Nature’s Fury Strikes Golf Courses

The past month or so has offered at least a couple of examples of how nature’s fury can mean more than just the inconvenience of a barren tee sheet.

I haven’t heard of any damage to golf courses by the fires that have been burning throughout British Columbia, but you have to wonder about the possibilities in the future, especially with the mountain pine beetle infestation turning trees into kindling in the summer months.

In Ontario, the Muskoka Bay Club near Gravenhurst is back in business after being hit just over a week ago with an apparent F0 tornado that that can produce wind speeds of between 60 and 110 kilometres an hour.

According to reports, hundreds of trees came down, roofs were ripped off golf carts and patio furniture and other objects were found as far as a kilometre away, forcing the club to shut down for a few days to clean up. [ Here’s a first hand description ].

Things also looked ominous for the Georgian Bay Club, home of the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic, a Nationwide Tour event, in Clarksburg, near Collingwood. Take a look at this incredible You Tube video to get an idea of what it might feel like to see a tornado coming at you on your golf course.

General manager Steve Prest said in an e-mail that the twister moved across the edge of the property to the south and touched down to the east before moving out over Georgian Bay. “Luckily, we did not have any damage to our course, clubhouse or property,” said Prest.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for nearby areas as you will see in this You Tube video.

It’s enough to inspire a whole new outlook on the damage that can come from such a powerful storm that can strike at any time. Have you prepared as much as possible for such an event?

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Business Notes

• Congratulations to Grant Fraser and the Golf Management Institute of Canada, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in September.

Based at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., the GMIC was started with the mission to offer online courses in such topics as business law for golf managers, marketing management in golf operations, food and beverage management, golf course design and construction and others.

“We currently have 200 active students from 20 countries around the world enrolled with the GMIC,” said Fraser, the institute’s president.

“When we launched the program in September 1999, there was a need for a novel approach to educate golf industry professionals without sending them back to the traditional classroom setting and that mission is still vital today.”

The program also provides instructors for the Niagara College Professional Golf Management Program and has been recognized by the Canadian Society for Training and Development. In 2006 and 2007, the institute was also involved in teching at the Jiao Ton University Institute in Shanghai, China.

The GMIC recently signed a five-year training partnership with the Canadian PGA to offer its members further educational opportunities. The institute will once again host its annual fundraiser for Student Scholarship Programs on Oct. 1 at The Country Club in Woodbridge, Ont.

• Business Golf International (BGI) will work in a consulting role with the Toronto Star Golf and Travel Show prior to the 2010 event next March.

“Business Golf International has a strong credential and enjoys close relationships with the global golf community,” said show manager Judy Roshko.

“They are helping us create exciting programming and marketing strategies that will insure that the 2010 whow will be an amazing event for both attendees and exhibitors,” she added.

For more information, see the website, www.businessgolfinternational.com.

• FlightScope, a portable indoor-outdoor ball flight and launch monitor with 3D Doppler tracking radar, will sponsor the Ontario PGA teacher of the Year Award, as well as the Nike Golf Fall Scramble.

The FlightScope / Ontario PGA partnership is a multi-year deal that will see the Ontario PGA Teacher of Year winner earn the use of a FlightScope for the year.

In addition, Warren Mapé, FlightScope director of sales development for Canada, will be at select Ontario PGA tournaments to assist players with their ball statistics.