For Immediate Release:

Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB) is pleased to announce the 2020 Golf NB Players of the Year.  The Player of the Year (POY) is a ranking system that awards points to players based on tournament results throughout the golfing year. It is designed to promote golf development through competition and celebrate the individual achievements of golfers in New Brunswick.

NB Men’s Player of the Year Alex Palmer The Riverside Country Club

2020 proved to be a successful campaign and once again a year filled with silverware for The Riverside’s Alex Palmer. An impressive stretch of play over three days at the NB Men’s Amateur Championship saw Palmer capture his second provincial amateur title. Palmer would rattle off a top 5 finish at the Mactaquac Invitational prior to securing his second victory of the year at the Fredericton Open where he would come out victorious to claim his second TaylorMade NB Men’s Player of the Year crown.

Building off of his impressive 2019 season and the Taylormade NB Men’s Player of the Year crown, Country Meadows’ Stu Musgrave participated in all five of Golf NB’s Player of the Year events and finished the season 8.0 points back of champion, Alex Palmer.

In third position is Darren Roach of The Riverside Country Club.  Roach would record a second-place finish at the NB Men’s Amateur Championship to amass a season total of points 56.0. For more information on the TaylorMade NB Men’s Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE

NB Ladies Player of the Year Maureen O’Donnell Fredericton Golf Club

A familiar name sits atop the 2020 Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year standings as Maureen O’Donnell of the Fredericton Golf Club compiled 106.0 points on route to her first Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year Championship. O’Donnell finished the 2020 season with two victories and 5 top-10 finishes as she competed in a full eight-event schedule, 2.5 points clear of Paula Napke-Flanagan of the Miramichi Golf & Country Club. Napke-Flanagan locked down second position thanks to her successful run of play which included, 6 top 10 finishes. In third position is Country Meadows’ Sandy Comeau. Comeau would finish with 99.5 Ladies POY points after competing in all eight events. For more information on the Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE

NB Senior Men’s Player of the Year Dan Coulombe West Hills 

A top-five machine in 2020, West Hills’ Dan Coulombe would finish inside the top-five finish in each of the five MCT Insurance Senior Men’s Player of the Year events in which he competed.  A second-place finish at the NB Senior Men’s Championship in July and a victory at the Fredericton Open would vault him into the lead entering the final weeks of the season.  His total of 168.0 Senior Player of the Year points would see him edge out fellow clubmate, Bob Brown who recorded 154.5 points. Brown, who finished 4^th at the NB Senior Men’s Championships, would also claim a victory at the Hampton Senior Invitational along with five top 5 finishes and three top 10’s to lock down the second position in the season-long series. In third position is 2019 NB Super-Senior Champion, Sonny Phillips of the Fredericton Golf Club.  Phillips would secure POY Points in 11 of the season’s 16 events on his way to 153.9 points. For more information on the MCT Insurance NB Senior Men’s Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE

Golf NB Junior Girl’s Player of the Year Mackenzie Deveau Royal Oaks Golf Club

Royal Oaks’ Mackenzie Deveau had a triumphant 2020 season as she successfully cruised to her first Dormie Workshop-Golf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year crown.  Deveau proved to be a big game performer carding two victories at the MJT Series at Royal Oaks and the 2020 MJT Humber College PGM Atlantic Championships at Fox Harbour in addition to consecutive top-five finishes at the NB Junior Girls Championship and MJT Series at Ken Wo.  A season-high 93.9 points secured a comfortable 54 point victory in the Dormie Workshop-Golf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year Challenge.

Finishing behind Deveau in the points race is clubmate, Stéphanie Roy who’s victory in the NB Junior Girls Juvenile division saw her finish the season 39.9 points.

Rounding out the top-3 in the Dormie Workshop-Golf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year Challenge would be The Riverside’s Addison McClune. An impressive run of play throughout the 2020 season would see McClune finish with 33.0 points, 6.9 points behind Roy as she recorded a victory in the 2020 NB Junior Girls Bantam Division. For more information on the Dormie Workshop-Golf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE

Golf NB Junior Boy’s Player of the Year Daniel Kirby JH Sports

 For a player who has become synonymous with junior golf in New Brunswick, 2020 was no different for Daniel Kirby of JH Sports, and the Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club as the Woodstock native would go on to win his third consecutive Dormie Workshop-Golf NB Junior Player of the Year title.

Kirby would finish the 2020 Junior POY season with three victories and one top 10 finish, which included his impressive win at the 2020 NB Junior Boys Under-19 Championships at Royal Oaks. A successful 2020 campaign saw Kirby finish with 139.0 points, 27.0 points better than Felix Boucher of Fox Creek.

