05 GOLF GUIDE 2021 M A N I T O B A
different times of the day,” he notes. “Golf was a great option. It was safe, and you could head out, play nine holes and be back in time to finish your work.” However, while companies encouraged employees to work from home to limit exposure to COVID-19, they put company tournaments on hold. “We normally start pre-booking company tournaments in the spring, but that wasn’t the case last year,” says Mike Pittman, who oversees business development and events at Quarry Oaks Golf Course in Steinbach. “Companies that had booked tournaments started calling me to cancel their tournaments.” Little wonder, as stringent public health orders limited gathering sizes and forbade two people to ride in a power cart at once. “The restrictions – particularly only allowing one rider per cart – were tough to deal with,” recalls Pittman. “Fortunately, the weather was nice, and we have one of the largest fleets of golf carts in the
province. Most tournaments were canceled, but we still had full tee sheets. We were thankful for that.” After much brainstorming, the management team at Quarry Oaks conceived a new tournament format. “We came up with a no-shotgun-start format where we blocked the tee sheet, creating a window where golfers could pick a time to come and play their tournament,” he says. “It still gave them that tournament feel, but there was no dinner after. Many people preferred it because it was more casual.” While a small number of tournaments were salvaged, the result wasn’t the same with weddings. “Pretty much all the weddings we booked last year were cancelled – we just had a couple of smaller events that we held in a tent with a roof and no sides to maximize air circulation,” Pittman explains. Pittman says the club is in much the same boat this spring.
“At this point, we really don’t know in which direction things are going to go. Numbers are still restricted due to the health orders, so we’re just being straight up with people when they call – we just don’t know how many people they’ll be able to invite. We’re just hoping the situation gets better by mid-summer.” In the meantime, Quarry Oaks – like countless other courses province-wide – will have to continue to think outside the box to generate revenue. “We’ll continue to rely on green fees, take out from the restaurant and boxed lunches and pre- portioned salads that we provide in our new casual tournament format,” he says, adding that the pandemic essentially eliminated office meetings and Christmas banquets. “The one thing I’ve noticed about COVID is that it’s made people a lot more understanding. They know we’re doing our best and are willing to work with us so we can all get through this together.”
WESTMAN’S FINEST GREENS!
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STAY, PLAY & EAT at Wheat City Golf Course & Shilo Country Club Package includes 1 round of golf each at Wheat City Golf Course OR Shilo Golf & Country Club, power cart, $25 each to Brandon’s Original Joes. Based on Double Occupancy
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2020
GOLD MEDAL Best Golf Course – Westman
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