Paragon Match Play

Scratch + Handicap

First round must be completed by July 29th. If not match will be decided by flip of coin!!

Let’s get’er done!

Thank you

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

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

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.