The Alberta Golfer - 2017 Edition

THE ALBERTA

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF ALBERTA GOLF | 2017

Ethan Choi 59!!

Alberta’s Best Holes

The New Rules

Jennifer Ha

Alberta Golf’s New Membership Model

On Tour

ALBERTAGOLF.ORG

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Gallery

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

Chandler McDowell of the Red Deer G&CC blasts out of a greenside bunker at the 2016 Alberta Junior Championship. The talented teenager won the Juvenile Championship by 5 strokes including a final round 66 at the Cottonwood G&CC. Chandler converted that finish into a spot on Team Canada in 2017.

AlbertaGolf.org

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National Team member and Glencoe G&CC standout Jaclyn Lee made a lasting impression on the home crowd during her first LPGA Tour event at the 2016 CP Women’s Open at Priddis Greens G&CC. Lee finished as the championship’s low amateur, capturing the prestigious Marlene Streit Award.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

AlbertaGolf.org

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Feature Alberta’s Best Golf Holes

Ponoka Hosts The Men’s Amateur

Red Deer Hosts The Ladies’ Amateur

Some of Alberta’s best golf holes are profiled. Let the debates begin!

Alberta’s best male amateurs are going to “Stampede” to the Ponoka Community GC for the 2017 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship.

Red Deer GCC is hosting another major Alberta Golf event this year: the 2017 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship.

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The Golf Economy

The Beast

The business of golf has a huge economic impact in Alberta. As our economy rebounds, the effects ripple throughout the golf industry.

The Fire of the Century last June in Fort McMurray was devastating.

Golf has played an important role in helping the community heal.

Membership Has Its Benefits Learn the details of Golf Canada’s new membership model.

24 36 72 Travel

6

What’s New

Tips For The Trip Albertans love their winter golf. Read about some of our more popular warm weather golf destinations.

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Spokane and Coeur d’Alene The Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area has a wealth of fabulous golf courses along with so much more to see and do.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

The New Rules

65

The Ranch’s New Loyalty App

66

PGA of Alberta Pros on the Move

66

Kimberley’s $10K Shootout

67

Who Moved The Ball?

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People

Industry

Gallery

2

Message From The CEO of Alberta Golf

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59! Ethan Choi A profile of Ethan Choi, one of Canada’s best junior golfers and his stunning 59 at the 2016 Alberta Bantam Championship.

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A Plan For Improvement Bill Murchison of Golf Canada Calgary Centre has a tip for your grip.

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Hosting The CP Women’s Open Priddis Greens GCC hosted the 2016 CP Women’s Open for the third time.

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Sooooooooo Soft The new trend in golf balls is ‘going soft’.

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Remembering Betty Stanhope-Cole Alberta Golf lost one of its icons this winter with the passing of Betty Stanhope-Cole.

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Kananaskis - The Countdown The rebuild is almost done. Kananaskis Country looks to re-open in 2018.

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Tournament Schedule

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A Special Week Jaclyn Lee made her LPGA Tour debut at the 2016 CP Women’s Open in Calgary.

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Tips of the Trade Top Alberta tournament competitors provide their best tips on how to prepare for a competition.

61

The Call to the Hall Martin Blake and Les Swelin are inducted into the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame.

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Tour Talk Profile of the McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour.

62

Wylie vs. Wyllie What’s in a name? Plenty, if your name is Bob Wylie or Bob Wyllie.

52

Maximize Your Rotation Some exercise tips to improve your body’s rotation and add distance to your game.

68

Dustin Being Dustin Profile of Dustin Risdon. Is he Alberta’s best player?

69

Behind The Scenes The challenges of effectively staffing a golf course.

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Moving The Game Forward Profile of Scott Simmons, Golf Canada’s former CEO.

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Courses, Courses, Courses Several exciting new courses are coming to the Alberta golf landscape.

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Marilyn O’Connor - For The Love of The Game Alberta Golf Hall-of-Famer Marilyn O’Connor is now also in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

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Canada Summer Games Experiences of two of Alberta’s best young golfers at the Canada Summer Games in PEI.

76 77

The Year in Pictures

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Centennial Celebration Centennial celebrations at Lethbridge’s Henderson Lake GC.

Inclusion In The Game Special Olympics golf programs are helping to grow the game.

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Adopt A School Be a ‘local champion’ by adopting a school in the Golf In Schools program.

84

Association Updates Updates from the EGA, CGA, and CLGA.

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Scholarship Award Winners

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On Tour with Jennifer Ha Calgary’s Jennifer Ha is making her way through her rookie season on the LPGA Tour.

The Champions Profiles of Alberta Golf’s 2016 tournament winners.

THE ALBERTA

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF ALBERTA GOLF | 2017

Cover: Jennifer Ha of Calgary, currently in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Ethan Choi 59!!

Alberta’s Best Holes

The New Rules

Jennifer Ha

Alberta Golf’s New Membership Model

On Tour

ALBERTAGOLF.ORG

The Alberta Golfer may be viewed online at www.albertagolf.org

AlbertaGolf.org

7

Industry

“First I need to fall in love with the game again.”

T

his is by far the most relevant and insightful comment I heard this winter when discussing how we might be able to encourage more of our core golfers to play more golf. It resonated very strongly with me and I have used it throughout the winter in conversations at various industry stakeholder discussions. It seems there are a lot of us out there that need to fall in love with it again.

Playing more golf has become a bit of a mantra at Alberta Golf recently. We are trying to encourage our volunteers to lead by example and what better way than to encourage ourselves to play more golf. So that’s what we are doing. Easy to say, much harder to do.

We all know the two biggest factors in the game are time and cost. Cost is relative and if you look around there are many affordable options for equipment, green fees, clinics, lessons and camps out there. I spoke to a hockey coach recently who kind of shook his head when he thought about the number of $200 hockey sticks that were broken this season by an individual questioning the spend on a $180 putter. A putter that might be kept for life. I wonder if the same individual went down to the clearance centre at the PGA of Alberta Golf Show where putters were going for $40. Did you also know there is a central Alberta golf club encouraging juniors to join for $100 for the entire season! Wow, that seems pretty reasonable to me!

The point is, golf can be affordable when compared with other activities.

But it does take time… so how can

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

we address the amount of time it takes to enjoy the game? Or should we look at it more as being a really good investment of our time?

Would we love it even more if we changed some of our answers from ‘I played golf yesterday’ to something along the lines of ‘I ran a few errands in the morning, played nine holes with the kids after lunch and then went out for dinner and a movie with some friends.’ Golf is certainly one the highlights of the day but does it really need to be the only thing?

To test the waters on this we are exploring new concepts at Alberta Golf to encourage more play by a variety of golfers with a shared passion and love for the game. Nine-hole competitions, putting contests, provincial golf leagues, Stableford formats… we are leaving no stone unturned this summer in our quest to explore what might be possible for the future of this great game in our province.

So here is the takeaway. And I will leave it up to you to follow through.

This season when you run into your friends, colleagues, acquaintances, course superintendent, golf professional or general manager somewhere in your neighbourhood or at the golf course – remind them of how excited you are to be playing the game of golf and how much you love it.

And let them know how much you would enjoy teeing it up with them one day on the golf course as well. But don’t stop there. Take action – go right ahead and just book the time. I have a funny feeling you will just love it.

Please enjoy the 2017 edition of The Alberta Golfer.

Phil Berube

Executive Director/CEO Alberta Golf

2017 Board of Directors

Tom Zariski, President – Dinosaur Trail GC Peter Major, Vice President – Calgary G&CC Bill McNaughton, Treasurer– Glencoe G&CC Bob McGinn, Past President – Sturgeon Valley GC Tiffany Gordon, Secretary– Cottonwood G&CC Steven Johnson, Director at Large –Alberta Golf & Golf Canada Gold Susan MacKinnon, Director at Large – Willow Park G&CC Lorraine Moster, Director at Large – Alberta Golf & Golf Canada Gold Peter Davies, Director at Large – Pine Hills GC Mike Gendron, President, Alberta Golf Foundation (non-voting) – Windermere G&CC

2017 Staff

Phil Berube, Executive Director/CEO Jack Lane, Director, Brand & Business Development Stephen Wigington, Coordinator, Competitions Jennifer Davison, Coordinator, Golf Course Services & Community Events Shauna Maisey, Office Manager Randy Robb, Manager, High Performance Sport

Golf Canada Director

Leslie Dunning, 1st Vice President, Earl Grey GC

Alberta Golf Contact Info

#22, 11410 27 Street SE Calgary, AB T2Z 3R6 P: 403.236.4616 F: 403.236.2915 Toll Free: 1.888.414.4849 Email:info@albertagolf.org www.albertagolf.org

Design & Production

ev+ Agency Suite 203, 15023-123 Avenue NW Edmonton, AB T5V 1J7 P: 780.424.1111 F:780.424.2884 Email: michele@evhq.ca www.evhq.ca THE ALBERTA GOLFER is a print and digital magazine published annually by Alberta Golf in partnership with ev+ Agency. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission from Alberta Golf. Thank you to all the golf clubs which allowed Alberta Golf to conduct provincial championships on their courses during 2016.

Please enjoy the 2017 edition of The Alberta Golfer. www.thealbertagolfer.ca

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Feature

ALBERTA’S

BEST GOLF HOLES By: Andrew Penner

One of the last pre-flood images taken of the famous 4th on the Mt. Kidd Course at Kananaskis.

F

rom a golfer’s perspective, there is no Canadian province that can match the variety, and the beauty, of Alberta.

Other than authentic seaside links, our province is home to every genre of the game. Mountain golf. Parkland golf. Prairie golf. Badlands golf. Foothills golf. Riverside golf. Municipal golf. We’ve got it all covered. And, not surprisingly, given the variety of the settings, the canvases, on which the game here is played, the province is teeming with awesome, postcard-worthy holes that showcase this dramatic, all-encompassing beauty.

The Best Par-3s

The problem, if you can call it that, is singling out the best of the best. Ranking these great holes – the best our province has to offer – is both a monumental and subjective task. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And the criteria for what makes a golf hole great can be, for lack of a better word, confusing.

For some, the natural beauty of a hole is paramount. The actual design is secondary. For others, the strategic and architectural merit - the hazards, the natural and man-made contours, the options – count the highest. And many others would feel that difficulty, the hole’s ability to provide a world-class challenge, is the critical factor in terms of its inclusion in the “greatness” category.

Regardless of where, exactly, you stand on the “criteria,” some holes just seem to have it all. They are beautiful.

They are challenging. They are architecturally superior.

And, yes, they do, most definitely, scream “Alberta!”

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

“The Shark,” Greg Norman, prepares to hit a shot with a hickory club on the famous Devil’s Cauldron hole during the 2006 Telus World Skins Game.

Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course, Hole 4, 165 yards – The famous “Devil’s Cauldron” has long been considered one of the greatest golf holes in the world. The perched tee, the glassgreen lake, the punchbowl green, the clutch of ragged bunkers, the soaring face of Mt. Rundle: it all adds up to par-3 perfection.

Paradise Canyon Golf Resort, Hole 12, 131 yards – The dry-as-abone badlands of the Old Man River Valley – as well as neverending river, prairie, and mountain views - are on full display on this little knee-knocker. When the wind is howling, as it often does here, a knock-down 4-iron might be the shot of choice.

The Best Par-4s The infamous “Bad Baby” at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course, Hole 15, 130 yards – Dubbed “Bad Baby,” this one-off lakeside par-3 at Jasper is short and sweet...and very, very scary. The setting along the lake and the evil slopes that guard the green make it one of the most brilliantly-conceived short holes in all of golf.

Calgary Golf & Country Club, Hole 18, 417 yards – In a perfect world, the closing hole encapsulates the essence of a course, offers a fitting and challenging conclusion to the experience. And no hole in Alberta does this better than the robust, riverside finale at the Calgary Golf & Country Club.

The old finishing hole at Fairmont Banff Springs with the famous hotel in the background.

Kananaskis Country Golf Course, Mt. Kidd Course, Hole 4, 170 yards – Although nobody has hit a shot on this hole for the past four years (one more year to wait!), this gem of a par-3 will soon return to its former glory. With a gorgeous green ringed by a pond and the stunning peaks of K-Country looming behind the target, this hole is rightfully considered an Alberta icon.

The par-3 15th on The Raven at Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club

Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club, The Raven, Hole 15, 133 yards – When done well, short par-3s bring an enticing and endearing element to a round of golf. Everyone can birdie them. Or double bogey them! Case in point: the over-the-pond 15th on the The Raven at Priddis Greens.

Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Club, Hole 14, 411 yards – With the historic castle-like hotel in the background, the smoothflowing Bow River meandering on the right, this meaty par-4 is a timeless testament to the Thompson-era of great golf course architecture. True, it should still be the finishing hole, but, regardless, it’s lofty status as one of Alberta’s great par-4s remains firmly intact. (Just like the next hole, the 15th, which used to be the unforgettable start to the round!)

Red Deer Golf & Country Club, Hole 18, 445 yards – A closing birdie should be well-earned. And if you make a three on this beautiful, tough-as-nails par-4 – it plunges down the hill and requires length, accuracy and putting prowess – you’ve definitely earned your pat on the back.

Innisfail Golf Club, Hole 6, Hazelwood, 362 yards – It’s well known in Alberta’s golf community: Innisfail is peppered with pristine parkland holes. And a perfect example is the tucked-away 6th on the Hazelwood nine. This idyllic, short par-4 curls around the lake and is about as peaceful and perfect a setting for a golf hole in the province.

The par-3 12th at Paradise Canyon

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Hole 14, 355 yards – With the tee box sitting snug on the shore of Lac Beauvert and the rumpled fairway curling around the lake to the small, elevated green, this is the type of golf hole you could play every day and it would never get old! But, of course, this is just one of 18 reasons why Jasper is widely considered the best golf course in Alberta.

AlbertaGolf.org

11

The par-5 1st at Wintergreen is an awesome start to the round!

The Best Par-5s Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club, Hole 18, 551 yards – True, the best players on the PGA Tour Champions typically eat this hole up during the Shaw Charity Classic. (Case in point: Fred Couples’ eagle chip-in in 2015.) Smash a good drive and the waterguarded green might be in reach. A hole “Tin Cup” would love!

D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club, Hole 7, 521 yards – Careening through a natural coulee with a razor-thin green hard on the water, the 7th at D’Arcy Ranch is equal parts beauty and beast. From the elevated tee, the spacious fairway begs you to “let the big dog eat!”

Wolf Creek Golf Resort, Hole 11, The Links Course, 527 yards – Dubbed “Hell’s Full Acre” (a play off Pine Valley’s famous “Hell’s Half Acre” hole), this awesome and artistic Rod Whitman concoction deserves more love. From the semi-blind tee shot to the rugged, wasteland of sand, this is a one-off hole that epitomizes Whitman’s talent and creativity.

Glendale Golf & Country Club, Hole 17, 536 yards – A lateround eagle? Hmmm. Maybe not. This prodigious roundwrecker is always a handful. Blast a drive down the right hand

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

side and thoughts of getting home might surface. However, plenty of water, bunkers, and shin-high rough are cause for concern. And so is the massive, three-tiered green.

Blackhawk Golf Club, Hole 11, 562 yards – Plunging into the serene North Saskatchewan River Valley, the 11th at Blackhawk – one of four awesome par-5s at Blackhawk - begins an amazing run of holes along the river. From a visual standpoint, golf holes don’t get any better!

Naturally – given the fact that Alberta is home to over 300 golf courses! - there are, literally, hundreds of heavenly holes that could easily have made the grade here. And a meager list of “honorable mentions” can hardly do it justice. The 1st at Wintergreen? The 9th at Heritage Pointe (Heritage 9)? The 18th at the Lethbridge Country Club? The 1st at Athabasca? The 18th at the Edmonton Country Club? The list goes on and on.

In a golf-rich province such as Alberta, debating the best golf holes could last weeks. Fortunately, as we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And in Alberta, when it comes to beautiful golf holes, there are plenty to behold.

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People He chuckles, perhaps realizing that he’s making this sound way too simple.

“Just made my par,” he continued. “And it was done.”

By: Wes Gilbertson

Ethan Choi wasn’t thinking about his score. Honest.

As any golfer can attest, that’s no small feat when you’re possibly on pace for a career-best round.

Few folks can relate, but it must be darn-near impossible when you’re on the verge of firing a 59, the most magical number in golf.

The strategy worked wonders for a 14-year-old Choi, who made history and headlines with his record-setting spin at the Alberta Bantam Championship last August, running away with the provincial crown thanks to a 12-under 59 at River’s Edge Golf Club in Okotoks.

That’s right, 59.

At 14.

Ethan Choi drains another birdie at River’s Edge GC on his way to firing a mind-boggling 59 in the 2017 Alberta

“I don’t know how I did it. I guess when you’re playing well, you don’t really think about your score. It just happens.”

Fifty-nine doesn’t happen very often.

The bantam boys teed it up from the white tees at River’s Edge, with the Par-71 layout spanning 5,879 yards for the 14-and-under showdown. Choi was rolling right away, dropping a 30-footer on the opening hole for his first of four consecutive birdies.

He notched another bird on the sixth, eagled the eighth and apparently wasn’t intimidated by the island green on No. 9, finishing that test with two tidy strokes and making the turn at 8-under 28. Wow. Choi scratched another circle on his scorecard on No. 10, then settled for four straight pars before cranking off three more birdies. It wasn’t until he drained his putt for a deuce on No. 17 that he started to crunch the numbers.

Golf Bantam Championship.

“I didn’t think about my score, actually, throughout the round,” said Choi, a resident of Pincher Creek. “I just stayed in the zone, and that’s pretty hard to do. That’s probably the only round I’ve felt that way.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

“The first time I really thought about my score was on the 18th tee-box. That’s when I realized I just needed a par to shoot that number,” Choi said. “But I just went through my normal routine, took a few deep breaths and… ”

The finishing assignment at River’s Edge doglegs to the right, and Choi pulled his drive a wee bit but still found the short stuff. The adrenaline must have been pumping on his approach, because he walloped a wedge-shot about 25 feet past the flag. Needing a two-putt for 59, he barely missed a long bomb before tapping in for a personal-best that many pros can’t even claim.

A golf ball that’s only been struck 59 times isn’t typically ready for retirement, but that Titleist Pro V1 is now stashed among Choi’s keepsakes. Alberta Golf provided the official scorecard, now displayed in the living room of the family home.

Thing is, the talented up-andcomer — a regular at both Pincher Creek Golf Club and Lethbridge Country Club and a member of Team Alberta — won’t waste too much time gazing in his rearview mirror.

“I just want to leave that achievement in the past and move on,” he said. “I don’t want to dwell on that and be satisfied, Twitter was abuzz. Instagram, too. because that was in the past. I just want to keep grinding away.”

The youngster received all Already better than a scratch sorts of congratulatory notes, handicap, Choi hopes another including a message from superb summer would land him Jared du Toit, who made a spot on Golf Canada’s national headlines of his own by development squad. His list of contending for the title at more long-term goals includes the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian a university golf scholarship Open just a few weeks earlier. and a career on the PGA Tour.

“At first, I thought it was a His course record at River’s joke or something,” du Toit Edge should be safe. And, who said of his reaction to Choi’s knows, maybe he’ll eventually remarkable round. “When I enjoy another one of those days. found out it wasn’t, I was just amazed. I thought about the “Since I’ve done it before, I scores I was shooting at that know it’s possible to do it age — anywhere between again,” Choi said. “But you don’t 75 and 85 — and how much go out there thinking, better he is at 14 than I was.”

Choi’s mother, Rachel, was at River’s Edge that day. His father, Sheldon, was trying to follow the action online from his job at a pharmacy in Pincher Creek.

“I checked Twitter and it says, ’59.’ I was like, ‘Whoa, what?!’ ” Sheldon said. “It’s a lifetime achievement, I think, for any golfer.”

Indeed, it is.

Ethan Choi proudly displays the winner’s trophy at the 2017 Alberta Golf Bantam Championship.

‘Oh, I’m going to shoot 59.’ It just happens as the day goes on.”

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Feature

PONOKA

HOSTS THE MEN’S AMATEUR By: Curtis Stock

The 18th hole at the Ponoka Community GC will challenge Alberta’s best male amateurs this July.

Like maple syrup, history oozes at the Ponoka Community Golf Club.

Now one of Alberta’s top courses as evidenced by the choice of Alberta Golf to host the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur there on July 18-21, the course’s humble beginnings started out as just three sand green holes in 1930.

Built on what used to be farm land by volunteers, doctors and staff of the Alberta Mental Hospital - now the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury - until they attached a mower to the back of a Ford tractor, sheep used to ‘cut’ and trim the grass according to a story by Gerry Dahms and Mike Rainone in the Ponoka News.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

Situated in the scenic Battle River valley, the course really began in 1936 when it was expanded to nine holes and officially registered. Green fees were just 25 cents but membership back then was highly exclusive: invitation only.

In 1987 the Ponoka Community Golf Club officially arrived when renowned architect Bill Robinson came in and designed nine more holes making the course the 18-hole marvel it remains today.

Innisfail, Red Deer’s River Bend, Calgary’s Sirocco, the Tunnel Nine in Banff and many other courses in the Edmonton area such as Lewis Estates, The Links, The Ranch, Sturgeon Valley, Cardiff, Belvedere, Cougar Creek and the rebuild of Windermere.

“I think he did a great job here while incorporating holes that are still here from the 1950s. I always like to say that the golf course is mostly a parkland style - the older style type of course with tighter tree-lined fairways - with a mix of some links-style flair on the back nine,” said MacPherson, who, after stints at Devon and Wolf Creek, came to Ponoka in the fall of 1988.

“He also tweaked the existing nine to make it fit with the new nine - changing a few holes here and there,” head pro and course manager Rob MacPherson said of Robinson, who has designed over 50 courses, “It’s not a long course playing 6,615 yards including many in Alberta including from the back tees but it’s hardly a pushover.”

Instead, the emphasis is on position off the tee and then finding the right part of the greens - many of which are elevated. Many of the greens are very deep and undulating and can play as much as a three- to four-club difference.

“You can cut off some yardage by cutting the corners off on both of those holes but if you miss you’re in trouble.”

“That’s especially true of some of the Par 3s,” said MacPherson.

“For instance No. 5 can play anywhere from 140 to 226 yards. It has a very deep green – about 50 yards long. Depending on pin placements, it will play like four different holes each day of the tournament. The Par 3s are really what make the golf course.”

MacPherson said the course “won’t get ripped apart” by the players in the Sun Life Financial Alberta Amateur. “When we held the Alberta Mid Amateur here last year, the winning score for three days was 2-under,” he said of the victory by Banff’s Jordan Irwin.

