It’s a new era in Morden at Minnewasta Golf & Country Club.
According to Greg Hesom, the general manager and head professional at Minnewasta, the course is putting the finishing touches on its new clubhouse. The freshly built structure has some notable features.
Room for everyone, new attractions
“We have a 160-person banquet area, and then also a 50-seater dining room. Those can be combined if there's a big enough event, or separated off with sliding doors,” says Hesom. “Then we'll have an outside hundred-person patio as well. That’s all on the restaurant side.”
As for the golf side of things, Hesom says the Pro Shop will move into the building and there will also be something he says is exciting to golfers — two golf simulators.
Unfortunately, golfers still have a bit of a wait for this new attraction.
“They are not running yet. We wanted to get the restaurant side finished . . . and then the golf side will kind of be secondary,” says Hesom. “I'm thinking the simulator will be [ready] around about the 25th of November.”
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Hesom says the simulators, which will allow golf enthusiasts to keep their skills up through the winter, will also have a “nice” bar for attendees to enjoy a beverage and a meal as they golf, and TVs playing the latest sporting events.
“It’ll be a fun room,” he says.
Open for business
While both the golfing side and the restaurant side of the clubhouse still require some work, it’s already possible to get a hot meal there. Pizza lovers will be especially glad to know what’s on the menu.
“[We are] happy to have Santa Lucia here for the next 5 to 15 years . . . . They are open just for takeout at the moment. For the last couple of weeks, they did just their pizza menu. They are now on to their full menu, but still for takeout,” says Hesom. “Then as soon as they've got all their systems and their kitchen running properly and all their servers trained in the next two to three weeks, we'll open up to in-person dining.”
A new beginning after devastating events
The new thoughtfully designed clubhouse comes almost exactly three years after Minnewasta Golf & Country Club experienced a destructive fire.
“I actually wasn't even hired yet. I was in the middle of settling our contract and I was out in Nova Scotia with my wife and the phone started going crazy,” says Hesom. “I just got a lot of pictures of the clubhouse. It didn't take long to see that it was going to be completely destroyed. It was a bit of a devastating day, but we have to move forward.”
Hesom says that since the fire, the community has helped in the rebuilding journey, including “a lot of support from the local business, both in Winkler and Morden.”
“[There has also been] a lot of support from the trades and . . . the board had a vision of what they wanted, and I think when you walk into those front doors, that vision . . . is now a fantastic reality,” he says. “It’s been a long journey. It’s been a good journey.”
The building process has taken 16 months from start to finish.
“Everybody is excited and impatient, obviously, but it's also been fun watching people . . . see the progress as they come and play golf through the summer [as we get] closer and closer to that finish,” he says, adding that the support of businesses especially has been instrumental in the process.
“We raised 1.4 million in donations from the business community and then [we also received] a $300,000 grant as well from the province of Manitoba, so without the generosity of the corporate community there, we would not be here,” he says.
In Hesom’s view, the business community sees value in supporting the golf club because it is an important venue for golf tournaments, fundraisers, and community events. Minnewasta Golf & Country Club appreciates the recognition.
“It's amazing. I mean, we've been in this community for 22 years now and the generosity in this community always amazes me,” he says. “To be able to go and sit across from business people and say, ‘This is what we envision,’ and [to see] the speed and willingness to help out is always astounding.”
“Blown away”
Hesom says Minnewasta Golf & Country Club has already held a few functions in the new space with its members, including league wind-ups. He says that the response from those who have seen the clubhouse has been positive.
"[It] was the first time they had walked in, and they were just blown away,” he says. “Everybody . . . just says how beautiful it is, and that's wonderful to hear. We're still going to have some learning curves and some glitches, but I think overall, it’s a stunning building. I think it matches the golf course, so I’m very happy with how things have turned out.”
Keep up to date on the happenings at Minnewasta Golf & Country Club through its website.
With files from Robyn Wiebe