by PAUL RAYNER

With the new automated watering system in and doing its job, the Boissevain Golf Club knows the hard work was worth the effort.

The new addition was given its official grand opening on Saturday, July 4 at the golf course. With around 60 people in attendance and dignitaries ranging from Arthur-Virden MLA Larry Maguire, Town of Boissevain Mayor Ed Anderson, and Morton Reeve Bob McCallum to representatives of the suppliers Guernin and installers Pembina Irrigation and Landscaping, the club was able to welcome in a new system they have planned for for a long time.

“It is up and running,” said fundraising co-chair Vince Gibb. “It is almost two years to the day, June 2007, when we held our first fund-raising event.”

At this point, they have raised $141,000 for the addition. The original estimate for the system was $185,000, but Gibb said they are not sure what the final figure will be.

“So many things don’t work out when you do these things. You get something you don’t need and have to send it back. I’m thinking by the end of it, with all of the changes, it will come out to about $210,000.”

The money already raised came from a variety of sources. Gibb said they received two major grants. One from Community Places was worth $25,000, while Community Services chipped in $19,200. The Town of Boissevain and the RM of Morton, as well as the Lions Club, kicked in $15,000 each.

There were also a number of fund-raisers by the members of the committee and the golf club. As well as golf tournaments, Gibb said their garage sale/bake sale worked well for them, as did a number of catering jobs, bar work at the Peace Garden, carrying groceries at the Co-op and handling parking duties at Du-Rite’s 50th anniversary. One of the reasons things worked out so well is that the efforts were not seen as a drag on people’s time.

“I had fun doing this,” he explained. “Sure it was frustrating at times, but we had a lot of fun at the fund-raisers. If you can keep the majority of the people happy and you can have fun, it’s not too bad.”

As well, the different leagues chipped in money from their weekly golf nights, which helped a great deal. They sold sprinkler heads for $150 each to members of the community, with some of the 218 heads still available. There were also many donations from community members.

“There was lots of support from the community at large. I was overwhelmed by the help. There were volunteers, including volunteers from Minto, always out there helping. The Town and RM were supportive; the (golf club) board was really good at getting behind the project. I could probably count on one hand the people I asked to assist and did not get involved.”

As well as money, Gibb added that businesses in town were more than helpful. Du-Rite’s and Goodon's, for example, did the freighting of equipment at no charge. The Red Coat Inn gave good rates for workers staying over, as KeHo Electric did for the wiring.

The purpose of the system is to make it possible to better regulate the watering of the greens. As it is programmable, it allows for overnight watering without anyone present. It is also flexible, as not all of the heads have to run at the same time. As Gibb explained, staff will normally water the entire course overnight, but with only 12-15 sprinklers running at once. Also, they can do select watering of dry areas in the day, without annoying the golfers at a specific hole.

The system, which was operational and working in early June, has already had an impact in a year that has not been overly damp.

“An avid golfer would know the difference,” Gibb explained. “It is a 100% turnaround from last year. It’s green out there. The grass is green and it’s thick. You can even see the difference in the trees. It is a major turnaround with the way the course plays. I would have to say it is due to the sprinkler system, because Mother Nature has not given us a hand.”

Although the bulk of the practical work is finished, there is still some fund-raising to complete. Gibb said they are looking at another $70,000. Some work has already begun. For example, they are presently raffling off a television and in the fall will be doing the same with a pair of 2010 Memorial Cup tickets. They are looking at a golf tournament in September as well.

He figures they should be close to paying it off by the end of 2009.

“We still have people donating, which is nice, and some grants to come in and pledges made over a five year period to come in.”

Gibb said there are still a “few wounds to heal” – marks made by the equipment that need time to grow out. They will be looking at a few cosmetic improvements to the course in the future as well. However, he feels the watering system is the big move, one that will continue to pay off in the years ahead.

“This is something we will not have to worry about for 20 years,” he stated. “There will always be repairs but that piping will have a 25 year life span. I’m happy it’s done. I’m happy for the club and especially happy for the community. I personally feel we created the next golfing jewel in Southwestern Manitoba.