ABERCROMBIE, N.S. – It’s unlikely that charter members at Abercrombie Golf Club could have envisioned that their little course would still be up and running a century later.
“There’s been a lot of clubs come and go,” says Jonathan Garron, director of golf at Abercrombie, which is marking its 100th year in 2019.
“To stay around and stay in business – to get to that 100 years and still going pretty strong is a huge accomplishment.”
There are only a handful of golf courses in Nova Scotia that are older than Abercrombie; among them – this is not necessarily a complete list – are Truro Golf Club (opened in 1903), Amherst, Yarmouth Links (built in the 1800s), Digby Pines (1905), Chester, Brightwood in Dartmouth and Lingan, which is in Cape Breton.
“There would be a few older than us,” says Garron, “but I don’t think there’s a lot. It’s the test of time – we’ve been very fortunate. We are still fairly strong and a lot of it comes back to the support of the membership.”
As part of its centennial celebrations, the club will also host the Nova Scotia Men’s Amateur championship on July 5-7.
“There’s a lot of local people from my understanding that wants to register and play,” said Garron, “which will be nice for us, to have a strong contingent who will play and compete.”
He added that the course itself is in great condition.
“It’s probably the best it’s ever wintered. We should open with no (temporary tees or greens). We’re really looking forward to a strong year.”
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Grant Dunlop has been a member at Abercrombie since 1960. It is believed he is the longest continuous-serving member, having started there when he was about nine years old. He still golfs four times a week.
“We father played, my mother played, we all played golf,” says Dunlop, who deserves credit for gathering most of the information in this article.
His brother Allan, who died a few years ago, had been employed with Nova Scotia Archives, and as Abercrombie was approaching its 75th anniversary, he suggested that it might be a good idea to look into the club’s history.
In the early 1990s, Grant Dunlop, started going through microfilm at the library in New Glasgow, poring over old newspapers, piecing together the past. It would prove to be more work than he’d imagined.
“I didn’t think it would take me a year to do it,” he says with a smile.
He figures that Abercrombie has hosted close to 30 provincial and national golf championships (it was home of the 2015 Canadian men’s amateur).
“It’s a nice accomplishment, to still be here a hundred years later.”
IN THE CLUBHOUSE
• Abercrombie has twice had its clubhouse burn to the ground. The original went up in flames in 1956, following a social event held there; a year later, a new one was built at a cost of $29,000, or what would be roughly $250,000 today.
• In 1968, a section was added to the building to accommodate the Bluenose Curling Club. 1968 was also the year the club went from being a nine-hole course to its current 18.
• That clubhouse lasted until 1989, when a fire that started in the clubhouse kitchen destroyed the facility. It was re-built the next year (a trailer was used as a temporary clubhouse for the 1989 season) and the Bluenose Curling Club relocated to Park Street in New Glasgow.
• Dunlop said there are a few original holes on the course: No. 1, which has a rebuilt green, and holes 7, 8 and 9 and what is now the 11th hole. Also, what is now the 10th hole used to be the sixth.
DOMINATING THE FIELD
• In an eight-year span beginning in 1977, John T. MacLeod, Jr. won the men’s championship seven times (nine overall). MacLeod also won the N.S. men’s amateur twice (in 1969 he was the first junior to ever win it) and again in 1986, when he captured the title at his home course in Abercrombie).
• Kevin Scott has won it six times and is the two-time defending champion.
• W.H. “Nan” Ross won the women’s division 15 times, and six in a row from 1937-1942.
• The last 12 women’s titles have been won by Debbie Bray (five), Julia Henderson (four) and Michelle Buck (three). Bray has captured 10 overall.
List of Abercrombie Golf Club champions
MEN
1926: Dr. Garfield MacDonald
1927: Unknown
1928: T.L. McCall
1929: J.S.M. Mason
1930: George ‘Stonewall’ Jackson
1931: Ross Nesbitt
1932: Ross Nesbitt
1933: Unknown
1934: Dr. W.R. Fraser
1935: E.S. MacKenzie
1936: J.S.M. Mason
1937: Unknown
1938: Unknown
1939: Rev. Robert Condon
1940: J.W.H. Sutherland
1941: J.W.H. Sutherland
1942: J.B. Keay
1943: Unknown
1944: Unknown
1945: Unknown
1946: Harry McNaughton Jr.
