Jason Lohnes,

Executive Professional

Oakfield Golf Club

Enfield, Nova Scotia

Handling the Needs of Members

They say you can never go home – in sports, and in life.

Not true, says Jason Lohnes, executive professional at Oakfield Golf & Country Club in Enfield, Nova Scotia, located just outside Halifax.

Lohnes, who has only been at his job for just over one calendar year, wears three hats in his current position: overseer of golf, food and beverage, and golf course maintenance. He’s a general manager and head professional wrapped up in one, and relishes the variety that comes with his job.

The former director of golf at Ashburn in Halifax moved over to Oakfield at the same time that Oakfield’s Gordie Smith was crossing over to Ashburn Golf Club as head pro and GM.

Lohnes was born in nearby Lunenburg and took his first job as an assistant at Avon Valley Golf and Country Club. Recognizing that he needed a ton more training in the private club business, he loaded up his small car and drove to Toronto to work as an assistant at York Downs and the prestigious Rosedale Golf Club.

“It was the best move I ever made,” says Lohnes, who was tutored by one of the industry’s top pros, Bruce McCarrol, now director of instruction at Bond Head Club north of Toronto.

Stepping back to his native Nova Scotia to run the 36-holes at Ashburn taught him how to handle the needs of members.

Communicating with the members is something he enjoys and works hard at in his new position.

“I have really grown to love the private club atmosphere,” he said. “I have an open door policy and like being in front of the membership.”

With a burgeoning membership list (about 700 at last count), a storied history (opened in 1962, and designed by Robbie Robinson), Oakfield is recognized as one of the east coast’s finest tests of golf. Its signature hole, the 138 yard 13th is aptly called “Waterloo” – a watery home to geese and stray golf shots.

The quiet continuum of success at Oakfield is what Lohnes enjoys, and being a quick learner, he has a good book on all the members’ wants and needs.

When it comes to serving their hard goods wants, he offers up the TaylorMade line – clubs he has been playing for the past six years.

The 15-year pro played the new R9 driver down south this winter and was blown away by it. He played the forged irons last year, but looks forward to trying the new TaylorMade irons this summer.

“TaylorMade is the leading hard goods items in our shop,” he says.

The graduate of Dalhousie University (1995) holds the competitive and non-competitive record at Bluenose Golf Club, shooting a 62 in 1995.

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