Boucher who has had a consistent presence on the Junior POY leaderboard over the years edged out clubmate Julien Babineau by 10.0 points to secure second place in the Dormie Workshop-Golf NB Junior Player of the Year Challenge.

For more information on the Dormie Workshopolf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE

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North secure 5 PTS and the South 4 PTS heading into Saturday’s Lunch Break, prior to the Afternoon Pinehurst Matches. Concluding an Afternoon of exciting and close Pinehurst Matches, the North captured 3.5 PTS and the South 5.5 PTS, totaling 8.5 and 9.5 heading into Sunday’s Final Single Match-Ups. The 2020 Estabrooks Cup was left to battle for on Sunday, a mere single point separated the North and South who would be up against each other, along with fall conditions and a challenging Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club. The Single Matches were on Schedule for Sunday’s round, a fitting way to conclude a competitive and fun weekend of golf. Captivating play during Sunday’s round saw Team South, lead by Leanne Richardson of Country Meadows and Tom Cameron of Gage Golf & Curling Club motivate their team to a convincing final-day victory. Securing 9 Points during the Singles Matches, the South has defeated the North by 2 Points to capture the 2020 Estabrooks Cup.  

Final Scores – North 17 Points vs. South 19 Points

  North Captains – Dan Coulombe & Maureen O’Donnell  South Captains- Tom Cameron & Leanne Richardson  

TEAM NORTH	TEAM SOUTH
Maureen O’Donnell (Captain) – Fredericton	Leanne Richardson (Captain) – Country Meadows
Paula Napke-Flanagan – Miramichi	Sandy Comeau – Country Meadows
Mary Walton-Rossignol – Fredericton	Allison Chisholm – The Riverside
Charlotte Evans – West Hills	Pam Cossey – Rockwood Park
Val Whyte – Fredericton	Doreen Vienneau – Pine Needles
Kelly Maher – Gowan Brae	Carol MacQuarrie – Fredericton
Sharon Case – Miramichi	Coleen Phillips – Fredericton
Raymonde Boudreau – Pokemouche	Carly Hubbard – Miramichi
Dan Coulombe (Captain) – West Hills	Tom Cameron (Captain) – Gage
Sonny Phillips – Fredericton	Mark Shannon – Welsford
Gary Melanson – Covered Bridge	Michel Power- Memramcook
Pat Garagan – Fredericton	Jamie Melanson – Fox Creek
Herrick Hansen – Aroostook Valley	Jean LeBlanc – Fox Creek
Garry Jenkins – Fredericton	Mike Hosford – Royal Oaks
Patrick Flanagan – Miramichi	Michael Brown – Moncton
Rod Black- Fredericton	Mike Breen – Hampton
J.J. Allison – Restigouche	Jeff Glendenning – Moncton
Miguel Basque – Gowan Brae	Julien Babineau – Fox Creek

  CLICK HERE for More Information on the 2020 Estabrooks Cup CLICK HERE for More Information on Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club 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 10,000 members include: 12 provincial events, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, junior golf development programs and member club marketing initiatives.]]>

For Immediate Release: The North and South will renew their rivalry at the Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club for the 23^rd playing of the Estabrooks Cup on October 3^rd & 4^th.  The 2020 Estabrooks Cup will again pit the best golfers, in the Amateur Men, Senior Men, and Ladies divisions, in the province against each other in this best on best “Ryder Cup” style competition. The Estabrooks Cup has seen many changes over the years, but 2020 will again see the makeup of each team include 2 Amateur Men, 8 Senior Men, and 8 Ladies, for 18 player teams, which will include two “Playing Captains”, one male and one female, from each side. [caption id="attachment_11153" align="alignright" width="370"]

Team North – 2019 Estabrooks Cup Champions[/caption] Entry into the 2020 Estabrooks Cup is by invitation only with players being selected from the TaylorMade NB Men’s Player of the Year, the MCT Insurance NB Senior Men’s Player of the Year, and the Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year Challenges.  