“If I had to guess, I’d project a score of 10- to 12-under winning it.”

While there are many great holes including a tough finishing stretch - a big key to victory will be how the field for the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur handles Ponoka’s version of Augusta’s famed Amen Corner: holes 11 through 13.

“If you aren’t putting your tee shot in the right places and then hitting the favourable spot on the greens on those holes, you won’t be walking away with pars, let alone birdies.”

MacPherson said No. 11 is 383 yards long but it’s a very tight 383 yards.

“You need to be very straight off the tee. I expect many players will put their drivers away on this hole,” said McPherson.

No. 12 is a 400-yard dog leg left.

No. 13 is almost an exact opposite - a 365-yard dog leg right.

“You can cut off some yardage by cutting the corners off on both of those holes but if you miss you’re in trouble.”

No. 12 also has a very deep pot bunker guarding the front of the green while No. 13, like No. 11, will likely see most players keeping their drivers in the bag and going with long irons or hybrids off the tee to get into a good position to attack an awesome green site.

“We’re a small-town course with bigcity amenities,” MacPherson said of a clubhouse restaurant that seats 65 people, a banquet facility that holds up to 200, an expansive cart fleet that can handle any tournament or corporate outing and a great practice facility.

“The driving range is all grass; we don’t use mats even in the spring. And that’s because of our superintendent Randy Gallant. He’s so good at growing grass that when we move the tees on the driving range, the parts that get chewed up grow back quickly.

“We’re very lucky to have him,” MacPherson said of Gallant, whom the course hired in 2012.

“He’s originally from Nova Scotia. Indian Lakes brought him to Alberta to be the superintendent and groom the course. He was there for three years then spent three more years at Grande Prairie before we were fortunate enough to bring him to Ponoka.”

The website for the Ponoka Community Golf Club says, ‘We used to be Alberta’s best-kept secret but the word got out!

That’s what happens when you try to keep a charming, excellent golf course a secret. Everyone finds out – even Golf

Digest, who called us one of its recommended “Place to Play” courses.’

A semi-private course with 430-450 members, Ponoka is also open to the public.

With the drainage system that Ponoka implemented in 2011, the course is also widely renowned for how fast it dries out.

“Last October when just about all of Alberta was deluged by rain, our course was able to stay dry,” said MacPherson. “Lacombe, which is just down the road from us, was under water for about three weeks.

But we never missed a beat.

“That’s largely because of the drainage system but it’s also because we’re fortunate to be in an area that is almost sheltered from the weather.

Last year most of the rain came in the evenings and not during the day so it was almost perfect.”

MacPherson said “We’re very excited to be able host the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur. We’re always striving to get better and the fact that Alberta Golf chose us to host this event says a lot about our goals to keep improving.

“We hosted the Mid Amateur a couple of times including last year. After last year’s event I told Alberta Golf that we would be very interested in hosting the Alberta Amateur and fortunately for us, they agreed.

“Hosting an event like this raises the perception of the golf course as far as it being a really good course. It also brings provincial attention to us.

“The best amateur golfers in Alberta will be playing here and I’m certain that they will be talking about our course in a favorable manner after they have finished their rounds. You can’t put a number on how much that helps or by the press we will get by hosting the tournament.

“I can hardly wait for the tournament to start.”

AlbertaGolf.org

19

People

On Tour With

Jennifer Ha

Calgary’s Jennifer Ha is making her way through her rookie year on the LPGA Tour. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Jennifer Ha is proud to be representing Calgary, proud to be representing Alberta, proud to be representing Canada as a rookie on the LPGA Tour.

There are days, though, that she misses home a little less than others.

“Right now, I feel soooo lucky to be in Florida,” Ha admitted after a sun-drenched, short-sleeved range session in early March, a day that family and friends would have been shoveling sidewalks and scraping windshields back home.

“Because thinking back, I’m like, ‘Wow, it was really cold when I was out there practicing.’ It would be like 20-below — you know how cold it gets in Calgary in the winter — but I’d still be on the range, and I would turn all the heaters on and I would be out there with my dad. I would have, like, four or five layers on. It would be hard for me to swing, but I’d still be out there.

“I was pretty competitive. I didn’t want anybody to have an upper hand, so I would grind it out in the cold, I guess.”

the three-part qualifying quest, a result that guarantees full status for 2017.

“Being from a winter sport country, it definitely feels like I’ve achieved something that not a lot of people do,” said Ha, who fired a five-round tally of 8-under 352 at the

I was sitting across the table from her thinking, ‘Wow, a few years ago, I was getting her autograph.’

All that hard, sometimes shivery work has paid off.

Raised in the Stampede City but now based in the Sunshine State, Ha was one of the success stories of LPGA Tour Q-School last fall. Despite a bout with the flu at the worst possible time, she gutted out a tie for eighth at the final stage of

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

final entrance exam. “I definitely have that sense of pride with me when I’m out there — just knowing that I’m from Calgary and I’m from Alberta and that’s where my roots are.”

Now 23, Ha was a junior member at Inglewood and later at Glencoe and Country Hills.

By: Wes Gilbertson

She collected hardware at several other courses close to home. At Lynx Ridge, for example, where she triumphed at the 2015 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship, turning pro soon after. At Nanton, where she claimed her first provincial title as a bantam in 2008. And in between, at Canmore Golf & Curling Club and then River’s Edge, where she was crowned Alberta’s junior girls’ champion in 2011 and repeated the feat the following summer.

Before any of those trophy presentations, Ha was a star-struck spectator when the LPGA Tour stopped at Royal Mayfair in Edmonton in 2007 for what is now known as the CP Women’s Open. She has since teed off in her national open three times, including a missed cut last August at Priddis Greens.

“I don’t feel like it was that long ago for me since I was sitting on the range, looking up to all these players,” Ha said. “I was searching in my room the other day and I found a flag from the Mayfair Club and I had Michelle Wie sign it when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old. And then in Australia, at the second event of the season, I had dinner with her.

“I was sitting across the table from her thinking, ‘Wow, a few years ago, I was getting her autograph.’ That was pretty cool.”

It’s pretty cool, too, for aspiring and emerging birdie-seekers from Alberta to see one of their own on Golf Channel.

bag. She won the Bantam Championship and now she’s on the LPGA Tour.

“It’s a tremendously long process. She played well as a bantam, and then she went to the Western Canada Summer Games and the Canada Games and then four years at Kent State. That’s 10 years of competitive golf.

“She’s put Alberta on the map again,” Witvoet said. “I think the thing for her is you’re not really aware of how much impact you have or how much influence you have on golf. Even after I was done playing, people still talked about it, still knew. I’ve had people, in my teaching, come up and say, ‘Oh, I followed you when you were in your rookie year.’

“There was a lot of hard work put in, for sure. And there was success at every level — bantam and then junior and college, and then trying to figure out the next level and then working hard towards that.”

“I don’t think you maybe appreciate it as much, and certainly during the first year, because you’re taking it all in. But she’ll have an impact on golf in Alberta, period, whether it’s male, female, young,

Ha’s intense focus has always been one of her strengths.

“I think it serves as motivation that it can be done,” said Luke Workman, one of the coaches to Team Alberta’s junior girls.

“That, yeah, you can practice inside and deal with all the hindrances that come along with our climate and still make a go of it, still reach the LPGA Tour.”

“I think the fact that she’s there is going to make a statement,” echoed Laura Witvoet, the first woman from the Wild Rose Province to compete on the LPGA Tour and now the general manager and director of instruction at Wolf Creek Golf Resort. “This just solidifies that it can happen, that it’s a possibility, that it’s real.”

Ha is proof of it.

She is a past member of Team Alberta and has climbed the ranks with Golf Canada — from the development program to the national amateur team to the Young Pro Squad. She played many of the same tournaments as the current wave of up-and-comers. She shared some of the same experiences. She knows what it’s like to swing a golf club in an outfit better suited for skiing.

“She won the Alberta Bantam Championship when she was 14, and I have her golf bag in my office at the Edge School,” said Randy Robb, head coach of Team Alberta and also golf director at the Edge School for Athletes. “Students will ask, ‘What’s that?’ Well, that’s Jennifer Ha’s golf

“I would just say work hard & have fun” Jennifer Ha competing in the Bank of Hope Founders’ Cup in Phoenix in March, 2017

She is now at the highest level, joining a short list of Albertans to earn divot-digging privileges on the biggest stage in women’s golf.

Ponoka’s Witvoet chased cheques on the LPGA Tour for three years from 1994-96 before her career was cut short by a back injury. Kim Brozer and Adrienne White, both of Red Deer, and Calgary’s Cindy Pasechnik later enjoyed stints with conditional status.

As a full-timer, Ha is hoping for 20-plus starts as a rookie.

old. She’ll certainly have an influence and have that, ‘Oh, she’s from Alberta.’

It’s fun. It’s fun for us, fun for her.

“I think my advice to her now is, ‘Enjoy it.

You’ve done the hard part now, so enjoy it.’”

Enjoy it. That, as it turns out, is Ha’s advice for the juniors trying to trace her spike marks to the LPGA Tour.

“I would just say work hard and have fun,” Ha said. “That’s what it’s all about. That’s why we all started to play this game is to have fun.”

AlbertaGolf.org

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Feature

RED DEER

HOSTS THE LADIES’ AMATEUR By: Jim Claggett

The sixth hole at the Red Deer GCC is a classic risk/reward par-5.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

I

t’s not the geographical centre of the province, but Red Deer will be the centre of attention for women’s golf in Alberta this July hosting the 2017 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship.

Many of the best female amateur golfers in Alberta will gather to put on a show and decide who is the best. The Red Deer Golf and Country Club has hosted several amateur championships in the past with members and staff willing to do their part to help Alberta Golf.

“We just felt it that this was the right fit this year,” said head professional Ken Frame. “Our general manager Don McFarlane has been in discussions with Alberta Golf for I think a couple of years and we kind of keyed in on this coming year as the host. We’re excited about it.”

Last year, Jaclyn Lee, the young superstar from Calgary, took home the title which she also won in 2014. Two years ago, the winner was Jennifer Ha who now is making her way along the LPGA path.

Do you see where this is headed?

The event attracts some highly skilled college players according to Randy Robb, Alberta Golf’s Manager of High Performance Sport.

“We use this event to determine the provincial team that will go to the nationals,” he said. “So I think they’re always trying to gear up to finish in the top three.”

Alberta junior team members also make room on their calendar for the amateur so you will see some up and coming players who could challenge for the crown.

Players like Sharmaine Rapisura, Kehler Koss, Annabelle Ackroyd and Lauren Koenig come to mind. All were Team Alberta Members.

The tournament also provides a great opportunity for younger girls to watch and get a good idea of what the game is like at a higher level, said Robb.

“It’s ideal for those late high school players that are trying to figure out what they need to do to be successful at

“We don’t tuck the pins; we don’t grow the rough. We just let them play golf”

“So we’ll have three champions for the tournament and if the winner is 40 and over, she can win all three contests.”

Over the three days somebody could get hot and run away with it, but Frame says the key just might be the unique stretch of seven consecutive par-fours (holes 7-13) the players will need to navigate.

“If you can be around about even par or maybe a couple over through those parfours, I think you’re going to set yourself apart from the field. That’s the meat and potatoes of the golf course,” noted Frame.

college. They can see the girls that have played two or three years at university and see the level they need to be at.”

But there are other parts of the course which could deal a blow to somebody’s chances on any of the three days.

It’s not all about the young guns however.

More experienced players like Sharon Peart, who plays at the Red Deer G&CC and Lynn Kuehn from Lacombe could be in the mix as they are skilled players, but also might have an edge on knowing the course slightly more than other competitors.

Depending on where Alberta Golf sets the tee boxes for the event players could face a tough test on hole #9, a dog leg right, par-four. If the tees are back enough, the players will have to hit an accurate tee shot to take advantage of the terrain which will funnel the ball down to a flat spot for their second shot over water.

“We’ve seen that on the men’s side for so many years; the Frank Van Dornicks and Brian Laubmans continue to contend like that, just being there and having the experience of playing the course the best possible way,” said Robb.

The tournament operates with no cut so everyone plays three rounds of golf. Anyone with a registered handicap under 25 can enter.

There are those who are vying for the title while others are there for the social aspect of golf according to Stephen Wigington, Coordinator, Competitions and High Performance Teams with Alberta Golf.

“We view it as a great opportunity to meet people in the province and share the passion of golf amongst the women,” said Wigington.

Any player has a shot at the overall title but there is also the mid-am category for ladies aged 25 and over and the midmaster competition which is for those women 40 years and older, said Wigington.

The par-five #4 will also bring out the best in the ladies as a long tee shot could see the ball tumble down a steep hill which may leave them about 150 yards for their second shot. That would be the reward portion of this equation.

“Long hitters can bomb it over the end of the hill and roll down to the bottom, but if they go a little bit left or a little bit right they are in big, big trouble,” said Frame. “I’m talking about only ten yards off line so they’ve got to be very straight.”

The course will play anywhere from 5,800 to 6,300 yards and Frame says essentially the rest of the track will be status quo.

“We don’t tuck the pins; we don’t grow the rough. We just let them play golf. The Red Deer GCC is a good challenge for any player in the province and we believe that will be the case this coming July,” he said.

No matter how you slice it, the players and the fans should be in for a solid three days of golf in Red Deer.

AlbertaGolf.org

23

Feature

THE GOLF ECONOMY

By: Jim Claggett

For many Albertans, the game of golf is something which occupies their time between late April and late October.

It’s recreational, social, good exercise and a break from their work schedules.

For others, it’s a way to spend a good chunk of their time after they retire.

For many others, it’s simply a game, one which thousands of people in this province enjoy or curse-sometimes at the same time, depending on the day.

But for more than 43,000 Albertans (NAGA report 2014) it’s a way of life and one which is not immune to the effects of an economic downturn.

“It has been an interesting few seasons.

When oil prices drop, it affects everything in Alberta. Expense accounts dry up, golf tournaments are postponed, corporate memberships are smaller,” said Brent Hutcheon, President of the National Golf Course Owners Association.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

With oil hanging around the $50 to $55 dollar per barrel neighborhood, many golf courses felt the effects one way or another. Sure, up and down is a good thing for a golfer but not so much for the business side of the ledger.

“Like all businesses, we’re hoping the bottom has already been hit,” said Trevor Goplin, current president of the PGA of Alberta, regarding 2017. “You know that people are planning to play more and spend more and from a prebook standpoint, corporate standpoint, maybe book more tournaments.”

Some courses saw a drop in the number of rounds played while others recorded slight increases. It seems 2016 was a mixed bag for the industry with no real definable trend emerging.

There were plenty of golfers in the unemployment lines last year, spilling over from 2015, and while they had

money, they still had to battle through another winter without work.

“We definitely felt it and I think people still played. They just didn’t play as much but curiously enough, we had to cut off membership sales because membership sales were very strong,” according to Lesley McMahon, owner of Balmoral Golf Course just east of Red Deer.

One area which certainly saw a drop was the partnerships involved with the PGA of Alberta in running some programs and events, said Tom Grenier, the PGA of Alberta’s past president.

“I know there has been a significant reduction in corporate branding, corporate golf balls, merchandise which many of these corporations and companies would purchase through golf professionals at their respective golf clubs. That has had a significant

to a lot of people who said they were having to work because they may have lost staff and didn’t have enough support, so they couldn’t get to the course until around five o’clock and then there was another rainstorm.”

decline as their budgets have been cut.

I mean, they’re not going to spend the same kind of dollars,” said Grenier.

Grenier said support for charity events from corporations was still around but likely came in at a fraction of the support it may have been in years past.

Goplin says in some cases play at various courses was up slightly as people were travelling less and playing more at courses closer to home. He adds from a tournament perspective though, there couldn’t have been too many courses that saw a rise in that category.

“There are golf courses that rely a fair bit on tournament play,” said Goplin. “I’m sort of splitting those up; those full corporate charity events and groups of 40 to 60 players that definitely saw a downturn this past year.”

Goplin said that in talking to other PGA members, they saw more people playing less simply because of the seemingly regular build-up of thunderstorms through the day and rain starting in the late afternoon in July and August.

“People were back at their office desks in 2016,” commented Goplin. “I talked

While some courses saw a drop off in play, “In the past five years at least, the others were apparently trending upwards. trend has been to a better financial model where we’re doing more with less,” McKernan said. “I don’t think last “Some clubs saw their best public green year was any worse than other years.” fee year ever,” said Hutcheon. “This would be because of a few factors. Early But the sport is not completely out of the woods.

Fuel costs have gone up and there is the looming carbon tax, the increase in minimum wage and so budgets for maintenance are being scrutinized closely.

“The economy is on the up-swing...

Now you can argue the degree of trajectory but it is.”

According to the National Allied Golf Association’s report from 2014, golf generates $5.88 billion in total gross production through direct, indirect and induced spending across Canada. In Alberta, the golf industry deposits $2.88 billion into the coffers, so when this segment of business takes a hit from an economic downturn, it’s noticed. But 2016 was basically a double bogey for golf in Alberta. Along with the economic hit, the weather played a significant role last season, especially in the area of green fee players.

executive director of the Alberta Golf Superintendents’ Association says courses have been very frugal in recent years in order to cushion the blow of oil prices and other economic influences on the game.

season hype, more time to play with less work requirements, people not working who received severance packages, as well as more golf course promotions and specials were available. With all of these factors playing out, the season ended flat for most areas in Alberta.

However, we needed every one of those extra days to squeeze out those rounds.”

But the golf industry is resilient if anything. Dennis McKernan,

McKernan says all courses are looking to increase efficiency due to the cost of water. “We’re also looking at how we can utilize a fertilizer budget better than we have in the past. Is there some way where we can use the same number of dollars and still supply the turf with the nutrients in a different way than we have in the past to make it more efficient?”

In another part of the industry, course owners/ managers are exploring new ideas to attract more golfers and keep the ones they already have. Golf is in competition with so many other interests these days that the creative aspect of this task has increased, said McMahon.

“To get people just motivated to get out of their house and do something, which might be hard for an avid golfer to get but I think people are just slower to take up new things. We have to change that,” said McMahon.

Hutcheon says it’s all about diversifying what you present as a product to the public.

AlbertaGolf.org

25

“You need leagues, tournaments, members, group bookings, corporate members, and public golfers. The more slices your pie is cut into, the more stable your business,” he said. “All facilities need to be aware of all the new and possible communication tools available to them to improve their business.”

Moving forward, the feeling within the industry appears to be that it is not all doom and gloom, with the belief golf will continue to be a strong contributor to the economy, starting with this year.

“The economy is on the up-swing,” said Goplin. “Now you can argue the degree of trajectory but it is.”

The past two years saw many a corporation cut back on things like sponsorship, but McKernan feels it’s going to swing in the other direction soon. “I think we’re going to see a lot of companies come back and retool

their business plans. I think a lot of people look at golf as a corporate sponsorship event that has great meaning to their business plan and their business model,” he said.

Grenier says what he’s been hearing around the Calgary region is both positive and realistic.

“I think there’ll be a small improvement by the sounds of it, but we still have a long way ahead of us.”

No amount of marketing can keep you busy when it’s pouring rain outside, said McMahon, but courses need to grab hold of the situation and make it work any way they can. “There are things you can’t control, like the price of oil and the weather, but there are things you can control and things you can be doing,” she said.

With so many factors involved in how golf is impacted like taxation,

water usage, and the minimum wage course operators are faced with a daunting challenge.

“Golf has been run in a certain way for decades and it will take time, effort and education to catch up to other industries such as hotels, airlines, and car rentals. There are many opportunities in golf moving forward with some adjustments,” said Hutcheon.

He added while it’s tough to pin down just where the strength of the industry is now, he feels strongly about golf in the future. “I believe the interest in the game is still high. Most leagues are still full, and our prime times are still busy.

We need to get creative and encourage more people to come to the course.”

So get out and play this summer. You’ll get some exercise, some enjoyment, meet new people and at the same time support an important piece of Alberta’s economic engine. That’s a win.

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26

The Alberta Golfer 2017

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Travel

TIPS FOR THE

TRIP By: Andrew Penner

4 Great Winter Golf Destinations to Beat The Mid-Winter Blues It’s painful to admit it, but if you’re in Alberta’s golfing “fold,” frozen fairways, snowed-under greens, and locked gates are, for a good chunk of the year, the gruesome reality. It’s enough to make a die-hard golfer go stark-raving mad.

Fortunately, there are remedies. Like, for example, hopping on a big bird and jetting off to places where the grass is green and the flagsticks flicker. Here are four of the “fold’s” favourite golf destinations.

And, yes, these places can definitely thwart off a mid-winter meltdown.

Mexico

It’s no secret: Canada and Mexico have something going. And when blizzards start blitzing the prairie, the relationship really heats up. Although there are numerous golfing hot-spots in Mexico – Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, and Mazatlán are three that come to mind – the tip of the Baja California Peninsula, a.k.a. Los Cabos, is definitely the top dog. Los Cabos is now home to over a dozen outstanding golf courses, many of which parade along the Sea of Cortez in dramatic fashion. Here are three courses you don’t want to miss.

Cabo del Sol (Ocean Course) – Long considered the best on the Baja, the Nicklaus-designed Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol is a tour de force, a trump card, if there ever was one. The course features seven holes along the ocean and has a “wow” factor that is off the charts.

The Alberta Golfer 2017

Troon North – With two immaculately groomed desert crusades - Monument and Pinnacle – Troon North epitomizes what Arizona’s upscale desert golf scene is all about. Designed by acclaimed architect Tom Weiskopf, the holes here slide through rocky, cacti-smothered terrain at the base of Pinnacle Peak. Bring your “A” game.

The par-4 1st on the South Course at The Boulders.

The par-3 6th at Quivira is a stunner.

Quivira – Yet another new Nicklaus track in Cabo (he has now designed six), Quivira is simply breathtaking. It boasts a handful of holes along the sun-washed coastline and, without a doubt, the most incredible snack shack (it clings to the cliff a couple of hundred feet above the sea) in the game.

Palmilla Golf Club – With 27 holes by, you guessed it, Jack Nicklaus, Palmilla is an established, upscale retreat with a thrilling, desert-meets-sea aura. While the majority of the golf holes swerve through mountainous, saguaro-studded desert high above the coast, one of the nines makes a daring plunge to the thundering, turquoise-coloured sea.

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Scottsdale

Home to over 100 courses that never close (yee haw!) and easily accessed via a short, one-movie flight, Scottsdale is a nobrainer for a sun-filled swingfest. Add-ons such as spring training baseball games, Old Town Scottsdale, and the wild Waste Management Phoenix Open - make it a well-rounded getaway. Although somewhat pricey in the winter, for the sake of your mental health, it’s worth the splurge!

