Cure for winter golf blues nears, Shanks to Sheard

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This article was published 24/03/2023 (1156 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ross Sheard doesn’t want to see another winter go by without golf balls flying through the brisk Westman air.

Well, no golfer wants to take six months off, but Sheard’s doing something about it. His brainchild, Shanks Driving Range and Grill, is tentatively set to open in November 2023.

“This is something that not only will fulfil my dream of owning my own business and being an entrepreneur but also bring existential value to the community,” Sheard said. “We’re talking corporate outings, we’re talking date nights, talking wing nights, weekends in the spring and summer … as well as giving a different opportunity for golf pros to come and teach in the winter.

“It checks all the boxes.”

Think Top Golf, just without the $40 million estimated startup cost. If you aren’t familiar, think bowling alley but replace the lanes with 300 yards of driving range five kilometres west of Brandon on the Trans Canada Highway.

Shanks will feature 20 hitting bays with bowling-alley seating to accommodate individuals looking to practise or groups out for a fun night. The range will feature Top Tracer technology — the company the PGA Tour employs to show ball flight and track shots in real time.

The range will have nine targets scattered across the outfield, which Top Tracer uses for games golfers can play through its app.

The hitting area has a roof and faces south so the building blocks the north wind. It’ll have heaters that allow play up to -25 C, so it can stay open most of the year.

Golfers will be able to reserve stations and pay by the hour.

Sheard is also getting four GolfZon simulator bays. They feature hydraulic plates that tilt to create uphill, downhill and sidehill lies with multi-surface hitting mats to play off of fairway, rough or “sand.”

“The feedback on the screen is immediate, putting is realistic, it’s awesome,” Sheard said. “I don’t think anything really compares, to be honest.”

Meanwhile, Shanks will serve golfers during play and function like any other restaurant for other patrons.

“I’ve fallen in love with this community and I can bring something to benefit it. With knowing I wanted to own my own business, it’s like ‘what’s missing?’” Sheard said.

“I really think Brandon is starving for entertainment-based venues and it’s no slight at anybody else but I really think if you can combine entertainment with value or something that is popular, is interesting to do, it can encompass all talent levels, I really think Brandon would benefit from it.”

ROCKY ROAD SPARKED DREAM

Sheard’s path to this newfound dream is a winding road mired with uncertainty.

He grew up in Vancouver and reached the end of his junior hockey career in 2007 without much of a plan for life afterwards. Meanwhile, his father, George, owned and operated the McDonald’s franchises in Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Neepawa. Ross called his dad about whether he could get a job at the head office in British Columbia but George had other ideas.

“He said, ‘why don’t you just move out here?’” Ross recalled.

George explained the second-generation ownership program. Ross could work his way up, learning every facet of the fast food giant’s operation while preparing to hopefully take over the empire of stores one day.

Excitement built as that day neared and vanished in an instant when George sat him down and broke the news that he was selling. Ross would have to keep working under the new operator or move to try to pursue ownership elsewhere. It couldn’t be Brandon.

“It was devastating,” Ross said. “It was something I put everything into for the last 12, 13 years. For that not to be realized, I got in the truck, went for a drive and tried to shake it off. It was tough.”

It was easy to lose sight of what he gained in more than a decade of chasing a dream.

But Sheard didn’t just sit around waiting for his shot. He managed stores and learned about payroll, bills, Human Resources and everything no one thinks about when they pull through a dual-lane drive-thru to try the latest menu item. Those were both things his dad willingly let McDonald’s test at his stores.

“I had the best teacher in the world in my dad. He was a pioneer with dual-lane drive-thru, adopting different menu items … We were a test market for essentially everything,” Sheard said.

“As far as him being my role model and mentor in the business, I couldn’t ask for anybody better.”

While there are a ton of differences between Shanks and McDonald’s, Sheard is going in anything but blind.

Local golfers won’t be surprised at all watching the 36-year-old take this step. He’s won local tournaments, including the 2022 Ridge Bowl at Deer Ridge and contended in some of the province’s bigger events, including the men’s amateur, Grey Owl and Tamarack.

Those who knew him on the West Coast, however, could understandably be surprised. Since spring and summer hockey consumed his time, he figures he played about five golf games a year with his dad’s old Ping Eye 2 irons.

Upon moving to Brandon, he picked up a set of “heavily used” Titleist AP2s and got hooked. He has worked his handicap down to +0.8, nearly a stroke better than scratch and still hovers around that mark.

He said the idea of joining the PGA of Canada and teaching was in the back of his mind over the years but now that the time came for a shift in careers, he prefers the business route.

Sheard was already well-connected with Westman businesses and is working with a bevy of local companies to bring Shanks to life.

“It’s important to me to give back as much as possible. I developed this initiative in my head where I want to use as many local companies as possible to build, to put equipment in, to staff, to bank with, everything from top to bottom,” Sheard said.

“How many local companies can I use, regardless of if I need to pay a little bit more? It’s still worth it to me if I’m giving back to the community that, guess what, is going to come out and support me.”

Sheard said he’s looking to hire for a variety of positions. Those interested in employment or seeking further information can contact Sheard at shanks.golf@protonmail.com.

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