2024 News

Single Match Play 2024

Congratulations to the winner of Paragon/Oak Barrel Pub 2024 Singles match play, Rick Hachey.    This season saw 20 men participate in the single match play event.  It was a great event with some great competitive golf.  It came down to a final match between Rick Hachey and Steve Webb.  Extremely close all the way Rick eventually won    2-1.   

Special thanks to Paragon’s pro shop and staff, for their help behind the scenes, and to Dean Mrkic from Oaken Barrel Pub in Greenwood for his overwhelming support. 

Hope to see you all back in 2025!! 

Single Match Play Champ

White Tee Handicap 2024

Congratulations to the winners of the Oaken Barrel Pub 2024 Partner’s Handicap Match Play, Garth Rafuse and Lorne McMullen.  This year 16 teams participated.  It was a great season with many great shots and close matches.  The final match came down to the father and son duo of Keith and Andrew Snair and Garth Rafuse and Lorne McMullen.  It was an extremely close match that came down to the last putt!! 

Special thanks to the Pro Shop for their administrative help as well as Dean Mrkic from Oaken Barrel Pub in Greenwood for his generous support.   

 

Hope to see everyone back in 2025. 

Match Play Winners

 

Club Closing 6-6-6 2024
The 2024 Club Closing Event was held on Saturday October 5th.   The weather was calling for rain and it did for about 15 minutes then stopped and the remainder of the day was great.
We had a field of 54 teams which where made up a ladies division, men’s red and white divisions and a mixed division.  (Most people for this event to date)
Thanks to the maintenance crew for the hard work and dedication all season long as usual the course was in great shape.  Thank you to Birdies Clubhouse for the Chicken corn chowder and biscuits for lunch after the round.  Thanks again to Doug Bullerwell for making sure the tournament was ready to go for Saturday morning.  Thanks to Chrystal Cory who gave out beverages, which was enjoyed by all participants.
Thanks to our sponsors Freeman Motors, Aurora Inn, HE Armstrong, Barry Morse, TD Chris McCrae, and The Courtyard Marriott for your gracious donations.
Thanks to all the members that came out and played in this fun event to end off another great season at Paragon!!
Winners of the raffle tickets (Night stay at The Courtyard Marriott)  Scott Freeman and Don MacInnis.
The winners for each Division are as follows:
Ladies Division  Karen Greenman and Carla Findley
Men’s White Division  Chad MacMillan and Gerry MacMillan
Men’s Red Division  Morely Reid and Don MacInnis
Mixed Division  Tracey and Jeff Coleman
All results on event page on website.

Labour Day 2 Man Scramble 2024

 

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Labour Day 2 Man Scramble 2024

The Paragon Labour Day 2 Man Scramble took place on August 31st and September 1st.   A field of  84 teams played in nice weather on Saturday and rained on and off on Sunday.

The Paragon maintenance crew had the course in superb condition for this event.

The Pro Shop staff did a fantastic job of greeting the players and getting them out on the course.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Colin Muise who volunteered his weekend to help with scoring.  Doug Bullerwell, tournament chair director here at Paragon, made sure Golf Genius was ready to go when the scorecards started coming in.

We would also like to thank our generous sponsors for their support.  West Nova Fuels, Bruce Auto Group, Chris MacRae TD Bank, Darrell Cook CIBC Wood Gundy, Green Diamond, and Nova International thank you!!

Last but not least to all the players who came out to play in the Labour Day 2 man Scramble Thank you for making this event another great success!!! 

Photo:  Doug Bullerwell presenting trophy to the Labour Day Champions from Paragon Cayden Peters and Ryan Bushell.

All winners posted on the Events page of the website.

2024 Labour Day Champs

  Sam Hayden 2024

30 teams participated in the annual Sam Hayden Tournament.   It is a competitive and social tournament  that 
recalls Sam Hayden who was one of the founding members of Paragon.   The ladies teed off the orange tees and the gents teed off the red tees.  It is a net tournament in which the team handicap is determined by using 60% of the lower handicap and 40% of the higher handicap.

