Outreach & Organizing

One of the most popular and iconic golf courses in the world is closed on Sundays, for golfers.  In St. Andrews, Scotland, the community is welcome to come out to The Old Course every Sunday and enjoy the famed links for picnics, walking, running, frisbee or whatever outdoor recreation they prefer.

Photo by Kieran Dodds for the New York Times

This age-old practice (read more about it here) encourages integration between the golf course and the broader community, and mutual respect between golfers and non-golfers.  The course is a central recreational resource for the community, and the entire community benefits from it.  This is the ethos that we wish to bring to Canal Shores, and this is why we continue to spend our personal volunteer time on community outreach and organizing.

Through our year-end survey, we learned that only 46% percent of respondents know that we are a volunteer-driven non-profit organization.

Without the work hours and donations from dedicated members of the community, Canal Shores would likely cease to exist.

This past weekend, a small event was held that represents just the type of community engagement that keeps Canal Shores moving forward.  Board and Grounds Committee member Frank Candioto hosted a gathering of folks from his neighborhood at his home.  Grounds Committee Chairman Steve Neumann, Board President Chris Carey, and Business Manager Dan Bulf gave a presentation on our progress in transforming Canal Shores, as well as a proposed pilot project on the 5th hole.

The Canal Shores property suffers from significant drainage issues that would ideally be fixed through a renovation.  In the meantime, we are attempting to address "hot spots", and one of those spots is west of the 5th tee, near Frank's home.

The landscape architecture firm Ecology+Vision generously donated a native area design with plants specifically chosen to thrive in a wet area, and keep it drier.  

(Click here to see a large version of the design)

Unfortunately our operating budget is too tight to include funds for implementing this design, but happily, Frank and his neighbors are going to try and make it happen.  Nancy Pavkovic signed on to be a Neighborhood Captain for this area of the course to help us inform the neighborhood and recruit more involvement.  Many thanks to Frank, Nancy, and all who attended the meeting.  With productive engagement like this, we are hopeful that this pilot project can be completed sooner rather than later.

We welcome more of this kind of involvement.  If you are willing to host a gathering or be a Neighborhood Captain, please contact Steve Neumann at steve@logiclawncare.com.  

Although we welcome any and all assistance, our top priority at this time is to complete the Master Plan, which requires more funding.  Please donate to the Master Planning fund HERE, so that we can prepare Canal Shores to be sustainable and thrive for the next 100 years.

Spring Cleaning Time Has Arrived

The weather is warming up and the course is waking up.  Soon enough, we'll be teeing it up.

But first, another round of clean-up and clearing is in order.  Between now and Memorial Day, our gang of volunteers will be pitching in to help Superintendent Tony Frandria and his crew get the course tuned up for the season.

The first order of business is clean-up.  The winter weather downs trees and branches across the course and these need to be gathered up before fairway rough mowing can begin.

Our practice is to break down this material, pile it in a designated area on each hole and have it chipped.  The chips are used for mulching, hugelkultur and path building.  We also blow and rake debris into the treeline to suppress regrowth of invasives.

Once the clean-up is complete, we will resume our battle against buckthorn and other invasives.  Removal of these weed species improves the ecology of the property, and also increases sunlight exposure and air movement, which leads to healthier turf.

There are several hot spots on the course that will receive our clearing attention, including the 15th and 16th holes as part of our Metra Corner Makeover.

We will be working on Saturdays between 9:00 and 11:00, unless it is raining.  Many hands make light work - all are welcome to come pitch in.  Bring loppers, rakes, or chainsaws if you have them.

To stay up to date on all of our upcoming volunteer activities, we created a VOLUNTEER PAGE HERE.

Farewell Tom, Welcome Tony

We suffered a loss at Canal Shores.  Tom Tully, our friend and Superintendent, has moved on, and moved.  Tom accepted an offer from the City of Aurora, CO Parks Department and he has relocated.  Those who know Tom are aware of his love of outdoor adventuring, and in that light, his decision to move to the foot of the Rockies makes perfect sense.  We wish Tom success in his new job, and joy in his adventures.

In a thank you note that Tom sent to the Board, he shared, "It was a blessing to have so many passionate and dedicated people who could help..."  Passion and dedication certainly help to encourage progress, but those traits don't make the grass grow.

For those who might not be aware of how far we have come, the turf tells the story.  Before Tom, our greens were unputtable, and many of the tees were bare.  With very limited resources, Tom brought the turf back and made the course playable.

6th Green Before

6th Green After

We are grateful to Tom for his expertise and service, and we are indebted to him for helping save the course from the abyss, and for moving it a big step forward.  Without his steady leadership, we would not be in a position to be contemplating even bigger next steps.  Farewell Tom!

As is often the case, one door closes and another opens.  In that spirit, we welcome our new Superintendent Tony Frandria.  Tony is a veteran Super, most recently overseeing Glen View Club for the past 13 seasons.  He brings a renewed energy and enthusiasm for progress to Canal Shores.  

Tony shared his thoughts on what excites him about the Canal Shores opportunity:

"Playing an integral role in the master plan process that will transform the already unique piece of property into a facility unlike any other perhaps in the entire country.  The commitment to a vision and Master Plan for the future that was communicated to me throughout the interview process was what made me really want to become a part of the Canal Shores team. 

I'm also very intrigued by having basically an open canvas to develop the Grounds & Greens Department from the bottom up - hiring qualified and enthusiastic staff, developing and implementing sound agronomic programs in both the short and long terms. 

Developing both operational and capital equipment budgets all while working closely with the Grounds Committee, Board of Directors, and the community to enhance the overall Canal Shores experience now and well into the future."

Learn more about Tony, and his extensive experience and expertise, visit his website here.

Welcome aboard Tony!  We look forward to tackling the next phase of Canal Shores's evolution with you.