Ted Stonehouse, the head pro at Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck, NS, and a fellow I’m pleased to call one of my best friends in the industry, has announced he’s leaving the club and heading to Newfoundland to run Clovelly Golf Club, the busiest course in the province.
For those that don’t know Ted, I’d say he’s one of the smartest, most professional members of the PGA of Canada I’ve met. He’s also won most of the organization’s significant awards. At the very least he might well be the nicest man in Canadian golf.
I’m kind of surprised he’s not running one of the big private clubs in the Toronto area near where he grew up. He’s among that group of young, customer-oriented pros that have emerged in the last few years. And he’s one of the best.
He’s also one of those rare individuals who had a real impact on the game — his junior program at Bell Bay was second to none. Golf Canada could learn a lot from the success Ted had in a small Cape Breton town. I hope they continue the program — though I suspect it was driven by Ted and not the club.
Anyway, here’s the note he sent me last night:
I will be leaving Bell Bay Golf Club at the end of the season after 13 wonderful years. Bell Bay is a big part of our life, and it will be difficult to leave, yet at the same time we are very excited about the opportunity that lays ahead. I am pleased to be continuing through the completion of the 2011 season, and working hard with the ownership to make sure that we find a successful replacement.
A formal press release will be sent out this week. I will be taking on the Director of Golf position at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s NFLD. If you have any questions please do not hesitate giving me a call. Thank you so much for all your support over the years, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.
A bestselling author and award-winning columnist, Robert Thompson has been writing about business and sports, and particularly golf, for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary on golf has appeared in 
Yes. A great guy in the industry. Wish Ted all the best. Here’s a piece I wrote on him for Pro Shop magazine earlier this year about some of the innovative things he did at Bell Bay.
http://golfindustrynetwork.ca/best_practices/ted-stonehouse-bell-bay-golf-club/
Thank you Rob for such kind remarks. David great chatting with you earlier. Look forward to seeing you both at Clovelly!
Robt, you are right about how professional Ted is, probably the best Pro in our industry. We met at Bell Bay in 2001 and he remains IMHO the best I’ve met coast to coast. I also agree with Ted that he doesn’t need to be running on of the big private clubs in Ontario to make the impact he is.
Congrats on your career, so far. And I will ask the question I heard so many times when we moved to Scotland, “What about the weather?”
I always enjoy watching and learning from people who are exceptional in their chosen field/ profession. I have known Ted for over 10 years and he is without question the greatest Director of Golf that I have ever seen in action. Ted will go to amazing lengths to serve his customers and he understands that juniors represent the game’s future. The Junior Program that Ted and his staff built at Bell Bay Golf Club should be the gold standard for many courses to follow from coast to coast. Ted has run a Ryder Cup-style event for me for many years in Baddeck and I could tell unbelievable stories about some of the memories that are still vivid in my mind from these gatherings. Ted’s attention to detail and hands-on approach have really been key to the event’s success. Best of luck at Clovelly, Ted!
My dear friends Mark and Gary. Thank you for your flattering comments and thoughts. We are going to miss Bell Bay, that’s for sure. But at the same time, I am getting excited about moving forward at Clovelly. Thanks guys.
Sad to hear that Ted will be leaving Cape Breton. I was in the junior program for 4 years at Bell Bay when I was a kid along with my siblings. The lessons covered everything from putting to driving to etiquette. It is safe to say that any skill I have at golf is owed to Ted and his program, thank you for caring so much about the annoying little junior golfers you had to spend your week with.