When a group of local business people took over the Quesnel GC in 2022, one of the first things they did was hire Kathy Gook as General Manager & Director of Golf and things could not have gone any better...

Kathy was well acquainted with the owners, the course and the community having grown up in Quesnel.

“I know the new owners very well,” said Gook in an interview with BC Golf's Brad Zeimer last year. “They are local people who have supported the community over the years in so many different areas and now they are doing the same with the golf course.”

Those owners are Joe Hart, Dennis England and Kit and Gary Collin and after the 2022 season acknowledged Kathy's role in what long-time member Rod Albers called in a Facebook post as being "by far and away the best year at the course since I joined in 2005."

In a message posted on social media, they said, "We knew for the first time to own and manage a golf course it would be challenging. It has been, but it also has been very rewarding… Director of Golf, LPGA Class A Professional Kathy Gook was a very important part of this years success. Kathy has worked tirelessly training new staff, running countless hours for our Ladies and Mens days, plus all our tournaments with Golf Genius and giving our adults and children golf lessons again."

BC Golf's caught up with Kathy in March and got her take on the homecoming to the Club whose motto is "A Course For Everyone."

#1 How has your first year back in your home time been?  
My first year back was great to reconnect with members and locals that I was fortunate to get to know when working at the Golf course from 2015-2018.  For many years I was able to return to Quesnel to run Junior programs in the summer - it’s been very fun and most rewarding, to now see these young adults out playing golf!  

#2  Is there anything that stands out as being the same or unexpected/y different?
There is a different energy at the course - With the new ownership group, who are all locals, there is a renewed excitement about the future of the course.  Locals are very supportive - we have a volunteer group who have stepped up to help with small projects that the course sorely needed.  Whether it was pulling weeds in the bunkers, to helping trim trees, or even touching up and painting hole signs, these volunteers showed us how proud these locals were about the golf course and its history.  The ownership group understands this and wants to improve the course, the clubhouse and really return that sense of community to the facility.

#3 I know you are working on getting the course manicure / atmosphere back to the standard it was before. How is that progressing?
The new ownership group have been playing this course for years. They have witnessed how the course was at its best, and at its lowest point, so they have set goals to get the course back up to this standard and beyond. They understand we need to be welcoming to Everyone.  We made some changes to our leagues, and now the men’s group went from 20-30 guys coming out, to now 90-100 guys coming out to play.  My focus will be on the ladies group this year. The atmosphere within the club has definitely changed, and I hear that almost daily.   Locals see that we want to improve the course and the experience golfers have, and their response has been extremely positive.  We have a great group of volunteers as I mentioned earlier, and who want to help us achieve those goals.

There were many volunteers who came out to help clean up and refresh the bunkers.

#4 Your personal website talks about an individualized approach to teaching. Can you talk about that a bit?
We are all very different, and we all have different goals/approach/motivation to why we play the game. Our bodies are all different. My goal is to get to know each golfer that comes for coaching and work with them to discover what would work best for them.  What is efficient and effective for one person may not be true for another.   I tend to ask a lot of questions, and my goal is to really listen to their responses.  This has been at the root of our LPGA Teaching/coaching education - and I am so grateful that I took this path as I have learned so much!

#5 Tell us about your teaching program Golf36. Are there any junior standouts who have progressed rapidly?
Operation36 is a fabulous program and goes along with our LPGA belief to start new golfers with the smaller swings and work their way up to larger swings, as they learn the game!  Getting golfers (juniors & adults) out onto the golf course right away is also super important in learning and gaining confidence in playing the game.  We do this when learning every other sport, so why don’t we with golf?  Junior golf is a little behind on this.  I’ve witnessed these juniors really learning to love the challenge, fun and engagement of the game! I understand it can be challenging for golf courses to give up those tee times, yet the long term benefits are very positive. 

One junior girl last year really fell in love with the game! She was bringing out her entire family to play.  Neither of her parents played, or her brother.  By the end of the year, the brother had his own clubs, Mom purchased her own set, and they were coming out as an 4some, and playing at least two times a week for 9 holes.  The family joined as members for the 2023 season!  This junior began at level one (playing from 25yards from the green) and ended the season playing from level 3 (100 yards from the hole) as she shot 36 at each of these levels.  She is beginning to have the mindset of shooting 36 for 9 holes, learning that if she wants to improve, she needs to come out and practice on the golf course, and that she can do this with her family and really have fun! How wonderful is that?!!

#6 Are you still heading south over the winter months?
Yes!  I am fortunate to know many great people in the golf business, and I’m always looking for education events down there!  I view my time in the winter is time for me to rejuvenate, play some golf, reconnect, educate and re-energize myself!!

For more information about the Club click HERE
To visit Kathy's website, click HERE

Read more about Kathy at the BC Golf article links below
BC's Kathy Gook Among Inaugural List Of 50 Best LPGA Teachers
Ziemer's B.C. Golf Notes: Kathy Gook returns home to run Quesnel Golf Club