Amateur Tingley's Takes

Golf NB Announces Team NB for 2019 Atlantic Golf Championships

by Dwayne Tingley

It has been 20 years since Stuart Musgrave earned his playing card for the professional Canadian Golf Tour.

These days, Musgrave is a senior account manager with the Business Development Bank of Canada and golf is still a focal point of his life and he’s enjoying every minute of it.

He and his wife Erin will be part of Team New Brunswick at the Atlantic Amateur Golf Championships scheduled for Sept. 14-15 at the Humber Valley Golf Course in Corner Brook, N.L.

Stu Musgrave – Country Meadows Golf Club (pictured at 2017 Atlantic Golf Championships)

“I’ve been fortunate enough to play golf in a lot of different places right across the country and I consider this a wonderful opportunity,” said Musgrave, who plays out of the Country Meadows Golf Club, near Moncton.

“Not all of our players get to travel a lot so it’s fun to see them succeed,” he continued. “It’s all part of being a team. It may be an individual sport, but it’s a lot of fun to be part of a team like this. We all cheer for each other and we support each other so we have a great time with it.”

New Brunswick is the two-time defending champion of the Atlantic tournament. Musgrave won the men’s mid-masters (40 and older) title last year at the Glen Arbour Golf Course in Upper Hammonds Plains, N.S.

“We’re going with another solid team with very good players in every division,” said Musgrave, a North Sydney, N.S. native. “The best part is that we make a strong and united team.

“There are going to be a lot of good golfers there, so we will have our work cut out for us. Winning is great, but we’re also going there to have fun. It’s a great time when everyone gets together for tournaments like this. We take it seriously, but having fun comes first.”

Paula Napke-Flanagan, a member of New Brunswick’s senior women’s team, calls the Atlantic Golf Championships a “special time.”

“When you play all summer, you see the same players week after week and they are great people, but it’s nice to see golfers from the other provinces,” said Napke-Flanagan, who plays out of the Miramichi Golf and Country Club.

“It’s a fun tournament because of all the new faces and we have a good time when we get together,” said Flanagan, who has operated Paula’s Hair Studio, just steps from the 16th fairway of her home club for 34 years.

“It’s a big expense for us to go over there so you know it’s about a lot more than the golf. It’s enjoying the company of all these great people from all over the Atlantic Provinces.”

Flanagan said the Humber Valley course is difficult because it features elevated tees and greens and the winds are always tricky.

“You might be using your short irons then the next day it could be a five-wood so you have to be ready to face the conditions that change all the time,” she said.

Paula Napke-Flanagan – Miramichi Golf & Country Club (pictured at 2017 Atlantic Golf Championships)

New Brunswick’s team was selected based on last year’s player of the year standings.

The men’s team is comprised of Alex Palmer (The Riverside Country Club), Peter Wedge (Riverside) and Steven Brooks (Country Meadows) in the amateur division; Musgrave (Country Meadows), Greg Jones (Country Meadows) and Jamie Melanson (Fox Creek Golf Club); Garry Jenkins (Fredericton Golf Club), Mike Hosford (Royal Oaks Golf Club) and Fernand Robichaud (Golf Pokemouche) in the senior division (55 and older) and Sonny Phillips (Fredericton) in super senior (65 and older).

The women’s team is comprised of Molly MacDermaid (Gowan Brae Golf and Country Club), Carly Hubbard (Miramichi) and Karen Flett (Miramichi) in the amateur division; Erin Musgrave (Country Meadows), Doreen Vienneau (Pine Needles Golf and Country Club) and Sandy Comeau (Country Meadows) in mid-master; Napke-Flanagan (Miramichi), Andrea Boucher (Moncton Golf and Country) and Mary Walton-Rossignol (Fredericton) in senior and Sharon Case (Miramichi) in super-senior.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” said Stuart Musgrave, who won the Atlantic mid-masters title last year. “It will be a challenge for all of us on Team New Brunswick.”