Golf july 2013

July 2013

Quebec City Golf: Fun Experience!

See Inside Page 3!

TBDGA 2013 Tournaments ECCO Canada Makes Their Shoes Light!

From the Desk of Barney Adams Founder and Past CEO of Adams Golf The Future of Golf Participation Part I The AUR C327 Classic Pique Polo The Best Golf Shirt You Will Ever Wear

Walter Keating Jr Wins District Pro Am In a Nail biter See Inside Page 8 Cobra Puma Golf Canada Display Completely New Line Up for 2013 See Inside Page 5

TBDGA 2013 Tournaments Note: Some of the dates or courses are subject to change

JULY July 6-7 July 13-14 Chapples Invitational (3 man scramble) Marathon Men's Open Chapples Golf Course Peninsula Golf Club July 15 Steve “O” Senior Invitational Thunder Bay Country Club July 13-14 July 20-21 Strathcona Club Championship FWCC Club Championship Strathcona Golf Club FWCC July 27 North Shore Senior 2 Man Best Ball North Shore Golf Course July 27-28 Whitewater GC Club Championship Whitewater Golf Club July 27-28

Aguasabon 4 Man Masters Agusabon Golf Course

Municipal Club Championship Municipal Golf Course August 24-25 Thunder Bay CC Club Championship Thunder Bay Country Club August 24-25 Aguasabon Mens Open Aguasabon Golf Course August TBA TBDGA District Junior Championship TBA August 24-25 Dragon Hills Club Championship Dragon Hills Golf Course August 30 Dragon Hills Senior Open Dragon Hills Golf Course

AUGUST August 3-4 August 2-5 Stanley Thompson Memorial 2 Man Strathcona Invitational Kenogamisis Golf Course Strathcona Golf Club August 9-10-11 FWCC Invitational FWCC August 9-10-11 Barrick Gold Skins Game Peninsula Golf Club August TBA Bergstrom Kenogamisis Golf Course August 10-11 Chapples Club Championship Chapples Golf Course August 17-18 Centennial Mens Club Championship August 17-18

SEPTEMBER August 31September 2 Canadian Tire District Amateur Strathcona Golf Course Chapples Golf Course Whitewater Golf Club Aug 31- Sept 1

Geraldton Club Championship Kenogamisis Golf Course September 7-8 September 7-8 Marathon Club Championship Terrace Bay Club Championship Peninsula Golf Course Aguasabon Golf Club September 8 Municipal Invitational Municipal Golf Course September 14 North Shore 2 man North Shore Golf Course September 14-15 Emerald Greens Club Championship Emerald Greens Golf Course OCTOBER October 5 Dragon Hills Open 4 Man Scramble Dragon Hills Golf Course October 13 Stokaluk Shoot-Out

ECCO Canada Makes Their Shoes Light!

BY SCOTT A. SUMNER

NW Ontario Golfing News In Thunder Bay recently was Aynsley O’Donovan, Sales Rep for ECCO Canada. Her office is in Winnipeg and they cover the territory of Manitoba,

Saskatchewan and Northwestern Ontario.

On display in the clubhouse was a great selection of ECCO golf shoes. Their shoes became especially popular last year when Fred Couples wore them first at the Masters. The comfortable show has really created a whole new market for relaxed

golf shoes. “ It is the BIO Zero which weighs under 10 ounces but still has great structure and support. Making the shoe as light as possible is important,” said Aynsley O’Donovan. “ Freddie came out with the BIO Hybrid in the white and green at the

Masters last year. We name it the Freddie shoe and any golfer can now wear it. At ECCO we pride ourselves on the quality and workmanship of the shoe.”

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July 2013

www.golfingnews.ca Quebec City Golf: Fun Experience

BY SCOTT A. SUMNER

NW Ontario Golfing News During my time as a journalist I have always enjoyed visiting Quebec. To me there just seems to be something special about the people there. They have an enthusiasm for life and are very proud of their home province. It is fun to hear the French language and you almost feel like a Quebecer by the time you leave.

My journey began with two brief flights to Quebec City to their very modern terminal building. After picking up a rental car, a Hyundai Genesis that was a treat to drive, it was off to the hotel. My first hotel stay in Quebec City was at the TRYP Quebec Hotel Pur by Wyndham.

The 18-storey luxury hotel located on Rue De La Couronne in downtown Quebec City is the only TRYP brand in Canada. It is a 4 star property that includes a very special restaurant called the TABLE, where for lunch and dinner you sit together as a group called Tapas. “ The hotel was completely renovated and has a very modern contemporary look," said Annie StYves, Sales Manager at TRYP by Wyndham. “ We are located in a great central location in Quebec City where you can explore the area. There are many unique boutiques and nice restaurants right here.”

