TORONTO – Score Media and Gaming Inc. (TSX: SCR; Nasdaq: SCR) (“theScore” or “the Company”) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Score Digital Sports Ventures (Canada) Inc. (“theScore Bet”), has entered into a multiyear agreement with Golf Canada to become its Official Gaming Partner. The exclusive partnership makes theScore Bet the first ever gaming partner for Golf Canada and its prestigious National Open Golf Championships – the CP Women’s Open and the RBC Canadian Open.  

The partnership, which begins in 2022, provides theScore Bet with access to activate across Golf Canada’s high-profile events and large digital footprint. As an exclusive gaming partner of the RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women’s Open, theScore Bet will be able to engage fans through a variety of on-site activations, including creating members club experiences for theScore Bet users, as well as digital activations through both tournaments and Golf Canada’s channels.

Bill C-218, which legalizes single event sports betting, was proclaimed to come into force on August 27, 2021, with regulated online iGaming and sports betting offerings from private operators expected to commence in Ontario later this year. Both the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open will be held in Ontario in 2022. The RBC Canadian Open is scheduled to be held in the Greater Toronto Area in 2023 and 2024. 

“We are thrilled to welcome theScore Bet as Golf Canada’s first Official Gaming Partner,” said Golf Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer, John Sibley. “theScore brand is already synonymous with sports coverage in Canada and we’re enthusiastic about the opportunity to team up to help build awareness for theScore Bet. Through Golf Canada’s entertainment properties and channels, theScore Bet will have direct access to engage with our large membership of devout Canadian sports fans.”

“We are proud to be Golf Canada’s first ever gaming partner and align theScore Bet with their organization and Canada’s marquee professional men’s and women’s golf events,” said Aubrey Levy, Senior Vice President of Content and Marketing, theScore. “This partnership provides us with highly engaging access points to introduce theScore Bet to a broad and endemic audience of golf fans. With the RBC Canadian Open taking place in Ontario for all three years and the CP Women’s Open in the province for at least the coming year, it provides us an amazing foothold to interact with Canada’s passionate golf community around two of the most popular golf events in the country.” 

The 2022 RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the championship’s practice facility. The 2022 CP Women’s Open takes place August 22-28 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in Ottawa.  

In March 2021, theScore Bet was named Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR across the United States and Canada, pending the enactment of enabling legislation and regulation, and receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. 

theScore Bet is an immersive and holistic mobile sports betting platform that includes a wide range of pre-game and in-play betting across all major sports leagues and events, and a comprehensive variety of bet types. When paired with theScore’s flagship mobile app, theScore Bet offers a deeply personalized user experience and uniquely integrated media and betting ecosystem.

Garry McKay

Volunteers. Golf in Canada can’t do without them and for many who try it, it becomes a life-long passion.

Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Canadians volunteer every year at all levels of golf – from local junior events up to and including the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open.

“The volunteers at our recent Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor absolutely loved what they were doing,” said Golf Canada president Liz Hoffman, who enjoys attending tournaments and getting to hang out with volunteers.

“Whether they were walking scorers, spotters or bringing out water and fruit for the players they loved every minute of what they were doing, and it was contagious.”

Hoffman says if you consider all the roles and responsibilities volunteers have as part of Golf Canada’s board, councils and committees, helping at championships and qualifiers, or who serve as referees or work on handicapping and course rating and then factor everything that happens at the provincial level there is no doubt golf in Canada couldn’t function without them.

“They (volunteers) are integral, right across the country,” she says. “They’re the machine.”

Jim Clark, an Aurora, Ont., resident, first volunteered to work the Canadian Open in 1984 after hearing about it when he was curling.

“I was on the caddy committee,” he explains. “I just loved it. Standing in the parking lot at Glen Abbey and meeting the players as they got out of their cars.

“I enjoyed it so much I did it the next year, and the next year and the next year. And I’ve never missed one since.”

In time, Clark became a governor of the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) and he has worked every significant tournament Golf Canada has been involved in.

But why?

“It can be long hours and exhausting, but it gave me an energy,” he says. “It was the highlight of my year many times. That’s why I kept going back.”

Clark said volunteering in golf gave him a feeling of being part of a team and he loves to talk about the friendships he’s made through working golf tournaments and how volunteers come from all walks of life.

