EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Wherever Ed Marshall goes in search of a good round of golf – maybe he’ll be out on Prince Edward Island, or over in Fredericton – he knows he’s got an instant conversation-starter.

All the Madawaska High School athletic director has to do is tell a new friend that he plays out of Edmundston Golf Club.

Then he stands back and listens.

“They’ve got two holes [they want to talk about],” Marshall says with a grin. “They’ve got [No. 4] and No. 7 that they talk about. But for different reasons.”

That’s because No. 4 is a postcard beauty of a par 3 that invites golfers to take dead aim from its elevated tee. The Madawaska River and a mountain are the backdrop, and a set of railroad tracks frame the front of the tidy green. And No. 7? Well, let’s save the bad news for last.

“This is one of my favorites,” Marshall admits, standing on the tee box of No. 4. “And I’ll tell you what: When that mountain is alive in September … the hillsides? It’s breathtaking.”

There are plenty of nifty holes at Edmundston, a par-73 Albert Murray layout that’s celebrating its 70th year this season.

In fact, there enough of them that the course will host the Canadian Amateur championships in 2002, as well as this year’s New Brunswick Amateur.

For the record, Edmundston also hosted the Canadian Amateur in 1956. The winner? Golf icon Moe Norman, who still holds the course record of 64.

The course boasts a sizable membership of 482 (including 80 Americans who take advantage of the convenient Madawaska border crossing and short five-minute drive).

Edmundston was originally funded by Fraser Papers, and the company that provides jobs on both sides of the border for St. John Valley residents is still the majority shareholder, pro Marc Gelinas says.

“The course was built for their employees, to entice them to come over years ago, and today it stays the same,” Gelinas says.

The result, Gelinas says, is an atmosphere that forgets nationality and focuses on a shared love of golf.

“I don’t see that there’s any difference between American and Canadian,” he says. “They have learned to be one. They have learned to be together. It’s like any other club.”

The members, Gelinas points out, are proud to be hosting next year’s Canadian Amateur.

“It’s a sacrifice for the membership, there’s no doubt about that,” Gelinas says. “But hopefully we’ll gain some credibility, we’ll gain some publicity from that. And in the long run, the club, the city, the region and the province should be gaining from that.”

The climate of the area has conspired to make maintenance easy in some ways, Gelinas says, though he credits a hard-working staff for keeping the course in top shape.

“Tee to green, in my opinion, it’s probably the best course [in New Brunswick] without an irrigation system,” Gelinas says.

The tees and greens are watered plenty. After that, it’s up to Mother Nature.

“I guess the humidity in the morning and the proximity of the river are things that help keep the moisture in the ground. Maybe the trees help, too,” Gelinas says. “I don’t know.”

Whatever the reason, the fairways remain plush for most of the summer.

Gelinas says the course’s varied terrain can be a challenge.

“As the course has matured over the years, there are big trees all over the place,” Gelinas says. “There are downhill lies, sidehill lies, and you have to be able to play every club in your bag, basically.”

Another feature: While most clubs welcome junior golfers, Edmundston makes it easy for kids to learn the game: A six-hole junior course of par-3 holes is available for even the smallest duffers.

“The other day there was a father and son out there, and the son couldn’t have been three feet tall,” Marshall says. “His club was as long as he was.”

Now for the bad news: Out there, somewhere, lurks No. 7. Every course ought to have a trademark toughie. Edmundston sure does.

Gelinas, the fourth-year pro, sums it up in a few well-chosen words.

“It’s the monster,” he says. “The toughest hole in the province.”

Golfers might choose their own – more colorful – descriptions of Gelinas’ monster, a dogleg-right that stretches 439 yards from the blue tees.

The trouble comes early and often, as the railroad tracks that run down the left side of the fairway serve to pinch the landing area: Only a tiny patch of level grass awaits.

On the right is a nasty steep sidehill. On the left, near the tracks? Out of bounds.

And unless you’re long, your chances of eyeballing the pin on your second shot are slim.

“Seven is not a good hole,” Marshall says. “More tournaments are won and lost on No. 7 than any other one.”

EDMUNSTON GOLF CLUB

Holes: 18

Yards: 6,694 (blue tees), 6,284 (white), 5,342 (red) par: 73

Slope: ; 124 (blue), 118 (white), 119 (red) rating: 71.6 (blue), 69.8 (white) 69.5 (red)

Green fees: 18 holes: $40 weekdays (Canadian funds), $45 weekends and holidays, $30 after 2:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays

Memberships: $770 individual (Canadian funds), $695 seniors, $500 young man, age 30 and younger, $200 college student

Tee times: suggested

Directions: Follow Route 1 to Madawaska and the U.S.-Canada border crossing. Go through customs, take your first right, go straight through first stop light, turn right at second stop light. Cross bridge, turn left onto Victoria Street at next stop light. Edmundston Golf Club is at 570 Victoria Street.

Footwear: No metal spikes

Phone: (506) 735-7266 (clubhouse), (506) 735-7266 (pro shop), (506) 735-4831 (starter)

John Holyoke will be profiling a golf course of interest to Mainers each Tuesday. Contact him at 990-8214 or by e-mail at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net