TEEING OFF: Glenboro G&CC celebrates century mark

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This article was published 04/07/2022 (1331 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GLENBORO — Eight-six years separate Jack Gowanlock and Ryan Elliott. As Glenboro Golf and Country Club celebrated its 100th anniversary on the weekend, the 96- and 10-year-old members played nine holes together on the original layout, representing the club’s history and future.

The idea of throwing it back to the original sand-green layout of 1922 was one of a handful the 100th-anniversary committee pitched back in 2021. It ultimately settled on a three-day frenzy that also included a past club champions round and closest-to-the-pin contest on Friday. Then a four-player mixed scramble, 18-hole stroke play event and long-drive competition on Saturday. Sunday featured throwback prices of $2 for green fees and another toonie for a hot dog (donated by Maple Leaf), fries (donated by McCain Foods) and a can of pop.

Safe to say, the weekend was a smashing success. The clubhouse was the wrong place to chat with Roger Elliott, head of the organizing committee, as a steady stream of golfers walked up to thank him. As anyone who puts on a big multi-day event can attest, it was more relieving than anything to see it go off without a hitch.

“(Friday) was a very long day … My speech blew away in the wind a couple of times, then we spilled beer on it so I had to just wing it but other than that it was good,” Elliott chuckled, adding the nine-hole track is special for a few reasons.

“Summertime, it’s the place to be. We hold a lot of social events out here, fundraisers for different things and the place fills up. Without this golf course, there’d be a lot of things not happening because there’d be no place for it to be.

“It was really tough (in 2020), we couldn’t even come in here, couldn’t use the deck.”

Glenboro is the home of 2012 Manitoba amateur champion Josh Wytinck, 2016 provincial junior winner Zach Wytinck and Patrick Law, Minnedosa Golf and Country Club’s head professional and general manager.

Law more or less lived on the rolling hills and postcard-small greens growing up, and played a record 217 holes there a week ago with Dylan Thornborough on “Marathon Monday,” raising funds for cancer research.

“It’s pretty near and dear to my heart, growing up there. I think I can speak for a lot of guys in that sense,” Law said.

“We’re pretty excited to take part in the festivities and say ‘Thank you’ to the people that have helped us grow up there and make us into the people we are, and obviously me making a career out of it, I don’t think that would have happened without those individuals.

“Even just having that golf course in a community that size is an amazing aspect to have and the impacts of it are pretty big.”

At 14, Law played golf with Josh Wytinck and his grandpa, Ed Vertz, who showed him a new grip while they waited on the sixth tee box. He still uses it to this day.

“It was an older guy that’s been around a long time, been around golf a lot and taken time in the middle of a round to say ‘Hey, you should try something like this,’” Law said.

Over the years, Law heard stories of how the course was built, maintained through World War II and adjusted to the current 3,020-yard layout. He spent a good chunk of the winter and spring writing a five-part series, “Century of Swings” on his blog at patricklawgolf.com. His work ranged from newspaper archive research to flipping through history books and interviewing older members.

“There’s tons of amazing, cool little stories I’ve stumbled upon along the way and I’m really happy I did that,” Law said.

While there aren’t many changes in the immediate future, Elliott came up with another idea to brighten up an already pretty layout. For $100, people can purchase a tree in their name as they plant a couple of dozen vibrant trees, mostly around greens and behind tee boxes.

“Where we placed them, they don’t really affect play very much,” Elliott said. “But in five years when they’re all getting somewhat established, it’s going to add so much colour to this course.”

Zach Wytinck won the strokeplay event by four strokes with a 2-under 69.

• • •

The Westman Junior Golf Tour season gets underway on Tuesday at Glen Lea Golf Course and features six stops without a bye week before the Aug. 16 championship Tuesday at Oak Island Resort.

Neepawa’s Hayden Delaloye and Brandon’s Spence Mott won the pre-season two-player scramble with an 8-under 59 at Wheat City Golf Course last week, one shot ahead of Zostrianos Giordani-Gross and Carson Inman.

In the 14-and-under division, Brandon duo Brayden Watt and Hunter Oakden fired 4-under 63 for a six-shot win.

Oakden followed up with a second-place finish in the peewee boys division of the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stop in Estevan, Sask. He shot 45 in a partial round on Saturday, then matched winner Austin Nesbitt’s 78 on Sunday to finish six strokes behind.

• • •

Golf Manitoba’s major season gets underway with the women’s am and men’s mid-am at Granite Hills in Lac du Bonnet from Wednesday to Friday.

Brandon’s Drew Jones leads the Westman contingent in the 51-man field, along with Glen Ford of Glenboro, Joel Baron of Carberry and Shilo Country Club members Brad Pardy, Nolan Tutkaluk and Chris Sitko.

Coming off a women’s city and district championship win, Killarney’s Cala Korman is looking for another win with Brandon’s Payton Oakden, Binscarth’s Clara Peake, Swan River’s Crystal Zamzow and Clear Lake members Jeri and Jewel Lafleche.

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