“We had a doctor who ran a parking lot at the Canadian Open,” he said. “He took a week off from his practice to direct cars in the parking lot.”

Hoffman’s introduction to volunteering in golf was not unlike Clark’s.

It happened in 2006 because the University of Toronto, where she was director of athletics and high-performance sport, was hosting the Canadian University/College Championship at Thornhill G&CC, where she’s a member.

After that experience she volunteered at the club level, then with Golf Ontario. And now, 15 years later, she is president of Golf Canada.

Both Hoffman and Clark agree that it’s not hard to get volunteers back for a second or third time because they see they’re making a difference and are having fun doing it.

“Once people do it they love it and they’ll go back,” said Clark. “The hard part is getting them out for the first time because some people can be intimidated by it.”

That’s one of the reasons Hoffman is on a crusade to broaden golf’s volunteer base in Canada.

“I’ve had so many parents come up to me and say, “if you ever need volunteers let me know because I’ll help in any way I can,’” says Hoffman who points out the reason they ask is because they simply don’t know how to get involved.

For starters, you don’t have to be a great golfer or even a golfer, period.

“We welcome applications from all individuals who share our values and may contribute to increasing equity diversity and inclusion in our sport,” says Hoffman. “We want to look inside and outside our sport.

“We want to broaden our volunteer base and underrepresented groups are key. We need to make sure we reach out to them and let them know who we are and how to get involved.”

Golf Canada has made it simple to sign up as a volunteer. For starters, you can simply go to www.golfcanada.ca/volunteer-opportunities to get more information on how to volunteer with Golf Canada.

Or if you prefer, you can call Golf Canada or your provincial golf association and ask, “how do I volunteer?”

You can reach Golf Canada at 905-849-9700 or toll-free at 1-800-263-0009.

10 CURLERS FROM THE CAPITAL WINTER CLUB WILL HURRY HARD IN AN EFFORT TO CAPTURE THE LONGEST MARATHON CURLING GAME WORLD RECORD WHILE RAISING MONEY FOR YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH.

Kingswood‘s Director of Golf, Chris Billings, Fredericton Golf Club President, Wayne Tallon and member Steve Burns, and Golf NB Executive Director Tyson Flinn are joining fellow Capital Winter Club members Chris Schnare, Stephen Muzzerall, Kevin Larlee, Geoff Maybee, Mike Jennings, and Paula Emery as the group attempts to set a new “Longest Marathon Curling Game World Record” in support of Youth Mental Health in the Fredericton area.

Inspired by the success of a group of Capital Winter Club curlers (Mike Doucette, Brian Douglas, Don Clark, Tony Doucette, Walter Bidlake, Ned Boyle, Mark Pitkin, and Stan Sullivan), who established a new World Record of their own, at 73 hours and 54 minutes, on April 12th, 1982, the newest set of Fredericton Record seekers will be attempting to take down the current mark of 105 hours, 6 minutes and 51 seconds, belonging to a group of curlers in Ontario.

The two five-player teams will start play at 6:00 PM on Monday, November 15th, and wrap up 120 hours later at 6:00 PM on Saturday, November 20th, just in time for the Capital Winter Club’s 60th Anniversary Dinner.

In addition to establishing a new World Record, the group is attempting to raise $1,000 for each hour of curling completed in support of Youth Mental Health in the Greater Fredericton Area. “No one should ever have to wait to talk to someone when they need to, especially based on financial need”, says Steve Burns, one of the primary organizers of the event along with Chris Schnare. “Hopefully the money we raise will help and bring some awareness to resources for our youth. If we can hit our target of 120 hours for this record, we could raise $120,000.”

“I was happy to be asked by Steve and Chris to be part of this once in a lifetime event. We are all excited for the opportunity to be able to use something as unique as a World Record attempt to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.”

said Tyson Flinn, Golf NB Executive Director

For more information on the “Longest Marathon Curling Game World Record” or to donate, please visit www.cwccares.ca.

Tax Receipts are available for donations of $20.00 or more.

Our Partners at Dormie Workshop are proud to introduce Canada’s first “Play Yellow Signature Event” golf tournament to benefit the IWK Health in Halifax!

To kick things off, the “Mellow Yellow Shaker” take place on Thursday, September 23rd from 6:00-8:00 pm at Garrison’s Seaport Brewery. All participants are invited to join the fun and revelry, which includes Rich Aucoin as a guest entertainer and silent auction, which offers some incredible opportunities.