In previous years this was all done manually but this year Doug Bullerwell and Barb Eaton used Golf Genius to set up the list of competitors, to pick the pairings and to do the calculations.  Thank you to Barb and Doug!  This year there was a shotgun start at 1pm and everyone finished in less than 4 hours.  
Golf Genius produced a list of winners and broke any ties by the designated procedure.
It was a cloudy/ sunny day with temperature of 26 degrees with a little breeze.  Thank you to Barb and the Pro Shop team for their help.  Thank you to Kate and Adam for providing the Burger and corn on the cob special and for providing speedy beverage service.  Picture of the Winners Paul and Tammy Goulding.  For more results go to the events page.
Sam Hayden Winners 2024

We’re golfing FORE healthcare!

We’re proud to partner with Valley Regional Hospital Foundation to fundraise in support of the Operation Enhancement campaign.

Join us August 8th and say hi to the volunteers who will be collecting donations for your regional hospital! Bring some cash for raffle tickets towards great prizes, donated by Paragon, as well as to participate in a Putt and Play competition! All proceeds will support upgrades and new equipment for the Surgical Suite at Valley Regional Hospital.

We certainly hope you will come out to support this very worthy cause, as Paragon partners with our good friends at the Valley Regional Hospital Foundation!!

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2024 Club Championship

The Paragon G&CC Club Championships were held this past weekend.  Thanks to Birdies Clubhouse for the on course BBQ on Saturday for all the participants.

Thanks to the maintenance staff, who have given us superb greens and a beautiful  course all year!! We would like to thank the ProShop staff for their hard work. As well a huge thank you to Doug Bullerwell for all the hours that he has put in learning and doing Golf Genius, which makes scoring so much easier and faster. Finally, a note to the competitors, who all played hard, and enjoyed the friendly competition, and comradery this weekend.  

We would like to congratulate our Men’s Champion Steve Webb, Ladies Champion Leslie Houde and Senior Men’s Champion Tom Banks   and Senior Women’s Champion Debbie Walker, for their superb play in winning their respective divisions on the weekend!  Congratulations to our Field Low Net Champions; Ladies Laura MacMillan and for the Men’s Ryan Dale. Congrats to Fraser MacNeil the low gross winner in the Red Tee Division.  

  

Thanks for a great weekend of golf! 

Paragon Management Team 

For all results please see below

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Club Champions

On left:  Ladies Club Champion – Leslie Houde and Tournament Chair Doug Bullerwell

On Right:  Men’s Club Champion – Steve Webb and Tournament Chair Doug Bullerwell

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Senior Club Champions

Photo on left: Ladies Senior Club Champion Debbie Walker & Tournament Chair Doug Bullerwell

Photo on left: Men’s Senior Champion Tom Banks & Tournament Chair Doug Bullerwell

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Photo on far left: Ladies Field Low Net Winner Laura MacMillan & Tournament Chair Doug

Photo in the middle: Overall Men’s Field low Net Champion Ryan Dale & Tournament Chair Doug Bullerwell

Photo on far right: Red Tee Low Gross Winner Fraser MacNeil & Tournament Chair Doug Bullerwell

 

2024 Club Championship Results

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A Beautiful Day at the 1st Annual Gord Tidman Senior Men’s Open!
Today marked a significant milestone for Paragon Golf and Country Club as we hosted the 1st Annual Gord Tidman Senior Men’s Open. Named in honor of one of our longest-standing members and the visionary who helped establish our course back in 1963, this tournament celebrated both competitive spirit and community camaraderie.
The event kicked off with a 9:00am shotgun start, featuring 66 participants divided into three flights. The course was in fantastic condition, with fast and true greens, thanks to the hard work of Dave MacMillan and his dedicated maintenance crew.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the ProShop staff for ensuring the tournament ran smoothly and to Doug Bullerwell, our tournament director, for his behind-the-scenes efforts. Special recognition goes to Lorne McMullen, who not only conceptualized this tournament, but also worked tirelessly to attract participants from across Nova Scotia and served as the event’s MC.
We are deeply grateful to our sponsors: Larry’s Pharmacy in Berwick, Mid Valley Health Centre, and Gord Tidman himself. Additionally, we extend our appreciation to volunteers Jeff Coleman, Gary Galley, and Barry Morse for their invaluable assistance.
Horning Gord
Gordon Tidman was honored with a lifetime membership at the Paragon Golf and Country Club’s Spring AGM on May 28th, 2024. This recognition celebrated his decades of dedication and invaluable contributions to the club. Beginning with his pivotal role in its establishment in 1963, where he provided legal counsel despite initial financial constraints, Gord’s impact extended far beyond legal matters. He served as the club’s first president, navigated it through financial challenges, and continued to support its growth and development over the years. Beyond the club, Gord’s public service included roles in the Nova Scotia Golf Association, the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and as a judge. His unwavering commitment and love for Paragon is acknowledged by all, underscoring his enduring legacy and profound influence on the club’s history and community
Thank you to everyone who made this day a resounding success. Here’s to many more years of this memorable tournaments and shared experiences at Paragon Golf and Country Club.

