Antigonish Golf & Country Club
A hundred thousand welcomes
Antigonish is a bustling university town in the heart of
mainland Nova Scotia’s highlands and just minutes away from Cape Breton. Here
they welcome their visitors with the Gaelic expression Ciad Mille Failte - "a
hundred thousand welcomes". No place in town is this welcome more evident than
at the Antigonish Golf and Country Club. The popular course, not far from the
center of town, is relaxing and picturesque, a challenge to the lower handicap
player and an enjoyable experience for the rest of us.
Most of the
club’s members are from Antigonish County, however a sizeable number also live
in nearby Guysborough and Pictou counties and some from Inverness County. “We
have a very active membership,” observes club professional Ed Ryan, “however, we
do have the capacity to accommodate more people, so we hope to moderately
increase our numbers over the next couple of seasons. Presently there are about
650 members, including 230 juniors,” continues Ryan, “which is promising for the
club’s future. We are also fairly popular with daily fee players and we benefit
from the fact that you have to pass this golf course on the way to Cape Breton.
Many golfers, travelling up there for a few days, sometimes play our course
along their way. All in all we have about 32,000 rounds of golf played here
during a season.”
The Antigonish Golf & Country club was established in 1926.
Initially the course started out in Whidden's Intervale with 6 holes, but over
time three more were added. With the popularity of the sport, and the subsequent
overcrowding of the course in the 1980’s, the club decided it was time to expand
to eighteen holes. Construction began in 1988, directed by well-known golf
course architect Bob Moote. One original hole was eliminated to make way for the
present practice range and ten new holes were constructed. In 1991, the new 6100
yard, par 72 course was completed and open for play. The design of the new holes
offers some breathtaking views overlooking the town and surrounding county.
Again, in the fall of 2001, more changes were made, when, to a design by
architect Robert LeBlanc, reconstruction was carried out on the greens of holes
1,2 and 5.
“The members are very pleased with the renovations completed a
couple of years ago,” remarks Ryan, “ I’ve heard many positive comments. We see
such a difference in the new greens. They’re properly built, giving good
drainage, so the turf grows better and is easier to maintain. In the long run we
will save money on labour and materials needed for their upkeep. Redoing the
last of the old greens is on the wish list of our long-range plan, along with a
watering system.”
Mike MacLellan has been the course superintendent at
Antigonish since the full eighteen holes opened in 1991. Previously he had been
assistant superintendent to Ryan, during the time of the nine-hole course. “When
I started here, I was pro-superintendent and Mike was my assistant,” explains
Ryan, “however, with the expansion to 18 holes and a much larger operation for
us to manage, Mike took charge of maintaining the course while I took over the
golf operations and food and beverage. Mike has a crew of eight people who
maintain this entire golf course - the job they do is phenomenal.”
The clubhouse and proshop at Antigonish are located behind the
first tee. The clubhouse kitchen serves a daily golfers menu with soup,
sandwiches, and burgers, etc and has a staff capable of catering to large
tournament functions with dinners and barbeques. The size and services available
seem a perfect fit for the size of the club and the present membership. Ed’s
full service golf shop carries a wide variety of golf merchandise and services.
Instruction is available from Ed and his assistant Jamie Pyke.
Each year, during Highland Games Week, Antigonish hosts the
annual Kilted Golf Tournament where all golfers must wear a kilt in order to
play. “People plan their vacations around this tournament,” advises Ryan. “I get
phone calls at home, in December and January, wanting to know the date, so they
can make plans.
While still a nine-hole course only 80 golfers could be
accommodated, but there became such a demand that soon two shot gun starts were
held permitting 160 golfers to play. Now with eighteen holes, 320 golfers play
in two shot gun starts, one at 6:30 am and another at 1:00 pm. There is also
musical entertainment on the first tee for five to six hours - it’s great fun
for everybody. "We have yet to finish the second draw,” chuckles Ed. “ We have a
big box where the players can return their score cards and every year we get a
100% return - 80 in the morning and 20 in the afternoon !”
The club also plays host to several company and charity fund
raising events, including the annual Father Kehoe Tournament, which raises funds
for the local university’s sports and endowment fund. In 2003 the Peter Gzowski
Tournament for Literacy was held here. Local junior Craig MacDonald, who now
plays pro hockey for the Florida Panthers, captured the Nova Scotia Junior Boys
Championship when it was hosted here in 1995 and in 2001 the Nova Scotia Men’s’
Amateur Championship was contested here. The resulting provincial team, who
qualified from the event, were the only Nova Scotia team to win the Willingdon
Cup, which is emblematic of the best amateur team at the Canadian Amateur
championship. Last fall the inaugural Elders’ Cup was played here, with the top
12 CPGA Atlantic professionals 34 years or younger competing in a “Ryder
Cup-style competition” against a team 35 years or older. The younger team
prevailed and look forward to defending the cup at this venue October 10, 11 and
12.
Club social functions include men’s and ladies’ nights. Men’s
night is Wednesday with a usual weekly attendance of 80 to 100. Ladies’ night is
Tuesday and they usually have a turnout of 30 to 50. The members at Antigonish
appear to be having a good time. They enjoy their club, the course and their
fellow members.
“We get a lot of good comments from visitors about the
friendliness of our members and how willing they are to play with anyone that
comes along,” Ryan relates.“It’s a pretty laid back atmosphere and a great place
to work. The members and staff interact very well. Our members know that when
they drive up Cloverville Road they are in for an enjoyable time,” he continues.
“We have a well conditioned, player friendly golf course and staff members who
will get them on the golf course, as soon as possible, and are ready and willing
to assist them with any needs. We want to make sure that every person enjoys
their time here. We would like to think that anything and everyone they
encounter at our club will be a pleasant experience.”
How do I get to there ?
Antigonish Golf & Country Club is located just
beyond the northwest limits of the town of Antigonish, on Cloverville Road
Tee times: (902) 863-2228
Pro Shop: (902) 863-4797
Website:
www.antigonishgolfclub.ns.ca