The Format of Competition will be a two-person Stableford, limited to 48 teams beginning with Tee Times at 10:00 am at the Links at Brunello on Friday, September 24th.

Registered Teams will be presented with Tee Gifts from Dormie’s proud partners including:

• One Dozen Callaway ChromeSoft Golf Balls
• Premium Cabretta Leather Asher Golf Glove
• Premium Foray Golf Polo
• Levelwear Hat

First place division winners earn air travel/accommodation to compete in Play Yellow‘s “Tournament of Champions” hosted by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus at PGA National, November 14-16, 2021.

CLICK HERE to sign up soon, spots will fill fast!

Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB) is excited to share the following job opportunity with one of our Partner Facilities.

Hampton Golf Club is currently seeking the services of a Director of Golf. The successful candidate will report directly to the Board of Directors of this shareholder-owned company. The director will oversee all golf-related programs and activities, pro shop activities, and staff including assistant pros, pro shop attendants, starters, and marshals.

Please CLICK HERE for the Job Description.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 1st, 2021.

APPLICATIONS
Interested professionals, please forward your resume and cover letter, in confidence.

Email: info@hamptongolf.ca

Mail: Hampton Golf Club – Directors, PO Box 1331, Hampton, NB. E5N 8H3

TORONTO, ON —Today, RBC and Golf Canada announced the RBC Community Junior Golf Program, an initiative that will focus on building greater diversity and equity in golf by enabling affordable access to the game for youth in underrepresented communities in Canada. PGA TOUR professional golfer Harold Varner III will join Team RBC and serve as an ambassador for the new program.

As part of the RBC Community Junior Golf Program, Golf Canada will implement the First Tee – Canada and Youth on Course programs at municipal and especially accessible public golf courses across Canada. By 2023, the program is expected to engage more than 10,000 young people by delivering free First Tee programing, which integrates the game of golf with life skills curriculum and $5 Youth on Course green fees to select courses from coast to coast.

As founder of the HV3 Foundation and National Ambassador for Youth on Course, Varner will lend his expertise as an advisor to the RBC Community Junior Golf Program. In September 2021, Varner will host the program’s launch event at a GTA-based golf course, where youth from traditionally underserved communities will have the opportunity to spend time with Varner, learning tips from the pro and benefiting from on-course programming.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Team RBC family and to partner with an organization whose values match my own, including providing young people with affordable access to sport and playing an active role in populating a more diverse pipeline of golf talent,“ said Harold Varner III, Team RBC ambassador. “Through my work with young people, I understand the positive impact sport can have on a young person’s life. It can open doors and present opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. It is an absolute honour to be an ambassador for the RBC Community Junior Golf Program while joining the elite group of players on Team RBC.”

“As a long-standing supporter of golf, RBC is proud to launch a program that will help increase diversity, inclusivity and access to the game of golf,” said Mary DePaoli, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “We believe in ensuring everyone has equal opportunity to realize their full potential and we look forward to bringing this program to life with the support of Harold Varner III, our newest Team RBC ambassador and someone who is equally as passionate about working with youth as we are.”

One of the important ways RBC brings its purpose of helping client thrive and communities prosper to life is by empowering youth. RBC Future Launch is the bank’s $500 million commitment to help Canadian youth prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, including $50 million in focused funding to create meaningful and transformative pathways to prosperity for 25,000 BIPOC youth by 2025. In addition, through the RBC Heritage and RBC Canadian Open tournaments, RBC has helped raise over $25 million in support of local charities in Canada and the United States.

With 14 Canadian, U.S. and international ambassadors, including World No. 2 Dustin Johnson and World No. 7 Brooke Henderson, Varner joins a team of touring professionals that embodies the pinnacle of golf performance. Along with wearing RBC branding on his golf bag, Varner and his RBC teammates support many of the bank’s marketing initiatives and client experiences.

“Evolving the participant base of Canadian golf so it matches the diversity of multicultural Canada is an important priority,” said Kevin Blue, Chief Sport Officer of Golf Canada. “We’re eager to partner with RBC to help increase access to junior golf, especially for youth from backgrounds that historically have been underserved. By bringing First Tee – Canada and Youth on Course to the most accessible golf courses in Canada, the RBC Community Junior Golf program will help us make sure golf is welcoming to all Canadian youth.”

