Sandy Brae Golf Course

Richardson, Comeau head four ball event

BATHURST - Leanne Richardson of the Country Meadows Golf and Country Club won the New Brunswick women's player of the year championship in 2010 while clubmate Sandy Comeau finished third.

The formidable duo will team up to compete at the BMO Nesbitt Burns (Moncton) provincial women's four ball championship Sunday at the Gowan Brae Golf and Country Club in Bathurst.

Comeau, a 46-year-old golf and curling standout, believes there's more to winning than just the tandem's skills on the fairways and greens.

"I think you have to be compatible and also have patience," Comeau said.

"Doug Sullivan (Country Meadows owner and professional) taught both Leanne and myself about patience," she said. "It's a long day on the course and you have lots of holes to keep things simple.

"Leanne brings great strength on the course. Her course management is incredible and she has great game. She loves a good match and I think we keep each other focused on the task."

The Gowan Brae Ladies Invitational will be played tomorrow. It marks the first event on the player of the year calendar.

The four ball championship has attracted a field of 43 teams to the 5,589-yard Gowan Brae layout.

"The wind can play on your mind with the course being close to the water," Comeau said. "Many of the holes and doglegs or side hills. At Gowan Brae, it's about placement for sure."

Comeau, an account manager at Midland Transport/Courier, has competed with one New Brunswick golf team at nationals as well as three Scotties Tournament of Hearts and three Canadian mixed curling championships.

She's eager to start the competitive golf season.

"Golfing in a four ball event like this one with a partner like Leanne Richardson is a treat," she said. "I look forward to this every year because it is fun and challenging and I get to spend a day on a great golf course with a great friend who wants to win as bad as I do."

Meanwhile, the provincial men's four ball championship will be played tomorrow and Sunday at Country Meadows.

Sandy Brae Undergoes Changes, New Ownership - State Journal ...

CLENDENIN -- A little more than a year ago, four golfers decided to take a chance and purchase a course they believed just needed a little attention.

And since last spring, they have spent time and money refurbishing the Sandy Brae Golf Club in Clendenin, said Frank James, one of the investors.

"We've fixed what had to be fixed," he said. "We upgraded the irrigation system to increase playability. (The club) needed a good going over. We gave the course a good straightening out."

James, Scott Pierson, Wayne Kee and Bruce Caswell purchased the club at auction April 3, 2007, from the Kanawha County Commission. James serves as general manager, while Pierson handles much of the paper work.

"We found out it was coming up for auction," James said. "We're all avid golfers. We were interested in buying it and fixing it up."

Much of the work that has been completed is purely cosmetic, he said.

"We're constantly working on the aesthetics," James said. "We've planted new flowers, and the signage looks better."

The 18-hole golf club was built in 1969 and was designed by Edmund Ault, who designed a number of golf courses around the state. Sandy Brae has a course rating of 66.7 and a slope rating of 101. The course is a 69 par.

It is situated on the southern side of Interstate 79 about 20 miles north of Charleston. Part of the course overlooks the interstate. One of the major selling points for the club was its location, James said.

"The bulk of the (golfers) we get here are from Charleston," he said. "But we have seen them from as far away as Morgantown, Spencer and rural areas. Being this close to the interstate makes us accessible to a pretty wide area."

Golfers from around the region often have trouble finding courses on which to play, which makes Sandy Brae all the more attractive, James said.

"Charleston has a shortage of public golf courses," he said. "They only have two or three. That helps us. We're trying to do the best job we can maintaining things here."

Kanawha County decided to sell the course this past year partially because of the expense of maintaining it. After much public debate, and a couple of tries, the property was auctioned in April 2007.

The partners also own property adjoining the Sandy Brae course, James said. Although they have no specific plans for that tract at this time, it does offer potential for the future, he said.

For now, their focus will remain on further improving the golf course, James said.

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