It’s hard to believe that September is already here. Despite the challenges associated with continuing to navigate business and life in the midst of a global pandemic, we’ve enjoyed a beautiful summer that has allowed many of us to play more golf than we have in previous years. I think it goes without saying that we hope the great weather lasts well into the fall!

Speaking of the fall, it’s time to start looking ahead to some of the other amenities in our Clubhouse as the golf season starts winding down.

COVID-19 Update

Learning of the positive COVID-19 case at the Club through Peel Health was certainly a strong reminder of how vulnerable we all are. This incident also served as a strong reminder of how important it is for ALL of us to follow the Club’s COVID-19 protocols.

Not being able to pinpoint the infected individual has made the process of protecting members and staff more complicated than it needed to be. Please continue to fill out your daily declarations and PLEASE let me know if you, or anyone you may have come in contact with has been exposed to the virus.

Many of our members and staff consider Credit Valley to be a safer place than many other destinations in the city. We should all be very proud of this. Please don’t forget that we all need to work together to keep this up.

F&B Update

The patio season this year has been outstanding and we hope to have some good weather through the month of September to extend the use of the patio as long as possible. We anticipate our indoor space getting more use as the days get shorter and a little cooler moving into the month of October. We will remain in the Ballroom during this period to allow us to keep tables well-spaced and to increase our capacity when required. As we move into the winter months beginning in November, we will re-establish member dining back into the Valley Grill. We will also use the Willows as necessary to help maintain our COVID-19 protocols.

As the golf season winds down, we have plans to begin hosting a few member social events at the Club starting in October with Thanksgiving. The events will be hosted at the Club, but formats will change to ensure everyone’s safety. Changes will include multiple seatings spaced out to reduce the number of guests in the Clubhouse, plated meals for all events and revised floorplans to ensure proper distancing. Many of the events will also have takeout options to allow members to celebrate at home with family. A calendar of events will be coming shortly with additional details to give members plenty of time to make plans.

A new menu will be released soon to reflect the change in seasons. An expanded takeout menu with creative programs to stock the pantry and freezer will also be reintroduced. We hope to give members a variety of options to enjoy meals from Credit Valley whether it be dine-in or takeout.

We look forward to being a part of your dining plans through the remainder of 2020.

Fitness and Swimming Pool

Over the past couple of months, Anna has been busy developing our operating protocols for our fitness facilities and the pool. Currently, our goal is to open these facilities in the middle of October. For the next month we will be putting the final touches on our protocols and keeping an eye on the progression of COVID-19 in the province. Towards the end of September Anna will be communicating the re-opening details.

The Winter Academy

When Casey’s not on the range teaching, she’s been busy developing her programs and protocols for the winter academy. Please stay tuned for all of the details.

Locker Rooms

Despite the reopening of some club amenities, the locker rooms will remain closed for the rest of the year. This decision has been driven by an abundance of caution for member and staff safety as well as keeping an eye on expenses as we approach the unknown (fall and winter). Plans are already underway to determine operating protocols to re-open the locker rooms for the 2021 golf season.

Strategic Planning Update

In the middle of August, Global Golf Partners facilitated several focus groups with randomly selected members across different demographics of our membership. The data and feedback gathered from these focus groups will be used to develop the survey that all members will have the opportunity to participate in. We expect this survey to be ready to go in the next few weeks. Additional details will follow.

Course Etiquette

Course etiquette such as filling divots and repairing ball marks has been front of mind for most of us. However, we don’t always spend as much time as we should on behavioural etiquette on the golf course and around the Clubhouse. COVID-19 has certainly created some challenges surrounding etiquette, but it cannot be blamed. Over the past few weeks, the Board of Directors has had the unfortunate, yet important job of reviewing a number of etiquette missteps that have ultimately led to some members having their memberships suspended for a few weeks. It has been concerning this season that we have seen an increase in poor etiquette. It is also important to note that a number of the focus groups discussed this as well. Please know that the Board of Directors and management take this very seriously. We also need our membership to take this very seriously as it is disappointing to see the actions of some members negatively effect the day to day experience of others.

Trespassing and Security

Over the course of the spring and summer, we have seen an increase in people trespassing on the property. This has included bike riders, picnickers, dog walkers, Clubhouse visitors and fishermen. In an effort to deter this activity we have hired a security service to patrol the parking lot and driveway starting this weekend. This will have no impact on members’ regular routines as it relates to accessing the parking lot or Clubhouse; however, we hope it will eliminate the abovementioned activities. This additional measure is a trial initiative. Depending on the outcome, we will adjust or potentially increase this service.

Looking Ahead to 2021

Management, with support from the Finance Committee, have begun the process of building the Club’s operating budget for 2021. As you can imagine, developing our assumptions with such an unpredictable future will make this year’s budget process like no other. As mentioned in previous communications, it’s not all negative. Operating in 2020 has taught us several valuable lessons and out of necessity allowed us to experiment and implement initiatives we likely would never think of under normal circumstances.

As it pertains to the Club’s capital budget, extensive work has been completed to develop a long-range road map of upcoming capital maintenance projects and associated expenses. Within the next six weeks, please keep an eye out for additional communications specifically pertaining to capital expenses in 2021 and beyond.

In December, keep an eye out for our end of year report, which will include a snapshot of our finances and plans for 2021.

As always, if you have any questions about this communication, or anything else at the Club, please be sure to contact me at your convenience.

Jason Hanna
Chief Operating Officer