(August 10, 2021) – Golf Canada is committed to providing the highest level of competition for amateur golfers of all abilities and is proud to announce the inaugural Canadian All Abilities Championship will be conducted September 22-24 at Humber Valley Golf Course in Toronto.

The national golf championship will be contested as a 36-hole competition and will feature a maximum of 84 players from across Canada with neurological, intellectual, sensory and physical impairments. 

Originally scheduled to launch in 2020, but delayed due to restrictions from the pandemic, the All Abilities Championships supports Golf Canada’s commitment to create a more inclusive and respectful sport environment across the Canadian golf community. 

“We are extremely proud to officially announce the formation of the inaugural Canadian All Abilities Championship,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue. “We are happy to contest another national golf championship for a new group of talented and committed competitors. We also want to thank our friends at the City of Toronto for sharing in this inclusive journey and inviting the athletes to compete for a national title at Humber Valley.” 

Registration for the Canadian All Abilities Championship will open on August 11 at 12:00 pm ET. Players must have a Golf Canada membership to compete in the championship and can register to participate at www.golfcanada.ca/championships. 

Humber Valley Golf Course is a municipal golf facility located on the west bank of the Humber River. The club has invested a significant amount of capital in recent years to improve accessibility and course conditions to appeal to golfers of all ability and skill levels.

“Humber Valley Golf Course is celebrating 100 years of operation this year”, said Toronto Mayor, John Tory. “City staff have worked hard to update course conditions over recent years to improve accessibility and allow golfers of all abilities and skill levels to play. I’m delighted that Humber Valley Golf Course is able to host athletes to compete for a national title at the inaugural Canadian All Abilities Championship.”

Golf Canada is working with several partner organizations on the Canadian All Abilities Championship including Special Olympics Canada, Blind Golf Canada, Canadian Amputee Golf Association, Emeritus Golf, Canadian Deaf Sports Association, ParaGolf Canada, The R&A, and many more, to ensure an inclusive and fair competition is provided to the athletes.

One week prior to the Canadian All Abilities Championship, Golf Ontario will be conducting the 3rd Ontario Disability Championship from September 15-17 at Woodington Lake Golf Club in Tottenham, Ont.  

The launch of the Canadian All Abilities Championship coincides with Golf Canada’s commitment to developing a more inclusive and inviting culture and engaging diverse communities in the sport and across its organization. 

Golf Canada acknowledges and respects the Indigenous Peoples of Canada that for hundreds of generations have been the keepers of the territories where we all live and work.  We also acknowledge, along with our partners at the City of Toronto, that Humber Valley Golf Course is located on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

A complete list of Golf Canada’s competitions is available here.  

The 2021 NB Family Classic / Adult Junior, driven by Audi Moncton & the Jim Connolly “Little Swingers” is set to take place at the Country Meadows Golf Club in Indian Mountain, NB on Monday, August 9th.

This 18-hole event uses a Pinehurst Scoring method where partners both drive on each hole and then each play a 2nd shot with the other’s ball.  After the 2nd shots, a choice is made regarding the ball with which the hole will be completed, playing alternate shots from there until the ball is holed out. 

This unique event provides opportunities for everyone with six different divisions; Female/Female, Male/Male, Mixed, Adult/Junior (Male) and Adult/Junior (Female), and Adult/Junior Mixed.

In its 4^th year, the Jim Connolly “Little Swingers” is open to two-player teams made up of one youngster between the ages of 5 and 10 and one adult.  The Jim Connolly “Little Swingers” combines a 45-minute instructional clinic with 9 holes of golf using the Pinehurst Scoring method. 

For more information on the 2021 NB Family Classic / Adult Junior & Jim Connolly “Little Swingers”, including results and tee times, please CLICK HERE.

For more information on Country Meadows please visit: CLICK HERE

For more information on Audi Moncton, please visit: CLICK HERE

Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick.  In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province.  Programs offered by Golf NB to its 46 partner facilities and 6,600 individual members include provincial championships, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, and junior golf development programs

A score for handicap purposes should not be overly influenced by one or two bad hole scores they are not reflective of a players demonstrated ability.  To prevent the occasional bad hole from impacting your Handicap Index too severely, the World Handicap System (WHS) outlines how to determine your maximum hole score.  Remember…this is used for handicap purposes, but a higher score in an event would stand for the purposes of declaring a winner!

