Now that the Creston Golf Club has closed the doors on the 2013 golf season, I finally have a chance to reflect on the past golf season. The seven-and-a-half-month golfing season seemed to fly by so quickly.
After accepting the job opportunity to be the new head golf professional for the Creston Golf Club back in late January, which seems like only yesterday, so much has happened in so little time. That was the way that it seemed with so many activities happening at the course, day in and day out.
Many thanks to my predecessor, Randy Panton, the former professional at the club who retired after 29 years of employment; he had done a terrific job, along with the members of the golf club, to co-ordinate a complete season of competitions and activities for me to continue to build upon.
It certainly was an exciting first year as the new head golf pro at the Creston Golf Club. I’ve met so many nice people that love to play golf, and love the course that they play.
The Creston Golf Club is a gem of a golf course. I had never played it until this year, and as I had opportunity to play, I began to enjoy it more and more. There are many challenges to every round played. Dealing with hitting the right club off the tee, as well as hitting it straight and in play, along with the enjoyment of putting on smooth putting surfaces, helps make a player want to return to play again and again. There is also the look of the holes from the tees, as well as the breathtaking view from number 7 and 12 tee boxes, certainly giving the golfer the impression of beautiful scenery and a great place to enjoy being outdoors. Quite often, wildlife is seen roaming around the course.
The future looks great for the course, as new projects are in the plans for the years ahead to make the facility better and more enjoyable for its members and pay-as-they-play visitors. It is a big part of the Creston community, and my family and I are excited to be part of it.
With Christmas approaching, it won’t be long before we’re getting excited to start a new golf season. The club has installed a new associate membership program to inject some new players into the club’s atmosphere. Hoping to bring in some members whose playing time may be limited and also of a younger age, the program has created a lot of positive conversation around town. In a nutshell, this membership category has a very reasonable price of only $600 for the season and no initial initiation or membership fee, and has a daily play restriction of after 1:30 p.m. A 10 per cent discount on initiation or membership fee will be applied, per consecutive year of participation in the program to a maximum of five years’ worth, once the associate member graduates to full membership status.
For more information about this new associate membership, contact the pro shop at 250-428-5515 during Christmas shopping hours, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. through Dec. 20.
—BY BRIAN O’KEEFE