Marie Grohn is the recipient of the 2023 Perry Folk Award, which is a ‘Good Guy’ award or ‘Clubhouse MVP’ honour, celebrating those who make the overall experience at the Weyburn Golf Club memorable and enjoyable for everyone. The award has been presented each year in memory of Perry Folk, who passed away in 2009.
Perry’s brother Kevin Folk said the recipient is chosen by the members and staff of the Golf Club, and the trophy is sponsored each year by Al York.
“He’s had this trophy available to the Golf course to honour people like my brother, who were just good guys. They made golf for other people more enjoyable, and were very inviting to new people and just fun to be around. So Marie’s got certainly all of those qualities as well.”
Folk said they’ve observed Grohn’s dedication to the Club for decades.
“I’m so glad that Marie won this award. She certainly serves people, like she’s so inviting, always on committees and always looking after Junior Golf, ladies golf, and just has for years,” he shared. “So I’m glad that she could get pulled out of the pile and have it said, ‘this woman deserves this award’.”
He said Grohn is always pleasant at the golf clubhouse, “and has just a lot of influence and always in such good, positive leadership. It’s great that she got honoured and got picked.”
Graham DeLaet received the first Perry Folk Award in 2009.
“We’ve had very excellent, wonderful people that I’m proud of all of them ever since.”
Grohn explained her relationship with the sport.
“Golf was really big with my family because my dad was really an avid golfer, and my mom used to go for arthritis before it got really bad, so it was just sort of a thing that we did all together.
She said while she didn’t enjoy golf when she tried at age 12, she had later learned to golf from her late husband Terry and her son Aaron.
“Then I took lessons, and it was like, ‘oh, they didn’t teach me right’, but it just went from there, and now our whole family goes, like my grandchildren golf and Aaron, they do lots of things out there now as a family.”
Her love of golf began when she was around 30 years old.
“I’ve enjoyed it. I was on the provincial golf executive for years and traveled with the juniors from here and around the junior club at the same time. So that took a lot of work. I was busy every day of the week, it seemed like all summer long.”
Grohn said she’s currently working with a beginner ladies group at the club, helping them learn to golf.