GC HIGHLIGHT | MEMBER PROFILE
Hamilton Golf & Country Club 232 Golf Links Road, Ancaster, ON L9G 2N5 Tel: (905) 648-4471 rtrainor@hgcc.ca www.hgcc.ca
About the Course Hamilton Golf & Country Club is a 27-hole parkland style course nestled in the heart of Ancaster. Its West-South layout was designed by renowned English golf course architect Harry S. Colt, a nationally and internationally ranked course. Architect: Harry S. Colt Type of Club: Private Number of Holes: 27 holes plus a 9-hole short course Number of Rounds Annually: 30,000 Practice Facility: Driving range, chipping green and full length practice hole
Major Challenges Finding staff that want to work outside has been increasingly challenging, as well as managing greens with no drainage, the new weather pattern of extremes.
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4 South
Courtesy: Brent Long, Communications Coordinator
Member Since 1983
Rhod Trainor Superintendent, Hamilton Golf & Country Club By Jordan Kitchen, Assistant Superintendent Hamilton Golf and Country Club
F
or 27 years, the name Rhod Trainor has been synonymous with Hamilton Golf and Country Club. However, very few are aware that the partnership almost didn’t happen. “I had applied for the superintendent’s job at Hamilton and was scheduled for an interview,” says Rhod. “But the day of the interview (wife) Sue went into labour, and I had to call from the hospital and cancel the interview.” Luckily for all involved, the interview was re-scheduled for the next day and so began the long-term relationship between Rhod Trainor and Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Even with three Canadian Opens ('03,'06,'12), The duMaurier Seniors ('96) and the Canadian Amateur ('94), under his belt, Rhod remains humble about his accomplishments at Hamilton and admits, looking back, that a turf career had originally not been his number one career choice. While attending University of Guelph, Rhod became involved in competitive
Rhod Trainor, Golf Course Superintendent, Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
diving, and even after graduating in 1976 continued to coach and dive at the Etobicoke Diving Club, his reason for staying in Ontario. Even though diving had become a passion, golf had been a part of Rhod’s life for a very long time. He and his siblings were air force kids and their dad’s career as a Captain in the Canadian Armed Forces took them all across Canada. “We never spent more than 4 years in a