These tracks are three of the finest.

The Boulders – Tucked away in North Scottsdale near Cave Creek, The Boulders is another two-course retreat with an exceptional hotel, stunning spa, and one of the sweetest settings for golf in the American Southwest. Both courses – North and South – dip and dive through a lunarlike landscape covered in giant boulders.

We-Ko-Pa – Yet another 36-hole fortress that’s becoming increasingly popular with Albertans in “the fold,” We-Ko-Pa boasts two phenomenal desert courses – Saguaro and Cholla – that swerve through dryas-a-bone desert near Fountain Hills. For golfers with here-there-and-everywhere skills off the tee, We-Ko-Pa – due to the fact that there are no condos or homes to destroy adjacent the fairways – offers plenty of room to grip-it-and-rip-it!

Las Vegas

Not surprisingly, the golf scene in Sin City, just like everything else, can be a tad over the top. (But, for the record, the $500 green fee at Shadow Creek might actually be worth that. Provided, of course, you can score a tee time!) However, if you do a little “shopping,” you can certainly find some excellent resort golf that won’t completely obliterate your gambling “fund.” Regardless of whether you’re a high roller or not, the beautiful desert greens of Las Vegas are heaven for hackers who need a little birdie break from the bone-chilling cold.

Vancouver Island

True, there are no palm trees and you might not be able to fry eggs on the pavement, but the courses on Vancouver Island are open year-round. And, when time and money are the most pressing issues - and a winter golf fix is required – a short flight to Victoria or Comox will afford Alberta swingers some, well, swinging.

Tips for Stashing Your Sticks

1

Reflection Bay Golf Club - Featuring a super-fun Jack Nicklaus Signature course that careens along a massive man-made lake, the Reflection Bay Golf Club (located half an hour south of the strip) is one of the premier facilities in Las Vegas. While the course is topsy-turvy and tough, it definitely offers plenty of room for rusty, cold-climate swings!

Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort – With three exceptional courses (because sometimes two rounds just isn’t enough), all designed by the legendary Pete Dye, The Paiute is an awesome oasis for golf lovers.

The cream of the crop is the WOLF, the biggest, baddest, longest, and meanest course in the state. (Tip: Unless your name is Dustin Johnson, you may not want to play it from the 7,604-yard tips!)

Quick

Your golf travel bag needs to be under fifty pounds so clean out unnecessary items out of your golf bag before you go to the airport. Bring only a few balls, and consider leaving behind a couple of clubs you rarely use. You may need the extra weight on the return trip!

The par-4 8th on the Valley Course at Bear Mountain.

Bear Mountain Resort – Two sweet courses by Nicklaus Design. A luxurious Westin Hotel. A Sante Spa. Fine dining.

Yes, this is effective medication for treating painful symptoms brought on by icy roads, windchill factors, and frozen turf. The “round bellies” of the PGA Tour Champions love it. You will too.

The par-4 8th at Bali Hai with The Strip in the background.

Storey Creek Golf Course – The tagline – “A course in nature” – gives this Campbell River course some context. It’s routed through a pristine forest near the edge of town and feels like it could be a million miles from civilization. This could be architect Les Furber’s best course.

Bali Hai Golf Club – Conveniently located right on the Strip, Bali Hai, a South Pacific-themed track lined with palm trees and white-sand bunkers, is conveniently located just a short stumble from many of the most popular hotels you know and love. While the quality of the golf holes is good, the experience of smashing golf balls against the glitzand-glass background of the massive hotels will leave a lasting impression.

Crown Isle Resort – A winter golf getaway doesn’t get easier than this! Take a mid-morning flight to Comox and you’re pegging it up at Crown Isle before noon.

The scenic Graham Cooke-designed course twists through towering trees and offers a solid test of golf. The courseside villas are ideal for a weekend stay and the awesome patio will have you laughing at all the poor suckers scraping ice off their windshields back home.

2

A hard shell case is heavier, but your sticks will be safer. Consider bringing an ultra-light carry bag to save some weight.

3

To further reduce space and weight, consider leaving your golf shoes behind and using comfortable running shoes instead. They can do double duty on your trip.

4

To reduce the chance of club shafts breaking during transport, tape them all together with duct tape and protect the heads with some extra padding. A couple of T-shirts and your golf towel will do the trick!

AlbertaGolf.org

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People

Champions THE

By: Wes Gilbertson

Evan Holmes of Calgary captured the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur championship at Innisfail

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

ALBERTA MATCH PLAY Jack Wood

ALBERTA OPEN Brett Hogan

AMATEUR LADIES Jaclyn Lee

Match play is a different game. Banff’s Jack Wood didn’t want to treat it that way.

Brett Hogan was clinging to a one stroke lead, had just short-sided himself and needed a crafty up-anddown to seal a victory at the Scott Venturo Alberta Open Championship.

Jaclyn Lee was digging the divots and draining the putts. Her older sister, Carolyn, was tagging along as her caddie. It turned out to be a winning combination, with Jaclyn leaving the rest of the field in her rear view mirror en route to a nine-stroke triumph at the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship at Highwood Golf & Country Club.

“With match play, I think a lot of people get caught up in just playing against their opponent,” Wood said.

“My theory, I guess, was just to play the course like I would normally in a stroke play event. And then after about 15 holes, when you’re grinding against your opponent, then start to focus on what they’re doing a little more. That strategy worked for me.”

Sure did.

Wood was the last man standing at the 2016 Alberta Match Play Championship at RedTail Landing Golf Club. He defeated Rycroft’s Max Sekulic in opening round, dispatched Red Deer’s Brett Pasula in the quarterfinals and continued his roll against Ponoka’s Jared Nicolls in the semis. Wood had to work overtime against Calgary’s Matt Williams in the championship match, squaring things up on No. 18 and winning with par on the first extra hole.

AMATEUR MEN’S

Better yet, the talented amateur from Calgary drained a chip-in for birdie, putting an exclamation mark on a superb performance at the two-day shootout at RedTail Landing Golf Club.

With a score of 10-under 134, Hogan finished two shots better than Wes Heffernan, a longtime professional and five-time Alberta Open champ. “I grew up watching Wes play a lot of good golf,” Hogan said. “When I was about 14, I actually watched him chip in for birdie at Carnmoney to win the Alberta Open.

I got a picture with him after that.

“So it’s pretty crazy to have that experience and then, when it comes down to it, you’re playing against a guy that you kind of looked up to.

It was cool being able to experience that, especially against him.”

“She’s never caddied for me before, so that was a really fun experience,” Jaclyn said. “She didn’t want me to be relying on her for numbers and decisions and all that stuff. She just wanted to push the bag and keep me company. She didn’t want to be blamed for any decisions.”

There was no blame to go around that week. Jaclyn fired a three-day score of 5-under 211 for the wire-to-wire victory.

A member of Golf Canada’s national amateur team, she’s now a two-time champion at the provincial showdown.

She also won the crown in 2014.

Evan Holmes in the final round and lose by one.

On this July day, that prairie breeze came courtesy of Calgary's Evan Holmes.

that I’ve always looked forward to every year, to work a little bit harder to get.”

“Just a big exhale of relief, really,” Holmes said of his reaction after winning the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship at Innisfail Golf & Country Club. “It was a lot of hard work paying off. Probably since Sundre, it’s been the tournament

Ah yes, Sundre, site of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men's Amateur in 2013.

At Innisfail, he fired four straight rounds in the 60s, finishing three shots up at 15-under 273.

If you're not familiar with the gutwrenching details, Holmes owned a commanding nine-shot lead after three days at that event, only to be leapfrogged

“I would obviously rather have two Alberta Ams than one,” Holmes said.

“But now that I have won one, it’s definitely a monkey off my back.”

AlbertaGolf.org

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BANTAM BOYS Ethan Choi

BANTAM GIRLS Annabelle Ackroyd

JUNIOR BOYS Jaxon Lynn

JUNIOR GIRLS Kenna Hughes

He made history. He made headlines.

This was a new challenge for Calgary’s Annabelle Ackroyd.

With the same end result.

Jaxon Lynn put in the work.

And then poured in the putts.

This trophy had been on her wish list for a long time.

The talented teen from Sylvan Lake was frustrated with his flat stick after the opening round of the 2016 Alberta Junior Boys Championship, but a lengthy practice session paid immediate dividends. “I spent about two hours on the putting green after the first round,” Lynn revealed after a dominant performance at Cottonwood Golf & Country Club. “Ever since then, I started putting well.”

Calgary’s Kenna Hughes didn’t let her final opportunity go to waste, sizzling to a three-stroke victory at the 2016 Alberta Junior Girls Championship at Cottonwood Golf & Country Club.

And, to top it all off, Pincher Creek’s Ethan Choi made good on his goal to claim the hardware in his final run at the Alberta Bantam Boys Championship. “It was my last year in that age category, and I wanted to finish with a win, so that was an honour,” Choi said. “And to shoot a 59 to go with that win, there’s nothing better.”

You read that correctly — FIFTY-NINE! The opening round of the bantam showdown at River’s Edge Golf Club was cancelled due to high winds. On Day 2, it was Choi blowing everybody away. The 14-year-old sharpshooter mixed 10 birdies, one eagle and seven pars, signing for a 12-under 59 and finishing a dozen shots clear of the next-best competitor.

In fact, Choi nearly drained a 25-footer for 58 before tapping in for his par on No. 18 for the magic mark.

And the win, of course.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

Ackroyd delivered a repeat performance at the 2016 Alberta Bantam Girls Championship at River’s Edge Golf Club, successfully defending her title and proving she wasn’t bothered by the bulls-eye that comes with being the reigning champ.

“There was definitely a lot of pressure on me and I put a lot on myself, too, to perform and play the way I can,” Ackroyd said. “You definitely deal with more nerves and I remember starting off a little shaky because of it, but then things turned around. It was a new type of pressure, but I enjoyed it.”

After the first round of the Alberta Bantam Championship was cancelled due to wild winds, Ackroyd fired a 4-over 75 in her only lap of River’s Edge, cruising to a fiveshot victory. Unfortunately, she’s now too old to shoot for a three-peat.

Once he warmed up the wand, Lynn ran away with provincial bragging rights among junior boys. He surged to the top of the leaderboard with a 5-under 66 in his second spin and followed up with a 68 the next day. When the final round was washed out due to heavy rains, he was eight shots ahead of the competition at 6-under 207.

Springbrook’s Chandler McDowell finished in a three-way tie for second and also claimed the juvenile crown at 2-over 215.

“I’ve been playing in the event since I was about 11 years old, so it was pretty cool to win the last year that I was able to play in it,” Hughes said.

“It’s special, just because I’ve been playing in it for so long.

That was definitely one of my goals always was to win it.”

Mission accomplished.

Hughes was the only junior girl to finish below par at Cottonwood, signing for a three-round total of 2-under 211.

“That was probably my best tournament of the year,” she said. “I was hitting the ball really well that week.” Taylor Stone, also of Calgary, was tops in the juvenile division with a score of 21-over 234.

MARG WARD Sandy Tougas

MEN’S INTERCLUB Earl Grey GCC

MID-AMATEUR LADIES Lauren Diederichs

MID-AMATEUR MEN Jordan Irwin

Fort Saskatchewan’s Sandy Tougas had claimed a provincial title in the past.

Just not on the fairways and greens. During her days as a competitive curler, Tougas tossed lead rocks for Alberta’s mixed champions in 2002.

Four friends on a divot-digging day-trip to the Canadian Rockies. What could be better?

Calgary’s Lauren Diederichs returned to tournament golf. And returned to the win column.

For Banff’s Jordan Irwin, the turning point at the 2016 Alberta Men's MidAmateur Championship wasn’t necessarily the first round, the second round or even the final round.

She’s now officially a twosport standout after her win last summer in the Marg Ward Division at the Alberta Net Amateur Championship at Dinosaur Trail Golf Club.

Tougas, who finished five points ahead of the pack in the Stableford scoring format, figures her background in the roaring game has been beneficial as she starts to tee it up in tournament golf.

“Because you have to play your own game,” Tougas explained. “In curling, you have to make your own shots, regardless of what the other team does. And it’s the same thing with golf — you play your own game, play to your strengths and don’t get too caught up in what your playing partners are doing. So I think it’s probably helped me.”

Just one thing … returning to your home club with a trophy in tow.

Alberta Golf’s annual Men's Interclub showdown at Canmore Golf & Curling Club is a fall favourite, and the gents from Earl Grey scored bragging rights for 2016. “It’s just a lot of fun,” said Rhys Royer, who teamed with Earl Grey club mates Eric Allard, Jimmy Cowan and Peter Slade for a tally of 4-under 209, with three scores counted on each hole.

“We always drive out together, and you get there and there are 25 or 30 teams and all the guys have their matching shirts on and are hanging out together on the range or the putting green. It’s always interesting to see how much pride people have in their club.”

Priddis Greens, represented

by Ken Brown, Pat Deis, Mike Lukawitski and Bryan Shettler, claimed the net crown after a tiebreaker.

Diederichs didn’t compete for a half-decade due to a hectic work schedule, but she signed up for a couple of events last summer and proved that she can still pile up pars with a two-shot victory at the Alberta Ladies Mid-Amateur Championship at Highwood Golf & Country Club.

“It was fun getting back into it, but I had a bit more nerves than I expected,” Diederichs said. “Honestly, I felt a little uncomfortable all week. Tournament golf is a different game and even though it’s mostly just for fun and I don’t take it too seriously, there’s still an added level of pressure. After five years, I was a little rusty.”

Rusty? Her competitors couldn’t tell. Diederichs posted a three-day score of 10-over 226 — including an even-par 72 in her second round — en route to victory.

It was the bonus round.

After his opening lap at the three-day tournament at Ponoka Community Golf Club, Irwin and his father Greg drove down the road for an afternoon spin of the Old Course at Wolf Creek Golf Resort.

“I don’t think I would have won if we had not gone and played Wolf Creek,” Irwin said. “I kind of figured some things out during that round that helped me play a bit more steadily the rest of the way. So that extra round with my dad was really key.”

Irwin signed for a 54-hole tally of 2-under 214, finishing five strokes clear of the field. He’s hoping to pick up where he left off when Ponoka plays host to the 2017 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men's Amateur Championship in July.

AlbertaGolf.org

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“I was pretty excited about that because I was going to be the first name on that new trophy,” she said. “I’ll be the first engraving, so I thought, ‘Oh, that’s pretty spectacular.’ I was pretty pumped about that.”

NET AMATEUR LADIES Betty Fisher She’ll soon have company.

But for now, Edmonton’s Betty Fisher has the hardware all to herself.

Fisher triumphed at the 2016 Alberta Ladies Net Amateur Championship, one of the new additions to Alberta Golf’s summer calendar.

Fisher earned 73 points during the two-round, Stableford-style tournament at Dinosaur Trail Golf Club.

Despite a rough start on the final day, she rebounded with four net birdies on the back nine to notch to her first provincial title.

“It was a great tournament,” Fisher said. “The course was in great shape. I had a good time playing. I had good people to golf with, and that makes a big difference. It was just so much fun.”

nine,” Ross recalled. “And actually, I scored better on the scary side.”

NET AMATEUR MEN Mike Ross You can make some big scores in the badlands. But Red Deer’s Mike Ross seemed to master the rollercoaster back nine at Dinosaur Trail Golf Club in Drumheller en route to a victory at the 2016 Alberta Men’s Net Amateur Championship.

“What a scary course that is, especially that back

A former long-drive competitor, Ross mostly left his big stick in the bag as he plotted his way around the homeward stretch at Dinosaur Trail. In the final round, he circled four net birdies on the back nine, valuable currency in the Stableford format. Ross racked up 72 points at the two-day event, counting a couple a more than the runner-up and capping what had been a frustrating season with a trophy presentation.

“I was about ready to chuck the clubs,” he said.

“But it all seemed to come together, for some reason, for Dinosaur Trail.”

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

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Championship at Olds Central Highlands Golf Club.

“It was about time,” Schultz said with a chuckle. “It seems like I have to win the national a few years before the provincials, but it’s always tough getting past everybody here in Alberta.”

“Since I’ve turned senior, I’m always close,” Kuehn said. “But I would always have one or two holes that are like, ‘Really?!? Did you have to do that?’ ”

SENIOR LADIES Lynn Kuehn Lacombe’s Lynn Kuehn limited the big numbers on her scorecard.

That was the key to a big addition to her trophy collection, as Kuehn captured her first provincial crown with a convincing victory at the Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Ladies

Truth is, Kuehn could have hit double digits on the final hole at the three-day event and still escaped with the title. She made a pair of double bogeys on her last lap but more than erased the damage with six birdies. With a three-day tab of 5-over 221, Kuehn cruised to a nine-stroke margin of victory.

“You don’t want to blow up and just win by one,” she said. “That still put the pressure on me to finish strong and enjoy it.”

Schultz won Canada’s mid-amateur crown before claiming a pair of provincial titles in that age category.

SENIOR MEN David Schultz There was an empty spot on his mantle. Not anymore.

It seemed a bit bizarre that Calgary’s David Schultz had never bested his buddies at the Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Men's Championship, but he finally changed that with a wireto-wire victory last summer at Stony Plain Golf Course.

He finished atop the leaderboard at the national senior shootout in 2013.

An Alberta Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Schultz was steady at Stony Plain, shooting rounds of 7172-71 for a three-day score of 2-under 214.

“It was fun to finally get it done,” he said. “It was time for me to get my name on that trophy.”

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Feature

BEAST THE

By: Curtis Stock

The Horse River Fire which ravaged Fort McMurray last summer burned a swath of 589,222 hectares - the size of Prince Edward Island.

At its hottest point, the raging inferno burned at up to 1,000 degrees Celsius.

At its largest its angry flames scorched a perimeter of 1,120 kilometers.

It destroyed 2,400 homes and other buildings, forced the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta’s history and, according the Insurance Bureau of Canada, caused damages of $3.58 billion - the most expensive disaster for insurers in the country’s history.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

And yet, somehow, someway, and against all odds, the two beautiful golf courses in Fort McMurray - the Fort McMurray Golf Club and Miskanaw Golf Club - survived.

Miskanaw Golf Club was barely touched and although the Fort McMurray Golf Club lost its clubhouse, equipment, 100 golf carts, driving range and maintenance

building, it was still able to open just two months after the devastating blaze.

“We got lucky,” said Fort McMurray’s head pro Jason Vaughn. “The infrastructure is gone, but the fire didn’t touch the fairways, greens or tee boxes very much.”

“It’s hard to believe but the only damage we had was one little fence burned a bit,” said Miskanaw’s director of golf Rob MacGregor. The Miskanaw layout is just eight kilometers south east from the Fort McMurray Golf

Club and is part of the spectacular McDonald Island recreation complex.

November instead of the first of July but the course itself still plays the same.”

In the fall of 2014, Miskanaw was renovated and lengthened to 7,031 yards.

Not only that but the Fort McMurray Golf Club will open this year with nine new holes giving the course 27 in total.

“There is an island that is just 97 meters away - I know the exact distance because we were thinking about putting a tee box there - and it was on fire but we got lucky,” said MacGregor.

“It’s out with the old and in with the new,” said Vaughn, 36, who is in his 11th year as the course’s head professional.

The fire which began on May 1 swept into Fort McMurray, the Oilsands capital, two days later forcing more than 80,000 people to leave. Yet on July 1 the Fort McMurray Golf Club was able to re-open.

“We’ve got a fresh start,” said Vaughn. “The only thing we can do is move forward. We showed that a ‘little’ fire wasn’t going to hurt us,” he said. “We’re bigger and stronger than the fire even as big as it was. We weren’t going to let it get us down.”

were designed by Bill Newis - author of courses like Golden, Lethbridge’s Paradise Canyon and Calgary courses like Priddis, Heritage Pointe, Bearspaw, The Hamptons and Cottonwood - the new nine has been carved out of the Borealis Forest and lies along the banks of the Athabasca River.

With several dog legs and lots of shots demanding carries over valleys and creek beds, the greens on the original nine play from as far as 6,850 yards from the tips.

“It’s one of the most challenging courses I’ve played,” said superintendent Jeff Hacior.

“It’s tight with out-of-bounds on every hole. You have to be straight. The original 18 is flat but not very forgiving.”

The fleet of 100 golf carts at Ft. McMurray GC was completely destroyed.

The Fort McMurray Golf Club hosted the Mackenzie Tour - PGA Tour Canada’s Syncrude Boreal Open for five years but were obviously unable to do it again last year.

“We’re taking it step by step, moving forward one day at a time and making the best of a bad situation.”

Vaughn said that the grass continued to grow so well that fairways were knee high and the greens a foot or two tall when equipment was finally allowed back on the course.

“It’s amazing how fast it grew and how high it grew with no maintenance at all for five weeks,” Vaughn continued. “When we got back on the course with the maintenance equipment there were spots that were still smoldering and lots of smoke.”

At its hottest point, the raging inferno burned at up to 1,000 degrees Celsius.

“The bush is obviously a lot thinner; the trees really took a beating. Including the trees that burnt and were dead we had to take down 2,500 trees that were in danger of falling over” said Vaughn. “The bottoms of the trees and bush were still as thick as ever but the tops of the tress were all brown or black.

When we re-opened, it looked like early

“The new nine will be tough but it will be fun to play,” he said of the addition which was developed by golf course architect Wayne Carleton, who also did some renovations to the existing 18 holes.

Carleton, who has designed several award-winning projects like Shadow Mountain in Cranbrook, BC, Talking Rock in Chase, BC, Dakota Dunes in Saskatoon, SK, and Black Mountain in Kelowna, BC, said the plan is to eventually add a fourth nine and have a 36-hole facility.

“The new nine is very similar to the current two nines but it has a lot more elevation changes. I’m particularly impressed by the bunkering,” said Vaughn.

The new nine is also a little more forgiving with wider fairways and larger landing zones. Like the existing 18 holes which

“It’s onwards and upwards,” said Vaughn, who previously spent seven years in the Edmonton area - four at Jagare Ridge and three at Devon. “The goal is to keep it positive. Fort McMurray is awesome; there is so much support. It’s a really tight-knit group of people and the golf course is kind of like everybody’s second home, me included.”

While the clubhouse and pro shop are currently eight trailers put together, new facilities will be built that Vaughn said will be “..bigger and better than what we currently had. We were looking to just add on to the clubhouse - we even had an architect in place - but because of the fire we’re starting from scratch instead.” The new clubhouse and other structures will open in the spring of 2018.

