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West Shore man returns to greens and pearly whites

High marks, golf lead to education opportunities and return to Langford business
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Langford dentist Randall Pewarchuk is excited his youngest son Cody Pewarchuk recently graduated from dental school and will start working as a dentist alongside him.

Cody Pewarchuk will start his future literally next door to his past.

The 25-year-old dentist is joining his father’s dental practice on Goldstream Avenue beside the Royal Colwood Golf Course.

On his eighth birthday, Nov. 23, 1988, Metchosin-raised Pewarchuk became the first “junior, junior” member of the Colwood course.

“Before then you had to be 12 to be a junior member. I don’t know if they made the junior, junior membership for me, but I do know I was the first,” said Pewarchuk, a loyal member of the club ever since.

“He has been a stable member here. It’s a rarity for someone to have membership as a child and then go away to university and remain a member. Most people take some years off,” said Philip Nurse, course general manager. “Hopefully he’s a member until the end and hopefully his children will be members too.”

Golf was part of Pewarchuk’s life even before he can remember.

The history is documented in family photos of him standing as a toddler on a pool table with a plastic blue golf club trying to sink the balls.

“I was barely able to even stand up then,” he said laughing.

In later years, he headed to the course with three sawed-off clubs; a 7-iron, 3-wood and a putter.

Even though golf was an important part of the Pewarchuk household, it wasn’t the most important.

“My dad always stressed education first. I always had to have my homework done before I could go play golf,” Pewarchuk said.

He graduated with honours from Belmont secondary school in 2005 earning the highest marks in his graduating class, the Governor General Award and a golf scholarship to University of Hawaii.

Moving to Hawaii was a “culture shock,” he explained of his first time living away from home. “In those four years I learned a ton, not only about golf.”

Pewarchuk majored in math. He wasn’t able to take science courses involving labs because of constant travel and finished classes by noon so he could be out on the course. The team competed in Nevada, Utah, Louisiana and California.

“We would fly out on the red-eye Friday night and not get back until the Wednesday,” said Pewarchuk.

After four years, Pewarchuk  graduated with a bachelor of mathematics at the top of his class.

During his summer breaks he would come back to the West Shore and assist his father in the dental office, inspiring his future career.

Pewarchuk, now living in Langford, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s dental school last month.

He was valedictorian.

He looks forward to working alongside his dad at the Langford dental office once his paperwork is complete.

“Dentistry is a combination of science, thinking analytically and it allows you to work with your hands.”