Royal Charbourg, which was very close to the downtown area of Quebec City.

It was my pleasure to play a round with Yvon Bouchard, Golf Director Club de Golf Royal Charbourg and MontTourbillion, a second course nearby.

Bouchard has been the head pro continuously at Mont- Tourbillion since 1972. He started at age 26, after two years in Trois Riviere as a pro and growing up caddying at the Manor Richelieu. “ We are 10 minutes from the Quebec City. Phillip Watson, who is from Quebec, designed this course.

Mont- Tourbillion was designed by Howard Watson, “ said Yvon Bouchard. “ The weather has been awful to start this year especially in May when it rained so much, almost 20 days. We had 7 days with almost no play in May. In between we had some great weather and then it got bad again. The weather is usually quite good here so it has been quite unusual this season. The grass doesn’t grow well with just water, you need sun as well. Also there was a bad accumulation of ice that did hurt the course a little this year.”

season is May to early October. In the fall season it is very colourful when the leaves change colour. The weather usually is between 18 to 25 degrees Celsius.

I really enjoyed my golf game at Royal Charbourg. (See www.royalcharbourg.com and www.monttourbillon.com) We played a match where Yvon and I were able to claim victory over two low handicap members on the last hole!

When you come to Quebec City you have to spend some time in the old section of the city and experience the grand history of the area. My guide Marinus (Ries) Pot gave me an excellent tour of the beautiful churches, old cobble stone streets and great views of the St. Lawrence River with many magnificent buildings in the backdrop.

My first golf game was at Club de Golf

Club de Golf Royal Charbourg has about 50 members but the main play comes from mostly tourists and local tourna-

“ I like the course as it is challenging and can play from 7000 yards if you want to. The front nine is flatter and the back nine in the mountains,’” smiled Yvon.

ments. The green fee is $43 during the week and $55 on the weekend and the cart cost is $16 per person. In there good years they do over 30,000 rounds. The average

“ The CPGA have not found anyone else who had been a head pro at the same course for so many years- 42. I play three times per week here in Quebec and spend

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July 2013

the winters in Florida where I have been a member at a club near Fort Lauderdale for the last 25 years. I have also been in the ski business at Mt Saint- Anne. Skiing and golf are my passions.”

My next golf game in Quebec City was Golf Le Grand Vallon at the foot of Mt Saint- Anne, a well-known Quebec ski area. It was great to play with Denis Roy, Head Professional and one of his most avid golf members, Gilles who holds the record of playing 72 holes in 1 day! “ This is my favourite golf course in Quebec City. I had lived away in Montreal for 20 years and when was offered the job here I couldn’t refuse. To move back to my hometown has been great. At Isle du Montreal we built two great courses and I was involved in that development with Pat Ruddy as the architect. It is an amazing place there. It was an old landfill that we were able to use.,” said Denis Roy. Golf Le Grand Vallon is located about a 1/2-hour drive from Quebec City. The drive is very scenic right along the St Lawrence River. The course is located at the base of the mountain and the fairways roll gently. “ Golf Le Grand Vallon was designed by the great architect Howard Watson, who has not received the recognition he deserves. He has also built courses like the Board of Trade in Toronto. Our course was built in 1974 and is now owned

by RCR Resources, which own the ski properties Mt Saint- Anne as well as Fernie, Kicking Horse and other golf courses in the west,” said Roy. “ Our season starts early May when the course is more ready and we end in October. The temperature is only slightly colder than Quebec City. The fall here is spectacular with the changing colours. You can stay in the condos near the golf course and we place golf carts there so you can travel to the course. As it is off-season to skiing you get good value.”

Continued Next Page

Page 3

Quebec City Golf: Fun Experience

BY SCOTT A. SUMNER

NW Ontario Golfing News Continued from Previous Page

Peak season at Golf Le Grand Vallonon weekends the green fee is $95 and includes cart and range balls. All you have to do is swing smiles Denis Roy. The greens at Golf Le Grand Vallonwere tremendous with Kentucky blue grass. They can be hard to read and you have to be aware of

where the St Lawrence River and the mountains are when you putt. “ The course is a very good challenge, not overly long, but the average golfer can get to the green and have some fun. We are busy here with a short season and lots of visitors. There are members who usually sign up for three years and get 1 year free," said Denis Roy. “ The drive to the course from Quebec City is spectacular adjacent to the St Lawrence River by the Saint- Anne Church as well. The church is spectacular and a must see. We send some of our golfers there for a miracle instead of

giving then lessons.” laughed Denis. You can find more information on Golf Le Grand Vallon www.legrandvallon.com has packages.

