Not only does Jon Milos own Greenwood Golf Club, he's the club's best player.
A 22-handicapper when he and wife Colleen purchased the club in 1998, Milos had reduced his handicap to one when he won the club's annual men's invitation golf tournament last year.
Being good golfers is nice -- Colleen Milos also knows her way around Greenwood -- but they would rather be known as good owners.
And since the Milos family took over from Len and Avril Moore, who operated the course for almost three decades, they've done a remarkable job grooming and bringing out the full potential at Greenwood. The par-70 course, which measures 6,276 yards from the back tees, is located alongside Highway 402 opposite Chris Hadfield Airport. It was a nine-hole course when it opened in 1963 and became an 18-hole layout in 1964. In the early 1970s, the course was reconfigured after it lost four holes to Highway 402.
"We're a blue-collar club in a blue-collar town," Jon Milos said, assessing Greenwood's clientele.
First impressions go a long way in showcasing a golf course.
When you arrive at Greenwood there's a sense you've picked the right course to play. For openers, you can walk off the street and pay $30 to play. If you take a few seconds to look around before hitting the first shot, you can't help but notice the attention to detail and the well-maintained gardens.
You won't be disappointed out on the course.
Greenwood rates as one of the better public play courses but also boasts one of the most loyal memberships, with about 500 players. More than 30,000 rounds are played each year. During a discussion with longtime members Lew McLean, Fred Armstrong, Leo Devine, Bonnie (Ace) Martin and Gerri Boudreau, it became evident they wouldn't give up this golf course for any other.
What's changed over the years? What do they like?
"Everything," said McLean, who bought his first green-fee ticket at Greenwood in the 1970s. "There's been so many changes in the last five years . . ."
Milos said more changes are in the works, including replacing sand in the traps and expanding ponds to make holes more challenging.
Jon and Colleen Milos began shopping for a golf course in the mid-1990s. Jon Milos was working for West Coast Energy in Halifax as a senior manager in market development while his wife was back home in Chatham. They debated moving to Halifax but weren't sure that is where they wanted to settle. An automobile accident helped them make up their minds. Colleen was more than eight months pregnant and her husband was in Halifax when she was involved in a serious crash. She was lucky to walk away without major injuries and it wasn't long after that they bought Greenwood.
"We thought it (purchasing Greenwood) would offer us a lifestyle conducive for our family being together," Jon Milos said.
Greenwood's CPGA pro is John Schmidt, who also made a career change. A music teacher, he became fed up with the pressures.
Schmidt went for an interview at another area club the same day he came to meet Milos. After a 4 1/2 -hour interview with Milos, Schmidt got the job.
When Schmidt took his playability test in the spring of 2002 -- one of the requirements to earn CPGA status -- Milos told him not to worry, the job was his no matter what.
Source: London Free Press (Ontario, Canada)