Page 8 - GBC Spring 2017 eng

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Message From The President • Steve Spratt
In The Fairway
I am extremely proud and excited to have been elected President of the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada and look forward to the continued growth and future challenges that lay ahead.
I have had the privilege of sitting on the Eastern Ontario/ Outaouais Chapter Advisory Board over the years; along with the pleasure of sitting on the National Board for the last 10 years. This experience, alongside my twenty years within the golf industry, has been a great training tool to transition into this new role within the NGCOA Canada.
Let me introduce myself - I am Steve Spratt, Co-owner and General Manager of Falcon Ridge Golf Club located in Ottawa, Ontario. Our ‘Falcon’ team is very proud to be celebrating our 20th year of operation this season.
My Profession And My Passion
We started with our 9 hole course (Raceview) and over the years have added our 18 hole course (Falcon Ridge), a driving range and practice facility, along with our beautiful Clubhouse (‘Out of Bounds’ Restaurant) and banquet facility. For the past four seasons, we have become a year round golf facility with the newest addition of our indoor HD golf simulators.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have the pleasure of being on a golf course every day, as part of my profession! The golf industry is not only my profession, it is my passion! Over the years, I have realized, to be part of an industry, you really have to ‘take part’ in the industry. In order to survive, especially in Ottawa with such a competitive market, we all have to work together to succeed. This is one of the main principles of the NGCOA Canada and one that we should all embrace.
The insurmountable knowledge and resources that I have gained from this organization have proved invaluable to our business. Initia- tives such as the Spring Warm Up events, Take A Kid To The Course, and the annual Golf Business Canada Conference & Trade Show help keep me apprised of current information and direction.
Even as a veteran with 20 years of experience in this industry, I continue to benefit from the knowledge and education consist- ently provided by the organization, alongside the savings from the Golfmax Purchasing Program.
I recently participated in a Golf Lobby Day on Parliament Hill where industry stakeholders met with Cabinet Ministers, MPs and decisions makers in government to advocate for tax fairness for our industry prior to the 2017 budget.
The day resulted in many productive meetings. We were successful in our goal to achieve awareness, however to be truly successful we need all the stakeholders (owners, GMs, golf professionals, superintendents, etc) to engage their local MP to contact the Minister of Finance by mail, email, or in person in order to make this issue known.
I am extremely proud to be a part of the NGCOA Canada and I encourage all my fellow industry colleagues to ‘be part of the industry’! I look forward to the continued partnerships, friend- ships, and successes with the NGCOA Canada team.
Respectfully,
Steve Spratt
Co-owner, Falcon Ridge Golf Club, ON steve@falconridgegolf.ca
8 Golf Business Canada