Hope councillor and golf enthusiast Pauline Newbigging is the new pro shop manager for the Hope Golf and Country Club.
"I'm very happy to be here," Newbigging said. "I play golf myself. And the golf course has struggled over the past few years. Kent McKinnon, the past president (of Hope Golf & Country Club Society) and the past pro shop manager, really brought it back. He changed things a bit and made it what it is today.
"He's put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it. And I want to keep that up. I don't want to see it go away."
Newbigging, who took on her role in the beginning of March, said she is looking forward to serving the golfing community and helping the sport grow in Hope. In particular, she'd like to see an increase in membership, especially with the number of younger people joining the club and being out on the range.
In addition to more members, Newbigging said she is looking to see how the club can start selling food to its patrons.
First opening in 1964, the Hope Golf and Country Club is a non-profit society that works hard to keep golf within the community. Many couples get married at the club and the course offers retirees a place to spend their time.
In November 2021, the golf course experienced a huge setback when a significant amount of the golf course was submerged by flood waters. The water ended up damaging the property and it took time, work and money to repair.
Newbigging started playing golf around 15 years ago, after finally having the time and money to invest in it. Since then, she's joined the Hope Ladies Golf Club and has participated in a number of tournaments organized by the club.
This is not Newbigging's first managerial role. She worked at Buy-Low Foods and, after 27 years, became the store manager. She held this position for 10 years before leaving at the end of 2022. After that, she ran her own cleaning service company for two years. While she appreciated her clients and was sad to leave them, Newbigging said she knew it wasn't something she could do long term due to how strenuous it was on her body.
"I always said if another opportunity came up (to manage) I would take it. And then this opportunity came up. So, I really want to try and make a big effort to keep the club running," she said.
Newbigging, who is from Hope, is a member of the Rotary Club of Hope and Hope's Accessibility Advisory Committee. She has two children, Lindsay Svensrud and Nathan Svensrud, and currently lives in town with her partner, Calvin Barnett, the owner of the Kingpin Lounge. She became a Hope councillor on Oct.15, 2022.
"The golf course is in the best shape it's been in a long, long time. And I'd like to see our golf course become this little hidden gem in the valley."
For those interested in joining, the club is hosting its annual general meeting this Friday (April 11) at the clubhouse at 7 p.m.
