Hole in one
Williams seals golf course deal
GUYSBOROUGH - "Because it was there."
That was the joking answer Glynn Williams - the Ontario-based entrepreneur who owns Guysborough's Rare Bird Pub, DesBarres Manor and Skipping Stone Gallery and who has a serious love affair with the town - gave when asked why he'd decided to add the Belmont Golf Course to his list of local acquisitions.
Williams' comment was a reference to famous New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, the first white man to conquer Mount Everest. Hillary made the now-famous quote when asked why he'd decided to risk life and limb to conquer the world's tallest mountain.
And even though it was said in mirth, Williams' comment rang true. Getting his hands on the course was a huge challenge and slowed down, he said, by new government regulations that significantly increased the paperwork.
But after a couple of years of negotiations and work with former owner Lloyd Hines, the deal was finally sealed "for a fair and reasonable" but undisclosed price last week. Williams recently drove into Guysborough from Halifax - no sign of the signature float plane this time - signed the papers, addressed the staff, surveyed the scene and left. He's expected to return in a couple of weeks.
Now, Williams says, the challenges of upgrading the course, accommodations, pro shop (he's thinking about hiring a pro, or at least someone good enough to give lessons and "improve the retail experience") and other aspects of the business lie ahead.
The first change to the course, however, has already happened. The Belmont has been rebranded as Osprey Shores Resort, which maintains a theme Williams has introduced to all his Guysborough properties. He's a fan of the osprey and has previously told The Journal he considers it "a great industrious bird".
The affable businessman laughed freely last week when The Journal told him about rumours circulating through Guysborough that he was poised to either convert the course into an 18-hole affair or subdivide the land and build condominiums.
As it turns out, neither of those whispers were true. The Osprey will remain a nine-hole course - as far as Williams is concerned, nine holes is plenty in today's busy world - with upgrades to increase the difficulty.
"Right now there's only two bunkers on the course," Williams said last week. "It's very forgiving."
The upgrades to the facilities, however, won't hit players in the hip pocket. Williams has no plans to introduce lofty membership fees and realizes the course's future success remains in the hands of its local players.
He does, however, see the attraction of being able to offer Guysborough's tourists the almost-complete vacation package. Visitors can stay at his manor, eat and drink at his pub, have a round at his golf course and buy collectibles from his store on the way out.
The only thing tourists can't do, Williams said, is jump on a charter boat, tour the spectacular surrounds and land a few brown trout.
While he didn't want to suggest that fishing and boating tours might be his next Guysborough "project", history suggests if Williams is thinking about it, he might just eventually decide to do it.