REVISED!!! To left you can find the winnings for the 2024 Barb McKeil tournament!!! What a fabulous day for golf, and congratulations to all participants🏌️‍♀️🙌

Verticutting: Essential greens maintenance!!

Verticutting (vertical mowing) is the process of removing some of the vertical growth that occurs around a grass plant. The goal is to thin the turf canopy while maintaining a proper balance of leaf growth and turf density.

This green maintenance process provides several potential benefits for the turf as it can:

– Force the remaining turf to stand up straight and smooth on putting surface for better ball roll.

– Increase green speed.

– Open the turf canopy to allow in more sunlight and air movement in and out of the soil profile.

– Makes top dressing easier to work into the soil.

– Allows the plant to put more energy into growing upright shoots instead of lateral shoots.

– Remove excessive leaf growth that contributes to puggy, spongy surfaces.

– Improve mowing quality and surface smoothness.

– Dislodge Poa annual seed heads.

This process involves using a greens mower fitted with thin, tightly spaced blades that cut vertically into the turf. The depth is typically adjusted 1/64-inch to 1/8-inch below the effective cutting height so the blades penetrate the turf canopy.

There is no standard recommendation for the frequency of vertical mowing as it is the judgement call made by the course superintendent based on the condition and growth rate of the grass at any given time. The greens at Paragon Golf and Country Club consist of Poa annua grass and bentgrass, which tend to grow more rapidly during the spring and fall.

The method, equipment, and the frequency of vertical mowing is best determined by the experience and judgement of the course superintendent based on prevailing course conditions.

Typically, after vertical mowing of the greens a light top dressing of sand is applied and the greens are watered afterward. Following this process the greens are normally mowed and rolled to enhance a smooth green surface.

At Paragon we typically verti-cut our greens 2-3 weeks from late April through late September. The goal is to create consistent putting surfaces, from a standpoint of both roll and speed.

If you have any questions about verticutting, or any of our other maintenance practices, please do not hesitate to contact our course superintendent, Dave MacMillan.

Yours truly,

Colin Muise, Greens Director PG&CC

Congratulations to WAYNE O’DONNELL on winning the Pot of Gold!!!🌈🍀

With a brilliant 6 iron shot approximately 20ft from the hole off the fringe, Wayne takes home $1208.00🏆👏 Great job Wayne!!!!!!

Paragon & Oaken Barrel Match Play

June 27th, 2024

Paragon & Oaken Barrel match play is underway. Check the men’s locker room for the pairings/ draw. Let’s see who prevails, may the best golfer(s) win!!!

With the weather heating up and the summer vacation season beginning, we are pleased to announce extended hours for July and August!

Starting Monday, July 1, we will be open:

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday – Tuesday

11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday – Thursday

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday

We are also looking to introduce some exciting new specials, including a Friday night “nine & dine” and Sunday night roast suppers. Keep your eye out for details in the weeks ahead.

We encourage you to follow @birdiesclubhouse on Facebook and Instagram for updates!

Have you ever wondered what goes into golf course maintenance in order to have a course in great condition? 

Maintaining a golf course is no small task! Let me give you some insights into what goes on behind the scenes to keep our greens and fairways greens in top shape:

Daily maintenance:

1. Early Start: Our turf care team rises with the sun to prepare the course for golfers. They aim to work efficiently before play begins, ensuring minimal disruption.  These early morning tasks include mowing the greens, changing hole locations, moving tee markers, grooming bunkers, monitor for signs of pests/animal damage and garbage removal.