“It’s been an interesting experience to say the least - it’s also been a learning experience,” said Vaughn, who relocated to Calgary during the AlbertaGolf.org

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The fire reduced the Fort McMurray GC clubhouse and maintenance building to ashes, but the greens and fairways were largely untouched.

“Anything in the forest, when it burns, replenishes itself.” evacuation. “We’re taking it step by step, moving forward one day at a time and making the best of a bad situation.”

Personally, Vaughn said the early days of the fire were tough for everyone. “The toughest thing was the unknown. Nobody knew if they had a house or a place of work to come back to. We watched the news like everyone else. Nobody had any answers.”

Hacior was in the same position. “When we evacuated nobody had any idea what was happening to our houses or if the golf course was on fire,” he said. “It was unbelievable. We just kind of watched it explode. When we were able to return to Fort McMurray, I was shocked to see how much of the course was still standing.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

“I was expecting way worse. I was surprised I had something to come back to,” said Hacior, a graduate of Olds College, who has been the Fort McMurray Golf Club’s superintendent since 2005.

“The fire was too massive - it was crazy how big it was but we didn’t have to start off from ground zero to any extent,” said Hacior. “It’s hard to burn green grass; it doesn’t turn on fire. There was lots of fuel for the fire in the trees but not in the grass.

“When we got back to the course five weeks later we got some rain and it was amazing how fast the turf came back. It came back as good as it was if not better.

The toughest challenge was simply

trying to re-open, salvage the rest of the season and put out the product that our members and green-fee players expected.

“Yet, within just two weeks, we were back to where we wanted to be. By mid-July the golfers hardly knew any difference.”

Getting there, Hacior said was only possible because of companies like John Deere and Oakcreek Golf and Turf.

“Until we got new equipment, those companies all gave us loaner equipment.”

Hacior said in a matter of time everything will regenerate. “I can already see some dogwoods and poplars coming back. Anything in the forest, when it burns, replenishes itself.”

“Now we’re all excited,” said Vaughn.

“We’re all looking forward to a typical Fort McMurray summer. We’re looking for some normality.”

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Travel

Spokane & Coeur d’Alene

By: Dunc Mills Esmeralda GC

T

he spotlight on Spokane was turned up brightly this spring with the Final Four success of the Spokanebased Gonzaga University Bulldogs men’s basketball team. But the reality is that the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area has long been a popular destination for Albertans.

Tucked into the far eastern corner of Washington State and the panhandle of northern Idaho, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene have a wealth of outstanding golf courses, arts and cultural opportunities, along with terrific shopping and dining options. Only a day’s drive from just about anywhere in the province, the region is fast becoming an increasingly popular golf and family recreation destination for Albertans.

Spokane and area features nearly three dozen public and private golf courses, several of which are ranked in the Top 100

by Golf Digest. Not only are the courses a challenge for any player, what sets the golf menu apart is the incredible value they offer. For example, the County of Spokane owns and manages three outstanding

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

layouts, all within a 20-minute drive of the city centre. Hangman Valley, Liberty Lake, and MeadowWood are superb courses and all can be played for around $40!

city-owned layout, with several water features, natural wildlife and challenging elevation changes throughout the course.

Hangman Valley GC

Indian Canyon GC

The City of Spokane can proudly boast some of the finest municipally-owned golf facilities in America. Indian Canyon opened for play in 1935 and while the yardage might be considered short by today’s ‘big bomber’ standards, the course is worthy enough to have hosted three USGA national championships along with countless local and state tournaments.

The Creek at Qualchan is the newest

Another local favorite is Downriver, the city’s oldest course which just celebrated its centennial last year. It meanders through tall pines on gently rolling terrain, with views of the Spokane River on many holes. The busiest city-owned course is Esmeralda, a very friendly, yet challenging layout in northeast Spokane. What do these courses all have in common? Green fees under $40!

The iconic floating green par-3 14th hole at the Coeur d’Alene Resort GC is one of the most photographed holes in golf.

Golfers have been known to be notorious gamblers. That’s certainly no secret. Combining terrific golf and fun-filled gaming are the Golfer’s Getaway packages available through the Kalispel GCC and Spokane’s largest and most spectacular casino, the Northern Quest Resort & Casino. That’s not a typo, either. The Kalispel GCC was formerly the private Spokane GCC, but was purchased and re-branded recently by the Kalispel Indian band. It’s NOT located in Kalispell, Montana!

Much of the tremendous golf in the area is outside the city limits. Only a half-hour east of downtown Spokane, the Coeur d’Alene area boasts some of the Pacific Northwest’s most spectacular golf. Circling Raven Golf Club is about 25 miles south of Coeur d’Alene; only a 45-minute drive from the Spokane International Airport.

It is part of the CDA Casino and Resort (more gaming choices!) which features a 300-room hotel, casino and spa in addition to the golf course which has received rave reviews from across the nation.

Washington State has an amazing variety of world class wineries and you can sample dozens of these wines without ever leaving downtown Spokane! Vintages from wineries in Walla Walla, Yakima and the Columbia Valley are all available in over two dozen cozy and inviting tasting rooms sprinkled throughout downtown in The Cork District. Many of the tasting rooms also offer delicious food choices from locally sourced suppliers. What a great way to wind down after golf! And no trip to Spokane is complete without visiting the iconic Davenport Hotel in the heart of the city. The Davenport is simply a full-on display of old world elegance.

golf, great food, superb wines, hearty beers, and amazing scenery in a package certain to appeal to visitors.

The elegant Davenport Hotel in Spokane

Getting There • About a three hour drive south of the Canada / USA border via Eastport - Kingsgate border crossing on I-95 southwest of Cranbrook.

Spokane and Coeur d’Alene have some wonderful local craft beers to enjoy

Downtown Coeur d’Alene showcases one of the golf world’s most photographed holes, the incredible floating island green Par-3 14th hole at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course. Once described by Golf Digest as “,,,not just an escape,,,an experience”, this is one of the most finely manicured golf courses on the planet.

If beer is more to your liking, the local craft beer scene is mindboggling. From hoppy IPAs to bold stouts, the area offers a wonderful array of beers to go along with vibrant night life and outstanding restaurants featuring very talented chefs.

A big part of any successful vacation are the off-course activities that are available.

The Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area delivers a symphony of outstanding

• Flights on WestJet, Delta, United and Alaska Air from either Edmonton or Calgary into Spokane.

Web • VisitSpokane.com • Coeurdalene.org • Northernquest.com • Cdacasino.com • Corkdistrict.com AlbertaGolf.org

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Industry

A PLAN FOR IM By: Bill Murchison PGA of Canada Professional and Director of Instruction at Golf Canada Calgary Centre

Is it really that complicated?

Golf is a game of compensating errors with most of the problems starting before the player starts his or her swing motion. Elite players tend to pay a great deal of attention to their pre-swing fundamentals and have a very simple non-technical view of the swing motion.

If you are really interested in significantly improving your game, the following is a plan you should consider.

Start with ensuring that your preswing fundamentals are good. Again, in a game of compensating errors, the

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

fewer of these errors you have, the more consistent and more reliable under pressure you will be. Period.

Second, the secret in making progress is to only adjust things in your game that are necessary. Whether it be through the use of some of today’s amazing technology and teaching aids or through an experienced well trained eye, it is really easy to see a whole bunch of things that might be considered a problem in a golf swing. A really good professional will help you to understand and give you advice on the

things to change that will improve your results and make you more consistent.

Remember it only gets complicated when you start trying to change things that don’t need to be changed.

The other thing that is critical in your simple plan for success is to make your technical changes ahead of your competitive calendar. Golf is also a game of trust and belief and if you don’t have it in autopilot mode prior to your most important events, your chances at your best performance will be significantly reduced.

MPROVEMENT The following pre-swing fundamentals will give you a chance to play your best:

Grip

Posture

Pre-shot Routine

The most important thing you’ll ever learn is a proper grip. A good grip will allow you to maintain control of the club without applying too much pressure. This will actually increase club head speed resulting in more distance.

It will also help you get the clubface back to square at impact, which is necessary for a straight shot. If you’ve never been taught how to place your hands on a club properly, make this a priority. It will pay huge dividends.

A balanced athletic posture is very important. You need to bend from the waist but keep a relatively straight spine with your neck and head an extension of your straight back. Your knees will be slightly flexed creating a position where the weight is balanced on your feet. You need to be completely balanced over the ball with enough forward tilt to allow your arms to hang almost straight down from the shoulders.

A consistent pre-shot routine will lead you to the results you are looking for. Your routine should include checks for grip, stance, posture, alignment and ball position and will put you in a position to develop a technically sound and repeating swing. The routine is also a major component of a strong mental game.

To help you execute your plan, see your PGA of Canada Professional. Keep it simple and you will play better and enjoy the game even more.

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People

Remembering Betty Stanhope-Cole By: Curtis Stock

T

enacious, passionate and unflinching, golf lost the most dominating female golfer in Alberta history and one of the top players in Canada with the death of Betty StanhopeCole on January 27, 2017.

She was 79.

“I hated to lose more than I wanted to win,” Cole once said and those who knew her would readily agree.

“She was that good

&

everybody knew it.”

“My goodness, what a fierce competitor,” said Ray Milne, who was the head pro at Edmonton’s Highlands golf course - Cole’s home track - for 22 years as well as another 12 years as Highlands general manager.

“It didn’t matter if she was playing for 35 cents a hole or playing Marlene Stewart Streit for the Canadian Amateur it was just as important to Betty to win the 35 cents.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

“Her opponents were so terrified playing against her that they invariably folded up like a $3 Army and Navy suit.

She was that good and everybody knew it.”

Ranked as Canada’s top women’s amateur golfer in 1974 and 1976 - she was also Canada’s top-ranked senior golfer in 1989 - Cole’s list of achievements is unparalleled in Alberta golf circles.

Consider:

Determined and certain, Cole was the Canadian Ladies Champion in 1957 - the first woman from Western Canada to do so; the Canadian Ladies Close Champion in 1967 and the Canadian Junior Girl’s champion in 1964.

Provincially she won 16 Alberta Amateurs, four Alberta Seniors and five Alberta Juniors.

Cole won the latter for the first time in 1951 - just a year after she took up the sport at the age of 12.

A member of the Canadian Commonwealth Team in 1963 and 1971 and a three-time member of the Canadian World Team (1964, 1974 and 1976), Cole’s record in the Edmonton Amateur is the most amazing. She won the

event a staggering 25 times including the 1979 renewal by 33 shots while playing her last 37 holes eight-under par.

Cole won the Edmonton Amateur for the first time in 1955 and promptly won it the next eight years in a row as well.

Her name didn’t appear on the trophy for the following four years but that was only because her husband spent four years in Toronto and Regina where Gord, who would become chief executive officer with Interprovincial Pipe Line Limited - a company which later morphed into Enbridge, weren’t in Edmonton.

When Gord and Betty returned home in 1968, Betty took the next Edmonton Amateurs nine straight times. In other words: 18 wins in 18 appearances.

In 1988 they finally just renamed the Edmonton Amateur trophy the Betty Cole.

“It’s the end of an era,” said her son Rob. “When you look at all the things she accomplished, all the tournaments she won, you just go ‘Wow.’ It’s very sobering.”

In 1957 Cole, whose lowest round was a 68 at Jasper, was named Edmonton’s athlete of the year.

“I could not believe that I won,” Cole said at the time.

“There was Jackie Parker and there was Matt Baldwin, who had won the Brier.”

Born in Calgary in 1937, Cole, who also had a daughter, Jackie, was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1991, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and then, finally, the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

“I think they were kind of waiting for me to retire,” said Cole, who refused to allow a painful back condition -- spondylolisthesis which is a significant anatomical instability -- or even a kidney transplant in the winter of 1988 to slow her down.

Six months after the kidney operation, Cole, who in a nationally televised match, once took on and defeated George Knudson, who had just won the Canadian PGA, won her 25th Edmonton Amateur.

A volunteer with Alberta Golf for 10 years as player development director, rules director, zone chair and as a member of its tournament committee, Cole had a park on 68 street and Ada Boulevard which overlooks the Highlands Golf Course named after her in 2011.

Cole was also a curling champion. She skipped three teams to Alberta Championships including a second in the national championship Canadian Lassie.

“Her swing was magnificent,” said fellow team member Cathy McMillan in an obituary in the Globe and Mail.

country has ever produced.”

And to think that Cole’s golf career started almost by accident.

“It was beautiful. So perfect.”

“And, oh god, she was a mean machine and competitive.

She was tough… I think she and Marlene Streit are the two greatest golfers that this

“I’m sure it was a set-up,” said Cole in a 1988 Edmonton Journal story. “I was 12 years old. My father was supposed to have a lesson with Alex Olynyk at his

“To my great surprise I got an email from Scott Tolley, the VP of the Nicklaus organization. He told me that Mr. and Mrs. Nicklaus know who your mother is. He said The rest would become history. they were currently out of town but when they got back he would see what we can do.”

Last year, Cole was able to cross off another item on her bucket-list when Rob took her Sure enough a meeting was arranged. to Augusta for The Masters. driving range on Grierson Hill. I had gone along to watch but my father didn’t show up. So they said ‘why don’t you take the lesson’?”

‘Betty; good to see you at The Masters.

All the best ~Jack Nicklaus.’

Like her first golf lesson that was a set-up too. Unknown to Betty, Rob had arranged for a private meeting with her idol, Jack Nicklaus.

“I was driving one day and I thought ‘Wouldn’t it be great if there was any chance of my mom getting to meet Jack Nicklaus.’

“I Googled Nicklaus and found his official site. There was a drop box ‘contact us’ and I sent a note - thinking I would probably just be sending it in the abyss - if there was any way of having my mom meet Jack Nicklaus given that they were both peers with Jack also in the Golf Canada Hall of Fame.

“It was, mom said, the highlight of her life. Both Jack and Barbara were both so great,” said Rob. “It wasn’t just a quick meet and greet either. They spent 10-12 minutes chatting.”

A few weeks later, just in time for Mother’s Day, Rob received a photo of Jack, Barbara and his mom and him. Nicklaus signed it ‘Betty; good to see you at The Masters. All the best - Jack Nicklaus.’

“I still can’t believe they were so gracious and interested in making such a dream come true for my mom.”

Yet through it all - through all the golfing accomplishments she achieved - one thing was missing on Betty Cole’s list of achievements: a hole-in-one.

“Even her mom, Lillian, who was a terrible golfer had one - a shot that never got off the ground, bounced off a tree and rolled onto the green and into the cup,” said Rob, who concluded a nearcapacity celebration of Betty’s life at The Highlands with the words: “Mom, I truly hope you can find the perfect putter and at least one hole-in-one on your newest journey.”

AlbertaGolf.org

47

People

A SPECIAL WEEK was one of five Canadians to survive the 36-hole cut.

The talented teen gave back a few strokes as crowds swelled on the weekend, but still finished in red numbers with a four-day tally of 2-under 286.

Jaclyn Lee proudly shows off her Marlene Streit medal as Low Amateur at the 2016 CP Women’s Open

These are keepers.

“I still have all the pictures on my phone from that week,” said

from that unforgettable week at Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club is the Marlene Streit Medal, named for the

They walked up, and Jaclyn was 60 yards ahead of both of them.

Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee, reminiscing about her ascent from littleknown local to leading amateur in her LPGA Tour debut at the 2016 CP Women’s Open.

“A lot of times, I’ll be trying to delete photos because I don’t have enough storage, and those pictures will pop up and that always brings back such good memories.

Those ones aren’t going to get deleted.”

The snapshots are special, but her most cherished memento

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

Canadian and World Golf Hall-of-Famer and awarded annually to the low amateur at the CP Women’s Open.

Only 19 at the time, Lee scored an exemption from Golf Canada to tee it up with the LPGA Tour’s brightest stars at Priddis Greens last August and proved she wasn’t out of place on the big stage.

Despite being nervous early on, Lee opened with a spin of 3-under 69. She followed with a 70 on her second lap of the Raven Course, and

By: Wes Gilbertson

teed off Thursday with Julieta Granata and Lizette Salas, both LPGA tournament winners.

“The first hole at Priddis is a Par-5 around the corner, and we had talked a lot about strategy,” Mullally recalled. “Because Jaclyn hits it quite far, she either had to take three-wood and go down “Honestly, I look back at that the fairway, or if she wanted to week and I’m still kind of in disbelief at how awesome it was,” hit driver, she had to carry the bunker on the left-hand side. said Lee, a member at Glencoe Golf & Country Club. “That was “Jaclyn stood up on the tee after a really, really cool experience, the other two girls. One hit driver for that to be my first LPGA Tour and drove it in the bunker, and event and for it to be the CP the other hit three-wood and hit Women’s Open and also in my it short. Then Jaclyn stood up and hometown. Looking back on it, I think I gained a lot of confidence hit driver straight over the bunker.

When the ball was in the air, the in my game from the way I other girls didn’t say anything. played and also knowing that But when it landed, Lizette Salas I can compete with the best. said, ‘Did that carry that?’ They walked up, and Jaclyn was 60 “And also seeing everyone out yards ahead of both of them.” there who either knew me and came to support me or No matter what happens didn’t know me and just knew next, it was a week that that I was the hometown girl Lee will never forget. and came out to watch…., that made the week really She’ll once again represent enjoyable. Especially on Golf Canada’s national amateur Saturday, when I walked up No. team this summer and will 18 and they were all cheering, keep her fingers crossed that was really special.” for an invite to the 2017 CP Women’s Open in Ottawa.

It’s not just the spectators who were impressed with Her dream is to eventually the smooth-swinging, alwaysearn her paycheques smiling Lee, who earlier in on the LPGA Tour. the summer had cruised to a nine-stroke victory at the Sun “That week just solidified it,” Life Financial Alberta Ladies said Lee, a finance student Amateur Championship at and standout for the women’s Highwood in High River. golf squad at Ohio State University. “Just getting a Take it from Golf Canada’s glimpse of what it would be like national women’s coach to play golf for a living; that’s Tristan Mullally, who was definitely what I want to do.” following along when Lee

People

The Call to the Hall By: Curtis Stock

“I enjoyed volunteering and really enjoy working tournaments, and still do,” Swelin said. “I think I will continue to volunteer as long as I still find it enjoyable.”

Blake was born in Wilton-on-Naze, England and played golf at the Frinton club. “I was a member, but didn’t really play that much,” he said.

Les Swelin (L) and Martin Blake, the newest members of the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame.

T

hey come from opposite sides of the world, but will be honoured together.

Alberta native Les Swelin and Martin Blake, who was born and raised in England, will share the spotlight when they’re inducted into the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame on May 17th in Sundre. Both are long time Alberta Golf volunteers and will be inducted under the Distinguished Service Award category.

Swelin feels it’s a feather in his cap.

“For sure... It’s nice to be recognized when you’re still around,” he said.

Blake was more surprised. “It’s quite a surprise. I can see Les being inducted, as he’s done so much for the game, but it’s nice.”

Swelin, 67, was born and raised in Wainwright and was introduced to the game by his father when he was six. “I started on sand greens and really didn’t play on grass for the first 30 years,” he said.

“In fact, the first grass greens I played on were at the Edmonton Journal sponsored junior tournament when I was 16 or 17.”

Swelin also played baseball, hockey and followed in his father Bartley’s footsteps and curled.

Bartley played third on the Billy Rose rink out of Sedgewick, which won The Brier in 1946.

Golf turned out to be Swelin’s first love. Swelin, who moved to Sundre in 1990, played in the first Alberta Golf Mid-Amateur in 1986 at Wolf Creek and is now competing at the senior level.

Swelin got into volunteering in 1989 when he was recruited to represent eastern Alberta at the Alberta Golf Association’s Annual General Meeting.

For the first five years, he was a member of the junior committee and spent three years as the junior chairman.

He also worked on the tournament committee, as vice-president of tournaments, vice-president of member services, and spent nine years as part of the executive committee.

Swelin really enjoyed working with juniors. He was the junior boys nonplaying team captain eight times and in 1997 led Alberta to its first Canadian team championship and first juvenile/ junior individual title since 1950.

He was junior chairman during the inaugural bantam championship in 1996 and first scholarship seminar in 1997.

He was Alberta Golf president during the first year roll out of the Public Player Club in 2006 and was a nonplaying captain of Alberta’s Willingdon Cup team in 2005, ‘06 and ‘07. He has also been a rules official for 20 years.

Blake moved to Toronto in 1956 and while he played golf at the Scarboro Golf Club, he got into hockey. “I didn’t know anything about hockey, but got tickets to the (Maple Leaf) Gardens and watched four Stanley Cups,” he said.

He started to volunteer and took over as president of the Ted Reeve Hockey Association, and later became vice-president of the Metropolitan Toronto Hockey League.

Moving to Calgary in 1980, Martin also got into golf. “I was still involved in hockey, but played golf at Canyon Meadows and once I got into it, I got the bug,” he said.

In hockey, he was president of the Calgary Minor Hockey Association, chairman of the Mac’s midget tournament, host of Team USA at the 1988 Olympics, and vicepresident of Hockey Alberta.

Blake also become a board member with Alberta Golf and is a past governor with the RCGA/Golf Canada. He has worked as a tournament rules official and chairman of many competitions and was a rules official/referee at the President’s Cup in Montreal.

“I would say that was the highlight of my career,” he said. “I got a chance to meet American President George W. Bush.”

Although he’s now 78, Blake isn’t about to stop volunteering. “But more in the Calgary area, so I don’t have to drive as much,” he said.

AlbertaGolf.org

49

Industry

CP WOMEN’S OPEN HOSTING THE

By: Glenn Campbell Priddis Greens was in spectacular condition when it hosted the 2016 CP Women’s Open

H

osting the CP Women’s Open is a big deal for golf clubs. Not everyone can do it. Course layout, club support, clubhouse amenities and volunteer commitment all play a vital role in deciding who can play host.

Priddis Greens met all the necessary requirements and more. The 36-hole facility is located just southwest of Calgary. The course is always in excellent shape and the scenery is spectacular.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

The CP Women’s Open attracts the top female golfers from all over the world.

According to tournament director Brent McLaughlin, Priddis Greens was an easy choice. He says they knocked it out of the park. “The feedback from the players was very good, from the food to the warm hospitality to the playing conditions,” commented McLaughlin.

For fans, this tournament is a chance to get up close and personal with

stars of the game like Ariya Jutanugarn, Lydia Ko or perhaps Canadian favourite Brooke Henderson. Fans also have the opportunity to see local up-and-comers like Jaclyn Lee or Jennifer Ha. You can follow them around the golf course or pull up a seat beside and green and watch some of the best birdie seekers do their thing. The fan experience is truly amazing and something you’re sure to remember. When you’re that close to the action, it makes you

realize just how good these women are. For young fans, it may even inspire them to take the game further.

