Page 26 - GBC Winter 2020 ENG

Kevin O’Donovan
Kevin has been the NGCOA Canada Regional Director in the Prairie Chapter for the past 7 years, during which time he has been actively engaged in a wide range of members’ issues, including marketing, education and sales. Contact Kevin at kodonovan@ngcoa.ca or 204-832-6842.
The reality across most of Canada is that golf is a seasonal sport, with the notable exception of some facilities across the lower Mainland in British Columbia. Canada has become famous for the number of snowbirds who continue to spend time each winter heading south to warmer climates to take a break from the snow and colder weather back home.
Over the years, golf courses have been content to help their players load up their golf clubs at the end of the season, wish them all the best for the off-season and hopefully welcome them back as the snow begins to melt. However, winter does not have to be the end of the golf season. Rossmere Golf and Country Club and Humboldt Golf Club have taken an innovative approach and incorporated golf simulators to increase revenues and offer year round golf at their facilities.
ROSSMERE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
For almost seventy years, Rossmere Golf and Country Club has been an integral part of the East Kildonan community in northwest Winnipeg, Manitoba. From its inception as a semi-private club, they have remained steadfastly committed to being a club for all seasons.
One of the four golf simulator rooms recently created at Rossmere Golf and Country Club.
A few years ago, the facility had six sheets of curling ice during the winter which was not overly successful as a viable revenue generator. At that time, there were a few indoor golf simulator facilities across Winnipeg, but nothing close or nearby. So, the Rossmere Board felt that they had a captive audience between their existing membership, including those who travelled south annually for the winter months, as well as potential interest from the community.
As luck would have it, the club was faced with a decision in 2018 due to an aging brine pump for their curling facility which required replacement at an estimated cost of $60,000. Given their commitment to the membership to provide year-round recreational activities, General
26 Golf Business Canada