be bought somewhere for cheap ($15K for a Priddis membership on Kijiji or $65K for Calgary...its a weird market out there).

In the end it wasn't so much the private club model that sank Bearspaw, it was completely incompetent leadership at the board level that did it. Earl Grey was able to have a full course reno, new maintenance facility, and a full clubhouse rebuild done in the past five years and they're still going along well (reallyh as strong as ever as a result). Even an equity club like Priddis has been able to consistently complete major capital projects without driving the club into the ground. Bearspaw has been fumbling jobs for years from greens renos to their maintenance shop and now the nail in the coffin with the clubhouse project.