This was not the first time Priddis Greens had hosted the CP Women’s Open; in fact it was the third time. “Having hosted this event twice before provided invaluable experience” said golf course manager James Beebe.

“Understanding the expectations and the process leading up to the event enabled our team to execute our plan with very few surprises”. Beebe added, “It provided for a somewhat stress free event and we were all able to fully enjoy it.”

Of course, you couldn’t put on this kind of event without the help of volunteers and they needed plenty for the CP Women’s Open. “We had just over 1,200 volunteers” said Bas Wheeler, the host club tournament chair. And it wasn’t a problem getting Calgarians to step up.

corporate skyboxes, television towers and merchandise tents. He says you also have to be careful not to damage the course in the process.

Last year Ariya Jutanugarn won the CP Canadian Women’s Open, but she wasn’t the only one who came out victorious.

history with many stories from players, caddies, volunteers, staff and spectators.

“Hosting an event like this instills a great deal of pride within the membership,” said Laugher. “It helps establish the quality of your club to the rest of the world. The exposure is priceless.”

“You never know what the future has in store but with any luck, we’ll be back at Priddis Greens again one day.”

“Our event was one week before the Shaw Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows,” Wheeler continued. “, but we were able to fill our volunteer needs as did their event. You may recall the weather wasn’t great for either tournament, but we had no issue with volunteers not showing up for their shifts.”

During tournament week, it has to be all hands on deck for the staff to make sure the course is in pristine condition.

Beebe says approximately forty golf course maintenance staff are required to prepare the golf course very early in the morning, starting in the dark. In the late afternoon another forty staff members are required to follow a safe distance behind the final groups and work until dark to perform additional maintenance tasks.

Early starts are crucial to setting up events like the CP Women’s Open.

Beebe says because of the size and scope it takes two months to build temporary structures such as bleachers,

Children benefit through Canadian Pacific’s ‘CP Has Heart’ campaign, said tournament director Brent McLaughlin.

“Last year CP donated $2 million to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in support of pediatric cardiac care and research. A total of $4.3 million has been raised in support of children’s heart health in the first three years of CP’s sponsorship of the event.”

The host club was a winner as well, said host club tournament chair Bas Wheeler.

“We sold more than a dozen memberships that week alone, and the club’s net income from the event was $250,000.”

The legacy and aftermath of hosting a major LPGA event varies depending on who you’re talking to. For the head professional at Priddis Greens, Ron Laugher, the tournament enriches the club’s

For Bas Wheeler, it’s about the privilege of hosting the CP Women’s Open three times: in 1999, 2009 and 2016. “There are a number of artifacts from the event that are displayed in the clubhouse and around the facility as a reminder to members and guests about the Open” says Wheeler. “Members who billeted players have an experience they’ll likely never forget.”

Golf course manager James Beebe says everyone is proud of the fact they’ve hosted this event three times. “Priddis Greens is truly a world class golf facility that our membership are all very passionate and proud of. Having the opportunity to showcase our golf course on an international stage is something that no doubt adds to both the legacy of the club and pride within the membership.”

When you’ve been chosen to host this tournament three times you must be doing something right, but the big question is, would the tournament committee go back to Priddis Greens for a fourth time?

McLaughlin says Alberta has always been a terrific host for the CP Women’s Open and Golf Canada amateur events. “Our mandate is to move Canada’s national women’s Open championship across the country. CP has a very strong footprint in the Calgary area with nearly 2,000 employees plus their families.” He went on to say, “You never know what the future has in store but with any luck, we’ll be back at Priddis Greens again one day.”

Ron Laugher sure wouldn’t mind. “We look forward to the opportunity to host the CP Women’s Open again.”

AlbertaGolf.org

51

People

What’s in a name? The strange case of

Wylie vs.Wyllie By: Gord Montgomery

“Hi. Is this Bob Wylie?”

Confused? Well, don’t worry.

You’re not alone.

years. And while we’re not sure how the single ‘l’ Wylie from Calgary feels about the moniker mix-ups, the double ‘l’ namesake, who resides in Edmonton, finds the whole thing quite amusing. And, as it turns out, occasionally quite beneficial.

northern Wyllie. “I’ve had free rounds of golf in Calgary … like I phone a course, show up and they don’t charge me,” after he’s mistaken, by name alone, for his Calgary counterpart. “That’s probably happened four or five times!”

Seems that name, regardless of how you spell it, has led to considerable confusion among golf people in Alberta over the

“I would say, over the years, probably half a dozen times I’ve benefitted from having the same name,” said the

“The other Bob’s what? In his 80s?

That didn’t matter. I didn’t quibble!” said the member of Edmonton’s

“No, this is Bob Wyllie.”

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“My friends call the other guy ‘the real Bob Wylie’.”

Riverside GC, who is a 58-year-old retired school teacher. “I just figured, ‘Ooh! They like the looks of me!’ ” Besides the comp’ed rounds of golf, the northern Alberta Wyllie has also received a picture of an Alberta rep team he, err, the other Wylie, played on. “I did get a picture of Bob and the Alberta senior men’s team in the mail one time.

I probably should have sent it back but he probably has a stack of them, so I didn’t think it was too important.”

And no, the double ‘l’ Wyllie didn’t airbrush his mug over top of his counterpart’s and mount the picture in his trophy case.

You see, while the name’s (basically) the same, the games aren’t quite that close. It’s not that “Double l” Wyllie is a hack, playing to a “nine or 10,” handicap.

It’s just the other guy is something else. Over the years the Calgary golfer has played a season on the PGA Tour and among other things played on two America Cup teams; won a silver and bronze medal in the World Amateur championship; was a four-time Canadian

senior champ and won a host of Alberta provincial events, including two Alberta Open titles. He also now resides permanently in the Alberta and Canadian Golf Halls of Fame.

But don’t worry. Again, our man actually could have benefitted from that list of outstanding accomplishments.

“It was the first year they had the Alberta Open,” said Wyllie, after the tournament returned to its amateur roots. “It was held at RedTail Landing in Edmonton. I came home and found a message from Alberta Golf saying they wanted me to play in the Media Day! I phoned them back and said, ‘Uh, you’re probably wanting the Bob Wylie that lives in Calgary, not me.’ My friends thought I should have shown up anyway, but I think his group would have been pretty disappointed!”

As for our Bob Wyllie? Well, he’s a proud member of the Riverside Rats with a game that’s “Not too Bob Wylie-ish! My friends call the other guy ‘the real Bob Wylie’.”

Continuing to poke fun at himself, Wyllie stated, “I’m not even the

best golfer in our house! My wife, Elaine Maloney, has won the club championship at Riverside 19 times!”

Like all of us, perhaps the Edmonton Bob Wyllie wishes he could be, for a short time even, the other Bob Wylie and have the successes and glories he earned during his outstanding playing days. Then again, maybe not.

“I’d be surprised if he’s had as much fun playing golf in his life as I’ve had playing at Riverside. I like being a Riverside Rat. It’s probably as much fun as you can have playing golf!” said the northerner.

In closing, Wyllie had this to say about the name confusion: “This is just the greatest thing that could ever happen to me. To be a nine or 10-handicapper and get treated like I’m ‘somebody’ is fun!”

In regard to that name confusion, even this writer got sidetracked, first chasing down yet a third Bob Wylie, also from Edmonton and also a golfer, after the computer’s spellcheck turned Wyllie into Wylie in the email address box. But then again, I guess I’m not alone in making that mistake.

“Yeah, I’ve had calls for that guy,” the real Bob Wyllie ended, still chuckling over the name conundrum.

And no, we have no idea what the third Wylie’s golf game is like.”

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53

Industry

SOOOOOOOOO SOFT! By: Dunc Mills

There is no question that the improvements and enhancements to the performance of the golf ball have had a tremendous impact on the game.

A generation ago, there wasn’t much choice. Balata covered balls provided the spin and control desired by touring professionals and better amateurs, and hard covered balls provided the distance that the rest of us covet so much.

But over the last twenty years or so, golf ball technology has improved exponentially. Choosing the right golf ball for your game is as important, if not more so, than getting fitted for the right golf clubs for your swing. As computer analysis has improved, sometimes confusing factors such as spin rate, cover

composition and core energy transfer have become critically important as golfers use this new technology to help them decide on the best type of ball to use to help them achieve their optimum results and increase their enjoyment of the game.

The basic performance of the golf ball is this: a ball than comes off the clubface with a higher degree of spin will launch at a higher angle. This will increase the carry and overall distance you can expect. The key is to find the optimum balance of distance while still being able to control spin on those important ‘scoring’ shots around the green.

Tour professionals with high clubhead speeds upwards of 110 mph are able to compress a golf ball with slightly harder

covers to maximize their distance while maintaining control, but for the vast majority of amateur players with swing speeds of 70-90 mph, a softer covered ball with lower compression will in most cases optimize both the distance off the tee and improved control around the greens. Many of the softer feel golf balls now on the market have a price point in the ‘value ball’ segment of the industry.

We all want to lower our scores and thereby increase our ‘fun factor’ on the golf course.

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular ‘soft’ golf balls in pro shops this year and some of their main performance features. If you are in doubt as to the best type of ball for your game, talk to your PGA of Alberta professional for advice.

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Srixon Q-Star Tour • New to market for 2017

Callaway Chrome Soft X • Dual SoftFast Core engineered to increase faster ball speed and distance off the driver and long clubs while providing superb control with the short clubs.

• Combines the performance of the popular Z-Star Tour ball with the touch and control of their SoftFeel ball.

• Softer energetic 3-piece core with a thin urethane “Spin Skin” cover for increased spin and control.

• HEX dimple pattern delivers longer carry with a piercing ball flight for added distance.

• Ultra-thin urethane cover pairs superb greenside control with exceptional feel.

Titleist DT TruSoft • Titleist’s softest compression feel combined with remarkable distance.

• Newly designed core and cover provides a great combination of very soft compression feel for the short game and consistent performance on longer shots.

• Their softest pure ionomer cover and a fast, very low compression core.

Bridgestone e6 Soft • High performance ball with a soft feel.

• Great combination of accuracy, distance and greenside control.

• Mid-market price point.

Taylor Made Project ‘a’ • Designed for midhandicappers who want more spin and control on approach shots.

• Features a 30% softer core than its predecessor, delivering a much softer feel combined with superb distance.

• Soft cast urethane cover, three-piece construction.

AlbertaGolf.org

55

Industry

KANANASKIS THE COUNTDOWN By: Andrew Penner

It’s been nearly four years since Alberta’s “Flood of the Century.” Four years since over 100,000 people were forced from their homes during the June 2013 event. Four years since downtown Calgary was inundated with water. And it’s been four long years since the last divots flew at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course. But the wait will soon be over. (Insert applause!)

Ever since the Alberta government announced, back in the spring of 2014, that $18 million would be allocated for the restoration of the courses, the wheels have been turning. The carnage has been cleared. Dirt has been moved.

Sod has been laid. And workers and architects – specifically, Canmore-based Gary Browning – have been hard at work ensuring the 36-hole mountain-golf stronghold will soon return to its former glory.

How soon? “We’ll see the course taking shape this summer with parts completed this season,” says general manager Darren Robinson. “These are going to be exciting milestones as we gear up for our re-opening in 2018. All 36 holes have been rough shaped and thirteen holes have been completely grassed on the Mt. Lorette course. The remaining holes

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

on Lorette are scheduled to be finished by June. As far as the Mt. Kidd course is concerned, our goal is to have it completely sodded by August or September. Both courses are scheduled to open for regular play in the summer of 2018.”

Of course, Mother Nature will play a pivotal role in terms of exactly when that grand re-opening will ultimately occur.

“Farmers and people in the golf industry share at least one key trait,” says Robinson, who has

been the general manager at Kananaskis for 20 eventful years. “They’ve always got one eye on the sky. When it comes to the weather, there are never any guarantees! Last year we lost 42 working days due to inclement weather and, adding to the problem, the season here is short for when we can get heavy equipment on the ground to get the work done. But, in spite of those challenges, we’ve made remarkable progress.

Things are on schedule and it has truly been a team effort. We

“It’s going to surpass the pre-flood experience” Crews have been hard at work to restore the flood-

can see the light at the end of the tunnel. There is an air of excitement around here now.”

So what can golfers expect when the flags are finally flickering at Kananaskis in 2018? “The integrity of the courses, including the routing and holes themselves, will remain intact,” says Robinson.

“But, in spite of the basic designs remaining true to the original vision by Robert Trent Jones, golfers who were familiar with the layouts will likely notice numerous subtle changes.”

For example, some of the massive bunker complexes have been altered, some landing areas have been widened, some cart paths and tee boxes have been realigned, sight lines have been improved, and greens have been re-contoured.

“Ultimately,” says Robinson, “golfers will find that the ‘new’ courses at Kananaskis will be friendlier and more contemporary versions of the originals. We are confident the legendary mountain golf experience at Kananaskis will be better than ever. It’s going to surpass the pre-flood experience and we can hardly wait to ‘cut the ribbon’ and call the first group to the tee.”

ravaged Kananaskis Country GC to its former glory.

The countdown has begun.

CAPITAL COLOR PRESS AD

Industry

ALBERTA GOLF

2017 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE JUNE 5-9, 2017

JUNE 19-20, 2017

Coal Creek GR

MAY 15, 2017

Scott Venturo Alberta Open Qualifying South May 15 Carstairs Golf Club North May 15 Stony Plain Golf Club Field: Event:

Maximum 120 players at each site 18 holes of stroke play Qualifying positions determined by regional participation Eligibility: Maximum certified Handicap Factor of 5.0 at registration close Entry closes: May 8, 2017

Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Qualifying Calgary June 5 Heatherglen Golf Club South June 8 Vulcan Golf & Country Club North June 8 Whitecourt Golf & Country Club Central June 8 Olds Golf Club Edmonton June 9 Goose Hummock Golf Resort Field: Maximum 120 players at each site Event: 18 holes of stroke play Qualifying positions determined by regional participation Eligibility: Maximum certified Handicap Factor of 8.0 at registration close Entry closes: May 30, 2017

Scott Venturo Alberta Open Championship Sundre Golf Club Field: Maximum 96 players Event: 36 holes of stroke play Eligibility: Players that are exempt or those that have qualified Entry closes: May 8, 2017

JUNE 21-22, 2017

McKenzie Meadows GC

MAY 27-28, 2017 Alberta Junior (U19) & Juvenile (U17) Qualifying North May 27 Athabasca Golf & Country Club South May 27 Brooks Golf Club Edmonton May 28 Whitetail Crossing Golf Club Calgary May 28 Collicutt Siding Golf Course Field: Maximum 120 players at each site Event: 18 holes of stroke play Qualifying positions determined by regional participation Eligibility: Alberta Golf members under 19 years old as of August 1st each year, and have a maximum certified Handicap Factor of 15.0 at registration close Entry closes: May 20, 2017

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

JUNE 12-13, 2017

Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Men’s Qualifying South June 12 McKenzie Meadows Golf Club North June 13 Devon Golf & Conference Center Field: Maximum 120 players at each site Event: 18 holes of stroke play Qualifying positions determined by regional participation Eligibility: Alberta Golf members 55 & over as of the first round of the 2015 Canadian Senior Men’s Championship, and have a maximum certified Handicap Factor of 20.0 at registration close Entry closes: June 5, 2017

Scott Venturo Alberta Match Play Championship Sundre Golf Club Field: Maximum 16 players Eligibility: Lowest 16 amateur scores from the Alberta Open will be invited to compete

Sundre GC

JUNE 26-28, 2017

Alberta Mid-Amateur Championship Grande Prairie Golf & Country Club Field: Maximum field of 120 players Contest 1: 54 holes of stroke play 36 hole cut to low 60+ ties Contest 2: Mid Master; 54 holes of stroke play 36 hole cut within Event 1 cut of low 60+ ties Eligibility: Alberta Golf members 25 years & over as of the first day of the Canadian Men’s Mid Amateur Championship.

Mid Master competitors must be 40 & over as of the Canadian Men’s Mid Amateur Championship Maximum certified Handicap Factor Handicap of 8.0 at registration close Factor Eligibility: Low two (2), Mid-Amateur Interprovincial Championship medalists, and low Mid Master Championship medalist Team Selection: will be selected as the Alberta Mid-Amateur Team Entry closes: June 19, 2017

JULY 4-6, 2017

Alberta Junior (U19) and Juvenile (U17) Girls Championship Coal Creek Golf Resort Field: Maximum field of 48 players Event: 54 holes of stroke play. 36-hole cut to low 30+ ties Eligibility: Alberta Golf members under 19 years old as of August 1st each year, and have a maximum certified Handicap Factor of 25.0 at registration close Low three (3), Junior Girls Interprovincial Championship medalists will be selected as the Alberta Junior Team Selection: Girls Team Entry closes: July 5, 2017

JULY 4-7, 2017

Alberta Junior (U19) and Juvenile (U17) Boys Championship Coal Creek Golf Resort Field: Maximum field of 120 players Event: 72 holes of stroke play. 36 hole cut to low 60+ ties & age protection Eligibility: Players that are exempt or those that have qualified Low three (3), Junior Boys Interprovincial Championship medalists will be selected as the Alberta Junior Team Selection: Boys Team Entry closes: May 20, 2017

JULY 12-14, 2017

JULY 18-21, 2017

Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship Ponoka Community Golf Club Field: Maximum field of 120 players Event: 72 holes of stroke play. 36 hole cut to low 60+ ties Eligibility: Players that are exempt or those that have qualified Low three (3), Men’s Amateur Interprovincial Championship medalists will be selected as the Alberta Men’s Team Selection: Amateur Team Entry closes: May 30, 2017

JULY 25-27, 2017

Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship Red Deer Golf & Country Club Field: Maximum field of 120 players Contest 1: 54 holes of stroke play. 36-hole cut to low 30+ ties if the field is over 50 players; if under, a cut will be at the discretion of the Tournament Committee Contest 2: Mid-Amateur; 54 holes of stroke play Contest 3: Mid Master; 54 holes of stroke play Eligibility: Maximum Certified Handicap factor of 25.0 at registration close. MidAmateur competitors must be 25 years & over as of the first day of competition. Mid Master competitors must be 40 years & over as of the first day of competition Low three (3), Ladies Amateur Interprovincial Championship medalists will be selected as the Alberta Ladies Team Selection: Amateur Team Entry closes: July 5, 2017

Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Men’s Championship Henderson Lake Golf Club Field: Maximum field of 120 players Contest 1: 54 holes of stroke play.

36 hole cut to low 60+ ties Contest 2: Super Senior; 54 holes of stroke play. 36 hole cut to low 60+ ties Eligibility: Alberta Golf members 55 years & over as of the first day of the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship. Super Senior competitors must be 65 years & over as of the first day of the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship.

Players that are exempt or Handicap those that have qualified Factor Eligibility: Low three (3), Senior Men’s Interprovincial Championship medalists will be selected as the Alberta Senior Team Selection: Men’s Team Entry closes: June 5, 2017 AlbertaGolf.org

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AUGUST 1-3, 2017

Gaurdian Capital Alberta Senior Ladies Championship Edmonton Petroleum Golf & Country Club Field: Maximum field of 120 players Contest 1: 54 holes of stroke play Contest 2: Super Senior; 54 holes of stroke play Eligibility: Alberta Golf members 50 years & over as of the first day of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship. Super Senior competitors must be 65 years & over as of the first day of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship Maximum certified Handicap Factor of Handicap 30.0 at registration close Factor Eligibility: Low three (3), Senior Ladies Interprovincial Championship medalists will be selected as the Alberta Senior Team Selection: Ladies Team Entry closes: July 25, 2017

Edmonton Petroleum GCC

AUGUST 1, 2017 GFTC Ladies Team Classic Stewart Creek Golf & Country Club Field: Maximum field of 120 players Event: 18 holes of four ball net stroke play.

Teams divided into flights based on their overall team handicap Eligibility: Teams must possess a combined Handicap of 25.0 or more Entry closes: July 25, 2017

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

Lacombe GCC

AUGUST 24-25, 2017

Alberta Bantam (U15) & Novice (U13) Championship The Bridges at Claresholm Golf Club Field: Maximum field of 72 players Contest 1: Championship - 36 holes of stroke play Contest 2: Novice – 36 holes of Stableford competition Eligibility: Alberta Golf members under 15 years old as of August 1 each year will be eligible for the Championship. Members under 13 years old as of August 1 each year will be eligible for the Novice division Maximum certified Handicap Factor Handicap of 36.4 for boys and 40.4 for girls Factor Eligibility: at registration close. Novice players are required to have at least 4 verified 9 hole scores under 64 Entry closes: August 17, 2017

Grande Prairie GCC

AUGUST 30-31, 2017 Alberta Net Amateur (Stableford) Championship Lacombe Golf & Country Club Field: Maximum field of 60 men and 60 women Event: 36 holes of Stableford competition Eligibility: No maximum Handicap Factor required. Players must be 19 and over as of August 1, 2016 Entry closes: August 23, 2017

SEPTEMBER 7, 2017

Alberta Men’s Interclub Championship Canmore Golf & Country Club Field: Maximum field of 32 teams; 4 players per team. Maximum quota of 4 category II clubs and 28 category I clubs; registration on a first come first served basis Event: 18 holes of stroke play. Best 3 out of 4 scores per hole are counted - gross and net prizing Eligibility: Certified handicap of 20.0 or lower at registration close Entry closes: August 31, 2017

Industry

TIPS OF THE TRADE

The Participants

DS – David Schultz Senior Mens Champion LK – Lynn Kuehn Senior Ladies Champion

By: Andrew Penner EH – Evan Holmes Mens Amateur Champion We’ve all got our own golfing style. Our own weaknesses, our own strengths. Even our own trademarks. A fist-pump.

An evil stare. A quirky preshot routine. Some of us quietly plot our way around like mathematicians. Some of us attack with swagger, with brute force, like the late Arnold Palmer. Our games are as different, as varied, as our personalities.

Obviously, the lessons we can learn from each other can be huge. And isn’t it always great to study, to get inside the mind of a champion? After all, these are the people, the players, whom we can really learn from. If our goal is to hoist trophies, to be the best we can be, we should always be eager to pick up a few “tips of the trade” from the winners among us. Like, for example, a few of Alberta’s reigning provincial champions!

Here are some thoughts – and a few tidy tips - from six 2016 provincial champions.

JL – Jaclyn Lee Ladies Amateur Champion TS – Taylor Stone Juvenile Girls Champion CM – Chandler McDowell Juvenile Boys Champion How do you prepare for a major golf tournament?

DS: I try to gather as much information as I can about the golf course and I work on the shots that will be required.