1947: Bill Mutch
1948: J.S. “Bing” Spencer
1949: Robert “Lugs” Rae
1950: J.S. “Bing” Spencer
1951: Unknown
1952: Harry McNaughton Jr.
1953: Unknown
1954: J.S. “Bing” Spencer
1955: Robert “Lugs” Rae
1956: Danny Hood, Jr.
1957: Hughie Sutherland
1958: Danny Hood, Jr.
1959: Hughie Sutherland
1960: Nesbit “Nip” Ross
1961: Joe Mitchell
1962: Bill Cuin
1963: Glenn Austin
1964: Bill Cuin
1965: Unknown
1966: Tom MacDonald
1967: Sid Lockhart
1968: Danny Hood Jr.
1969: Avard “Push” Madore
1970: Wayne Madore
1971: Stan Rozicki
1972: Bill Cuin
1973: David MacLean
1974: John T. MacLeod Jr.
1975: David MacLean
1976: John Young
1977-1980: John T. MacLeod Jr.
1981: Fred Fergus
1982-1984: John T. MacLeod Jr.
1985: Dave Callaghan
1986: Steve Saulnier
1987: Aaron Callaghan
1988: Clark Savage
1989: Bob Wong
1990: Harvey Cormier
1991: David Canfield
1992: John “Jook Munroe
1993: John “Jook Munroe
1994: David Canfield
1995: Lee Fanning
1996: John “Jook Munroe
1997: Kevin Scott
1998: John T. MacLeod Jr.
1999: John “Jook Munroe
2000: Bon Wong
2001: Jamie MacIntosh
2002: Bruce Horne
2003: Brad Smith
2004: Grant Dunlop
2005-2007: Ray Hogan
2008: Kevin Scott
2009: Jim “S.T.” MacDonald
2010: Glenn MacLean
2011: Kevin Scott
2012: Glenn MacLean
2013: Jamie Aitken
2014: Kevin Scott
2015: Devan MacDonald
2016: Mark Fortune
2017: Kevin Scott
2018: Kevin Scott
WOMEN
1922: W.H. “Nan” Ross
1923: Unknown
1924: Unknown
1925-1928: W.H. “Nan” Ross
1929: Unknown
1930-1932: W.H. “Nan” Ross
1933: Rube MacGregor
1934-1935: W.H. “Nan” Ross
1936: Unknown
1937-1942: W.H. “Nan” Ross
1943: Unknown
1944: Unknown
1945-1947: W.H. “Nan” Ross
1949-1960: Faun MacDearmid
1961: Mary Armstrong
1962: Fran MacDearmid
1963: Unknown
1964: Unknown
1965: Alta Roy
1966: Unknown
1967: Unknown
1968: Faun MacDearmid
1969: Mary Goodine
1970-1973: Faun MacDearmid
1974: Unknown
1975-1977: Debbie MacLeod
1978-1980: Unknown
1981: Joan MacConnell
1982: Unknown
1983: Joanne Johnson
1984-1986: Unknown
1987: Joanne Johnson
1988: Joanne Johnson
1989-1990: Unknown
1991: Sarah Marks
1992: Joyce Jackson
1993: Sarah Marks
1994: Sarah Marks
1995: Joyce Jackson
1996: Margo Hilchey
1997: Sarah Marks
1998: Sue Lewis
1999: Sarah Marks
2000: Michelle Buck
2001-2005: Debbie Bray
2006: Bea White
2007: Debbie Bray
2008: Michelle Buck
2009: Michelle Buck
2010-2012: Julia Henderson
2013: Debbie Bray
2014: Debbie Bray
2015: Julia Henderson
2016: Debbie Bray
2017: Debbie Bray
2018: Michelle Buck
