WESTLOCK – Although spring has been a mixed bag weather-wise, the Westlock Golf Course opened for the season April 30 and second-year head pro Shawn Fagan is looking forward to a season without COVID-19 restrictions.
Fagan said the course wintered extremely well as they tarped several greens that “had been problematic in the past” which allowed them to hit the ground running in 2022. That said, the month of May was a little tough as far as weather, with Fagan noting they had to close a few times due to snow.
“Fortunately, we were fully operational pretty much right from the get-go. We have 22 or 23 outside and member events planned for this year, so we’re going to be very busy,” said Fagan June 2, noting they hosted an Alberta Open qualifier the previous day that saw the top player card a 70.
Fagan said they’re also excited to be able to fully use the new $400,000 clubhouse, which opened last July to rave reviews but was obviously underutilized due to COVID-19 restrictions that were in place at the time. Fagan, who’s in his second season managing Westlock, grew up playing at Skeena Valley Golf & Country Club in Terrace, B.C. then attended Lindenwood University in St. Louis on a golf scholarship and graduated at the top of class from Niagara College in the three-year Professional Golf Management program.
“The clubhouse we couldn’t really use to its full potential last year … with all the restrictions it really put a damper on it. So, we’re fully operational, the kitchen has its full menu and we’re even hosting Oilers watch parties,” he continued. “We can host meetings, do catering … we’re really excited that people can enjoy the facilities without any restrictions.”
As far as upcoming events, the Westlock Couples Open went June 4, while the Westlock Seniors Open is slated for June 14.
The Westlock Ladies Event, a four-person team tourney “that was probably our best reviewed event last year” goes July 17, followed by the 36-hole Men’s Open Aug. 6-7. The Par 3 Shootout is slated for Aug. 20 with the 36-hole Westlock Golf Club Championship to run Aug. 27-28.
“The Par 3 Shootout is a full, off-the-map kind of event where every hole is a par 3 and people can win things like $10,000 and even a side-by-side. It’s a fun time,” said Fagan.
