Each year the CSCM (Canadian Society of Club Managers) presents awards to clubs in Canada that have shown significant innovation, leadership and social responsibility in their industry. The winner for small size clubs (under $2 million in revenues) is the Miramichi Golf and Country Club.
Ryan Tracy, General manager of the club, says previous winners of the award have been some of the most esteemed, notarized clubs in the country. The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron won the medium size club award last year. The CSCM is made up of 560 members, over 70% are from golf clubs and/or country clubs, 10% from city clubs, 7% from recreation and leisure clubs, and the remainder from a variety of sports, fitness, curling and other types of clubs. The majority of these clubs are private or semi-private and represent over 280 clubs across Canada.
The upcoming national conference is in Vancouver, and that's where Tracy says the hardware will be handed out.
Candidates for the award must be a member in good standing with the CSCM and must meet at least one of the following criteria:
Tracy says the clubs historical component may have been a factor in the selection process. The club is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, and is planning an evening in August where the history of the club will be on display in the form of photos and documents.
The club's involvement in the community also was a factor Tracy said. The club hosts events and fundraising tournaments, like the upcoming Irish Open as part of the Miramichi Irish Festival, and strives to be a club that the whole town can adopt as its own.
"Any publicity is good publicity," says Tracy of the benefits of winning the award, "but we think the award is a tribute to the community. We would like to think the club resembles or mirrors the Miramichi in its values, and makes people proud of the community as a whole, and not just the club."
Tracy says the clubs condition has been exceptional, and that has raised the clubs profile, as well as the number of new people that now play at the club. "The club may have been seen at one time to be maybe elitist, but that's not the case now. I like to think we have a club where anyone can come and celebrate an event or play golf," said Tracy.
The course once had over 800 members, but after a drop in numbers in recent years, the numbers are stabilizing and are on the rise. Tracy says he gets lots of positive feedback about the club, about its growth.