WALLACE, N.S. – When Ron Weeks sets out to build something, he doesn’t fool around.
“I got hurt and one of my friends took me golfing and I decided to make one hole to play golf on, and it just kept going.”
It kept going alright.
Back in 2001 at the age of 40, Weeks started his Quixotic quest to build that first golf hole while recovering from injuries he sustained in a barefoot waterskiing incident.
Eighteen years later, at the age of 58, Weeks owns and operates the Wallace River Golf Course, a perfectly manicured nine-hole golf course which runs alongside the scenic Wallace River.
The course officially opened in 2017, but many golfers, including Tim Purdy, golfed the course for several years before it opened to the public.
“He carved it out of the woods, stumped it, and picked rocks by hand for years. Then he grassed it in and build the greens,” Purdy said.
Weeks and Purdy worked together at Windsor Salt in Pugwash before Weeks’ recent retirement from the salt mine.
“After a 12-hour shift at the mine, Ronnie would go home and build the course,” Purdy said. “The greens are built to practically PGA specs. They’re beautiful.”
The course is carved out of woods originally owned by Weeks’s grandfather, Bliss Weeks, who bought the property in a tax sale in 1964.
“I was 11 or 12 years old when my grandfather owned the property, and my dad and my brother and I planted trees on the property,” Weeks said. “If my grandfather could see it now I think he’d be smiling.”
The land was passed on to Week’s father Reg, and he passed the land on to his sons.
There were many setbacks when building the course, including storms that wreaked havoc.
“When we built the No. 2 hole we had the soil screened and seeded. It was beautiful,” Weeks said. “And then we got over six inches of rain in one night. It poured. We had ruts a foot and a half deep and three feet wide. It happened on No. 8 as well. It happened time after time.”
Persistence and optimism helped him move forward.
“People say ‘how did you keep going.’ I would look back at what was done that looks good and then I’d turn around and keep moving forward.”
Being a glass-is-half-full kind of a person helps as well.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, there are always obstacles in life,” Weeks said. “What matters is how you look at them.”
His family helped him every step of the way and, today, his son Al is the greens keeper and maintenance man, while Ron and his wife Donna help him maintain the course.
“I designed the course and the greens and Al helped me build them,” Weeks said. “He looks after the grass and the greens. We do the grunt work. We mow them but he tells us what to do.”
The hard work has paid off. Last year they had about 40 members, and this year they will exceed that number.
“it’s an old-style course with smaller greens and the fairways cut to the same length, and people just love it,” Weeks said.
They’ve developed a close relationship with both Northumberland Links in Pugwash and nearby Fox Harb’r golf resort.
“We’re blessed with a beautiful 18-hole jewel near Pugwash and a very high-end course at Fox Harb’r.”
He says it’s not ‘us against them.’
“We are totally different entities. When people need lessons I’ll point them in the right direction or when they’re overbooked they’ll send them to here,” said Weeks. “I really appreciate the camaraderie. It goes on all over the place. Courses help each other out.”
They also help with maintenance.
“The local greens keepers have almost adopted us. They’re amazing when it comes to helping out.”
Rates and membership fees are very reasonable, especially the $150 membership rate for golfers who are under 18 years old.
“It’s an affordable place for families and children to learn and play golf,” said Weeks.
The clubhouse isn’t staffed, and the honour system is used to pay for a round of golf. Customers can pay cash at the counter or use the debit/credit card terminal.
“People want a course where they don’t feel intimidated,” said Weeks. “They can come out here and have some fun. There’s no tee-off times and there’s no stress. They can just come out and play.”
A 9-hole round is $20, and an 18-hole round is $30 dollars. Junior players, those under the age of 18, pay half the price.
The course is located at 1055 Kerrs Mill Road in Wallace.
For more information call Ron Weeks at 902-890-2652, or Al Weeks at 902-890-7464.