TS: I mark down yardages to hazards and key targets and also determine where is the best spot to land the ball on the green and off the tee.

LK: I like to get in two or three practice rounds to map out the course and come up with a plan on how to play each hole.

EH: I’ll try to play a lot more than I practice, focusing on scoring and playing rather than my swing.

How would you describe your mental preparation and mental toughness on the course? Do you have any mental strategies that you rely on during intense moments on the course?

David Schultz

CM: I like to close my eyes and breathe before each shot so that I am calm and ready.

TS: I always tell myself to never give up because the tournament isn’t over until the final putt has been made.

Anything can happen in golf!

DS: If I find myself getting anxious, I try and slow everything down, including my walking and pace. It’s easy to get racing.

LK: My pre-shot routine is important to keep things consistent and comfortable when I’m feeling the pressure.

How do you describe your style of play and how do you “stay within yourself” to make the right shot choices during a round?

TS: I’m not overly aggressive.

Wherever possible I try to take high percentage shots that I know I can pull off.

JL: I think what makes me, or anyone else, a winner isn’t about how many times they’ve won or what they’ve won. A winner can be defined as someone who always has a positive attitude at whatever they’re trying to accomplish and someone who always gives their best effort.

What are some general tips you’d like to pass along to amateur players who want to compete in and, ultimately, win golf tournaments?

JL: Find ways to make practice fun.

DS: Pick smart targets. Where is the best place to miss this shot? Look to give yourself the best chance on the next shot.

And play that way in all your rounds, not just tournaments.

DS: I guess I’m a bit of a tactician. I like to hit the easiest shot I can to give me a good spot for the next shot. It’s all about eliminating the big mistake.

CM: My style of play is not pretty.

I scramble and grind as hard as I can. There are usually two shots. The hero shot or the safe shot. Making the right choice is hard. I base the decision on my confidence at the time.

JL: I just take it one shot at a time. I’m deliberate and stick to my routine.

What makes you a winner?

DS: I love the competition. I grind it out on every shot.

LK: Positive attitude, patience, and confidence in my ability.

EH: Hard work and solid preparation.

Chandler McDowell

CM: Play to the widest parts of the golf course.

LK: Practice your short game.

Chipping and putting. This is what wins golf tournaments.

EH: Greens in regulation are very underrated. If golfers could hit two more greens a round by playing away from the pin every once in a while, their scores would drop instantly.

TS: Never give up. Some of my best rounds have happened after a bad start.

AlbertaGolf.org

61

T UR TALK

Industry

By: Dunc Mills, Executive Director, The McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour

I

t has been over twenty years now; twenty-two to be exact, since we started the McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour, Presented by Crowe MacKay. What a treat it has been to see the thousands of young Alberta junior golfers compete on the Tour over that time as they launched their competitive golf careers. While we have seen the best of the best Alberta juniors come through the program over the last two decades, we have also seen thousands of other youngsters who were just getting their first taste of what it takes to play in competition.

I can easily remember first seeing players like Jaclyn Lee, Brett Hogan, Jennifer Ha, Andrew Harrison and others when they were barely into their teens or even younger,

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

and look at all they have accomplished now. Did the McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour instantly turn these kids into great players? Of course not; their hard work and dedication and talent turned them into great players. But one of the objectives of the Tour from the very start has been to help provide an environment where junior golfers of all abilities in Alberta have a platform where they can grow and develop their golf games, and have a ton of fun at the same time. We would like to think that we have been very successful in that facet of what we have tried to achieve with these young people.

None of this of course would be possible without the support of so many others. The host sites at courses around the province

provide their golf courses to help grow the game and develop these kids into good players, and more importantly, into becoming good people.

Junior golf is so important in the personal growth and character development of young people. Parents provide the moral and financial support to get their kids into golf and hopefully stay with the sport for a lifetime. Volunteers and professional staff at the host clubs provide their time and support to help make the tournaments run smoothly.

The financial support and encouragement from our corporate partners has been incredible. Loyalty from sponsors such as the law firm of McLennan Ross as our Title Sponsor, and our Presenting Sponsor Crowe MacKay,

makes the Tour possible in the first place. We couldn’t get around the province to the events without the Koch Ford Lincoln tour vehicle.

Srixon Canada supports the annual Order of Merit so that the kids can track their progress and achievements.

Dairyland supplies nutritious milk products for the players at every event.

We have 25 events around Alberta this summer at many of the best golf courses in the province, culminating in the Tour Championship at Wolf Creek Golf Resort on August 28th, where Director of Golf Ryan Vold has hosted the tour final event since the Tour’s inception in 1996. The tournaments are fun, affordable and great competition. See you on Tour!

2017 JUNIOR TOUR SCHEDULE May 27 | Drayton Valley Drayton Valley | 780.542.3602

July 25 | Country Hills Calgary | 403.226.7777

June 24/25 | Henderson Lake Lethbridge | 403.329.6767

July 27 | Strathmore Strathmore | 403.934.2299

June 28 | Whitecourt Whitecourt | 780.778.3531

July 31 | Canmore Canmore | 888.678.4785

June 29 | Barrhead Barrhead | 888.674.3053

Aug 2 | Lacombe Lacombe | 403.782.3951

July 4 | Innisfail Innisfail | 403.227.3444

Aug. 3|4 | Goose Hummock Gibbons | 780.921.2444

July 10 | McKenzie Meadows Calgary | 403.257.2255

August 8 | Ponoka Ponoka | 403.783.4626

July 11 | Carstairs Carstairs | 403.337.3382

August 9 | Edm Pete Club Edmonton | 780.470.0700

July 12 | Olds Olds | 403.556.2008

August 10 | Trestle Creek Entwistle | 780.727.4575

July 18 | Whitetail Crossing Mundare | 780.764.3999

August 14 | Stony Plain Stony Plain | 780.963.2133

July 19 | Montgomery Glen Wetaskiwin | 800.419.2913

August 15 | Blackhawk Edmonton | 780.470.4790

July 20 | Camrose Camrose | 780.672.2691

August 17 | Black Bull Ma-Me-O Bch | 866.586.2254

July 24 | Pinebrook Calgary | 403.246.3315

August 22 | Nanton Nanton | 403.646.2050

AUGUST 28

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP WOLF CREEK GOLF RESORT

866.783.6050

2016 Tour Champions: Casssidy Laidlaw (L) of Bearspaw GCC and Reid Woodman (R) of Blackhawk GC

Plan Your 2017 Tour Schedule Now!

It is easy to enter. Just pick out the events in which you wish to play and phone the host club to enter. Entry fees for one-day events will be in the $50-60 range; slightly higher for multi-day tournaments. Enter as many events as you like; there is no maximum. Space is limited, and there are entry deadlines for each tournament, so enter early to avoid disappointment. Be prepared to pay entry fees in advance to ensure your entry is accepted.

Official handicap factors are required to be eligible for net prizes. If you are not a member at a golf club, you can join Alberta Golf and Golf Canada as a Gold Level Member to obtain and maintain an official handicap factor in addition to many other benefits.

Tour competitors MUST adhere to the dress code of the host club as well as the Tour’s Code of Conduct.

For complete details on how the Tour works, visit our website at www.mrossjrtour.com

AGE ELIGIBILITY!

Tour events are open to any boy or girl born in the CALENDAR year of 1998 or later.

SRIXON ORDER OF MERIT

Earn Ranking Points at Tour events for the Srixon Order of Merit. Three age groups for boys plus Junior Girls.

See how you compare with other juniors on the Tour.

The Old Course The Links Course WOLF CREEK GOLF RESORT

What’s New

THE NEW RULES By: Tom Zariski, Golf Canada Rules and Amateur Status Committee Member

T

he Rules of Golf are about to undergo a major facelift. Earlier this spring, the USGA and the R&A jointly announced that effective January 1, 2019 up to 30 changes to the rules will be implemented, making this the most comprehensive modification to the rules in decades. We aren’t going to go into all the proposed changes here, as the Internet is chock full of websites and links with extremely detailed explanations of each and every proposed change. But why all this change, and why now?

Quite simply, the Rules of Golf needed to be simplified and modernized. Golf’s ruling bodies realized that in order to make the sport more appealing and to help attract and keep people in the game, that the rule book needed to be tidied up. In this era of ultra slow-motion high definition cameras and armchair rules officials (paging Lexi Thompson!), it was time to make the rules easier to understand, more fair, and written in more easily understood terminology.

Dave Rickman, the R&A’s Executive Director of Rules, explains some of the rationale behind the changes. “It is important that the rules continue to evolve and remain in tune with the way the modern game is played,” said Rickman, “but we have been careful not to change the game’s longstanding principles and character.”

If all the proposed changes are approved, the total number of rules will reduce to 20 from 34. Gone will be ‘hazards’, replaced by ‘penalty areas’. Dropping a ball can be from any height above one inch. You will be able to repair spike marks on the greens, use distance measuring devices, carry a ball out of a bunker (with a penalty) and use a club damaged in a fit of temper. Here are a few of the proposed changes that we think will have a significant impact on day-to-day play by most golfers.

Situation

Proposed Change

1. Player accidentally moves his ball during search

NEW: No penalty Current: 1-stroke penalty

2. Time allowed for a ball search

NEW: Three minutes Current: Five minutes

3. Repairing damage on the putting green

NEW: Player may repair almost any damage including spike marks.

Current: Player can only repair ball marks or old hole plugs

4. Player moves loose impediments, touches the ground with his hand or club, or grounds his club in the penalty area, when his ball is also in the penalty area.

NEW: No penalty.

Current: Loss of hole or 2 strokes.

5. NEW alternative form of stroke play.

NEW: “Maximum Score” form of stroke play capping a player’s score on a hole.

Current: You have to hole out everything. This will really help speed up play in club events!

The USGA wants and values your input. Tell them what you like and what you think can be improved. Visit www.usga.org to submit your online feedback to the proposed changes.

AlbertaGolf.org

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The Ranch’s New Loyalty App

M

urray McCourt is the long-time General Manager of The Ranch Golf & Country Club, a very popular daily fee course on the western outskirts of Edmonton. Golf course managers often have a long list of job titles: personnel manager, food and beverage expert, marketing guru and others. In McCourt’s case, you can add a new one to the list: app developer!

“We know that our customers at The Ranch are very comfortable and active with social media and their smart phones,” said McCourt, who has been the man in charge at The Ranch since the start of the 2007 season.

“We wanted to offer our guests a way to build up loyalty points from every aspect of their guest experience at our club, whether it was green fees, food and beverage purchases, pro shop sales, or tournament packages.

can record any purchase made on site. “Our app users can then redeem their loyalty points for green fees, food and beverage purchases or pro shop merchandise,” commented McCourt.

“When we started to research what was available specific to the golf business to track and reward this level of customer loyalty, we were surprised to find out that there wasn’t much available at the App Store. So, we built our own!”

Running a golf course is a highly competitive business. Course owners and managers are always looking for ways to attract and keep their best customers. Having a product such as a loyalty app to reward those customers can be a very effective tool; perhaps just as important as great playing conditions or outstanding food in the clubhouse.

The Ranch’s Loyalty App assigns every user a unique QR code so that staff

PGA of Alberta Pros on the Move

E

very year, there are dozens of new appointments of PGA of Alberta golf professionals at clubs throughout the province. Some clubs lose their pros to retirement; other pros earn promotions to different clubs, while some leave the industry for other opportunities.

Here is a list of some of the moves made over the winter at Alberta Golf member clubs around the province.

• Matt Komada was named Head Pro at Hinton GC, moving from Northern Bear GC • Scott Stiles has retired from the Mackenzie Tour Canada and is now on staff at Inglewood GCC • Dale Tomlinson moves from River Bend G&RA to be the new Head Pro at The Winston GC • Wade Waters was named Head Professional at Desert Blume GC

• Greig Burnie moves from Hinton GC to Executive Professional at Highwood GCC • Jeff Cuthbertson was named Executive Professional at Stony Plain GC • Geoff Dunn moves from Woodside GC to take over as Head Pro at Athabasca GC

• Matt Matheson comes to Alberta from Golden GCC to take over as Head Professional at Trestle Creek GR. • Tiffany Gordon moves up to Executive Professional at Cottonwood GCC while Ryan Tofani assumes the role of Head Professional at Cottonwood GCC

Championship golf in the heart of Lethbridge • • • • •

A century of exceptional service Superb course conditioning Fully stocked pro shop and outstanding food Memberships, daily play and tournaments Site of the 2015 Alberta Golf Junior Championships & 2017 Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Men’s Championship

403.329.6767 hendersonlakegolf.com Call or click to reserve your Henderson Lake experience today!

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

• Teaching Professional Luke Workman has moved from Pinebrook GCC to the Glencoe GCC Teaching Centre • Bill Murchison has been named the Head Teaching Professional at the Golf Canada Centre in Calgary • Jay Barrett is the new Head Professional at Raven Crest GC, moving across Edmonton from Northern Bear GC • Tyler LeBouthillier has been named the new Head Professional at Lynx Ridge GC.

These are only some of the new staffing appointments made over the winter.

Please make it a point to meet all your PGA of Alberta professional staff at your club.

Kimberley’s $10K Shootout

M

any of us have participated in corporate or charity tournaments where the event had a Holein-One contest with a substantial cash or merchandise prize. And yes, once in a blue moon, someone drives off in a new car or pockets a sizable cash prize. But more often than not, the big money goes unclaimed.

Making an ‘ace’ on demand isn’t that easy!

But the Golf in Kimberley consortium of Trickle Creek Golf Club, Bootleg Gap

Golf Club and the Kimberley Golf Club has come up with a wrinkle on this type of fun promotion and someone will go home $10,000 richer at the Over Time Beer Works Golf Shootout Final in Kimberley on July 29. All you have to do is hit it close!

at their respective course. Those players will gather at the Kimberley Golf Club on July 29 for the high pressure and fun of the Shootout Final, where the person getting the ball closest to the pin will walk home with the grand prize of $10,000!

Sponsored by Tourism Kimberley and local brewers Over Time Beer Works, a total of 54 finalists will qualify for the final shootout.

During the week of July 24-29, the three host clubs each qualify three players per day

The Kimberley area has always been a popular summer golf destination for visiting Albertans, so why not drop into the host clubs in late July for your chance to bring some BC cash back to Alberta!

Who Moved the Ball? By Adam Helmer, Director of Rules, Competitions and Amateur Status Golf Canada New Local Rule introduced in 2017

T

he Rules of Golf state that if a player causes his ball in play to move there is a one-stroke penalty and the ball must be replaced.

Over the course of the last few years, this topic has become increasingly difficult for players and officials alike to determine what caused the ball to move.

Effective January 1, 2017, a Committee may adopt a new Local Rule that modifies Rule 18-2. Implementing this Local Rule will absolve a player of penalty if a ball in play on putting green is accidentally moved. It should also be noted that this Local Rule would modify Rule 18-3 and Rule 20-1, providing no

penalty in match play to an opponent accidentally causing a player’s ball or ball-marker to move, as well as no penalty for an accidental movement of a player’s ball-marker on the putting green.

The desire to act immediately by introducing a Local Rule was mainly due to the number of situations where players’ balls were moving on the putting green. In today’s game, the speed, slope and shape of putting greens is exponentially increasing the likelihood of balls moving.

Canada will be implementing this Local Rule as part of their Standard Local Rules.

The moved ball or ball-marker must be replaced as provided in Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1.

If a Committee wishes to introduce this Local Rule, the following wording is recommended:

This Local Rule applies only when the player’s ball or ballmarker lies on the putting green and any movement is accidental.

Accidental Movement of a Ball on a Putting Green “Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1 are modified as follows:

Globally, all the major golf tours worldwide will implement this new Local Rule.

In Canada, all the provincial golf associations as well as Golf

When a player’s ball lies on the putting green, there is no penalty if the ball or ballmarker is accidentally moved by the player, his partner, his opponent, or any of their caddies or equipment.

Note: If it is determined that a player’s ball on the putting green was moved as a result of wind, water or some other natural cause such as the effects of gravity, the ball must be played as it lies from its new location. A ball-marker moved in such circumstances is replaced.”

This new Local Rule has been widely praised and is in fact one small piece of a greater effort to make the Rules of Golf easier to read, understand and apply.

Your Public Golf & Country Club

Enjoy that “Member for a Day” feeling

D’ARCY RANCH GOLF CLUB

Corporate Tournaments & Banquets

M I N UT E S S O U TH O F C A L G A R Y IN O KO TO KS

Spectacular Mountain Views 4-Day Advance Online Booking

403.938.4455

darcyranchgolf.com AlbertaGolf.org

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Industry

MAXIMIZE YOUR ROTATION By: Andrea Kosa

Golf is a rotational sport.

To create the most effective swing, the whole body contributes degrees of range of motion from our joints as a cumulative effort. If we are limited somewhere along the kinetic chain, our body will find the path of least resistance and try to make it up through poor swing mechanics, adding to the risk of injury. Good quality rotation helps to create power, stability and minimize injury.

There are three main areas related to rotation that help golfers achieve quality movement in the golf swing. The thorax, which includes the spine, ribs, sternum and all the muscles and joints associated within, can create between 72-108 degrees of rotation. The shoulders, shoulder blades and lower back are closely related to this area and can be negatively affected by a limitation in the thorax. The next area that contributes rotation to the swing is the hips.

When testing rotation of the hips, we are looking for 45 degrees external rotation and 45 degrees internal rotation.

Reasons that limit hip rotation can include muscle and ligament tightness, muscle weakness or imbalance, osteoarthritis, or developmental (the shape of the joint surface and angle). Lastly, the shoulder joint that is designed to have the ability to move in multiple directions has important implications with the plane of the swing as well as maintaining good posture throughout the swing.

In testing golfers, we look for 90-100 degrees of external rotation at the shoulder. With all of these areas – there are some limitations that we can make improvements on with manual therapy, mobility exercises and strengthening. However, with bone limitations the mobility may max out before reaching the ‘normal’ testing measures. The good thing is you can still maintain your maximum rotation with mobility work, good warm up, and strengthening. When you have identified and worked on any limitations you have, visit your local PGA of Alberta teaching professional to adapt your swing to make it work best for you.

Here are three corrective exercises that can help improve your rotational mobility. If you experience pain while doing them, stop and ask for help from a medical professional such as a physiotherapist to fully assess the situation and make recommendations.

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

STOP SIGN STRETCH Start in a 4-point position. Do not sway or bend your arm. Use the roller to direct the stretch along the angles of a stop sign around your body. When you feel light tension, take a deep breath, exhale and go to next position. Repeat twice.

SEATED HIP DROPS With your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, drop your knee towards the floor until you feel light tension.

Keep buttocks on the floor to maximize hip mobility.

Repeat 5-8 times each side.

HALF KNEEL TORSO ROTATION Start in half kneel position.

While maintaining good balance, rotate towards the knee that is up – upper body should remain stacked over pelvis. Repeat 5-8 times on each side.

People

DUSTIN BEING DUSTIN By: Todd Saelhof Junior champion. Professional golfer. Caddie. PGA of Canada assistant. Teacher.

Dustin Risdon has been there, done that … is doing that. And somewhere along the line, he’s still finding time to do what he does best— win golf tournaments.

These days, golf is paying dividends for him in more ways than with just prize money. The Strathmore native is stress-free and having fun playing golf.

“I definitely lost the fun on a number of occasions,” said the 35-year-old two-time Alberta junior kingpin and 1997 Canadian junior champ. “I wanted to quit the game countless times.”

Good thing he didn’t, in retrospect.

that saw him shoot a fieldbest 1-under 71 at Edmonton Petroleum Golf & Country Club. Then, it was the SunIce Tour Championship at which he carded a two-day 11-under 133 to beat runner-up Wes Heffernan by eight strokes and set a new course record at Sundre Golf Club.

18-under 198, beating the nearest competition by an event-record 11 strokes to collect a $9,000 paycheque.

The first two rounds of his 67-67-64 effort helped Alberta win the 36-hole inter-zone competition — again in record fashion — at the national tournament.

Along the way, he won seven of the eight PGA of Alberta events he entered and finished runner-up in the other; tops on the PGA of Alberta Order of Merit and earned him Player Of The Year honours.

“I actually felt a little nervous playing at a national championship again, even Risdon won seven times in PGA though it wasn’t the Canadian of Alberta events in 2016 Open. So I went in last year thinking ‘I can play with these going out on tour, so let’s guys’. My goal was to shoot get a golf-swing groove that 6-under each round. I shot you can go out and rely on.”

5-under the first round, and I told (the PGA of Canada reporter), He’s especially keen on ‘I’m one shot behind my goal — I mentoring those young want to shoot 6-under every day talents with a chance to and finish 18-under’ — and his follow in his footsteps. eyes went wide open. I birdied the last three holes to finish “You can’t perfect this game 18-under, and he was the first — you lose 99% of the time,” guy to say, ‘Holy, you did it!’ said Risdon, who’s also spent time working in the muchballyhooed junior program at Collicutt Siding Golf Club in Crossfield. “I go out and play a lot of lesson holes with the juniors. I show them how Risdon captured the PGA of to play the course and offer Alberta Championship at the advice on course management Edmonton Petroleum G&CC. and the mental experience.”

“I was having fun most of the time,” said Risdon of the key to his golf success. “When I was travelling, I kind of got the old feelings back staying in the hotel rooms by myself, thinking ‘I don’t want to be doing this anymore.’ Quebec was a real tough one, because we were way out in the middle of nowhere — I was by myself, it was a four-day event, and by the end of the week, I was pretty much begging to come home.”

But the crowning achievement of his 2016 schedule came at the Lora Bay Golf Club just outside Thornbury, ON, where he trounced the field last September at the PGA of Canada Assistants’ Championship.

While they may not be events “It was relaxing staying at on the Nationwide Tour, or in a house instead of being the Canadian Open, Risdon stuck alone in a hotel room,” found his way to a run of wins said Risdon of bunking — and a ton of fun — during the 2016 PGA of Alberta golf season. with a friend in a huge home by Georgian Bay. “It’s a different feeling when First, it was victory at the you’ve got someone there PGA of Alberta Assistants’ with you there all the time.”

Championship with a two-day 16-under 128 at Mill Woods Indeed, Risdon rode a stressGolf Club. Second, it was the free week to a three-day, PGA of Alberta Championship

These days, Dustin is most comfortable teaching the game to others as an associate teaching professional at National Golf Academy in Calgary. Risdon brings a wealth of not just knowledge but the experience of having played high-pressure golf in the top ranks of the sport. It all makes him the perfect teacher.