2. Round Two: After their initial morning tasks, a second round begins. This includes mowing tee boxes, fairways and rough areas, and trimming turf around bunkers and trees.

Regular/Scheduled maintenance on the course includes managing moisture levels through irrigation and “weather-watching”, Verti-cutting and top dressing the greens as needed, rolling the greens, and following the seasonal turf “fertility program.” The turf fertility program includes the use of fertilizers (both granular and wet products are used), wetting agents (help with moisture levels which encourage grass growth), PGR’s (plant growth regulators), fungicides as needed, and irrigation/watering as needed.  

Tree management is another important component of course maintenance. Trees are a vital part of the course and need to be managed. The trees serve as a way to keep the course shaded and cool during the hottest times of the day, and they are also able to filter dust and CO2. Where possible, trees should not be allowed to grow too close to putting greens because this adversely affects air flow and sunlight, which are integral to healthy putting surfaces. A good tree maintenance program, which may at times mean the removal of trees, is necessary to maintain great playing conditions.

 

What can members do to help maintain and improve the conditions of play on and around the course?   

There are many ways members can help support course maintenance which include:

 1. Either replacing divots or filling divot holes in the fairway with sand (ideally you only fill the divot approximately 2/3 of the depth to minimize impact on the blades of the mowers).

2. Repairing ball marks on the green (especially the ones others failed to repair) as un-repaired ball marks on greens can take up to two weeks to recover.

3. Raking bunkers every time you enter & exit a bunker or when you notice bunkers not raked by others.

4. Keeping power carts away from the greens complex by staying outside the yellow stakes in front of greens.

5. Keeping power carts on paved cart path when possible – especially around the greens and tee boxes.

6. By using the garbage & recycling container correctly – garbage in garbage containers and recycled bottles/cans in the recycle containers (typically the new blue containers with the white recycle triangle).   

 

Members are requested not to question the maintenance staff about course conditions, maintenance plans, etc., as they are busy working on regular course maintenance. These questions should be addressed to Dave MacMillan, Paragon Director of Golf + Club Superintendent, or Colin Muise, Greens Director.    

Finally, next time you tee off, take a moment to appreciate the commitment of these maintenance team. Their work goes beyond simple grass mowing – it’s about creating excellent playing conditions for all golfers.  

Remember, golf course maintenance involves much more than meets the eye! 

 

Yours truly,

Colin Muise, Paragon G&CC Greens Director

Strawberry Classic 2024

Cheers to another Strawberry Classic in the books!! Despite a rainy setback that led to the cancellation of Saturday, Sunday was the perfect comeback.

A round of applause is in order for the various individuals who made this tournament such a success! Firstly, we would like to recognize Doug Bullerwell for his dedicated time and effort in organizing such an outstanding event. Our sincere thanks also goes to our maintenance crew for pristine conditions of our greens, the ProShop staff for their great assistance, and Birdies Clubhouse for providing a meal.

We are grateful for our sponsors: Kandy Golf, Annapolis Valley Wellness, TD Chris MacRae, Nova International, and Green Diamond for their generous support.

A big congratulations goes to all the participants and a special shoutout to the Regular Division Overall Low Net and Tournament Champions Paragon’s, Rob Brown and Cynthia Taylor.

Below you can find the results for each division.

2024 Junior Golf Program

May 30, 2024

 

As the season is well underway here at Paragon Golf and Country Club, we would like to share some valuable information on our 2024 Junior Golf Program.

First and foremost, we are very excited to announce once again Bryce Zinck and Kyla Macisaac will be returning as our lead instructors and program coordinators. 

2024 Junior Golf Clinics Dates: 

June 12th, June 26th, July 10th, July 24th, August 7th, August 21st

Time: 4pm to 5:30pm

Meeting spot: Putting green

Ages: 6+

Fees:

Junior member – free

Non-member: $60.00 ($10.00 per clinic) This can be used as credit towards as a junior membership

Please phone ProShop to let us know if your child will be coming for the Junior Clinics before June 11th, 2024.

Junior Day !! 

We are also happy to announce that the club management will be reserving tee times from 9-11AM every Tuesday morning, beginning July 2nd 2024and culminating with the Junior Club Championship on August 27th.

