Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/68546
IN PROFILE WITH THE STAFF At Olympic View, It All Starts BY JEFF SUTHERLAND and we also keep both golfers and maintenance workers out of wildlife corridors wherever possible." Ah yes, wildlife. Olympic View could be considered an animal lover's paradise. It's rare that visitors don't see deer grazing or eagles circling overhead. DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION JEFF PALMER One place where eagle sightings are commonplace is the GBC Academy and practice facility. This top-notch range has a whopping 65,000 sq. ft. of tee deck and 17,000 sq. ft. of putting surface not to mention dedicated practice bunkers and chipping areas. Add in views of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains and you have one of the finest places to learn in Western Canada. Adds Solski, "It's big enough that there is always perfect turf to hit balls on all the way through the season." SUPERINTENDENT PAT SOLSKI IMAGE CREDIT JEFF SUTHERLAND EXECUTIVE CHEF MEL O'BRIEN IMAGE CREDIT AILEEN O'BRIEN INSTRUCTOR MATT MATHESON IMAGE COURTESY GOLFBC When you drive through the gates of Olympic View GC in Victoria, BC, it does not take long to realize things are a little different here... the clubhouse, course and practice facility are all top quality but the atmosphere is definitely relaxed and casual. That is not by accident confirms General Manager Randy Frank, "We want people to know they are welcome here, to feel relaxed from the moment they arrive to the time they leave whether it's for a casual round of golf or attending a spectacular wedding dinner put on by our executive chef." Customers feeling welcome is 100% a result of the "OV team" continues Frank, "We have been really fortunate to be able to bring together a group of people who make a great team whose primary focus is our guests and that seems to be picked up by our patrons." Feeling welcome also shows up in the number of employees who have called this GolfBC property home for a good chunk of the 21st century... Randy Frank among them. Another would be Superintendent Pat Solski who started here right out of Olds College and worked his way up to the head position. Solksi's philosophy has always been... "to, more than anything, naturalize the course. There are no houses here and we try to keep it as much as possible a parkland setting. To do that we have returned 6 acres to 'no mow areas' in the recent past CPGA Head Professional Kevin Maxwell (who won the 2009 PGA of BC Assistants Championship) is very proud of the Academy and GolfBC's approach to teaching. Asserts Maxwell, "The GBC Golf Academy prides itself in being an industry leader. With this in mind, all of our instructors must complete a comprehensive in-house training program before ever teaching a single lesson to the public." In charge of this training is Director of Instruction Jeff Palmer. Jeff can often be found on the tee deck offering free advise and tips and has the resume to back it up. Over the past 20 years Palmer has traveled the world learning instruction from the likes of Mike Hebron, Jim McLean, Jim Flick as well as working at some of the finest facilities in North America and China... most recently as the Director of Golf at Sheshan International GC in Shanghai home of the WGC-HSBC Championship. Somewhat coming full circle, Jeff's first job as an assistant pro was at Olympic View in1992. His return to Victoria appears be a happy one. Standing on the tee deck, he says with RANDALL GARRISON MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OLYMPIC VIEW GENERAL MANAGER RANDY FRANK Olympic View GM Randy Frank (right) played host to the National Allied Golf Association and local Member of Parliament Randall Garrison (left) at a luncheon earlier this year. It was to celebrate the introduction of a private member's bill to reverse a forty year old law where golf had been removed from a list of acceptable business expenses while activities like skiing or hockey game tickets were still allowable. His take is gaining acceptance from both major parties but when this bill will actually get addressed is a little more of question mark. Concluded Garrison that day, "We will need... to get around the perception the golf is just an elitist industry. If it is not in this budget, hopefully it will be in the next. " 81 INSTRUCTOR GORDY SCUTT (LEFT) HEAD PROFESSIONAL KEVIN MAXWELL IMAGE CREDIT PATRICK SOLSKI IMAGE CREDIT JEFF SUTHERLAND ALL IMAGES CREDIT JEFF SUTHERLAND