by Golf NB:
With a difficult winter in the rear view mirror, it is no great surprise that “Mother Nature” has taken her toll on some of New Brunswick’s top golf courses. With later than normal openings for much of the province, and significant damage from winter ice storms, the 2019 golf season has gotten off to more of a trot then a sprint.
Few venues have experienced a more difficult spring then the Westfield Golf & Country Club. Set to celebrate its centennial birthday by hosting one of Golf New Brunswick’s (Golf NB) crown jewel events, winter kill, ice damage and poor growing conditions have forced the club to withdraw its commitment to host the 2019 RBC Dominion Securities NB Men’s Amateur Championship.
“I drove the golf course last night (June 12th) with our superintendent and members of our greens committee”, said Westfield’s Head Profession Steve LeBlanc. “We analyzed each green and discussed how each one would play in a month. In the end, the committee felt that hosting one of Golf NB’s flagship events this season just was not in the best interest of all parties involved.”
“We are devastated for the club”, said Golf NB Executive Director Tyson Flinn. “We have been in constant contact with Steve and the rest of the organizing committee for weeks and we know how hard they have worked, how much they were looking forward to celebrating 100 years with the RBC Dominion Securities NB Men’s Amateur Championship, and we know how difficult a decision this was for them to make.”
Ultimately, neither the Westfield Golf & Country Club, or Golf NB, could wait on the weather any longer.
“With July fast approaching, we needed to be fair to both Golf NB and the players”, said Peter McCarthy, President of the Westfield Golf & Country Club. “Mother Nature dealt us a bad hand this year, and we just didn’t see how we would be able to get the golf course to an acceptable playing standard in time for the event. Regardless of how badly we wanted to host this year’s event, and make it a part of our centennial, we needed to give everyone time to plan accordingly and make the require changes.”
“While it was a very difficult decision for the Westfield Golf & Country Club, Golf NB sincerely appreciates the club’s professionalism, courage and fortitude in making this decision early enough to allow us some time to find an alternative venue”, said Flinn.
With that in mind, the search is on, “four weeks from today, someone will be hitting the first tee shot”, says Flinn, “so we need to get a move on!”
Having been kept well informed throughout Westfield’s decision-making process, Flinn believes Golf NB is well down the path of securing an alternate venue. “We have spoken with our sponsor, and with some of our partner facilities, and we are confident that we will have a new host venue in the very near future.”
A steadfast supporter of golf in the province, RBC Dominion Securities remains ever optimistic. “We are disappointed for the Westfield Golf & Country Club”, said Tom Gribbons, Vice-President, Branch Manager & Associate Portfolio Manager for RBC Dominion Securities in Saint John. “We know and understand the challenges that Mother Nature can bring to bear, and while Westfield certainly would have made for a great championship venue, New Brunswick is fortunate to have an abundance of great golf courses and we know wherever this year’s tournament lands the players will be treated to a first-class event!”
- For more information or the 2019 RBC Dominion Securities NB Men’s Amateur Championship please CLICK HERE.