Despite his young age of 34, Colin Snair has worked across Canada and is thrilled to have been selected to be the new head professional golfer at the Osoyoos Golf Club. (Keith Lacey photo)
Colin Snair’s passion for golf has allowed him to travel and work across Canada.
And now he feels like he’s won the lottery after his recent appointment as new head professional golfer at the Osoyoos Golf Club.
When he found out in December that Osoyoos Golf Club was hiring a new head professional after the departure of Drew Bolokoski, who left to return to Alberta after the recent death of his father, Snair didn’t hesitate applying for the job.
“I had wanted to come to the Okanagan for the past five or six years, but landing a job in this area isn’t easy because people come here and don’t want to leave,” he said. “I had an interview with Lee Sapach (general manager of Osoyoos Golf Club and former head professional) and board members over the phone in January and felt that went well.
“They invited me back for a second interview here in person in early January and the week after that I was offered the job.”
Snair came to Osoyoos on Jan. 25 and managed to rent a house near town and officially began his duties Feb. 1.
To say he’s excited would be a gross understatement, said Snair.
“I’ve been going to the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington for concerts for many years and I would drive through Osoyoos and just marvel at how beautiful this place was,” he said. “I always said I would play that (Osoyoos) golf course, but, unfortunately, I never did manage to play any course south of Kelowna.
“I’ve lived and worked from coast to coast … in some beautiful places, but my heart was set on returning to the west coast and to land a head professional job here in Osoyoos is almost like a dream come true at this point in my life.”
After hearing how Osoyoos Golf Club is usually open or very close to being open for business by mid-February, Snair said “it’s unfortunate you’ve had a winter like this, but it is what it is … you really can’t predict what Mother Nature is going to do.
“Hopefully, the normal nice weather is just around the corner and we can forget this winter and get back to playing some golf very soon.”
Born and raised in Kemptville, Nova Scotia, Snair obtained a business administration degree from St. Francis Xavier University in the spring of 2005, but decided he wanted to pursue a career in golf, so he applied and was accepted into the Professional Golf Course Management program at Lethbridge College in Alberta in the fall of 2005.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in business, so I decided I would give the golf thing a go and I’m really glad I did,” he said.
After graduation, he was offered the assistant pro position at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club and remained in that job for five years.
“I fell in love with that area and the people and it was a fantastic five years and great way to start my golf career,” he said.
Jasper Park was a public course and he wanted to experience working in a private club, so he applied for and was hired as assistant pro and eventually was promoted to associate golf pro at the Scarborough Golf and Country Club in Toronto.
After two years on that job, he missed his friends and the lifestyle of Alberta, so he applied for and was hired as head golf professional at the Sundre Golf Club, 90 minutes northwest of Calgary.
“I missed the mountains and I missed my friends and it was my first offer as a head professional, so I couldn’t turn it down,” he said.
He enjoyed three great years in Sundre before being offered the head professional position at the prestigious Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg.
He resigned from that position at the end of October.
“That was my first job that was just not the right fit for me,” he said.
The timing was perfect when he heard Bolokoski was leaving and Osoyoos Golf Club needed someone to replace him, he said.
“When I look outside and see the mountains and the lake and how beautiful this place is … it’s nothing short of spectacular,” he said. “I can only imagine how much more beautiful it is once all the snow is melted and golf season begins. I knew right away this is where I was meant to be at this stage in my life.”
His parents drove out to check out the area and were also astounded at the beauty of Osoyoos and the entire Okanagan, he said.
One of his top priorities will be hiring a new assistant pro and he’s narrowed the field to three and hopes to name the new assistant pro very soon, said Snair.
When asked to name his strongest assets as a head golf professional, Snair said he’s a people person who just happens to love teaching and promoting the game of golf.
“I think my biggest strength is approachability,” he said. “My door will always be open and I love being on the pro shop floor talking to people and promoting the great game of golf and this wonderful golf club.”
His contract is “year to year”, but at age 34 Snair said he believes he’s going to be in Osoyoos for several years.
“I know this golf club is a big part of this community and I’m really looking forward to getting to know everyone and becoming an active member of the community as well,” he said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
