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.
As much as I like seeing upgrades to Canal Shores, the grand design was totally impractical from the word go. No one can expand the limited acreage available and swapping out the present greens and tees and reversing direction of the course makes no sense at all. The regulars want to play 18 holes and not subdivide the course even further. Leahy Park was already carved out of the course and now some want to cede more land. Crazy!
ReplyDeleteA master golf architect, Tom Bendelow, had a hand in designing the course and understood the limits imposed by the available land. I will take his century old opinion over any of the show offs trying to pack 20 pounds of groceries into a 10 pound bag at Canal Shores.
Tom Tully was a good person and, sometimes, a miracle worker. He made many improvements economically because he knew his stuff and had common sense -- a quality sometimes lacking in the Golf Course Association Board.
Goodbye and good luck Tom. I know you will not miss those endless committee meetings!