“The first thing I teach in a lesson is we’re going to keep this as simple as possible, so you can go out and have some fun,” Risdon said. “They’re not

“You never say never when it comes to playing again — but for now, it’s teaching,” Risdon added. “My ultimate goal is to help juniors along that are getting ready to go to college and help them get their scholarship. I didn’t have too much of that growing up. I had a lot of offers, but I didn’t have a lot of guidance. I want to re-do what I did with other kids and get them on the right track.

“If I can get them there and get them on their way, that would be gratifying to me.”

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Industry

BEHIND THE SCENES By: Gord Montgomery

Dozens of staff at a course are responsible for helping make everyone’s round of golf enjoyable.

From the foursome rolling out of their vehicle 10 minutes before their tee time to the guy who’s on the range a full hour before he’s set to start his 18 holes; from the family that comes out for an evening of nine hole fun on a weekend to the club member who makes an appearance every day at his local layout, few people realize the amount of work that goes into making everyone’s day of play as fun, and as carefree, as possible.

To those that hold that responsibility, from pro shop staff to the grass growers to the club managers, making each and every day special at their facility is simply Job One. Perhaps the most behind-the-scenes group out there are the course owners who put their product on display every day of the season.

For them, there is one overriding thing that must be done right, said Lesley McMahon, whose family owns Balmoral GC in Red Deer.

“I think you have to make people feel welcome and appreciated. I definitely install that in our staff. Golf is for everyone

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

and you don’t have to be wealthy or young or fit to play. Anybody can play and you’re welcome when you come.

That’s what will keep golf alive.”

As for the challenges owners face, McMahon narrowed it down to this: “All the other things people can do. Not even (competition from) other golf courses but all the options out there. We have a lot of competition of what you can at our price range, or lower. It’s getting families to continue to bring their kids into golf. We do our best to nurture that.”

One of the most important duties facing a club manager, says Darren Black from the Innisfail Golf Club, is putting the right people in the right place to meet customer expectations.

“As a club manager, you’re basically responsible for the overall experience of every single person that sets foot in your place. You need to have great support staff from your superintendent right down to a dishwasher. Golf is all about the experience.”

Black continued by noting that as costs rise people expect more, which is a tough balancing act in any service industry.

“It’s more and more about customer service. Because of wages, because expenses have gone up so dramatically in the last five, six years, you can’t provide the same level of customer service without charging for it,” he noted of that fact of life.

In the great outdoors, Scott MacArthur, the superintendent at Country Hills GC in Calgary, said the care of the short game areas are the key parts to his job each and every day for every player.

That starts with the greens followed closely by the hazards that guard them.

“You want green speed to be consistent between greens as much as possible. An important thing too, is pin placements have to be accessible. Golf is hard enough,” without compounding that by pins tucked on slopes or hard to reach areas. “When your pins are too difficult, that contributes significantly to the pace of play.”

As for bunkers, the big thing is keeping the sand at a consistent level throughout the course. “For most golf clubs, the biggest area of discontent is with bunkers because lots of people have difficulty there. If you don’t have consistency in the depth and hardness of the sand it becomes very difficult for people to play bunker shots.

And people not raking bunkers properly,” he added. “When people don’t rake them properly, that makes it really frustrating,” for those playing behind them.

Like most superintendents, the toughest thing to deal with on an on-going basis is ground maintenance by the players themselves, said MacArthur. In other words, people properly fixing fairway divots and ball marks on greens.

“We do have problems with ball marks, two in fact. It’s the people who don’t fix ball marks but also those who don’t fix them properly. With divots, it’s similar to ball marks on greens,” in that they’re not repaired properly, he continued.

sure all the details are taken care of for the customer,” regardless of whether it’s at a private club or a municipal track.

Balmoral GC - Red Deer

“Someone will take a fair sized pelt out of fairway and then put a little skiff of sand in the bottom. You have to fill it right to the top, then smooth it out with your foot,” so the repair makes the turf as good as it was when you first got there.

Back inside, the last person most of us see before we tee off is the staff in the pro shop. Those people, says Greg McGarry from the Glendale GC in Edmonton, are always working to meet golfers’ expectations and that’s the top priority for them.

“A lot of people come for that recreational, escape experience so it’s important to make them feel comfortable, at home.

That’s number one, I think. And, making

As for the challenges the front-line pro shop personnel face, there is one overriding concern that McGarry shared.

“The big thing, universally at golf courses whether here or the States, or wherever you go, is the pace of play. If you’re faced with a slow play situation it can cause a lot of problems. It’s how one group can affect a whole day’s worth of (people’s) experiences and that one group is always kind of in that denial stage,” that in turn leads to a host of other complaints, legitimate or not, about everything from course conditions to the food and beverage end, McGarry ended.

So whether you’re a single, a foursome or part of a tournament, be aware and assured that all the people behind what goes on every day at a golf course are there working hard to make sure the experiences you have are ones you’ll fondly remember.

Proud sponsors of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s and Ladies’ Amateurs for the past 25 years!

Are you ready for life’s back nine? We can help. www.sunlife.ca Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is a member of the Sun Life Financial group of companies. © Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, 2015.

Life’s brighter under the sun AlbertaGolf.org

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Feature

Membership ITS

HAS

Benefits By: Rennay Craats

Membership in Golf Canada and Alberta Golf helps support spectacular golf courses throughout the country.

Golf Canada and Alberta Golf are rolling out a new membership program.

Sometimes change is hard. And sometimes it’s as easy as a six-inch tap in. For more than 100 years, Alberta Golf and Golf Canada have helped golfers of all ages and ability levels grow the game.

Now it’s time for a twenty-first century upgrade of its membership program.

“We’re trying to take a big step forward in Alberta this year,” says Phil Berube, executive director and CEO of Alberta Golf. “We’re introducing a new membership program that will appeal to all golfers.”

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

While implementing this change may have been an easy decision, it is the result of years of planning, consultation with members and golfers across the country to determine what they want, and testmarket trials in a number of communities across Canada. This golf season, the program will roll out to about one-third of the courses and within two years, all courses will be part of the new program.

It is a welcome change. Golf Canada and Alberta Golf’s previous membership model was based on how golfers played the game in the past, which was as members at a course. Today’s golfers

are predominately green-fee players with no official affiliation to any one course. By accommodating individual players rather than only course members, the golf associations will open up their member pool significantly.

“We felt there was an opportunity to bring more enjoyment to the green-fee player by restructuring our membership and providing some of the access to information and benefits of an association membership to people who aren’t necessarily members of clubs,” says Karen Hewson, managing director of membership for Golf Canada.

Of the nearly six million golfers in Canada, about 310,000 are currently members of Golf Canada. Alberta Golf has about 50,000 members of the province’s approximately 300,000 golfers. Across the country, approximately 1,400 golf courses and facilities hold memberships, and the associations hope to bring another 400-500 properties under the Alberta Golf/Golf Canada umbrella.

The new membership system will help connect more golfers to the associations, with a goal of adding about 20,000 new members each year and upgrading existing bronze members to gold levels. And because membership to one association includes membership to the other, golfers will enjoy incredible benefits provincially and nationally.

The associations have been best known for their handicap and scoring systems. The free bronze membership allows golfers to access these services as they test-drive a membership. The new model’s gold membership continues to accommodate a golfer’s desire to track progress and keep score but provides them with great tangible benefits as well.

On top of these benefits, members receive a rulebook, Golf Canada magazine subscription, membership to both Alberta Golf and Golf Canada and, where eligible, participation in national and provincial championships.

Members can access the “Ask the Professional” online system for advice on everything from where to get lessons to tips for improving their game. They can also download the Golf Canada app to track scores,

them run their events to year-round course maintenance requirements.

For a course like D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club that boasts more than 600 league golfers, association membership is a must.

“Because Golf Canada provides a certified handicap as part of the membership, it puts everyone on a level playing field,” says Tim Watt, manager of operations at D’Arcy Ranch.

Since the course opened in 1991, its league golfers have used their Golf Canada memberships to track their improvement, compare their scores and use their handicap to compete in both weekly league play and tournaments.

And the new additions to the program are making membership even more appealing.

...Get more people playing the game and to support its development

For a low annual fee, golfers receive custom labels displaying their membership number that they can stick on their equipment. Should a club get misplaced or left behind, golf courses can easily find out to whom it belongs and return it.

Membership also includes an insurance package that covers golfers in the event of an errant tee shot that breaks a window or a wicked slice that damages someone’s property. It also covers inadvertent damage to golf carts as well as up to $2,500 in equipment coverage for lost or stolen clubs.

“We’ve introduced a guarantee, which is really designed to provide golfers with more peace of mind and to

take away some of the exterior pressures that can affect their golf budget for the year,” Hewson says.

share rounds on social media, and register for events all with a few taps on a smart phone.

Courses also enjoy the perks of membership. The associations provide courses with a slope rating, which is the international standard used to measure a course’s difficulty.

Golfers can post their rounds to a member course, which can help determine the demographics of golfers using that course. This helps courses identify where their golfers are coming from and opportunities for growth. Golf Canada and Alberta Golf have a great deal of information to offer member courses as well, ranging from tournament management software that helps

The value of membership is incredible, and the goal is simple: to get more people playing the game and to support its development. The associations help host amateur and professional tournaments, run the highperformance development teams, and bring golf to kids through school programs like Future Links and Golf in Schools. By providing instruction and coaching, they also support the more experienced players looking to develop their skills and earn a spot on Team Alberta and Team Canada or to acquire scholarships. All of this has helped golf in Canada flourish.

“More people play golf in Canada than all other sports combined. And participation in golf in Canada is the highest per capita in the world,” says Blair Armitage, regional director, Western Canada for Golf Canada.

With it being such a popular pastime in Canada, the provincial and national golf associations are the keys to supporting and growing the game. Alberta Golf and Golf Canada’s new membership program is sure to be the talk of the tee boxes this season as more courses and independent players jump on board. From duffers to champions, all of Canada’s golfers can benefit from the new membership program.

AlbertaGolf.org

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Industry

Courses, Courses, Courses By: Kevin Smith

Dancing Bull GC is set to open this spring in southeast Calgary

Golfers in the Calgary area have three new courses to sink their tees into.

One course has been open for a couple seasons, another set to launch this spring while the much talked about third project will hit the market next year. Livingstone Golf Course is a relatively new

Mickelson National Golf Club is the very first course design in Canada by hall of fame golfer Phil Mickelson. The 42-time winner on the PGA Tour and five-time major champion was blown away by the landscape west of Calgary and with the help of award winning designer Rick Smith, he’s turning it into one of the most ambitious golf course designs in Canada. Adjacent to the golf course is the Harmony housing project that will eventually see ten thousand residents live in a mini city with shops, an arts centre, pathways and beach front property on the deepest man made lake in Alberta.

Livingtsone GC

nine-hole track already in play southwest of Cochrane. Dancing Bull is the first of two Serenity courses ready to open this spring south of Indus in southeast Calgary, while Mickelson National Golf Club is well into construction northwest of the Springbank airport. With Livingstone Golf Course fully public, Serenity semi“I think it says a lot about the area and private and Mickelson National totally the Windmill company,” said Corrigan. private, the three courses cover the range “Mickelson is not going to design many of options for Calgary and area golfers.

The Alberta Golfer 2017

The course is being built with family fun in mind but can be stretched to over

Dancing Bull GC

All 18 holes of the course have been shaped. A loop is expected to be open in 2018 with the full course open for the 2019 season. Windmill Golf Group Membership account executive Mark Corrigan says the fact the three-time Masters champion chose Rocky View County for his first Canadian design is special for the Calgary area.

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courses and the ones he does choose are going to be something special.

We’re excited to have him. He has a big vision and that vision will show in the design of Mickelson National for sure.”

7,600 yards to host the best golfers on the planet. The stadium style course will be able to host a Canadian Open, other PGA and LPGA events, local Alberta Golf and Alberta PGA tournaments, and perhaps even a President’s Cup. “From a spectator standpoint, I think Mickelson National will revolutionize how we watch golf”, says Corrigan. “With the mounding on the course, spectators

Mickelson National GC will be a spectacular addition to the Calgary golf scene when it fully opens in 2019.

will be able to find vantage points to watch several holes at one time. Most courses and big tournaments won’t have experienced anything quite like it.”

On the opposite side of the city, the parkland style semi-private Dancing Bull is set to open this spring just south of Indus in southeast Calgary. It is the first 18 holes of the 36-hole Serenity project with the links style Sun Catcher course to open sometime in 2018. Chief Operating Officer Slade King says the name Dancing Bull is very fitting.

“A family of moose lived on the property during construction. They were quite stubborn and sat around in the trees watching the bulldozers go by. One big bull moose in particular just stared everyone down, so we thought it would be appropriate to call the first course ‘Dancing Bull’, “ said King.

The course developers also run the Links of Gleneagles in Cochrane, Heatherglen due east of Calgary and Blue Devil in south Calgary. King hopes to tap into the ever growing communities in the southeast.

“There is certainly enough population boom in that part of Calgary,” King said.

“There might be some tougher years off the start, but in the long run I think the city will grow into it in that area.”

Despite being open since 2014, many Calgary golfers are unaware of the totally public Livingstone nine-hole course south of the Trans-Canada Highway

Mickelson National GC

west of Cochrane. Owner Ron Goodwin spotted this piece of land while flying his plane and bought the property in 1992. Permits were granted in 1999 and along with his sons Brent and Mike, they chipped away building holes for nearly two decades until the 2014 opening. The course has a very laid back public golf atmosphere for the community. There is no formal dress code; you can swing it in jeans and a cowboy shirt if you like. Just have fun and play golf. And when you do get on the course, Superintendent Dave Landry says nothing beats it.

“The unreal scenery out there was an amazing draw for me,” says Landry.

“We have what we call Livingstone Ridge running down our first two holes, along with some amazing elevated tee boxes. There are no two holes that play the same.”

Landry and the Goodwin family plan to build another three holes in the

Mickelson National GC

next few years, which will see a front six and a middle six in play before a final six gets carved to eventually finish off a full 18-hole layout.

From the Goodwin family’s scenic foothills layout to a moose family inspired parkland track to a stadium course designed by a legend, the diversity of golf courses in the Calgary area is ever growing.

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Industry Edward Island that year, Alberta’s girls and boys finished fourth and sixth, respectively. Four years later, the girls picked up bronze, while the boys stood fourth.

CANADA SUMMER GAMES By: Scott Cruickshank

Golfers form a big part of Team Alberta at the Canada Summer Games

For Sabrine Garrision and Matt Williams, it turned into more than a golf tournament.

This was the Canada Summer Games, new for the two Albertans and oh-so fulfilling.

Memories, medals, mementos.

Apparently, participation in the Canada Summer Games – staged every four years – comes highly recommended.

“I had a really great time,” says Garrison. “It was unique.

Something I had never experienced. I’m excited for the girls and boys who get to participate this year.”

“I still have a PEI hoodie that I wear quite often, funnily enough,” For the 2017 Canada Summer Games, the Wild Rose squad’s chuckles Williams, who bartered teenagers – three boys and three for the cherished keepsake after girls, based on the current order the closing ceremonies of the of merit and last year’s handiwork 2013 Canada Summer Games – will be announced in June. in Sherbrooke, Que. “It’s crazy to think it’s already been four One of 19 sports on display in years, but I still recall a lot of Winnipeg, July 28 to Aug. 13, it. An awesome experience.” golf’s results are determined by 72-hole stroke play at Swapping province-issued the Southwood Golf Club. apparel had been only part of the fun. Competing “We’ve certainly promoted it as was a thrill, too. being a huge life experience,” says Randy Robb, who coaches Williams earned bronze in the and manages Alberta Golf’s highboys’ individual competition, performance sport development. while Garrison, a fellow “We’re definitely trying to make it Calgarian, bagged bronzes for a premier event on the calendar. girls’ individual and team play.

“It seems like a very different time in my life,” says Garrison, who just finished her junior year at the University of Minnesota.

“But I look back with fondness.”

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

“It’s quite memorable in terms of how different it is.”

Golf made its Canada Summer Games debut in 2009. At Prince

“B.C. and Ontario tend to be strong every year,” Robb says.

“Quebec is another province we always battle with … we’d like to have a strong team and pick up medals, for sure.”

Granted, with the smaller field – limited to the top three from every province – the talent pool isn’t as deep as, say, national championships.

But the calibre is high.

“You certainly get the best possible contenders,” says Williams, a junior at the University of Houston next year.

“All the best players are there, so it is kind of a showdown.”

In addition to the podium push, the Canada Summer Games provides an eye-opening environment for golfers. Staying in dorms. Eating in mess halls. Sporting team colours.

Travelling in buses. Mixing with non-golfing peers. Marching in closing ceremonies.

Matt Williams of Calgary at the 2013 Canada Summer Games

It’s a fresh vibe.

“You’re not just playing for yourself – like you do throughout your junior career – you’re playing for the province,” says Williams.

“Definitely a pretty interesting dynamic, trying to contribute to the medal table. You see athletes walking around with their medals and that gives you a little kick in

the butt to go out and play well.”

Rubbing shoulders with standouts from all sorts of sports adds to the event’s flavor.

“Probably more than anything,” says Garrison, “I remember sharing those moments.”

Socializing also gives golfers a rare opportunity to unplug.

After all, it’s easier to forget about the day’s bogey-bogey finish when you’re cheering wildly at a basketball match or kibitzing with the wrestlers.

“It is a chance to get away and actually clear your head,” says Alberta coach Bill Murchison, “which could be very beneficial.”

Golf gets an undeniable boost from these high-profile multisport settings. No different than the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the game, in all its glory, is rolled out.

Everyone benefits from that.

“Look at the best players in the world, they’re ridiculous athletes,” says Williams. “To put golf in that conversation is absolutely the right move. The year I played … you could definitely tell that golf was getting more respect for being a really legitimate sport, which it is. It’s getting the credit it deserves. To be the best, you have to train like a world-class athlete now.”

Murchison calls the opportunity to play in the Canada Summer Games “special” – because of the competition, because of the exposure, because of the experience.

“Any time we get a chance to showcase the game and the values and life skills associated with the game,” he says, “it’s nothing but good.”

Industry

Centennial

CELEBRATION By: Jefferson Hagen

M

oe Norman once played there. So did Gordie Howe, when he worked for Eaton’s.

Joe Kirkwood, who offered a travelling trick-shot exhibition in the ’20s with Walter Hagen, was on site, too. Six-time world long drive champion Jason Zuback learned to play golf there as a kid.

The answer, for $1000, Alex, is ‘What is Lethbridge’s Henderson Lake Golf Club?’

Actually, the number on record is 100, as the classic club will be celebrating its centennial this summer.

Among other festivities, Henderson Lake will play host to the Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Men’s Championship July 25-27.

“I think it’s like anything else,” explained general manager Michael Plouffe. “When you’re in this business, it’s pretty cool to reach 100 years.”

Henderson Lake, also led by head pro Dean Spriddle, checks in at 6,512 yards from the tips, but with old growth trees lining the fairways and small greens, accuracy is at a premium.

The 18th hole at Henderson Lake GC in Lethbridge

“I think for the senior men, it’s going to be a good setup,” said Plouffe. “I think when people look at the scorecard, they say ‘we’re going to tear this up.’ It’s going to be a great test.”

“When you’re in this business, it’s pretty cool to reach 100 years.”

Defending Alberta Senior champion David Schultz out of Calgary’s Country Hills hasn’t played a tournament at Henderson Lake in 35 years, but he’s a master at adjusting quickly to tracks he’s unfamiliar with. “I’m going to go out there and play the shots that make the most sense,” said the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame member. “I’m not going to take undue risks, which you might do if you knew the course a little better.”

Schultz looks forward to defending his title this summer at Henderson Lake.

“Going back as defending champion is going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “And the 100th anniversary? I hope we can put on a good show for them. There’s not a lot of courses that are that old.”

Longtime Henderson Lake members Rod Morrice and Hans Lisowicz have been spearheading a project on the history of the club, dating back to August, 1916 when the site opened as the Lethbridge Municipal Golf Course.

“When they first built the golf course, there was a public road that went through it,” said Morrice. “When you teed off the first hole, you’d have to go over the road.

The road was still in play up until 1938 when they finally stopped cars from driving through there.”

That hasn’t been the greatest hazard in course history, though. That distinction might belong to a rampaging bull in the 1950s that escaped a nearby rodeo and tore through the course.

Or it might belong to member Earl Fox, who while training as a pre-World War II fighter pilot at a nearby gunnery/flight school, decided to swing his plane overhead… way too low.

“He was quite a character,” chuckled Morrice. “He was out doing his training and he came in really low over

top of the golf course. The manager at the time got the call numbers and complained to the gunnery/flight school.

“According to his son, he was almost kicked out of the air force for that little stunt. Thank goodness he wasn’t kicked out, because he ended up being a fighter pilot, flying Mosquito airplanes.”

There have been great successes, too. Competitively, there might not have been any better in club history than Eddie Schwartz, who was a member of Alberta’s first Willingdon Cup-winning team in 1960. And in 1996, Wes Widmer and Dawn Berry became the first pair from the same Alberta club to win both provincial junior titles in the same year.

“We have so many dedicated members in our club,” said Morrice, also highlighting longtime volunteer Thelma Coutts, a past provincial and national ladies golf association president.

“We have five players right now who’ve been there for over 60 years. One of the fellows, the longest-standing member, started in 1948.

That’s very impressive.”

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People

Moving The Game

Forward By: John Gordon

Scott Simmons received a beautiful caricature painting at the Golf Canada Annual General Meeting in February, 2017 in Toronto.

Ten years ago, I played golf with Scott Simmons at his longtime home course, Brantford Golf and Country Club in Ontario. He had just been hired as the CEO of what then was known as the Royal Canadian Golf Association.

I had known Simmons since we worked together at the RCGA in the early 1990s.

I was director of communications; he was my counterpart on the marketing side. Eventually, we both left to pursue other opportunities. But we continued to share our passion for the game.

That day in Brantford, his passion burned even more brightly. Sure, he recognized the challenges facing the game in general and in Canada specifically. Participation rates were down, golf was seen as too timeconsuming and too expensive, and so on.

But Simmons, characteristically, was upbeat. As a marketer, he understood the hurdles that needed to be cleared to make the RCGA more relevant. As the father of four, he was committed to involving more

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The Alberta Golfer 2017

youngsters in the game. The year before he took over, the RCGA had been anointed as the National Sport Organization for golf.

“I saw this as such an exciting time for the game to leap forward in Canada,” Simmons told me recently. “It was a unique opportunity for a traditional association, which had been known only as the ‘governing body of golf’ to evolve into the National Sport Organization [NSO] for golf in a country which has such a love of the game. If I had to give one reason for taking the job, that would be it.

