The golf season in the region has been underway for some time, but that didn't stop one facility in Quinte West from re-opening on a day that was near perfect to hit the links with sunshine, a blue sky and a few high clouds above.
 
The balloons were outside and the cake was cut inside the clubhouse at Quinte Hills Golf Course in Stockdale on Thursday afternoon.
 
Larry Gatien became the owner of Quinte Hills last October and said instead of an investment, he found an opportunity based on being a golfer there and talked about what drew him and his family to the course.
 
"The old owner that had built this place was in his eighties and he wanted to sell it to a golfer.", said Gatien.  "He wanted this course not just to be a development play, but he wanted to sell it to a golfer.  He talked me into taking it off his hands, quite honestly.  Glad we did it -- it's a gorgeous piece of property and we're pretty excited about it."
 
But operating Quinte Hills wasn't easy for Gatien at first.
 
"It didn't come with an owners' manual, so we had to kind of learn a lot of stuff on the fly.  We kind of faced 'biblical rains' in the beginning of the season -- and some other owners have said 'worst spring in thirty-three years'.  We got through that, got the course up and running, got a great crew here.  So there's been a lot of work done to make this season happen."
 
The Quinte West Chamber of Commerce had several representatives on hand for Thursday's festivities and Gatien said he was 'blown away' by the support shown by the group and is working with a pair of area eateries to help grow his new business.
 
"I work with the Artisan Cafe in Frankford, who deliver fresh sandwiches here daily.", said Gatien.  "Barn and Country Catering catered a tournament for one of our clients and volunteered to support this opening, putting barbecue on for us.  Make it local."
 
Barn and Country supplied the pulled pork for sandwiches at Quinte Hills on Thursday.
 
Gatien described Quinte Hills Golf Course as the 'world's best kept secret', and one does not need to look any further than the views from the 460 yard (Par 5) ninth hole -- where a pair of golfers were playing through -- to see why.
 
"The old owner wasn't that interested in marketing and didn't market as much as anybody normally would, so we've used lots of local press and local maps, local guides -- invested quite a bit in marketing to get the word out.  We've seen lots of new faces.  Every day, we have people saying 'we didn't know you were here, we had a great time, we'll be back." 
 
He continued, "It's got the best vistas of any golf course around -- no question about it.   Our Hole number 5 is our signature hole.  It's a big Par 5 and you can practically see Campbellford from there."
 
As far as what's next, Gatien planned to meet a number of goals in the future.
 
"Obviously, to grow the business, to grow new golfers.  To do that, we're offering free introductory lessons through the month of August and we've a young local lad that's giving those lessons.   Part of this property is in the hamlet and so that forty acres is all slated at some point for the development of houses.  I actually envision a course community here surrounded the course."