ItB次元官网网址檚 home to 73 species of birds, two goats, and a surprising 160 rounds of golf on a sunny weekend day in January.
A walk anywhere in Saanich is risky during the winter, but locals know thereB次元官网网址檚 more than enough sunny winter days to play at Cordova Bay Golf Course. Even if it goes from sun to hail to sun in the time it takes to finish a par-five hole, which it did when this reporter recently visited the course, itB次元官网网址檚 still not reason enough to hire an electric golf cart, as most refuse, says superintendent Dean Piller.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a flat course, and itB次元官网网址檚 popular for seniors who walk the course, all year round,B次元官网网址� Piller said.
(The neighbouring Ridge Course, a nine-hole par-three, does have hills.)
Piller has worked as the superintendent at Cordova Bay since it opened 27 years ago. In the past dozen years his expertise has been used as a volunteer at the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., the British Open at Turnberry, Scotland, in 2009, and at the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, N.C.
Golf courses often face criticism for using pesticides and other harmful practices for the environment but Piller points out that not only has his golf course been free of insecticides since 1996, the course acts as a filter for stormwater coming down from the Cordova Ridge.
B次元官网网址淚t was worse when the gravel pit was in operation,B次元官网网址� Piller says. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e had the water tested, and the water thatB次元官网网址檚 flowing into areas of the course is a lot dirtier than the water flowing out.B次元官网网址�
The course is a matter of pride for Piller in several ways. Not all birds nest there but many do (as golf courses go, Cordova Bay is certified as a bird sanctuary by Audubon International).
The grounds are also home to raccoons, deer and otter, and have hosted the occasional visit by a cougar or bear. ThereB次元官网网址檚 also Jack and Freddie, the goats who live in the same shed Bill Mattick built for his famous goat a generation ago.
While he isnB次元官网网址檛 a daily golfer, Piller is an avid player in the world of greenskeepers, having won the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association as the Gordon Witteveen Award winner for 2017. The awards goes to the superintendent (or assistant) who authors the best article for publication in the CGSA GreenMaster magazine during the past year.
Piller earned the attention for penning an article on B次元官网网址榦vercoming thatchB次元官网网址� that was published in the fall. The problem of thatch arises from the constant clippings, which have to be removed, adding to the workload of the grounds crews, he said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not just fighting invasive species, itB次元官网网址檚 managing a 200-acre piece of the city thatB次元官网网址檚 home to red tail hawks, eagles and ospreys,B次元官网网址� Piller said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e converted 12 acres to natural meadow and a half acre to a herb and veggie patch for MattickB次元官网网址檚 restaurant. This place is for people who love the outdoors.B次元官网网址�
