Ted Stonehouse

Ted Stonehouse is not one to sit back and reflect on his accomplishments. Recently honored with a CPGA national award for the second straight year, the 33-year old Bell Bay general manager and head professional is a doer and still has so many things he wants to accomplish for the benefit of his golf club and his community. Accomplish things, he does, and what he does best is lead and inspire a talented team that creates and delivers an unforgettable golf experience for the Bell Bay members and guests.

Canadian PGA professional Ted Maude, who was running the golf course at the Paradise Island Resort, in Nassau, introduced Ted to golf at the age of 5. "I was hooked immediately,” Ted vividly recalls, “because here was the first professional athlete I’d ever met and his name was Ted !”

Raised in Uxbridge, Ontario, he began working at Maples of Ballantrea Golf Club, when he was eleven years old, for CPGA pro Tom Aird. “My first job started in March and my first task was to wash about 3,000 pond golf balls, by hand. After my second season, I had an opportunity to move to Sleepy Hollow Golf and Country Club and work for CPGA pro Bob Kennedy, where I started in the backshop and worked my way into the pro shop, over a six-year period.”

During his last years at Sleepy Hollow, he continued his education on a golf scholarship at Erskine College and Central Wesleyan College (now Southern Wesleyan University in South Carolina) taking Business Administration. The next summer he moved to Spring Lakes Golf and Country Club, Canada's largest private club. “There I worked under CPGA pro Leon Decaire, for two years, while continuing my education in South Carolina. The opportunity soon arose for me to move out east, where my parents, Ged and Betty Stonehouse, had been retained to manage Granite Springs Golf Club, outside of Halifax. They asked if I would come out and work under CPGA pro Blair Clarke, which I did so for four years. During the second year I started my CPGA apprenticeship. Jason Porter succeeded Blair and I worked for him in my fifth year.”

The following season Ted took advantage of working at Ashburn Golf Club, one of Atlantic Canada's finest private clubs, under CPGA pro Richard Burwash. In that season he completed his CPGA apprenticeship and gained CPGA Class "A" status, and eligibility as a Head Professional. In 1999 he assumed duties as general manager and head professional at Bell Bay.

“I would say that Bob Kennedy had the most influence on me - he was my mentor. Everything he did was done in such a professional manner and he left a lasting impression on me. His assistant, at the time, was Robby Roxborough, who is now head pro-director of golf at Magna Golf Club. Robby was the one who really urged me to go to the U.S. on a golf scholarship. When I moved to Nova Scotia, Blair Clarke, who is now head professional at Bally Haly in St. John’s, had a great influence on me as well. He offered a lot of constructive guidance that has stood me well, in the development of my career.”

Stonehouse admits to enjoying everyday in his current position as general manager and head golf professional at Bell Bay Golf Club. An emphasis on customer service and professionalism are priorities with Ted and cornerstones of his success. He constantly examines new ways to provide a more enjoyable golf experience for his customers and his strength is in his ability to inspire a team effort where new initiatives become reality.

“The partnership here allows me a lot of creative freedom. We have a great team at Bell Bay and we work hard at providing the best service for our customers, and we enjoy doing things well. I really like seeing the faces of our members and guests and hearing their comments whenever we exceed their expectations.”

An increasing number of CPGA professionals, across Canada, are assuming the role of general manager at golf clubs and other golf facilities. Ted points out that CPGA professionals offer the best management skills. “We bring unique strengths to the position of general manager, especially our lifelong commitment and dedication to the business and development of the sport. A golf professional is committed to the job of improving his facility and the long hours required to get the job done. He understands how the golf industry works and he knows how to do the job right and still be pleasant to the people, at the end of the day. Because pros love what they do, it sets them apart from any others. Golf professionals have strong business abilities, as well as a thorough understanding of public relations, which, at times, can be the larger part of the job.

His assistants, Greg Neate, Lee Fanning, Matt Murchison and Donny Rowe are a big part of the success at Bell Bay. They are involved in the entire operation, from the golf shop, to tournament operation, and work closely in planning with management. They are also committed to teaching and offer private instruction over fifty hours a week.

“We try to give them new duties every year so, when they are finished their apprenticeship, they will be well rounded in all areas of the golf industry and be better prepared for their next endeavor.” Stonehouse and his assistants are committed to the development of junior golfers and donate many hours of their time to this endeavour.

“We’re very excited about the new things we are trying in this area. With the help of our assistant professionals we have developed a successful junior program and we continue to improve it every year. Presently we have about 120 juniors in the program I am committed to the attention to detail for these kids. We conduct our clinics in a structured class surrounding and make every effort to let them feel special.”

Setting out to win national awards was never one of Ted’s goals, but when a person asserts himself to do his best, awards have a way of catching up with you. When he won the Canadian PGA Club Professional of the Year award in 2002, he became only the third recipient from Atlantic Canada, joining former winners Boyd Lockhart of Ken-Wo and Jim Connolly of Riverside. "I was absolutely blown away," admitted Stonehouse. "That was the biggest honour I've ever experienced."

Canadian PGA national awards judge their nominees on a wide array of criteria ranging from business operation, promotion of the game, leadership and playing ability, image and ability to inspire their fellow professionals.This past season, Ted received another national honor - the Canadian PGA Merchandiser of the Year. Unselfishly, he immediately recognized his staff as a large part of his recognition. “I am honored to receive the award, as it reflects not so much my personal work, but more importantly, the outstanding professionals and staff that work with me in order to make the Bell Bay professional shop look so good and be so profitable. Their commitment to stand behind some of my unique and creative ideas, and to follow through on making them work is a testament of their abilities. It is truly with my assistant professionals and shop staff that I will be celebrating this award.”

Other awards Ted has received, include the 2003 Southern Wesleyan University Alumni Young Leader Award, 2002 Score Magazine Award for Club Professional of the Year, 1990 Erskine College Most Valuable Golfer Award, and 1986 - 1988 Stouffville District Secondary School Most Outstanding Golf Award.

In his local community and CPGA Atlantic Zone, Stonehouse is currently involved on a number of groups and committees including Chair of the Cape Breton Golf Destination Society, known as Cape Breton’s Fabulous Foursome, BABTA Website Committee, Canadian PGA Atlantic Zone Members Services Committee and Canadian PGA National Employment Committee.

Ted enjoys hockey, in the off-season, and plays golf whenever time allows, but, most of all, he enjoys spending quality time with wife Patty, daughter Erika and son Drew, in the beautiful village of Baddeck.

When asked to confide what was his most satisfying moment as a golf professional, he replied, “It would have to be when I received the CPGA Club Professional of the Year Award. The Score awards were also special, as a number of my mentors where present at the awards gala. To receive that great award and be able to thank them, first hand, for all they had done to inspire my career, was a memorable moment. A close second would be watching my son chip in, for the first time, out of a bunker on # 8 at Bell Bay, when he was 5 years old.”

In the years ahead, Ted plans to continue to create one of Canada's finest golf operations and to develop one of the best junior golf programs in the country. These goals are reflective of a CPGA professional on the leading edge of the industry. “The Canadian PGA is going to grow, and become a significant leader in the golf industry. As the education and development of CPGA members continues to improve, so does the quality of our members. Our Association will continue to breed the best possible individuals to run golf courses and facilities in the future.”