Framed by the Rockies, the Purcells and the famous St Mary River, the St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino is a spectacular destination for our Play and Stay for 2019. We are returning to Kristy’s roots , where she was born. The resort is located 10 minutes from Cranbrook, and 20 minutes from the picturesque town of Kimberley. Within its historic walls and the connecting Lodge are beautifully appointed, modern guestrooms. Onsite food and beverage choices include informal fine dining in the Purcell Grill overlooking the sun-drenched deck and golf course. If you are looking for a more relaxed setting, unwind with tapas in the Fisher Peak Lounge, play a game of billiards or simply enjoy the 19th Hole Bar & Grill. There is a fitness centre featuring a fully equipped gym, steam room, sauna, a heated pool and two hot tubs. Also on site is the Casino of the Rockies – decorated in a “Gold rush Boom town” theme with 224 slot machines, 10 table games and delicatessen style dining in Fred’s Saloon. In 2007 we were here for the Play & Stay and using our newly learnt black jack “poppa’s rules AKA Marilyn” we spent two hours playing with $20.00 and left with $19.00 in our pocket,how much fun is that? The 18-hole pristine fairways and white sand bunkers wind their way through several different environments, creating a unique combination of links, forests and a spectacular view of the St. Mary River. Wildstone Golf Course is set on the rolling highlands above Cranbrook featuring stunning views of the Rocky Mountains from start to finish. The course boasts rolling fairways and challenging greens. The sand is perfect and the water holes are clearly visible. There are no hidden surprises. For more information and pricing click here.

 

“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book, write a good one” Brad Paisley. The pages are blank and the pen is in your hands. We have planned an exciting season full possibilities, this is your chance to write a fun filled story for yourself.

Edmonton is a “Go” for 2019.  I will be announcing a new coordinator early in the New Year.  Thank you to everyone for your support.

We are changing things up this year and will be hitting balls north and south on Thursday nights starting January 10 at the Eaglequest Golf Dome at Fox Hollow Golf Course. This will change it up a bit and offer some of the south girls the opportunity to stay south. We will visit the National Golf Academy (NGA) Golf Dome in the south on 50th Ave SW January 17. Watch for an e-mail early in January that will include a schedule and some more details.

FORE…..the Future
Read the article with great interest. I was a member of Golfaround for almost two decades. I moved out of Alberta and there is nothing like Golfaround here. I sure miss the convenience, course choices, lessons, the travel already arranged and organized for you (agree travel should be for gals only) but mostly the friendships made. I totally understand that companies need to be progressive and keep up with the times, and would not like to see Golfaround move too far away from their initial mandate. That old saying … don’t fix it if it isn’t broken… and you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone … is so true. Keep up the good work Kristy and Di. Bring on the changes, but cautiously…….Dianne Andrews

Great News Letter ladies!
I just wanted to express my sincere thanks for all the work you put into Golfaround to make it so easy for all of us women to get out there and golf, have fun and network. I know that I would not be the golfer I am today, if I had not joined so many years ago! I also wanted to make a comment regarding handicaps… I believe that if you keep score and have a handicap, it does not necessarily mean you are competitive, to me, it just shows me where I am in my game. For the women who choose to have a handicap, good for them, if some choose to not keep score and have a handicap, that’s okay too. To me it’s like writing an exam, if you score 60%, it just says, this is where you’re at and if you want to get 70 or 80%, then you’ve got some work to do. If you’re happy with 60%, then great. That’s all…
I am grateful to you both for your drive, desire, innovation and strong ability to be the company at the forefront of women’s golf………………….Lorie Caron

One idea I had to bring in new members is to have a guest week or night and offer for people to bring a friend who pays the green fee and after there would be an informal presentation or chat about the league. I have several girl friends my age who are trying to get into golf or do golf but worry the league is either to hard or not with in their age range.                                                                                                                                    Perhaps even if there was a guest night early on and opportunity for people to join for last month of the season to have a trial to consider for following year……..Alycia Berg

Have you ever noticed and felt envious of that someone who has a great golf swing? There are quite a few of the Golfaround gals who have just that, a swing that encompasses all of the mechanics required for a sound golf swing, power and leverage. They too were beginners and it is interesting to see how far some have improved over the years. Over twenty years ago we introduced a lesson program that many of us feel helped to build a fluid, well-coordinated swing. Initially we called it Golf in Motion but did change it to Swing Improvement. At that time it was taught by our friend and mentor Tiffany Gordon with help from her team. Here it is 18 years later and we are going to relaunch the lessons, and Tiffany Gordon and Brian Fast have agreed to teach it again, the location will be Blue Devil Golf Club. We loved this program and I am sure you will too.
This is a unique golf training program which focuses on the components of the golf swing and reinforces learning and repeating the mechanics necessary to produce muscle memory and in turn a fluid repeatable, effective golf swing. There is no ball. When you are trying to concentrate on learning the various positions of your body and golf club at address and throughout the swinging motion, the ball only serves as a distraction, it automatically shifts your focus to performing vs learning. When you are making a practice swing, you are learning. When you are hitting a golf shot, you are performing.
There are various drills that can be utilized to reinforce this learning like weight transfer drills and body sequence drills. We always remember the “tray of drinks” motion that Brain taught us, of course that would be something we would remember!!! Many of us try to hit the ball and this is where we get into trouble. We tend to use our arms and not our body to hit the ball. What this program will teach you is to use your body to produce a powerful swing and when the ball gets in the way of that swing you will feel an effortless motion and a ball that flies to where you want it to go. One of the Pros at Buffalo Run had some of our beginners hitting the ball with their eyes closed.. This takes away the visual component that causes us all kinds of swing problems, and will teach you to intuitively swing through the ball. you’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll regain your feel for the club and hitting solid shots.

The Comox Valley stretches along the east coast of Vancouver Island and, includes the communities of Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland and Merville, as well as Denman and Hornby islands. It is a very popular region of Vancouver Island known for its natural beauty from snow capped mountains and sub-alpine meadows to sandy beaches and secluded bays.
Join us to enjoy four nights at the Crown Isle Golf Resort, staying in Fairway rooms located in various buildings bordering the first fairway.
Our golf and spa get-away commences upon our arrival around 2pm when we will be transported to the Kingfisher Spa. We will arrive early so we can check out the facility and absorb the beautiful surroundings. We will be able to take a dip in the heated outdoor pool or hot tub or maybe just relax in the sauna and steam cave. Next we will collect our robes and sip our hebal tea before being led in small groups into the Hydropath. What exactly is a Hydropath? We will descend into what feels like an underwater sea cave and follow an indoor circuit of wellness pools. You’ll encounter soothing mineral baths, a waterfall grotto, a scent-infused steam cave, stimulating glacial waterfall (optional!) and more. Following the Hydropath relax on loungers in a tranquil room overlooking the ocean; it’s pure bliss. We will then have the opportunity to indulge ourselves at The AQUA Bistro and Wine Bar or The Ocean 7 fine dining restaurant before returning to the Crown Isle.
On Friday we will tee off at the beautiful golf course which boasts 12 lakes, views of the Beaufort mountain range & Comox glacier, and verdant fairways. We will repeat this event on the Sunday and because we have better knowledge of what to do we will knock our scores out of the water….not too literally we hope.
Saturday is a free day to do whatever we choose, there is more golf in the area or spend the day exploring Comox and Courtney. Downtown Courtenay has a special small town charm but with a vibrant big city style! Whether you are looking for a unique gift idea, to window shop, or just want to grab a coffee and relax outside one of the cafés and watch the world go by, you’ll find plenty to do Downtown. All the shops and amenities are located within easy walking distance, so you won’t have to travel far to find what you need!
When your ‘shopped out’ there’s an array of places for good food but you may want to leave space for some delicious ‘made on premises’ chocolate from Hot Chocolates which has a yummy bakery too.Hot Chocolates has been a mainstay on Courtenay’s boutique-lined 5th Street since 1986. Peruse the charming storefront for assorted hand-crafted Belgian chocolates. Fresh ingredients like house-roasted nuts will settle savoury cravings while cream, wine and fruit infusions (locally sourced, of course) will satisfy the nagging sweet tooth.
The Atlas Cafe might be unassuming to passersbys but locals haunt this Courtenay favourite. Housed in a cozy space with gentle lighting, the Atlas has been serving up fresh plates since 1995. The Atlas is perfect for overstuffed breakfasts or uniquely crafted cocktails, and dessert.
Flights to Comox are offered by both Air Canada and WestJet and have flights that are direct and arrive in good time for the start of our adventure. Check out the events page for details and pricing or give us a call.

The golf industry is facing many challenges, an aging population and a younger generation that has the choice of many other entertainment options. There is also the third party tee time booking companies that diminish the margins for daily fee courses and an excess of golf courses, plus a number of other threats. Golfaround is impacted by these changes and we felt in order to stay the best that we can be we needed to explore what we do and how we do it. More importantly we need to listen and learn from our members to see how we can better meet their needs. We recently gathered a group together that represented our teaching professionals, seasoned and new members from our leagues both in Calgary and in Edmonton so that we could hear your thoughts on what we offer. It was an excellent exercise and we thought it prudent to summarize some of the outcomes.
When it came to the league the majority thought we offered a great selection and lots of choice with cost and location consideration. A suggestion was for less choices and utilization of handicapping when developing tee times but this contradicts one of our core values about being a non-competitive environment. We are aware that there needs to be some consideration about skill level matching and we are working on some ways to address this. Slow play was a concern and we are racking our brains as to how better to manage this. When it came to lessons the newer members enjoyed what we offered and expressed positive evaluations for the teaching professionals. For the long term members they are bored with what is offered and we do think that for some we cannot meet their needs so we are considering a league only option for those who have been a full time member for 10 years or more. Some time management and consistency issues were discussed and we plan to find ways to try to eliminate these problems.
Thanks to those of you who got back to us after the last newsfeed, we were thrilled to see that some of you do check these out. Your feedback was very helpful in these discussions. There were suggestions for some get-a-ways that were planned for gals only and  closer to home as our international travel has gone up in price which is due in part to the value of our dollar and inflation. We were ahead of the game here and have a Golf and Spa Trip planned in the beautiful Comox Valley this May long weekend.
It was stated that we do do a lot of things very well,  however we feel you should never “rest on one’s laurels”. There are opportunities for us to flourish and to escape the threats. This will help Golfaround remain on top of the heap, being the best that we can be, better meeting our members needs in a changing but exciting environment.