Bath’s Loyalist Golf and Country Club will play host to the Canadian Golf Tour’s newest tournament in 2014, The Great Waterway Classic. The announcement was made last Thursday at the tournament’s first stop, Gananoque’s Smuggler’s Glen, which will hold the tournament next September. In 2013 the event moves to Morrisburg, Loyalist in 2014 and Belleville’s Black Bear Ridge Golf Course in 2015.

Each year the tournament will host a field of 156 golfers teeing off over 72 holes of stroke play competing for a purse of $150,000.

When it comes to Bath it will mark the biggest golfing event ever held in Lennox and Addington County.

“It’s another event that’s going to create more exposure for Lennox and Addington County and Loyalist Township as well,” said L&A’s Manager of Economic Development Stephen Paul. “It’s anticipated that there will be about 750 room nights that are generated from the event.

That’s great for all the local and regional hotels particularly in September when things start to quiet down in the tourism market.”

The formation of The Great Waterway Classic didn’t happen overnight, but it was pretty close. David Dargie of Evolution Golf and Event Manager, who is the Director of Tournament Development, suggested to The Canadian Tour in August that he’d be open to a pro tournament in a few years. They shocked him a month later when they called and asked if he’d like to organize one for September 2012.

By Dec. 17 he had pitched the idea to Regional Tourism Organization No. 9, which covers Trenton to the Quebec border. They agreed to kick in $100,000 for each tournament to help get the four-year deal inked.

Paul says the idea was brought to his attention in mid-December and by the end of the Christmas break all sides had agreed that Bath’s Loyalist Golf and Country Club would be one of the four stops.

“I’m a golfer and I’ve played (Loyalist) a number of times,” Dargie said of why Bath was selected. “It’s just a great track. It’s a superb golf course, they have all the facilities and their practice range is probably one of the best around.”

Though it’ll be the biggest event ever held there, Loyalist has hosted a number of provincial events in the past. This coming summer it’ll host the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, an event won by its own August James in 2011.

Jim Burlington, Operations Manager at LGCC, says their past record of successful events was only a small reason on why they were named a host site. He points more to the location and the fact that very little prep work would need to be done on the grounds before the tournament tees off.

The fact that they have some time to prepare doesn’t hurt, though.

“One of the advantages Loyalist has is having two years to sort of watch and see what the other clubs do,” said Burlington. “A lot of the crowd control will be handled by the tournament (organizers).”

Another advantage of hosting in 2014 is the fact that many insiders expect the Canadian Tour will have reached a deal with the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour to come under their umbrella.

“We feel that by 2014 there’s going to be a big PGA presence to this event,” said Paul. “That’s great for what we're trying to do.”

As for the talent that would take part in the Great Waterway Classic, Dargie likens it to a Major League Baseball (MLB) team’s farm system.

If the PGA tour is the MLB, The Canadian Tour is AA, or a place for future pros to prep for the world's biggest stage. Graduates from the Canadian Tour include Mike Weir, Stephen Ames, Steve Stricker and Paul Casey.

Local up-and-comers will have a shot at taking part by competing in ‘Chase the Dream’ qualifiers that will take place leading up to each year’s Classic. Loyalist will again be in the spot light, serving as one of six courses to hold the qualifying tournament.

“We’re anticipating that very early in the season that will happen,”

Burlington says of when the ‘Chase the Dream’ will take place. “We'll be one of the first sites that will be hosting.”

He expects LGCC’s own Chris Abbott and Brad Boyle will be among the favourites to take part. Coupled with Napanee’s Josh Whalen and Bath’s Austin James, L&A County won't be sort on potential home town representation.

Dargie estimates that each year the tournament will generate $1.2 million for its host community’s economy.

Through a pro-am and ticket sales, organizers are hoping to be able to raise at least $50,000 for their charitable partner, the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation.

Dargie says they're aiming for 3,500 for the week as their attendance goal but expects to be able to almost triple that if everything goes well.

From:  Bath golf club to host tour event
By:   Adam Prudhomme
January 26, 2012