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stouffville suntribune thursday july 1 2004 19 stouffville suntribune sports big changes in store for emerald hills links warden avenue club adding nine holes 71 home subdivision by jim thomas correspondent emerald hills golf club is on a roll major expansion when com pleted will enlarge the course thats located on warden avenue north of bloomington road in stouffville to 27 holes from 18 the project started last november should be ready by spring 2005 golf director andrew crichton said a new 71 home estate devel opment will also surround the site clublink courses emerald hills is one more than 30 golf clubs in the greater toronto area ottawa and montreal owned and operated by clublink clublink is currently the largest multiple course operators in canada crichton said emerald hills close proximity to toronto as well as markham stouffville aurora and newmarket makes it ideal for the golf enthusiast he states deb retner left of hamilton construction smooths the earth around a bunker at a new 12th green at the emerald hills golf and country club the whitchurchstouffville club now part of the club link chain is undergoing a major renovation to 27 holes from its current 18 the project which began last november is expected to be completed by next spring the sport continues to increase in popularity every where he adds a stateoftheart practice facility and clubhouse renova tions costing close to 1 million were completed in 2002 this has enabled management to better serve both members and outside interests by catering to business meeting weddings and banquets crichton said one of our most exciting ven tures has been reconstructing and remodelling our golf driving range he states the ninehole expansion plan comes under the supervision of renowned golf course architect tom mcbroom a reservoir has been con structed at the north end of the site creating a challenging haz ard this addition along with broadening existing irrigation ponds will ensure better condi tions for the greens and fairways crichton said space to be fully utilized when the current season con cludes work will commence on maximizing the length and width of the existing driving range using all available space this will permit double the number of hitting mats and three times as many bent grass tees landscaping enhancements are also underway extending from the entry gates through to the clubhouse including the entry road and parking area gaspowered golf carts will soon be a thing of the past replaced next year by electric units a cart storage facility will soon be built at no time during reconstruc tion will the current 18hole course be closed crichton stresses csida hopes to leave indy with checkered flag from support race ballantrae resident one of 25 drivers in toronto event by jim thomas correspondent a ballantrae resident will be in for the race of his life blaise csida will be one of an expected 25 entries in a transam series field preceding the toronto molson indy july 25 at exhibition park the 38yearold bf goodrich challenge cup competitor has his handbuilt 40000 trans- amcamaro all revved up and ready to roll it marks the first time hes ever competed in the same arena as the big boys of molson indy fame he will take to the track just ahead of the indy were second on the pecking board prior to the main race he says csida began racing street cars 10 years ago while still living in bradford later he advanced to regional com petition then to the gt2 class in 2001 groundup assembly was com pleted with the assistance of csidas father in the familys ballantrae blaise csida began auto racing career 10 years ago when he drove street cars while residing in bradford garage the 650horsepower engine can push the car up to 170 mh on the straightaway he says its a thrill the atmosphere is exciting its a thrill the atmospheres excit ing csida said of the highspeed sport he currently partakes in an estimated 200000 people are expected to attend unlike most upandcoming race car kids csida didnt get his star on the gokart circuit ive always gone with fullsize cars he says its something ive always loved qualifications will be held on friday preceding sundays main event during the race expected to last about an hour the cars will circle the track up to 40 times the risk of accident is always real csida says but he doesnt allow this to play on his mind all cars must meet strict safety standards while csida would dearly love to win to finish in the top 10 would be a dream come true he claims the weather he says can be the great equalizer in a race of this kind a rainsoaked track tends to slow the faster cars down he notes the tires 13inch rear and 12inch front are all slick with no tread for csida and his crew the most pressing current need is sponsors because notice of transams inclu sion in the molson indy was short it gave owners and drivers little oppor tunity to garner support its an honour to participate csida concludes my greatest per sonal thrill meadowbrook hosts proam charity golf event meadowbrook golf and country club will host the ninth annual evergreen hospice proam charity tournament july 19 tournament proceeds will support a variety of pro grams that help people with lifethreatening illnesses and their families cope through difficult times services include inhome support the kathleen mullin day program as well as counselling programs devel oped to meet the specific needs of children teens and adults meadowbrook golf and country club is located in gormley at 1 1939 warden ave just south of stouffville road each of the 36 foursomes will play with a great lakes tour pro canadian golf legend moe norman is scheduled to demonstrate his famous perfect swing tournament guests can participate in playing tips from the pros and a complimentary lunch will be offered prior to the 1230 pm shotgun start contests include beat the pro and the everpopular closest to the volunteer holeinone golfers will have a chance to win 10000 cash donated by markham dodge chrysler jeep a buffet dinner will follow the entry fee is 250 per person including lunch dinner and prizes and 1500 per corporate partner fee includes a foursome and hole sponsorship golfers will receive a charitable donation tax receipt for a portion of the entry fee corporate sponsorship opportunities are available lb register contact evergreen hospice at 9054725014 or logon to mwevergreenhospiceorg