SPORTS FLASHBACK 2002: Quarry Oaks golf course getting new lease on life

With a deathwatch hanging over the Links at Quarry Oaks the past couple of years, the golf course now has a new lease on life, as four new owners have taken over operation of the Steinbach area layout.

The new owners all hail from southern Ontario, and one of the group, Dave McDonald, arrived in Steinbach last week to take up his new position as general manager of the golf course.

An agreement was reached with receiver Arthur Andersen in February to purchase the stunning 27-hole golf course, considered, since opening in 1992, to be one of the top public courses in the country.

Quarry Oaks went into receivership last summer, reeling under a massive debt load of several million dollars. Principal owner Harry Fehr, whose vision of building the championship golf course in an abandoned gravel quarry eventually became reality, was not able to restructure the debt load last year.

McDonald, who first saw Quarry Oaks in early February, is enthused.

“I had heard of Quarry Oaks before and all the pictures I have seen show a quality golf course.”

McDonald is partnered with Al Scott, J.J. Lyons and Ken Sewell, all from Ontario. Lyons is married to a Winnipeg woman and is very familiar with Quarry Oaks, having played it on numerous occasions.

The four investors are also in the process of building a golf course at Erin, Ontario, along the Credit River. McDonald comes to Quarry Oaks with top-notch credentials, as he played a key role in the development of Devil’s Pulpit, one of the top golf courses in the country.

He was involved in the planning, design and construction of the golf course, which opened in 1990, and later in the development of Devil’s Paintbrush, a second course at the same location in Ontario. McDonald managed Devil’s Pulpit for five years.

“We looked at Quarry Oaks last summer and decided to pass on it, but we revisited it again in January and decided to proceed with a bid to purchase.”

McDonald will be ably assisted by head professional Robin Henderson and greens superintendent Wilf Peters, who have been with Quarry Oaks since the beginning.

In an interview at the golf club last week, McDonald said Quarry Oaks was a high-end club with a low-end price.

McDonald compared the high level of service at Quarry Oaks to Lionhead, another one of Canada’s top public courses, with green fees of $175 per round.

Green fees at Quarry Oaks have already been established for the coming season. Pre-season rates, up to May 15, will be $25. After that, Monday to Thursday rates are $35 and $40 on weekends. Power carts are extra.

McDonald, who is purchasing a home in the Steinbach area, says he is looking forward to his first season at Quarry Oaks.