La Bourgogne site of new pro-am polo league in Aiken County

Apr. 14—Spring play is underway in the new pro-am league at La Bourgogne Club de Polo.

David Meunier is the founder and owner of the venue at 1150 Coleman Bridge Road, between Aiken and Wagener.

The real estate investor and entrepreneur also is an amateur competitor in the polo league.

Games are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through the end of May, weather permitting.

The league "is really geared toward people that are trying to improve their own personal skills," said Liv Berube, manager of La Bourgogne. "They (amateur players) aren't trying to just hire a pro to win without caring about their own performance on the field. This is about bringing them (the amateurs) along and elevating their polo by being coached by some of the best pros that we have in the Aiken area."

In polo, players have handicaps and are rated on a scale from -2 to 10. Those with -2 handicaps are novices while those with 10s are the best in terms of their skills.

Pros set to participate in La Bourgogne's league on a regular basis and their ratings, according to the U.S. Polo Association, include Pelon Escapite, 6; Julian Daniels, 5; Alan Martinez, 5, and Adam Snow, 4.

Snow was a 10-goal player when he was younger.

The other pros and their ratings are Luis Galvan, 3, and Nate Berube, 2.

"Each team is guaranteed one of the four highest-goal players," said Liv Berube, who is Nate's wife. "Then we balance it out with the other players to make the teams as even as possible so the level (for each with the ratings of all four players combined) is six to eight goals."

For amateurs, games are more enjoyable when there are two pros and two amateurs on a team, Meunier said.

In polo, it is common for amateurs, who also are known as patrons, to pay professionals to be on their squads.

As an amateur who has been on teams with three professionals many times, "I feel like I'm paying for the polo pros to have fun, but I'm not having fun," Meunier said. "They always are fighting for the win, and when it's a crucial time when I could eventually hit the ball, they are like, 'Oh, leave it.' They take the ball and try to score to get the win.

"Here (at La Bourgogne), winning or losing is okay. It doesn't matter," he continued. "What you want (as an amateur) is to learn. You want to be instructed by the best."

Amateurs also are allowed to bring in outside pros they would like to play on their teams.

Even though amateur participation is a priority in La Bourgogne's pro-am league, Meunier said he believes the matches still will be action-packed and exciting for spectators.

Plans call for Thursday games to be held on La Bourgogne's lower or secondary field and for Saturday games to take place on the main field where the Anthony Francois Meunier Pavilion and more than 60 VIP boxes are located.

The public is welcome to attend. There is no admission charge.

The pro-am league also will have a fall season this year, Meunier said.

For more information, visit labourgogneclubdepolo.com or the La Bourgogne Club de Polo LLC page on Facebook.