Nine North Focussing On The Future, And Youth
Nine North is the new name for Hunter's Creek Golf course, a hidden gem of a nine hole course, located just a kilometre from Hwy. 41 on Road 506, south of Cloyne.
A small sign on the south side of Road 56 leads to a wooden laneway that gives way to the manicured 9th fairway of the golf course and the putting green, parking lot and clubhouse.
The course has been blessed by good ownership, with the most recent owners, the Kennedy's, having added a lot of extra elements to the business.
This sprint, Brandon McLean and his partners, who already own the Nine North course in Belleville, purchased Hunter's Creek and he plans to build on what has already been accomplished at the course, and add a renewed focus on junior golf in particular.
“Golf is a really hard sport, and there are a lot of initial hurdles when you start playing the game,” he said, in an interview on a brilliant late July day at the course.
“What we like to do with young people is to get them started in the game in the right way. Kids can do well because they don't have any bad habits when they start. We show them the basics and they say ok, well that's what I do, and it's great.”
The summer Junior camps are running in July and August, and the August camp is running next week, starting on August 17.
“Our camps are great,” Brandon said, “We’ve got kids as young as 4, and we had four girls in the July camp, and they just loved it.”
The core group of golfers have continued to join the women's and men's leagues this summer, and the community has been very kind to Brandon thus far.
“Even though we have a similar business model in Belleville, everything here is totally different. It's like everyone relaxes when they come up north, especially in summer when people are on vacation, at cottages, looking to enjoy themselves. We like to tap into that here.”
He also said that the local business community has been extra helpful as he has been working to keep up with hosting golf tournaments and maintaining a great menu and food service.
“We had a big tournament here and we just don't have enough golf carts. I was looking around for some more to rent, and Bob Yearwood over at Bishop Lake had some and he just arrived with them all, on a truck, on the day of the tournament. It was amazing.”
The focus this summer and fall is to foster youth golf, which is Brandon's passion, and he will be approaching North Addington Education Centre about that, as well as serving the local residents, summer residents and tourists alike, all the while making the golf tournament experience for local groups a great one.
There is a back parking lot on the property where people spend the night as they travel through the region, with fifth-wheel camper vans and house trailers, and while they are passing through they play a round or get a meal.
“You can play golf in the spring and fall, but we recognise that the summer is where we make or break this business, so we strive to keep the course in top playable condition. The water system here is excellent, and we provide a fun experience for everyone. So far so good.”
Nine North has a website ninegolfcloyne.ca, and can be contacted by phone, 613-336-2587, or email at [email protected]
Membership and multiple round packages are available