We are really hoping for increased participation in our Junior Golf Program this year, as we grow this essential part of our wonderful golf club. The Junior golfers are indeed the future of our Club, and the future of the game!!

Stay tuned for more information regarding Paragon’s Junior Golf Community Sponsorship initiative, and other related topics pertaining to Junior Golf at Paragon.

Gord Tidman Honorary Lifetime Membership

May 28, 2024

On the evening of May 28th, at the Paragon Golf and Country Club Spring AGM meeting, original member, and stalwart friend of our Club, Gordon Tidman received an honorary lifetime membership. This long-overdue distinction was lovingly bestowed upon “Gord” for his decades of service, counsel, and passion for all things Paragon!!

 

Below you will find the testimonial, and brief history of Gord’s lifetime relationship with Paragon Golf and Country Club, as recounted by Club Vice-President, Sharon Griffith:

Honorary Members are Members to whom the Club has accorded special recognition for outstanding service to the Club or outstanding public services. Our Honorary this evening certainly fulfills both of these requirements.

First outstanding service to the Club. Long before Paragon opened in 1963 three men named Kaye Huet, Gordon Shaw, and Len Giffin thought that the area needed a public members course. Greenwood was open, but it was a military operation and not easily accessible to all. They soon realized that there was more to building a golf course than the physical aspects of shovels in the ground, building of tees, fairways and so on. Acquisition of land, ownership of course, financial concerns and safe guards for the future operation of a course were matters well outside their purview. So with this in mind, they approached a young and upcoming young lawyer in the area named Gordon Alfred Tidman or Gord as we affectionately call him.

Gord agreed to act as their counsel even when they told him they had no money. His reply to them was “pay what you can when you can.” I hesitate to think what we owe him today in interest on those unpaid bills.

So Gord set to work. First the land where Paragon stands today had to be acquired and be approached R.A. Joudrey of Hantsport to see if the land was for sale. Yes the land, 260 acres, could be bought and the deal was sealed for the purchase price of $15,000 with a $1,000 down payment. Gord then made application to the Federal Business Development Bank for a loan of $45,000 and was able to secure the finds after negotiating a deal. In the early years there were many dark financial periods, but with his advice and counsel, he somehow guided the Club through and this year marks 61 years of operation of Paragon.

In May 1963 three temporary holes were opened for play by members. 1964 marked the first complete year of operation and Gord was the first President of Paragon.

The outstanding public service part of Hounrary Membership Gord has more than fulfilled. He served on the Board of Directors of the Nova Scotia Golf Association and culminated in becoming President of the Association. He was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for Kings West and was appointed Queen’s Counsel. In 1985 he was named Judge to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. Today he and his wife Marg are enjoying retirement in Margetsville overlooking the Bay of Fundy.

Gord has always been there for Paragon whether it be for legal matters, holding office, sponsoring events – always working for the betterment of the Club. His dedication and love for the Club has never wavered and today we, as Members, are able to enjoy of beloved course Paragon thanks to Gord.

– Sharon Griffith

Gord has been such a huge part of the rich history of this Club, and the debt we owe him as members is impossible to quantify. We can however say thank you to Gord for all he has done to help us become the Club we are today!!

Thank you Gord.

Annual General Meeting

Notice to all Paragon Members 

The Annual General Meeting of Paragon Golf and Country Club is being held on May 28th, 2024, at 7:00pm in the Clubhouse. 

Reports from the Board of Directors will be presented, and the new By-Laws, (link below), will be voted upon. 

If members have any questions or concerns that need to be addressed, they will be added to the Agenda. Please forward your items to Laverne Slauenwhite, [email protected], on or before Thursday, May 23, 2024. 

Laverne Slauenwhite 

Secretary, Board of Directors 

By-Law Link https://paragongolf-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/vicepresident_paragongolf_ca/EW4D9fnIrXtAmSBnvD1WgcQBb3fmb4N47wpsyPDTjp3CaQ?e=E6WexH

Agenda – Fall Meeting, October 18th, 7:00PM

Paragon Clubhouse 

Agenda: 

  1. Call to Order
  2. Moment of Remembrance 
  3. GM Report 
  4. Board Reports 
  5. By-law Amendments,  Vote 
  6. Questions from the Floor 
  7. Election of New Board Members 
  8. Adjournment