Antigonish Golf and Country Club

The Antigonish Golf & Country Club’s Edwin Ryan, a Canadian PGA professional, steers the golf cart to a high point on the course. Although he has been the club’s director of golf for nearly 25 years, he seems as taken with the view as his first-time visitor.

“See the water fountain down to your right there?” he asks. “When those trees turn different colours it’s unbelievable.”

An abundance of natural beauty, holes bearing descriptive titles in Gaelic or Scots, and greetings from passing golfers, all combine to convey a sense of genuineness and tradition.

The club’s roots go back to 1926, and the course has evolved to become an 18-hole, par-72 course set on 230 acres. “I think it’s a unique golfing experience,” says Ryan. “There are some golf courses where the holes are very similar. All ours are so different. And as you saw when we were out there, there are the different elevations, the rolling hills and the scenery.”

The club has between 500 and 550 members ranging in age from six to 86. Ryan says one gentleman is in his 51st straight year as a member. The club’s junior program – in 1998 Ryan was named junior leader of the year for Canada by the Canadian PGA – allows a love of golf to be instilled early on.

“It’s one of the most enjoyable parts of my job,” Ryan says. “You get them to learn the game of golf and the first time they get the ball airborne is kind of neat. That’s someone now who may play golf for the rest of their life.”

Visitors are welcomed by the club and every year there are 10,000 to 12,000 visitor rounds of golf, which translates into economic value for the broader community. Some of the countries represented include Germany, Australia, Austria and the United States. “When people are avid golfers this is what they do,” notes Ryan. “They go on vacation and they play golf. That’s what they live for.”

As early as January, Ryan gets calls from players planning to book a vacation to coincide with the club’s tournament called the Kilted. Established on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Antigonish Highland Games, the July event attracts 320 players and has one unbendable rule: everyone who plays must wear a kilt, whether it is borrowed, rented, or from the player’s own wardrobe.

The club hosts a number of corporate and charitable golf tournaments throughout the season which runs from the beginning of May until the end of October. For example, Ryan chairs the annual Bonvie/MacDonald Rinks to Links Golf Classic. Named for Antigonish natives NHL player Craig MacDonald and former NHLer Dennis Bonvie – now a Toronto Maple Leafs pro scout – the tournament raises money for children’s charities and for children who wouldn’t be able to participate in minor hockey without financial assistance.

When it comes to hosting tournaments or running the day-to-day operations of the club, teamwork is essential. Ryan and course superintendant Mike MacLellan are the club’s two full-time employees, with seasonal employees numbering from 25 to 30.

“Each and every one of them, they don’t leave until their job is done, regardless of what it is,” Ryan says. “Our superintendent Mike is fantastic. He eats and sleeps this place. It’s just like his own baby. If there’s a blade of grass out of place it bothers him. They do a wonderful job, the entire staff.”

Ryan says the staff’s main goal is to ensure that everyone who comes to the club has an enjoyable experience. Creativity and innovation are called upon in realizing that goal. “We’re continuously innovating to try to make things better, whether it’s procedures or how we run a tournament,” he says.

He also speaks of the many volunteer hours put in by members of the board of directors which governs the club. Ron J.J. MacDonald is president of the board. His connections with the club go back to childhood. His father was greatly involved in the club, including playing a key role in the design of the course as it was in the late 1960s.

MacDonald says the club not only provides a recreational and social outlet for hundreds of people in the community, it also serves as a tourism attraction for Antigonish. A challenge, according to MacDonald, is the fact that following a boom in popularity of golf brought about by Tiger Woods, golf as a pastime and sport throughout North America is a on a slight downturn.

The response to that challenge is to continue to offer a better product to members and visitors. MacDonald says the addition of fairway irrigation three years ago “has allowed us to bring the condition of the course up to a standard that rivals most of the courses in the province.”

Renovations to the clubhouse building are planned for the future. While there may be physical changes, the spirit of the Antigonish Golf & Country Club remains constant. “In addition to being a great place to play golf, it’s just full of great people,” MacDonald says. “A lot of what visitors say is how friendly everyone is at our course.”

The same friendly spirit is also to be found in the community of Antigonish which Ryan is happy to call home. “All the neighbourhoods in Antigonish, they’re very close-knit. Neighbours get together to do street parties and to celebrate Canada Day,” Ryan says. “It’s all connected. You can walk up and down the street and step inside anywhere and have a cup of coffee. That’s the way it is here in Antigonish, and I think it’s the way it is in a lot of Nova Scotia communities. It’s just friendly.”

And it is a good place to raise a family. He and his wife Cathy, a teacher, have three children, all of whom play golf. “There’s everything you need here,” Ryan says. “The university, the schools and the golf course – there are all kinds of athletic activities and everything else that you need.” 
 

Feature story written by Marie Weeren