The Smithers Golf and Country Club has a new golf pro.
For Steven Coulthard, now in his mid-forties, golf has been an integral part of his life since he was 14 when his parents opened a driving range in West Kelowna.
With the opportunity to hit golf balls to his hearts content, he quickly developed into a competitive golfer playing for his high school team.
Following a stint on the grounds crew at the Shannon Lake Golf Course in Kelowna in his early 2os, though, his career path would take him down various roads. These included working in the diamond mining industry, owning a coffee shop in Kelowna and managing a bank in the Kootenay region.
He credits and “adventurous family” with allowing him to maintain a scratch handicap over the years and eventually bring him back to professional golf at the age of 40.
“This is my dream career,” he said. “I figured if I’m going to be working for the next 25 years I might as well do something I love doing.”
That was five years ago. When the SGCC found him he was the assistant pro at the Okanagan Golf and Country Club in Kelowna. He was immediately attracted to the position.
“We were looking for progression,” he said. “Obviously to move up from an assistant pro to a director of golf position is a great opportunity and we love living in small communities so it was a good fit for us.”
Theoretically a good fit.
“I’ve never been here, took the job without ever seeing Smithers,” he said. “I did some research online and all the reviews seemed great.”
He said so far it has lived up to its reputation.
For 2022, he said he’ll be concentrating on teaching, running clinics for new golfers, women, juniors and giving private lessons.
“That’ll be a big focus for the year, getting all the lesson programs in place, just sort of see where everything is going, it’s going to be a big learning year this year,” he said.
Bottom line, he’s looking forward to April 28, when the course is scheduled to open.
“I’m excited to get going with the season, get to know all the [club] members and community members that come out golfing; I think it’s going to be a really great year,” he said.