The Club worked with local contractors to make significant changes to the property
Story by Pat Payton | St. Marys Independent Newspaper
There have been lots of changes at the St. Marys Golf and Country Club this spring. While driving into the parking area, one of the first things golfers and patrons will see is a new and improved road sign.
“Our renovated sign includes our revamped SMGCC logo and our brand new Social Thirty-One restaurant logo, added to the top. The changes reflect our new branding, focused around black, gold and white colours, combined with a crisp, detailed look.” says Matt Staffen, President and General Manager of St. Marys Golf & Country Club. The sign was redesigned and installed by The Sign Depot, of Listowel, who first built the sign back in the 90s.
There has been lots going on out on the golf course over the past couple of months as well, especially while the course was in government-mandated lockdown.
Most of the trees on the property have been trimmed up to provide a cleaner look with an additional focus on improved pace-of-play. Dead trees have been cut down, and over 70 stumps have been removed, dug out, and reseeded on the property.
“We started the tree project 18 months ago,” Head Superintendent, Sandy Fifield, noted. “It was a very long, strategic project that me and Arron (Tough) put together, with the support of our team, and it all came together over the lockdown.” Tough is Mechanic and Assistant Superintendent at the Club.
During the recent five-week golf lockdown, which ended May 21st, Matt Rushton, of the Lucan-based RCS Forestry Mulching business, cleared brush and trimmed trees all over the course. One of the biggest examples of that is along the right side of the No. 2 fairway.
Multiple burn piles of brush were also cleared from the property on holes No. 5 and No. 6.
Cart Paths Paved
On May 21st, the day before reopening, cart paths were paved by Kody Smith and his team from Steve Smith Construction of Stratford. “We added four new cart paths -- on No. 1, the entire length of the hole on No. 2, and No. 8 and No. 9,” the General Manager noted.
As well, 33 green-side sand traps on the course have all been edged. “The grass is continuously growing into the bunkers and we basically cleared all that out and re-shaped them back to their original form,” Director of Golf, Brandon De Groote, explained.
New directional signage for golf has also been added to the property, by Sign Ontario of Stratford.
Still to come, a new cement entrance walkway will be built by Red Rock Construction, of St. Marys, extending from the parking lot between the patio and the practice putting green. A new canopy is also being added in early June, which will cover the entire outdoor wood patio that Raezor’s Edge General Contractor built last summer.