It was a real treat to stay next at Le Bonne Entente (see www.lebonneentente.com), which is the only 5 star and 4diamond property operated all year round in Quebec City. Originally it was a house in the 1950’s owned by Colonel Jones who built it for his retirement in 1948, but unfortunately he passed away in 1949. His son converted it to a bed and breakfast of 12 rooms. In 1960 the property was enlarged and today has 160 rooms on 11 acres. It is right in a neighborhood but near a major artery located under 10 minutes from the airport. They also have the largest spa in the area.

“We are a resort out of the town but have a shuttle that will take you downtown in 15 minutes. It is the best of both worlds.

Our new section URBANIA cost $7 million and has 28 rooms. The rooms feature a spa bathroom with a light therapy bath and enclosed glass shower,” said Pascale Banville, Marketing and PR Director at the Le Bonne Entente. “ We have three restaurants on the property. The NAPA Grille is a California type outdoor restaurant near the pool and you can see the chef prepare your food. It is a retreat hotel.”

9 years ago and you can book your tee time months ahead if you stay at the Le Bonne Entente. A Skins game with Freddie Couples and Sergio Garcia has been held at this course. The grass is bent grass and

the conditioning fabulous. “ There is a group of 50 owners who put in at least $120,000 each and they take

My final golf game would be at CLUB DE GOLF LA TEMPÊTE, an 18 hole course affiliated with the hotel. It was built

great pride in the course. They put the money in to make the conditioning good.

We have a package of stay and play with breakfast and dinner.” said Ms. Pascale Banville.

It was fun to play with Ms. Pascale Banville and her husband Mark, as well as Quebec touring professional Mr. Yvan Beauchemin. Yvon was just off a Quebec professional win, has played in PGA Tour and Champion tour events and finished his round with a 3 under par score! This course was beautifully conditioned and features a fabulous clubhouse and learning academy complete with indoor hitting bays with trackman technology.

My trip to Quebec City included three great golf games with passionate golfers, stays at two special hotel properties and a fun tour of Old Quebec City. This is a place I am sure you will enjoy!

Special thanks to everyone who helped make this trip so memorable. www.quebecregion.com

Page 4

July 2103

Cobra Puma Golf Canada Display Completely New Line Up for 2013

BY SCOTT A. SUMNER

NW Ontario Golfing News

Rickie Fowler is changing the game of golf according to Stephen McGlenen from Winnipeg who works for Cobra Puma Golf Canada and covers the prairies to Thunder Bay. “ We have a completely new line up for 2013. The first is our game improvement family called baffler, which we sell in men's and ladies right and left hand with steel and graphite shafts available. It is completely custom fittable. Our higher end product for the lower handicap is called AMP Cell also available in left and right hand with a full compliment of drivers, fairway woods, irons and trusty wedges.” smiles McGlenen. “ Rickie Fowler and Ian Poulter have brought lots of flair into the game. Puma is about play golf have fun.”

The parent company of Cobra Golf is Puma. Puma purchased Cobra March 27, 2010 from Fortune Brands famous for Titleist. “ All of the clubs are adjustable. The Amp cell driver has 6 different positions. We offer 4 colours as well Orange, Red, Blue or Silver,” said McGlenen. “ We are here at Whitewater today with the flight scope which helps determine ball speed and ball spin, the characteristics that affect

ball flight. Cobra has a very exciting line for 2013. This weekend I am at the TBCC and Whitewater as well as some clothing outlets. If you want to get Cobra golf equipment you would deal with the local pros Matt Simmons or Craig Morton and it takes 7 to 10 days to get your custom built clubs from Montreal or Carlsbad.”

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From the Desk of Barney Adams Founder and Past CEO of Adams Golf The Future of Golf Participation Part I Dallas, TX - June 25, 2013 - Given my history with Tee It Forward, I have spent a significant amount of time studying participation data in the golf industry. Recently, I saw two forecasts, one from the NGF and one from Golf 20/20. The former predicts 3 million new golfers by 2020, keeping up with the population increase; the latter, an increase to 30 million players in 5 years.

Apples to apples the 5 million increase would constitute almost 29 million, so the NGF is relatively more conservative.

My initial reaction to these revelations was somewhere between negative and incredulous. They have 30 years worth of data that refutes their own positions. But, as I contemplated more, it became evident that the real issue is how to increase participation, not criticize forecasts.

The facts: golf participation has significantly lost ground vs. the population increase over the last 30 years-something well over 20%. Junior golf is down 30% from its high in 2005. And in fact, if you carefully look at the participation data since 1985, everything is down.

