More than just a sport, golf is a leisure activity that facilitates business, and it has a way of forging community. Whether it’s the expanse of a beautifully curated fairway, the appeal of an ice-cold beverage and conversation among friends and colleagues, or the enjoyment of honing one's skill, there is something for everyone in this classic summer activity.

When winter hits, one of Saskatchewan’s favourite winter sports is curling, which offers another great option for community building and entertainment. The Prince Albert Golf & Curling Club’s combination of the two-in-one place is nothing less than a stroke of brilliance.

In order to make their brand as effective as possible, they need to provide the best connectivity to their guests and staff. With around 250 season pass holders for the golf course and 250 curling club members, The P.A. Golf & Curling Club has a large customer base to look after. Darcy Myers, The General Manager of P.A. Golf & Curling Club, summarizes the process of working with SaskTel to find solutions for their connectivity issues, simply saying “We came to SaskTel and said, ‘this is our problem, what’s your solution?’ and the team came to tour the facilities and offered some input and some expertise, and here we are!”

After 14 years with the Club, Darcy knows almost everyone on a first name basis. He started as the Head Golf Professional and is now the General Manager of the whole operation.

“It’s a good marriage between golf and curling because there’s no down time throughout the calendar year,” says Darcy. We sat down at a nice table by the window in the Rock and Iron Club House, with the Blue Jays game on every screen around us, and started talking about how the Club has been able to modernize and enhance the experience of their members with the help of SaskTel. As an organization offering both winter- and summer-time sporting activities, Darcy and his team need to constantly be alert to the services and solutions out there that will give their business a competitive edge.

The facility has aged since opening in 1967, and the demands of members have changed over the years. Darcy took these concerns to the Board of Directors with the goal of “keeping up with the times,” as he puts it, and he was approved to go to SaskTel looking for a better WiFi solution as well as a modernized phone network as part of their technical infrastructure. SaskTel installed 12 WiFi access points across the Club grounds and connected them to the fibre optic network for incredibly fast and reliable internet. Darcy remarks how he was surprised by how easy and seamless the fibre optic installation was—there was just a bit of directional drilling to be done and a day later they were online.

The impact of this simple transition was huge, and it has been very well received by the Club staff. Before the move to SaskTel, there were frequent issues with connectivity when trying to facilitate virtual meetings over platforms like Zoom or WebEx, and they were also having trouble with live scorekeeping during curling games. Additionally, the Integrated Business Communications (IBC) product allowed for better connectivity between the buildings on site: previously, the Club had no way of transferring calls from one department to another. These improvements set up the P.A. Golf & Curling Club to be a more prestigious and well-equipped host facility. As the site of the National Curling Championship in 2022, the new WiFi setup made their live scoring system seamless and professional.

For those who want to keep up their golf game over the winter, Darcy was excited to show off the Club’s new state-of-the-art golf simulator. “It’s been a really good addition for us and a new revenue stream,” Darcy tells us after demonstrating the impressive system and showing off a beautiful 250-yard drive.

Another improvement Darcy told us about is how much easier it is to take card payments at the beverage cart. Time spent waiting for connection so that your payment can go through is time lost on your game, so it’s easy to see how this situation could negatively impact sales. Thankfully, with fibre optic internet connection, this problem was resolved, removing a huge annoyance for staff and the customers.

Small and medium sized businesses all across Saskatchewan are realizing how much SaskTel has to offer, even with services as simple as internet and phone solutions. The Prince Albert Golf & Curling Club is now a part of a growing network of Saskatchewan businesses who form the community that keep our province going, and we couldn’t be happier to have them! If your business is facing problems related to IT or connectivity with internet or phone systems, consider reaching out to a SaskTel representative to see what we have to offer. People are often surprised by how diverse, simple and affordable the product line is, and the less time and energy you spend on such issues means more time you can commit to your golf hobby. Fore!

If you’re interested in responsive customer service that goes well beyond the sale, the SaskTel team will be happy to help. Please call 1-844-SaskTel to speak with a sales representative who can connect you.