As co-chair of the annual  Côte Saint-Luc Golf Classic with fellow Councillor Sam Goldbloom, my goal has always been to make the event bigger each year. I believe we have done that, with many thanks going to our two invaluable staff liaisons Harold Cammy and Alvin Fishman. Thanks as well to legendary sportsman Roy Salomon, who has been a trusted advisor to us this year.

We will next tee off on Tuesday, July 14, at Meadowbrook Golf Club for our 36th Annual Côte Saint-Luc Golf Classic.

This year’s event is bound to attract many new and returning players as we are presenting a new format of play, as well as two new specific age classifications whereby players can compete (on a friendly basis) amongst their own age groups: MASTERS (age 65 and older) and EAGLE (age 64 and younger).

We are excited to announce that our title sponsor this year will be Freemark Apparel Brands Inc and its Bench brand.

Left to right: Harold Cammy, Youppi Routtenberg, Alvin Fishman, Mark Routtenberg, Mike Cohen and Sam Goldbloom.

Mark Routtenberg, president of Freemark Apparel Brands and former minority owner of the Montreal Expos, has been named honourary chairperson for this year's classic. Mark, who raised his family in Côte Saint-Luc, will be our guest speaker at the luncheon and talk about the Expos and the possibilities surrounding the return of baseball to Montreal.  Sam, Harold, Alvin and I went to visit with Mark and his son Michael, better known during his CSL playing days as “Youppi.” He is very enthusiastic about coming back to a community he has so many fond memories of. We hope sons Youppi and Lawrence will also be with us on the links as well as mom Frema who once upon a time worked at our library. How about Felipe Alou? The former Expos manager is a good friend of Mark. In fact, Mark just attended Felipe's 80th birthday party in Florida.

Ron Yarin

In addition, we have named long-time volunteer Ron Yarin as our special honouree for this year’s event. The committee will honour Ron for more than 35 years of dedicated service to the community and to our residents. We know his friends will want to be on hand  to help celebrate the occasion. Among this group is the Routtenberg family, whom Ron worked with for many years.  Ron has fallen upon some hard times health-wise in recent years, but he is truly excited to be part of the Classic

We are also pleased to announce and thank  Sam Eltes, president of Silver Star Mercedes-Benz, for sponsoring our Hole-in-one contest. Wow, how about driving away in a brand new Mercedes-Benz?

The new format of play is called “Scramble” and is quite popular in today’s golf outings. This format helps speed up the game for all players and is being introduced as a result of many requests from previous participants.

The players decide which golfer hits the best shot off the tee and then all players from that foursome play their next shot from that point. Play continues from hole to hole in the same fashion for the rest of the outing.

Starting times

Starting times will be between  7 am and 10 am (first come,  first served). Golfers are reminded that all starting times must be strictly adhered to in order to avoid unnecessary delays at tee-off time. You must arrive 15 minutes early before you scheduled tee-time. Arrangements for electric golf carts must be made at the Pro Shop in advance of your starting time and will be “at your own expense”.

Last year’s event attracted 80 golfers and we are confident that with the new playing format and the two new age classifications we can increase the number of participant golfers in this year’s gala affair

Sponsorship

We are also soliciting sponsorships for the nine-hole golf outing. Companies can sponsor a hole for $100 and will have their company name and logo prominently displayed at the tee chosen. Please note that we are doing this in an effort to create a growing bond between our business organizations and the community. For this very small contribution, the sponsor connects to the community and we help build a sense of civic pride.

If you own a business or have business contacts who may be interested in sponsoring this outing in support of this wonderful community event, please ask them to contact Harold Cammy or Alvin Fishman at [email protected] or [email protected].

Cost

The registration fee will remain at $27 (tax included) which includes nine holes of golf, a catered sit down buffet luncheon, award-winning trophies for contests such as Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, and the opportunity to win one of many door prizes.

Luncheon

The luncheon will be held at the Cote Saint-Luc Aquatic and Community Center, 5794 Parkhaven Avenue, 2^nd Floor Salon B starting at 1:00pm. Please note we have reserved Salon A which will be open to everyone immediately upon arriving at the Aquatic and Community Centre. No more waiting in the halls until lunch. Wine and light crudités will be served in this Hospitality Room.

How to register

Registration will open on June 1  at the Cote Saint-Luc Parks and Recreation Department, 7500 Mackle Road (corner Parkhaven Avenue) Monday through Friday from 8:30am – 4:30pm. For your convenience, you may also register at the Aquatic and Community Center daily from 8 am  to 9 pm. It is interesting to note that many of Ron's friends have learned about the event and called us already about how to register, so do not delay!

Rain date

In case of thunderstorms on Tuesday, July 14, the luncheon  will proceed with festivities at the Aquatic and Community Center at 1 pm. Golf will be postponed until the following Tuesday, July 21. The same starting times will be honored at Meadowbrook Golf Club, 8370 Côte Saint-Luc Road. History will note that this event has never been rained out before.

For further information, please contact Alvin Fishman, Section Manager, Health, Physical Education and Recreation services at 514-485-6806 X 2012 or by email at [email protected].