“I love this game and I thought, 10 years ago, that I could bring a different perspective and energy and give something back to golf. Aside from building on the NSO designation and the other achievements, I am most proud of the success we have had in getting kids involved in golf.”

Without bias, he has lots more to be proud of as he departs. The achievements during his decade-long time at the helm include developing an ongoing strategic

plan for the association, a much-needed revision of the organization’s governance model, introducing “Golf Canada” as the public-facing brand, securing long-term sponsors for our men’s and women’s national Opens, introducing a new membership model, opening communications channels with provincial associations and other stakeholders, revitalizing the Golf Canada Foundation and numerous other checkpoints.

In February, 2017 Simmons resigned from his post to, again, pursue other interests.

We spoke in mid-March, arranging a future re-match at Brantford G&CC. I asked him if he had any thoughts on a legacy or any regrets.

“As far as a legacy, I don’t see my time there that way. I see it as being lucky enough to be able to help in some small way to make the game better in Canada.

Regrets? Of course. You always want to be able to do more in a shorter time frame. But I did the best I could under the circumstances and I am proud of that.”

People

Marilyn O’Connor:

For The Love Of The Game

By Rennay Craats

Growing up with a golf course as her backyard, how could Marilyn (Palmer) O’Connor be anything other than a golfer? And with talent, positivity and an amazing work ethic, how could she be anything other than a champion?

O’Connor learned the game at the hip of her father, the golf professional at the Kamloops Golf and Country Club. From a young age, she was out on the course working hard to perfect her game, and that hard work paid off. The teenager won her first BC junior championship in 1963 and never looked back.

“It’s often that first prize that you win as a kid that motivates you to keep playing,” says Marilyn O’Connor. “What it comes down to is I just always really loved the sport.

That’s what motivated me over the years.”

O’Connor has turned that love into an impressive resumé over the past several decades. She has 26 provincial championship titles in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan, including five Alberta senior titles, plus a Canadian senior championship. O’Connor is a two-time Vancouver city champion, fourteen-time Calgary city champion and an

Marilyn O’Connor (far R) will be inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in May.

eight-time Calgary senior champion. She has also been part of provincial or Canadian teams 52 times and competed in the World Cup six times and the Commonwealth Games four times, winning in 1979.

O’Connor’s success inspired many young girls learning the game, but it was her generous nature, talent, and encouragement of fellow golfers on and off the links that colleagues remember.

“You could not find a nicer person, a more talented player, and I really believe she raised the bar for golfers in this province,” says Judy Forshner, head golf professional at the Glencoe Golf and Country Club. “She’s a phenomenal individual. I feel fortunate to have met her and watched her play.”

After Marilyn married Don O’Connor in 1978, she moved to Alberta and continued golfing in Calgary. However, her golf career changed after starting a family. She still played high-level tournaments but she didn’t compete internationally as much.

“We had a fifth wheel trailer and we’d go to tournaments and I’d play golf while my husband, who was so great, would take the

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kids and do the camping things,” she says.

“My golf in Alberta has been a family affair.”

Today she continues to golf with her family, not for titles but for pure enjoyment of the game. After all, that’s what it has always been about for O’Connor.

“I’ve never played the game for recognition.

I’ve played because I love to play. But when you are recognized, it’s very nice,” she says.

She has been recognized for her impressive accomplishments with inductions into the Kamloops, Canadian Golf, BC Golf, Alberta Golf, and the Pacific North Golf Association Halls of Fame.

And this May, she will be inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

“It takes in all sports and athletes who have been exceptional in a multitude of endeavours, so to be included is very special for me,” she says.

With a career spanning over 40 years and provincial, national and international championships, Marilyn O’Connor will be right at home at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

GolfGolden.com 1-866-727-7222 AlbertaGolf.org

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES 1

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1.Team Alberta finished in a tie for second place in the 50th playing of the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship at the Seattle Golf Club. Brett Hogan (L), Andrew Harrison (C) and Patrick Murphy (R) represented the province in the Morse Cup competition.

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2.Brooke Henderson (L) and her sister/ caddie Brittany received the famous white cowboy hats while conducting a junior clinic at the Golf Canada Calgary Centre.

The long-standing tradition in Calgary is a symbol of western hospitality and good cheer. Brooke was named to the Team Canada Olympic Squad during her visit.

3.Nothing but love for the caddies. Scott Secord thanks his friend and caddie Kylie Barros after a solid round at the 2016 Scott Venturo Alberta Open.

4.Team Alberta member Chandler McDowell takes a deep breath and visualizes his tee shot during the 2016 Future Links Pacific Championship hosted in Kamloops, BC. 5.2016 Alberta Match Play Champion, Jack Wood, took the time during the final match to thank one of the dozens of volunteers who make each Provincial Championship possible.

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16 12.Life lessons. One of golf’s greatest attributes is that it teaches sportsmanship and respect for your fellow competitor.

13.Golf made its return as an official sport at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Earlier that year enthusiasts at the PGA of Alberta Golf Show in Calgary had the chance to get their picture taken with the Olympic golf trophy from the 1904 games. The trophy was won by a Canadian, George Lyon.

6.Kat Kennedy puts her fellow competitor Jaclyn Lee in a headlock after Lee clinched the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship at Highwood G&CC.

9.A competitor in the 2016 Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Ladies Championship holds the pose while waiting for her turn to play at the Olds GC.

14.Youth movement. Two talented Albertans, Jaclyn Lee (L) and Jennifer Ha (R), met with the media prior to the 2016 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at Priddis Greens G&CC. For Lee, it was her first LPGA professional event.

Ha is now a rookie on the LPGA Tour.

7.Lay up – play first; Going for the green – Wait for call up!. Competitors in the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Mens Amateur Championship had a choice to make on the diabolical short par 4 down the hill at the Innisfail GC.

10.Pretty in pink. Participants in the 2016 Alberta Ladies Team Classic had fun and raised funds towards breast cancer research through the Golf Fore the Cure program.

15.Team Alberta members Kehler Koss (L) and Brendan MacDougall (R) both won in playoffs at the 2016 Future Links Western Championship hosted at Medicine Hat G&CC.

11.Long-time Innisfail GC Superintendent Dwayne Simpson (Far right) and his turf care team had the classic layout in mint condition for competitors in the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Mens Amateur Championship.

16.Team Alberta won the interprovincial team championship by nine strokes over Team Manitoba. David Schultz (L), Brian Brown (C) and Frank Van Dornick (R) scorched the field at the 2016 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship hosted at Grand Niagara GC.

8.The champion golfer of the year. Evan Holmes of the Earl Grey GC got the monkey off his back by claiming the gold medal at the 2016 Sun Life Financial Alberta Mens Amateur Championship.

AlbertaGolf.org

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Inclusion in the

GAME By: Gord Montgomery Gord MacIntyre gets help from his caddie Leam Thistle in qualifying for the Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games.

When people talk about “growing the game,” that catchphrase seems to generally encompass only one main group — kids. However, courses across Alberta are becoming aware that another segment of the population, special needs athletes, is playing a huge role in boosting the sport’s numbers.

Special Olympians are flocking to golf courses across Alberta in ever-increasing numbers, says Johnny Byrne, the president and CEO of Special Olympics Alberta. Byrne noted that from 2013 to 2016 the provincial program has grown by 15 per cent, rising to 309 athletes from 268. They are overseen by 42 head/assistant coaches and 38 program volunteers in 14 communities.

“Golf started in the last six years as a formal program,” said Byrne, adding the competitive stream is four years old.

“We’ve had really good reception from certain clubs, and the pros, who want to help out. We have a great relationship with the PGA of Canada as well. It’s been great to see this really develop.”

Calgary plays home to a large number of the province’s golfers where 141 athletes are involved with a wait list of 20 more. The Calgary program began 15 years ago with a single facility, the Eaglequest Golf Dome at the Fox Hollow GC, pitching in with their support.

“They have been wonderful friends to the organization, lending us the dome on a weekly basis,” said Kathy Urquhart, the executive director of Special Olympics Calgary. Since then, she added, the Winston Golf Club and now a city-owned course have joined in to offer up their facilities.

“Without all three of those partners we would not be able to run this program.

We would not be able to grow this program, so we are significantly grateful for their support,” Urquhart stated.

The feeling of inclusion for the Special Olympics athletes who get to use a course’s driving range, practice areas and sometimes the course itself is a big deal, Byrne pointed out.

“There is no segregation. You’re just out there playing golf. It’s sport at its purest.

When you’re out there on the course, everyone’s the same. Everybody shanks shots. You don’t always hit the shot where you want it to go. There’s no difference.”

Ryan Tapankov from the West Central District

Cuthbertson suggested quietly that perhaps society as a whole could take a valuable lesson from these very special athletes.

at the Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games.

Another huge supporter of the Special Olympics program is in the Stony Plain/ Spruce Grove area, where the Stony Plain Golf Course bought into this idea four years ago. The manager of golf operations, Jeff Cuthbertson, is wholeheartedly behind the program that sees upwards of 20 athletes take to the driving range and four-hole kids’ course every second week. As well, they have three competitive-minded players who tour the “big” course on a weekly basis.

“When you look at Special Olympics and the athletes, whether they’re kids, young adults or adults, we have the opportunity to include another group of people in what we do,” explained Cuthbertson. “Truly, if you want to grow the game of golf, it’s not just the kids. There are other groups of people not playing our sport for various reasons and if we can open the doors to those who want to be part of what we are doing, that makes us a viable business and also a valuable asset to our community.”

“Golf is hard. Anybody that plays understands that and for someone that has challenges and puts in the effort to play this game, they have my respect.

Those that are participating dedicate themselves to it. They go at it as hard, or harder, than anybody else learning to play the game. We’d be doing a disservice to our community if we tried to exclude them from being part of our facility. I’m excited they’re here as part of our community and our golf course. They’re excited to come and that’s a great thing for golf!”

Urquhart perhaps summed up the feelings of the athletes and coaches involved in the golf programs by saying, “These partners are so supportive of our program and we wouldn’t be able to do this without them. It’s so important for us to have these facilities to get our athletes out to and for them to be able to participate,” because while there are several courses now involved in “growing the game” in this special way, there is always room for more.

AlbertaGolf.org

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Adopt A School By: John Gordon

The Adopt A School initiative needs you.

Just who is “you”?

Adopt A School is an offshoot of the successful Golf in Schools program created by Golf Canada in conjunction with the PGA of Canada and PHE Canada with support from the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada as a program partner. It provides courses, companies and individuals with the opportunity to “adopt” one or more schools of their choosing to introduce the Golf in Schools program

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So “you” comprises all the entities just mentioned, plus one more vital component: A local champion.

a school in her hometown of Gretna, Man. She is proud of the Girls Club initiated at her home club and the Mike’s Kids program. The latter is the legacy of the late Mike Hay, a fellow Edmonton educator.

“To succeed, Adopt A School needs someone with a passion to start the process.

That person needs not only passion but interest, commitment and time,” says Enid Botchett. Botchett, a retired Edmonton school principal, has a long history in volunteerism, including serving in many roles with Alberta Golf, including president. In 2012, she

“Legacy” is a word Botchett mentions frequently. She suggests golfers can specify in their wills that an amount be bequeathed to Golf in Schools generally and Adopt A School specifically. Another aspect of the word, she says, is that “golf is different from most other sports because it is inter-generational.

Children can play with their parents or their grandparents

at that school. (Schools can also enroll in the program on their own if they wish.)

was named Golf Canada’s volunteer of the year.

She encompasses all the above attributes and her passion to welcome more youngsters to golf is impressive, imaginative and without boundaries.

For example, she took the Adopt A School program to

All that’s needed to realize that opportunity is you. and have a wonderful time as a family. Golf In Schools opens up that opportunity to many more kids.”

Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s interim CEO, has a different interpretation. He sees Adopt A School as “an ‘A’ platform for engaging Canadian youth in the sport. Actually, we’ve seen the Life Skills shared in these sessions being applied to other segments of the school’s teaching curriculum whether it be math, history or others. The underlying values resonate with educators who are always looking for ways to develop better people.”

Life Skills is a new facet of the program included in every lesson. The lesson plans aim to help students learn and develop the necessary physical and technical skills to play golf.

Additionally, with each lesson, a specific life skill is incorporated and addressed.

These skills include intrapersonal (perseverance, goal-setting and emotional regulation) and interpersonal (honesty, teamwork, respect).

“The inclusion of Life Skills in this resource greatly enhances the material,” according to a testimonial from a teacher. “The inclusion of Life Skills, while very important to the development of the ‘whole student’, allows the teacher to teach to both aspects: sport skill improvement and personal/social development. This will make the unit more meaningful to more students.”

The Adopt A School program “includes a ‘best in class’ learning resource as well as child-friendly golf specific equipment. You can adopt an elementary, intermediate or high school of your liking.

“With tightening education budgets, it is a reality that not all schools will be able to afford this program within their budgets,” says Golf Canada. “We are offering the Adopt A School initiative to encourage individuals, groups of individuals, or businesses to support the program by funding the cost of the program package for a

school.” Alternatively, individuals can support the program for any amount and tax receipts are issued for amounts of $20 or more.

Integral to the ongoing success of the program is an initiative called ‘Get Linked’ whereby the school develops a relationship with a local golf facility and has the golf professional come to the school or assist in taking the kids to a greengrass facility. Golf Canada offers the Golf In Schools Golf Professional Grant and the Future Links Field Trip Grant to encourage the Get Linked concept.

Through the development of Get Linked, Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada are strengthening the link between schools running the Golf in Schools program and facilities engaged in delivering Future Links programs. At the same time, the initiative promotes a healthy, active lifestyle through the sport of golf. Grants are available from Golf Canada to facilitate this program.

Since 2009, more than 380,000 young people, 48,000 in Alberta alone, have participated in Golf in School programming.

Across Canada, it has been in 2,800 elementary schools, 68 intermediate schools and 310 high schools. In Alberta specifically, it has been welcomed into 346 elementary schools, 14 intermediate schools and 42 high schools.

Almost 1,500 schools in total across Canada have been adopted. In Alberta, there are 109 elementary schools, 10 intermediate and 13 high schools.

Those are impressive numbers but with approximately 15,500 schools in Canada (10,100 elementary, 3,400 secondary and 2,000 mixed elementary and secondary), there’s lots of opportunity remaining.

All that’s needed to realize that opportunity is you.

To learn more about Golf In Schools and Adopt A School, visit golfinschools.golfcanada.ca or call 1.800.263.0009 ext. 475.

AlbertaGolf.org

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CGA UPDATE The Calgary Golf Association is the largest municipal association of its kind in Canada. They run 11 golf tournaments each year in and around the city for male golfers and their 39 member clubs.

In 2017, the CGA will be conducting the 100th playing of the Calgary City Amateur. This tournament is steeped in tradition with a list of past champions being a proverbial ‘who’s who’ of golf in this city. Hall of Fame golfer names such as Bob Wylie, Doug Silverberg, Keith Alexander and David Schultz can be found on the historic trophy that will be handed to the champion for the 100th time this August at the Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club.

For over 50 years, the CGA has given golfers in the area the opportunity to play highly competitive golf while not having to travel. This has allowed players in the area to sharpen their tournament game in preparation for provincial and national championships.

The success of Calgary players at those levels can be directly linked to the player’s ability to compete on quality courses against strong fields.

The Rileys Best Ball is the largest tournament in Canada with over 500 players in three divisions.

It also can boast the longest running continuous sponsor of any tournament in North America!

The other tournaments include an Invitational Match Play that has the top 32 players from the previous

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years Order of Merit, a two-man City Best Ball, City Senior and Junior, three player Interclub, Tournament of Champions and the season ending City Medalist. This offering gives members a full summer schedule of events to play some great golf and build friendships that last a lifetime.

The CGA is very proud of the relationship with Alberta Golf which extends exemptions to some tournament winners into the following season’s provincial championships. Additionally, The Glencoe Invitational extends a similar exemption to the City Amateur Champion.

This association is run by a group of five volunteer board members who work tirelessly year round to put on the best possible events at quality golf courses at a very competitive price. The board appreciates the cooperation of member clubs that host the events and surrender valuable tee times during the short golf season. The CGA wishes all golfers a long and successful 2017 season! calgarygolfassociation.org

CGLA UPD The Calgary Ladies Golf Association promotes Ladies and Junior Girls’ golf by encouraging members to participate in events organized through the CLGA. The following is a brief description of the events for the 2017 season.

C.H.A.M.P.S. (Calgary Hospitality and Match Play Sections) – Our most popular event aimed at the recreational golfer and focuses on hospitality and getting to know ladies from other clubs. The season wind-up will be at Cottonwood on September 18th.

City Amateur Championships Ladies Amateur - Country Hills Golf Club - June 26-28 - $170.00 open to all CLGA club members – flighted - stroke play with prizes for both gross and net - 96 lowest factors will qualify.

Senior Ladies Amateur - Willow Park Golf & Country Club - August 9 & 10 - $120.00 - open to all CLGA club members ages 50 + with a Super Senior category 65+ - flighted - stroke play with prizes for both gross and net - 96 lowest factors will qualify.

Junior Girls Amateur - Valley Ridge - August 11 & 12. $50.00 member $75.00 non-member. This tournament is open to all girls ages 18 and under with two divisions.

A two-day 18-hole stroke play, prizes for both gross and net scores - two-day novice nine-hole par-3 stroke play, prizes for gross score. No factor required for novice division.

Tournament of Champions will be held at Redwood Meadows September 11.

18-holes stroke play open to all member club champions or runners-up.

ATE Riley’s Best Ball – maximum field of 48 – two-person teams (three flights) participate in a double knock-out competition. Finals will be held at Canyon Meadows.

Medalist Series – Hosting Clubs - Maple Ridge - The Winston – Carnmoney – Canyon Meadows – Valley Ridge – Springbank Links. Maximum of 24 participants with the lowest factors per event. This is a great opportunity for women and junior girls to play with lower factors and gain experience.

All entrants to any of the CLGA events, except for the Junior Amateur, must be a member in good standing of the association’s member golf club and have a current Golf Canada handicap factor.

EGA UPDATE The Edmonton Golf Association is 96 years old and counting! Otherwise known as the EGA it is a registered non-profit society of associated member clubs formed in 1921 to promote and preserve the game of golf in and around the Edmonton area. The EGA is run by a Board of Directors comprised of volunteers from its member Clubs.

Edmonton Junior Championship Derrick Golf and Winter Club Saturday August 26 and Sunday August 27

The EGA works with the Edmonton and area golf community to schedule, plan and execute tournaments for the enjoyment and participation of amateur golfers.

The EGA facilitates the production of four tournaments per season and also coordinates the Edmonton and area interclub league for men, ladies and juniors.

This year it is very excited to be adding another junior tournament co-organized with the Canadian Junior Golf Association; FCG Callaway World Championship Qualifier.

On behalf of the member clubs the EGA welcomes and encourages golfers of all abilities to come to Edmonton and enjoy the great courses as we’re looking forward to a great season in 2017. For more information or to register for an EGA event please visit our web site.

Edmonton Tournament of Champions (by invitation only) Highlands Golf and Country Club Monday September 18

egagolf.org

calgaryladiesgolf.ca The 2017 Edmonton Golf Association schedule of events is as follows: FCG Callaway World Junior Championship Qualifier Sunday May 28 Country Side Golf Club Edmonton Ladies Amateur Championship Sunday July 23 Blackhawk Golf Club – Day 1 Monday July 24 Devon Golf Club – Day 2 Edmonton Men’s Amateur Championship Sunday August 27 Sturgeon Valley Golf Club – Day 1 Monday August 28 Edmonton Country Club – Day 2 AlbertaGolf.org

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Scholarship Award Winners T

he Alberta Golf Foundation (AGF) continues to grow for the benefit of all Alberta students graduating and going on to post-secondary studies and the next generation of golfers through post-secondary scholarship funding. Each year, the scholarship committee of the AGF meets to reviews dozens of applications from young men and woman through Alberta to allocate awards based on a combination of academic excellence, community involvement and financial need. Since 2002, the AGF has helped over 450 students by distributing over $600,000 to our successful scholarship recipients.

Last year, the scholarship committee was pleased to award 43 scholarships totaling $54,000 to students attending post-secondary institutions in Alberta, across Canada and in the United States of America. The funds to make this program possible came from a variety of sources, including individual contributions from Alberta Golf competitors, foundations and corporate partners, and other patrons of Alberta Golf interested in helping further the education of these young people who will help shape the future of our province. The AGF also raises significant scholarship funds from a casino fundraising initiative that has been very beneficial in making larger awards possible in recent years.

The generosity of our patrons allows the AGF to build and grow the scholarship program and increase our awards on a year to year basis. Please contact the AGF for more information of how to establish your own legacy in this very worthwhile program.

Thank you to our patrons: Charles C. Reid Foundation Frank Lindsay Memorial Foundation McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour presented by Crowe McKay R.E. Courage Memorial Fund Christa Spahmann Memorial Lola Rozsa Jeff Llewellyn Memorial Fund Sun Life Financial Bob Rintoul Memorial Fund

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Name

School

Alissa Kuhn Allan Pruss Amanda Sha Andrew Chelack Andrew Harrison Barrett Belland Brandon Murphy Brendan Kuny Bria Jansen Carolyn Lee Celine Copeland Claire Emery Conaire Kehoe Courtney Dickson Dalton Ronan Daria Leidenius Elliot Saive Erin Martens Hamzah Naeem Heather Gisi Jack Pengelly Jack Wood Jolene Freerksen Julie Kuhn Kat Kennedy Kate Martens Katie Benoit Kevin Gfrerer Lindsay Almberg Luke Scanlon Mackenzie Walker Melanie Murchison Michael Pruss Nathan Nobert Patrick Gobran Peter Keith Quinn Ceplis Rachel Wiebe Scott McNichol Shaye Leidenius Sydney Weber Tyler Saunders Tyler Vandermeer

University of Lethbridge University of Jamestown University of Alberta Univeristy of Calgary University of British Columbia MacEwan University Univeristy of Calgary University of Alberta Troy University University of British Columbia Mount Royal University University of British Columbia University of British Columbia University of Lethbridge University of Alberta Holland College University of Alberta Sonoma State University Univeristy of Calgary University of Lethbridge University of Calgary University of British Columbia Southern Wesleyan University University of Alberta University of British Columbia University of Victoria University of Lethbridge Golf Academy of America - San Diego University of Alberta Mount Royal University University of British Columbia University of Victoria University of Jamestown University of Alberta - Augustana Campus Longwood University University of Alberta University of Calgary MacEwan University University of Calgary Red Deer College University of British Columbia University of Nevada - Reno University of Alberta