06/17/2026
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
The board of directors met for the first time after our AGM in May on Tuesday, June 16, to usher in a new president.
Tom Andrews is stepping down after a very successful four-year run as president and will be replaced by Steve Smith.
The transition has been in process for the past year as Tom, who will remain on the board, felt it was time for change.
Here is Tom’s last report as president.
Good afternoon,
This is my last report as president. Thank you to our members, staff, and directors for your support and dedication to Mount Brenton. I believe the club is in excellent hands with the team we have in place, both on staff and on the board.
We have achieved a lot in the last few years, and the club is well positioned for the future.
Our membership is a total package that includes a beautiful course in great condition, thanks to our grounds crew; a friendly, efficient pro shop; a welcoming Pub; a strong front office; and a good mix of dedicated board directors.
We must be doing something right, as the club was recognized with the Platinum Award as the best golf course in the Cowichan Valley in 2026!
Congratulations and thanks to all involved in winning this year’s award.
Swing easy and keep your eye on the ball.
Thanks, and cheers
The board also welcomed our newest board member, Laura Rasmussen, to the fold.
Laura will assume the role of chair of the Member and Guest Services committee, a role formerly held by Ed Chan, who unfortunately had to resign due to illness.
All the best, and get well soon, Ed.
PRO SHOP NEWS
Our annual Golf-A-Thon fundraiser for ALS is on Tuesday, June 23. We will be collecting donations in the pro shop starting Thursday. The pro shop boys will be relaying to raise funds for the cause. This will be Jan’s 12th year raising money for a very worthy cause.
We have a club fitting with Titleist slated for Friday, June 26. People can book their spot with Jan in the pro shop anytime starting this Thursday.
On the last Wednesday of each month, the pro shop will be closed for 45 minutes during senior men’s league for a staff meeting between 9 am and 9:45 am.
COURSE CONDITIONS
Except for wear in some heavy-traffic zones, the course is in pretty good condition overall. Greens are in good health, as they should be at this time of year, in preparation for the upcoming stresses of summer.
Projects/Other work
With the recent rain, we were able to shut down the irrigation system for a few days and start removing weeds and algae from the pond on the 18th. Fountain parts should be here soon; I have had to re-order from another distributor.
The dirt spoils from the winter irrigation work on #8 are being screened and removed over the next couple of weeks.
Sand in bunkers has been added and redistributed. The bunker behind #1 green is slated for renovation, with resodding around its perimeter in the next couple of weeks.
We will continue to vent greens with ¼” needle tines once a month. This type of aeration helps remove noxious gases from the soil profile and improves oxygen and water pe*******on to the root zone; once rolled, it is hardly noticeable.
Also, once per month, we will be verticutting greens. This process cuts the grass with vertical blades that slice into the turf to a depth of 4-5 mm, removing thatch and reducing grain (grass lying down). This will promote a denser, more upright turf and smoother ball roll.
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
A reminder that the women’s and men’s club championships are on July 18-19. The sign-up sheets will be going up soon.
If anyone would like to sponsor the club championship (by donating a prize), please contact me ([email protected], 250-713-8102).
COURTESY OF BCGOLF
TSAWWASSEN, B.C. — After extending her record streak of B.C. Senior Women’s championships to seven, Shelly Stouffer served notice that she isn’t done. Not even close. “I’d like to get to 10,” she said with a smile. “I’m just going to try and keep the streak going.”
Don’t bet against her reaching double digits. The 56-year-old Nanoose Bay resident and honorary member at Mount Brenton Golf Course once again blew away the competition at the B.C. Senior Women’s, beating the field at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen by 12 shots. Stouffer finished her final round in style with a tap-in birdie on the 18th hole. Her one-under 72 was the lone sub-par round of the week.
“I wanted to go under par for at least one round,” said Stouffer, who finished the 54-hole competition for players aged 50 and older at three-over par. “It was a nice way to finish.”
Stouffer is playing as well, maybe even better, than she was when this streak started back at Campbell River Golf Club in 2020. She is confident she has lots of good golf left in her. “I am hitting the ball well, and it’s still going out there,” Stouffer said. “So, I can still compete with the younger people. I feel good about my game.”
Stouffer began the final round with only a four-shot lead. That’s a comfortable cushion, but Stouffer has been around the game long enough to know that a lead like that can disappear in a hurry. On the putting green before beginning her final round, Stouffer joked about having a word of the day. She confided that the word she was focused on for her final round was commitment.
“You know, just don’t be willy-nilly,” she said. “Commit to every shot, be positive and know where the ball is going to go.” That mindset worked well. Stouffer hit 15 greens in regulation and just didn’t make any major mistakes that would have given her closest pursuers some hope of catching her.
When she birdied the par-5 ninth hole, she had extended that four-shot lead to 10. She pretty much had it on cruise control for the remainder of her round. “I drove the ball pretty well all three days, and I putted pretty well,” Stouffer said. “My only three-putt today was on No. 12.”
In addition to her string of B.C. Championships: Stouffer won the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship and the Canadian Mid-Amateur title in 2021 and 2022. She won her third Canadian Senior Women’s title last summer at Nanaimo Golf Club. Her biggest win came at the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship when she became the first British Columbian to win a United States Golf Association event.
Stouffer has collected more than just titles during her senior golf journey. “I’ve made some new friends,” she said. “You meet so many interesting people, and it’s awesome because you now have all these connections. So, if you want to travel to all these different places, you always have someone to play golf with or stay with. It’s been great.”
AI ACE
The attached picture shows Charlie Gallagher after his first-ever hole-in-one on our third hole. He hit a 9 iron to a front pin measuring 112 yards.
His playing competitors were Bruce Greenhill, Randy Pauls, and Ron Rhode.
We sent the picture to his son in Alberta, and he sent it back after somehow adjusting it using AI.
It's a pretty cool-looking picture now.
