Sturgeon Valley in The 1990's "More than a Golf Course"


1991 was time to invest in the clubhouse and a major $800,000 - 11,000 square foot expansion was planned and approved to start in September and opened on April 25th, 1992. The expansion included a new pro shop / club storage area, new locker rooms for men and ladies as well expanding the food service areas to include the "Valley Lounge" and an expanded "Sturgeon Room". A sluggish economy helped keep construction costs lower than budgeted but the biggest saving came when our General Manager, Gerry Fisher put on his deal searching hat and found a restaurant that was going out of business and clubhouse furniture, kitchen equipment and the blue bar were purchased for a fraction of the cost.

Also in 1991 a new maintenance building was built on the north end of the property to replace the aging butler building that was converted for power cart storage. Flooding in 1997 brought water levels to the valley that hadn't be seen since the 1960's. For most of the first two months of the season the course was a 16 hole layout. The forth hole tee was completely under water and the hole was shortened to a par 4 and the 8th and 9th fairways were flooded. For part of May the 6th hole fairway was also under water but the water receded enough for the hole to be played by the time the course opened for the season. Members made the best of a bad situation and some even suggested the 16 holes had some benefits; scores were lower and they weren't as tired after the round.

The golf course became the focus again in 1998 with construction of new tee boxes on the 3rd and 18th holes and partial replacement of the 18th green. In 1999 the shareholders approved a club management restructure that introduced a Director of Golf position and transition of the pro shop ownership to the Club.