How do I calculate my Maximum Score Hole?

Referring to the Rules of Handicapping (Rule 3.1), players with an established Handicap Index can enter a maximum score of Net Double Bogey, calculated as follows:

How do I enter a score with a Net Double Bogey?

To apply a Net Double Bogey, use your Course Handicap to determine which holes you give or receive strokes. Then, on any holes where you have surpassed your maximum hole score, your score will be adjusted downward to your maximum.

Looking at this example, Jane has a Course Handicap of 16. Jane receives one stroke on each of the stroke index holes 1-16, Jane’s maximum score on these holes would be a triple bogey (Par + 2 strokes + 1 stroke received). On holes 17 & 18 (where Jane does not receive a stroke), her maximum score is a double bogey.

This sounds like a lot of work; can this adjustment be done automatically?

Yes, if you enter your scores in the Golf Canada Score Centre hole-by-hole (via the mobile app or website), the system will automatically adjust your hole scores to your Net Double Bogey should it be surpassed.

What if I do not have a Handicap Index?

If you have not yet established a Handicap Index, your maximum score per hole is Par + 5 strokes.

To learn more please watch the following video; or read more here.

—

If you have any questions regarding the Rules of Handicapping, please feel free to Ask an Expert or complete our Rules of Handicapping Certification seminar and quiz.

Golf Canada and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum are sad to report the passing of Jocelyne Bourassa.

The Quebec golf legend was a pioneer and inspiration to young female golfers across the country for close to 60 years.

“I wouldn’t be here and able to talk about my career without Jocelyne,” said Lorie Kane who won four times on the LPGA Tour and was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2016.

“When I decided to turn pro in 1993 she was working with du Maurier to establish the du Maurier series so I was able to learn how to be a pro from one of the best.”

Kane said the lessons included dealing with sponsors and how to give clinics and how to make the game fun on the corporate level.

“All of those things helped elevate me to who I am today,” she says. “I think it was my second tournament I played in that series I was pretty nervous about how I might be accepted or treated and Jocelyne made a point of coming over to me and telling me I was welcome and that if I ever needed advice she was there for me.”

During her amateur career in the 1960s and 70s Bourassa won three Quebec Junior Championships (1963, 1964 and 1965) and four Amateur Championships (1963, 1969, 1970 and 1971).

She also won the Canadian Women’s Amateur in 1965 and again in 1971 and then turned pro the following year.

“She and I went head-to-head a lot as junior players,” says Sandra Post who has fond memories of her follow Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.

“We were competitors back then but as the years went on we became very good friends. She was so much fun to be around. Very popular and very talented.”

Bourassa joined the LPGA Tour in 1972 and won their Rookie of the Year award. That helped her garner the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award that year as Canada’s best female athlete.

The Shawinigan, Que., native was also named to the Order of Canada in 1972.

Her biggest professional victory came the following year when she captured the inaugural La Canadienne at the Municipal Golf Club in Montreal.

No other Canadian was able to win the Canadian Women’s Open until Brooke Henderson’s victory 45 years later in Regina.

Bourassa’s eight-year LPGA Tour career was cut short by injuries but she began a second career immediately by becoming the du Maurier Classic’s executive director.

Post says it was Bourassa who helped make that event one of the most popular on the LPGA Tour with the players.

“They updated the accommodations, and the hospitality wanting the players to have a great experience,” said Post. “At that time they were really cutting edge.”

Bourassa was active in helping promote golf in Quebec at all levels and served on the Quebec Golf Hall of Fame Committee from 2011 to 2019.

Bourassa was inducted into the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Quebec Golf Hall of Fame in 1996 and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

The Golf Journalists Association of Canada honoured her in 2014 with their highest honour, the Dick Grimm Award, for a lifetime of service to the game.

“This is a sad day for Canadian golf,” said Meggan Gardner, head of Heritage Services for Golf Canada. “Jocelyne Bourassa was Canada’s first golfer to win an LPGA event in their home country but she took her national pride to the next level by helping to develop a competitive tournament series for women.

“Outside of her playing record, which is very impressive, she was a great mentor to golfers of all levels. Her legacy will continue to shine for many years to come.”

Bourassa, who was 74, had been battling dementia for several years.