After 35 years, the Water Valley Golf Club is under new ownership and there are big changes afoot.
New Director of Golf at Water Valley James Darby is excited to welcome back golfers who may be familiar with the par 72 course, so they can see the new upgrades.
“You will see dramatic improvements to the whole place.” he said.
The clubhouse, pro shop and snack shack are currently undergoing full-scale renovations. All three areas are getting a major overhaul to both the interior and exterior.
The course itself is being improved as well, according to Darby.
“The future aspiration is to change the design of some of the holes, which allows for better access for people to the clubhouse,” he said.
Darby comes to Water Valley after a stint at the Cochrane Golf Club. He was a golf instructor in the British Army and is in his final year of studies for a golf management degree.
The new owners are Pat Thomas, a businessman living in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Jeremy Dueck from Bearspaw. Under the new ownership, Water Valley will be a semi-private course, meaning it will be open to the public as well as having paid members.
Growing up, Dueck worked at many private golf clubs around Winnipeg, Man., and played golf competitively at different levels. Thomas is an entrepreneur who owns seven McDonald's franchises and other businesses.
For youngsters looking to learn the game, Water Valley is offering Junior Golf Performance camps from May 16 to June 20, June 27 to July 25, and August 8 to September 12. Classes run on Mondays from 4 to 7 p.m. and cost $120 or $260 for all three camps. Juniors will learn how to improve their swing, short game, and mental fundamentals. They will also learn training tips for better mobility, core stability, strength, speed and power.
They will also host tournaments and other events throughout the 2022 season.
For more details, go to watervalleygolf.ca.
