The summer of 2020 was one that everyone was trying to stay safe and healthy while the COVID-19 pandemic was front and centre and still is.
Many people wanted to also get some exercise while staying competitive and that's where the Gilbert Plains Country Club came in.
Scott McCallum and staff prided themselves on maintaining a safe environment for all. Whether it was having a meal at Putters Cafe & Lounge or playing 18 holes on one of Manitoba's finest destinations, the Club truly was a safe place for all.
The course was also the site of a historic day. Back on Saturday, September 19, there wasn't an open tee-time until 4:07 p.m. That means from opening until that time, there were more than eight hours of a packed tee-sheet. After 5.5 months of golfing and fun times at the Club, the season has officially come to an end.
"That day in September with the packed tee-sheet was something you don't normally see and it was a learning curve for our members who couldn't play in their desired time," said McCallum. "With that said, all of our members are amazing people who love seeing new faces. They do totally understand when they can't get out when they want to, so that's wonderful."
Since there wasn't much else to do when it comes to sports throughout the summer months, new faces flocked to the golf course and that was the case in Gilbert Plains.
"It was a wonderful year. If anyone would have talked about having this kind of a year at the start, I wouldn't have believed them," said Scott McCallum. "With having to social distance and everything, the golf course is a great place to do so. I'm really proud of the staff and everyone involved."
The Gilbert Plains Country Club will also play host to the golf event for the Manitoba Summer Games Powered by Manitoba Hydro which was postponed to next summer from this summer. Something else exciting going on at the Club is a brand new outdoor event centre.
Construction of the new building began in early June with the concrete being poured in early July. A great group of volunteers has helped throughout the entire process including to put the walls up earlier this summer.
95% of the building will be complete this fall with the doors and windows being installed next spring. That means the outdoor event centre will be open for business next summer and it will host tournament banquets and other functions.
"Sometimes you have to sit back and just say oh my gosh, I can't believe that we pulled this off," ended McCallum. "It's absolutely incredible that we were able to pull this off and build a building of this magnitude with so much volunteer help. It truly is something special and it's going to be gorgeous."