The NGF has a category encompassing all who play at least once a year, age six and older, (the base they use for their 2020 forecast). While that category shows a similar decline, I am more specific in my analysis. They have a category called "Avid," those who play 25+ times a year.

This category accounts for and pick up 71% of all golf associated costs. A clear path: grow this group and good things fall in line.

Definitely a straightforward objective, we have the category we want to expand now let's develop programs to increase their play, just as has been done in the past. It worked! We had 10.2 million avid golfers in 2000, only ultimately it didn't work. Well, that group of avid golfers did grow once. From 1985 to 2000, it grew from 6.8 million to 10.2 million. But that didn't solve the problem, because then it shrank. From 10.2 million in 2000 to 9.1 million in 2005, 7.0 million in 2010, we end up with 6.8 million and counting in 2012, the same as we had in 1985, (not close to keeping up with the population

increase). So it isn't about getting them, it's about keeping them and that is where

levels, men, women and juniors, we can get them started, but we can't get them to stay with the game. We continue to try and attract new players but until the product rejection issue is turned around these efforts will not fix the participation issue.

I understand that there will be some who say the current status is acceptable so let's not interfere. Two million jobs, people supporting families, kids with summer jobs-that is what the industry provides and that base is being eroded. If that isn't an incentive, there is a long range forecast which is so negative folks tune it out. That is the result of today's birth rate, the lowest in history, By comparison, the baby boomers, today's chief golf participants had the highest birth rate in our history.

every organization associated with the game needs to focus. There have been enough economic and weather variations over those years to factor them out as the cause; the culprit is the game itself.

In the business world this would be identified as a case of product rejection. At all

Let's be the generation that is recognized for taking action that has a positive effect on participation. In Part 2, I'll propose a fix that is within the rules and spirit of the game, is virtually cost free and at the end of the day, a solution that we can easily install. I'm talking about us, the folks who play the game.

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July 2013

July 2013

Page 7

Walter Keating Jr Wins District Pro Am In a Nail biter!

BY SCOTT A. SUMNER

NW Ontario Golfing News Walter Keating Jr. enjoys competing in golf tournaments. After a long career on the Canadian Tour and chasing the touring professional dream, the 37 year old now spends most of his time behind a desk working in

The sand save on 15 really helped me. That is one of my best bunker shots in a long time,” said Keating. “ Playing with Joe and Jeff in the final group, we have a lot of comradery out there and you want your competitors to do well. I didn’t like seeing the bad bounce off the cart path Joe got that probably cost him the win.”

the family business. He still loves to compete and it was fun to watch him down the stretch with up and coming young golfer Jeff Hunter and local curling specialist Joe Scarf. The last few holes of the 2 day 36 hole tournament that began at the FWCC and finished at Whitewater made the difference as Keating won by 1 shot after some solid play in the final holes.

“ Jeff Hunter is the next good young player to come out of Thunder Bay. We haven’t had anyone on the tour since 2008 when I last played. It is fun to come out and compete again. For 25 holes I hit the ball as well as ever, but my putter was poor. Today my putter was good and my drives not as well.” said Walter Keating Jr.

“ I got off to a good start for 7 holes today at Whitewater at 3 under and then made three bad drives which cost me 5 over. I then started to swing again and my years of experience on how to get it around helped.

“ I enjoy this a lot. The golf community is great and it is nice to come out and play golf here at Whitewater on a great day. I knew the three of us were close but I just plodded along and stuck to my game.,” said Joe Scharf

Page 8

“ I made an iffy swing on number 4 and lost the ball. It was a little sour for me, as I don’t think the ball was out of bounds but

events. I’d love to play golf but 72 - 75 isn't going to cut it. I have to figure some things out as a golfer. I think for the most part I hit the ball well enough to compete but you

we couldn’t find it. I made a 7 there and was playing from behind then. The three of us were battling it out. All you can ask for is to be in the mix. It is experience and you need to learn how to do it when it means some-

can’t make 7’s,” said Hunter who is studying business management. “ I have one more year left at school and then we will see what happens. It’s a dream. I am good at school and if golf was as easy as school I’d

thing,” said Jeff Hunter, who attends Southeastern Oklahoma State University on a golf scholarship.

be laughing. Why get an 88% in a course when you can get a 93%. I guess I am kind of a perfectionist.”

“ You have school and 6 hour practice rounds and then 5 hour drives to the tournaments. This year at school I didn’t perform the way I wanted to but I played some good

Next up on the TBDGA major golf schedule is the Strathcona Invitational.

July 2013