Golf NB Championships Tingley's Takes

The Aroostook Valley Country Club is ready to “Show Off” as it hosts the 2019 Argus Audiology NB Men’s Senior & Mid-Master Championships

By Dwayne Tingley

Argus Audiology NB Men’s Senior & Mid-Master Championships
1st Round Pairings & Tee Times

Long-time Aroostook Valley Country Club general manager Stephen Leitch believes greenskeeper Perry Swazey will be the unsung hero of the upcoming 2019 Argus Audiology New Brunswick Men’s Senior and Mid-Master Championships.

A protracted and difficult winter could have taken its toll on the course in Four Falls, but Leitch said that’s not the case and playing conditions will be outstanding for the championships, scheduled for July 22-24.

“The crew here has done an incredible job this spring and the course is in great shape, just like we expect every year,” said Leitch, who is also Aroostook Valley’s Head Professional and has worked at the club for 26 years.

“Perry and I work well together,” he continued. “He knows what I expect and how I feel the golf course should look and he makes it all happen.”

The 6,300-yard layout is an old-style course which opened 90 years ago and will offer the field “quite a test,” Leitch said.

“The greens are quite fast and undulating so players will enjoy the challenge,” he said. “It’s a fair course, but it is not easy to score well. You have to be ready to play a steady round.”

“Off the course, we are planning to host a friendly tournament. We have several volunteers involved in the planning. We are known for our hospitality and it will be on full display during the tournament.”

The top three finishers will qualify to represent Team NB at the Canadian Senior Men’s Championships to be held September 10-13 at the Cedar Brae Golf Club in Scarborough, Ontario.

In addition to the Senior Men’s Team positions, the NB Mid-Master Champion will also punch their ticket as the final member of New Brunswick’s Men’s Mid-Amateur Team who will compete at the to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship from August 20 to 23 at the Summit Golf Club in Toronto, Ontario.  The other two members of NB’s Men’s Mid-Amateur Team will be selected as part of the 2019 RBC Dominion Securities NB Men’s Amateur Championship

Aroostook Valley hosts several corporate tournaments every year as well as the popular St. John Valley Open on the Labour Day weekend.

“We like to show off our course for major events and we’ll be ready for the seniors this year,” Leitch said. “It’s another opportunity to show off the course we are so proud of.”

This year’s tournament also marks the first time it will be sponsored by Argus Audiology.

Bill Eaton, along with business partner and wife Norma and sister Dr. Heidi Eaton, purchased Argus Audiology from his parents in 2013. The company has been proudly serving New Brunswick for more than 40 years and currently owns four clinics in the province.

“Helen Keller once said that being blind separates us from things, but being deaf separates us from people,” Eaton said.

“It’s our goal at Argus Audiology to bring people back together through conversations, activities and pastimes,” he noted. “We can think of no better way to bring people together in New Brunswick than through the great game of golf and enjoying our beautiful province in scenic settings.”

Argus Audiology is also the title sponsor of the Argus Audiology NB Ladies Provincials which was earlier this month (July 7-9) at Golf Pokemouche on the Acadian Peninsula, the Golf NB Annual Awards Banquet and Silent Auction on October 19 in Fredericton and the 2019 Golf NB Competitive Golf Season.

Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not for profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick.  In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province.  Programs offered by Golf NB to its 8,000 members include: 12 provincial events, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, junior golf development programs and member club marketing initiatives.

Argus Audiology is a family owned and operated hearing service center. We employ bilingual audiologists, hearing aid practitioners and technicians at our New Brunswick centers. Argus Audiology has been proudly serving Southern New Brunswick since 1978 and now has 4 convenient locations working in a collaborative culture.