Guess what Neal Connell is going to do after his last day as the director of golf at the Sturgeon Valley Golf & Country Club.
"I'm going to golf," said the young-looking 62-year-old, who is retiring after 29 years of unparalleled service at Sturgeon Valley. "One of the ironies of golf is that if you are in the golf business you don't get much chance to play golf so I'm looking forward to playing more than I have been."
Connell's handicap is not where it used to be back in the day when he rarely missed a round.
"When I used to play decent it was a low single digit, like a one or a two. Now it's probably about an 11 and I struggle to maintain that."
The popular Sturgeon Valley fixture will be honoured for his long tenure at St. Albert's oldest golf facility during tonight's festivities at the club.
"It's going to be incredible, from my point of view. There is going to be close to 200 people there just because of me," said a surprised-sounding Connell. "I'm overwhelmed by the response, to tell you the truth. I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to the future too."
Big loss
It was with mixed emotions when the Sturgeon Valley board of directors accepted Connell's resignation.
"On one hand we share his excitement to move towards retirement but at the same time we acknowledge the loss of someone who knows so much about our club and membership," said president Craig Sneddon.
He described Connell as a special person dedicated to the club's well being.
"[Over the years] not only were his leadership skills apparent to me but more so his passionate concern for the membership, the golf course, the facility and the mentorship of the staff," Sneddon said. "As members we owe Neal a debt of gratitude for not only his personal commitment, but his calm demeanour and tireless effort in getting the 50th anniversary pulled off."
The 50-year celebration of Sturgeon Valley's rich history ranks as one of the most memorable events during Connell's association with the club.
"The 25th anniversary in 1985 was pretty special too. We also hosted the first Child Abuse Prevention Charity Golf Tournament, when Hollywood came to Sturgeon Valley. That was great. There has also been 29 Fall Classics, too, that have been just incredible," said Connell, who graduated from the University of Alberta with an education degree.
"The 50th anniversary was pretty important in a number of ways. With the club on the verge of moving into a new era the time was right for someone younger and talented to move in and manage the facility with what lies on the horizon for Sturgeon Valley."
Connell's replacement is Mark Beckwith, the head professional the past four years. Connell will stay on board until late February to ensure the transition for Beckwith goes as smoothly and effortlessly as possible.
When that last day does arrive, Connell will leave with a heavy heart and memories to last a lifetime.
"By far the biggest highlight that I've had here is the people I've come to know. We're so fortunate in this business to run across so many people in many walks of life with so many different opinions and values. It really puts an imprint on you," he said. "I'm extremely proud to have had 10 of my young assistants become head professionals through the years. I'm also very, very proud of lots of young people on staff that have worked here over the years and what they have gone on to become — doctors, engineers and leaders of the community."
Sturgeon Valley has made Connell the man he is today; a respected member of the city who is held in high esteem in the golf community.
"I'm truly appreciative of what Sturgeon Valley has given me and my family. It's made a way of life for us as a family, both financially and core value-wise.
Sturgeon Valley led us to our home, which is St. Albert," he said. "It's given us the opportunity to become part of a city that we love and to be part of something that we feel in the community is something special, and that's Sturgeon Valley."
Connell and his wife, Linda, are also active curlers and each has served as president of the St. Albert Curling Club. They have three children and two very special grandkids.
Time is right
"The time is right for me to spend more time with my family, enjoy friends and maybe travel a little bit, which are difficult things to do in this industry because of the position I occupy," Connell said. "A lot of people say; 'Geez, what do you do all winter?' Well, I work is what I do. Winter is very busy for us. It's actually a busier time in the office than in the summer with the year-end audit, member dues, tournaments and staffing. You just don't show up April 1st and open the doors. There is a lot that goes on prior to that.
"It's a lot of hard work. It's seven days a week, as a rule for most of the guys in the industry, and for many people it's seven days a week both winter and summer to manage golf clubs nowadays. There is a big commitment to keeping an operation viable and functional so it takes up a lot of time.
"As time goes by, you get older and that time has been a sacrifice of other things, like family life, and that's really what led me to take steps towards retirement."
Connell wasn't much of a golfer growing up in west Edmonton. His grandmother introduced him to the sport but it wasn't until his father, Don, joined the Edmonton Country Club in 1965 that he caught the bug.
"That was really the turning point for me but not because I was a member at a golf club," said Connell, who was a high school student at Ross Sheppard at the time. "I was walking past the pro shop one night and the new golf professional just happened to be coming out and he said, 'Is your name Connell?' I said yeah and he said, 'How would you like to have a job?' I said sure. He said, 'My club cleaner just got another job. He's gone to work for someone else and I need someone to clean clubs.'
"I started there that night and 45 years later I'm still in the golf industry. I worked my way up to become the junior assistant there and then eventually the assistant pro and the associate pro. I spent 17 years in total at the Edmonton Country Club and then in January of 1982 I was hired here as the head pro."
Many memories
His first year at Sturgeon Valley coincided with the club's new 18-hole layout. Previously, the course was divided by Sturgeon Road until a land swap brought it all together.
"It was kind of a brand new start on quote unquote 'a brand new golf course.' We built the new 10 holes at this end of the golf course and it really was a new time for Sturgeon Valley, not just for me per se," said Connell, noting the old pro shop used to be where the bar is located in the club. "Back then I could see the whole golf course; you could see the whole place. Now I can't see the 18th fairway from the 10th tee. It's just changed that much."
Connell has seen Sturgeon Valley undergo several improvements inside and outside the clubhouse.
"The club has always reinvested in what we really are and that's a golf club, not a golf course, and that's really important to us here at Sturgeon Valley," he said. "If there was one single thing that really took us to a better level was when we paved the parking lot. It really made a difference to what we are and how we appear. It was just such a simple thing, not inexpensive, but it really was one of those moments in time when you take a leap by doing one thing.
"The building expansion was another big event that took us to something different in terms of who we are and what we are, but we never lost sight of who we are and what we are, which is what I think is critical.
"The club is run and operated by 279 shareholders and about 500 members and we've always tried to maintain that balance and that balance is created to remain truly semi-private. We feel that 500 is kind of a magic number that allows fair access for our members and still fair access for public and tournament play. For almost 30 years that I've been here we maintained that. It's always been a case of trying to balance member welfare with fiscal responsibility."
As time winds down on his illustrious career, Connell will slowly putt his way towards life's golden years.
"It's hard to go from running to a dead stop. I will stay in touch with the golf industry on a part-time basis. I have been asked to work part-time at another facility and I probably will, just to more or less ease myself into retirement," said Connell, who likes to joke the reason he is so sweet is because he grew up on Candy Cane Lane. "Linda and I are shareholders [at Sturgeon Valley] and we're looking forward to becoming members down the road starting next year."
