.
Search
 Email this articleE-mail this story  Discuss this articleWrite letter to editor  Discuss this articleOrder a classified ad  Print this page

Keeper of the grounds

Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (Aug 14/06) - Over the past eight years, Gary Hoffman admits his golf game has taken a hit.

However, over that time, he has probably spent more time on Hay River's golf course than anyone else.

NNSL Photo/graphic

Gary Hoffman is the grounds superintendent at the golf course in Hay River. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

But, he hasn't necessarily been working on his game. Hoffman is the grounds superintendent of the nine-hole course on the banks of the Hay River.

Before he took the job, Hoffman said he used to play a lot of golf, but now plays maybe once a week.

"When I'm golfing now, I'm always looking at what needs to be done to the course," he explained. "I'm not concentrating on my game."

Hoffman works for the Hay River Golf Club from late April to when the snow begins to fly at the end of October.

"I totally enjoy it out here," he said, adding he works with a staff of three students hired for the summer.

Caring for a golf course involves a lot of work, he noted.

Recently, an irrigation system was installed at three holes on the course. The other holes have had irrigation for a number of years.

Hoffman said it is rewarding to hear Hay River residents and visitors compliment the course, which has artificial greens.

"We get nothing but good comments," he said.

Hoffman, 61, took the position at the golf course after he retired from the GNWT, where he was director of highways operations with the Department of Transportation.

At the time, the golf club was looking for a grounds superintendent, he said.

"By default, I started."

Hoffman said he learned on the go how to maintain the course, plus he picked up some information from Fairview College. The Alberta school has a golf course management program.

"I don't like to re-invent the wheel," he said.

Hoffman believes Hay River has the best golf course in the NWT, although he noted all courses in the territories are nice in their own right. "It's just that each one is different."

Hay River's course, which was originally built 22 years ago by the Elks Club, is a little more mature than the other courses, he noted.

Looking after a golf course has its challenges, he said - that includes dealing with bugs and the occasional bear.

Hoffman said the golf course is important to Hay River and very well used.

"I would say on average you would have about 10 per cent of the population golfing," he said. That's a high percentage for any community, for any sport, Hoffman added.

In the winter, Hoffman turns to his other sporting passion - curling.

He is the technical director with the NWT Curling Association - a position that takes him to many communities. He is also the liaison with the Canadian Curling Association.

As the NWT's technical director, he runs clinics, certifies coaches, acts as head official at tournaments, and works with various teams.

Hoffman is a long-time Northerner, having lived in Hay River for 26 years and in Yellowknife for 10 years before that.