TEAM NORTH	TEAM SOUTH
Maureen O’Donnell (Captain) – Fredericton	Leanne Richardson (Captain) – Country Meadows
Paula Napke-Flanagan – Miramichi	Sandy Comeau – Country Meadows
Mary Walton-Rossignol – Fredericton	Allison Chisholm – The Riverside
Charlotte Evans – West Hills	Pam Cossey – Rockwood Park
Val Whyte – Fredericton	Doreen Vienneau – Pine Needles
Kelly Maher – Gowan Brae	Carol MacQuarrie – Fredericton
Sharon Case – Miramichi	Coleen Phillips – Fredericton
Raymonde Boudreau – Pokemouche	Carly Hubbard – Miramichi
Dan Coulombe (Captain) – West Hills	Tom Cameron (Captain) – Gage
Sonny Phillips – Fredericton	Mark Shannon – Welsford
Gary Melanson – Covered Bridge	Michel Power- Memramcook
Pat Garagan – Fredericton	Jamie Melanson – Fox Creek
Herrick Hansen – Aroostook Valley	Jean LeBlanc – Fox Creek
Garry Jenkins – Fredericton	Mike Hosford – Royal Oaks
Patrick Flanagan – Miramichi	Michael Brown – Moncton
Rod Black- Fredericton	Mike Breen – Hampton
J.J. Allison – Restigouche	Jeff Glendenning – Moncton
Miguel Basque – Gowan Brae	Julien Babineau – Fox Creek

CLICK HERE for more information on the 2020 Estabrooks Cup

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Making your club more welcoming and accessible Jan Bel Jan, of Jan Bel Jan Golf Course Design, is president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and an advocate for golfers with a disability. “People with disabilities are people first. Each of us knows someone who has difficulty with access, due to a congenital condition or because they have lost some ability because of illness, injury or age,” said Bel Jan. “The opportunity to enjoy golf provides wonderful social, recreational and healthful experiences for everyone. A welcoming and accessible golf facility can benefit economically through increased food and beverage, pro-shop sales and fees, as well as from the satisfaction of providing a valuable service.” Obstacles can present barriers to people with disabilities in many aspects of their lives. Bel Jan believes the biggest obstacle may be that we are not comfortable in knowing how to treat people with disabilities. It is essential that everyone at a golf facility be trained to be aware of a person with a disability and to feel comfortable assisting them. When in doubt, Bel Jan encourages using common customer courtesy. Because degrees of impairments vary, she suggests asking people with a disability if they need help before attempting to assist them, and then asking how you may assist. For formal training, Bel Jan has found that coaching done by people who have disabilities can be helpful.

“The opportunity to enjoy golf provides wonderful social, recreational and healthful experiences for everyone. A welcoming and accessible golf facility can benefit economically through increased food and beverage, pro-shop sales and fees, as well as from the satisfaction of providing a valuable service.” – Jan Bel Jan, Jan Bel Jan Golf Course Design

The range of disabilities is very broad and, while there are laws and codes to address building accessibility, foresighted golf facility operators can learn how to better accommodate golfers with a disability. Proper signage that directs patrons to the facility’s goods and services is beneficial to everyone. Golf course operators should ensure easy access to at least one teeing area per hole. Creating additional tees, in a safe and accessible place, can meet this need. If readily achievable (with not much difficulty or expense), unobstructed golf cart access should be provided to all areas to be reached by the golfer. Golf cart paths should provide a modest slope for motorized vehicles, including for regular and single rider golf carts. Ropes and GPS limits on carts can be barriers for those who need to get closer to the green for safety or for ease of access. Both can be adjusted – ropes can be lowered and replaced, and GPS units can be programmed for a specific cart. Red cart flags permit closer proximity to tees and greens and can help to improve access and speed of play. Consider making a map of accessible routes that may include accessible tees, areas of the course to be avoided and bunkers that may be difficult to access or egress. Another consideration on the course is providing accessible washrooms. If permanent facilities are not available, accessible port-a-potties can meet the need. Also, consider the heights and locations of water and other materials around the course. Where there are steep slopes or difficult-to-access bunkers, the facility can establish the use of the “Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities” developed by the R&A and USGA. These Modified Rules permit a safe drop area away from the slope or outside the bunker, as well as other accommodations. When course renovations are undertaken, it is important to consider how to make the facility barrier-free. Should a golf club or practice range want to encourage people with a disability to enjoy the game, inviting adult or children’s groups for clinics may inspire new golfers. Become familiar with programs in your area for people with disabilities. A golf facility could also establish a relationship with a rehabilitation hospital as part of their community outreach. Golf can aid significantly in recovery through an outdoor experience, with a helpful focus on hand-eye coordination, improved balance, strength and flexibility as well as sense of purpose. All of these contribute to the wellbeing of the person with the disability as well as to family, friends and companions. Finally, Bel Jan recommends that golf facilities audit themselves for accessibility, programs and training. They should include information on their website to promote their accessibility, as well noting any instruction, clinics or programs that may interest people with disabilities and their families. “An ‘invitation’ is always a great way to make people feel welcome to your course,” said Bel Jan.

Golf for people who are visually impaired

Glenn Babcock is the president of the Ontario Visually Impaired Golfers Association, serves as a director on the board of Blind Golf Canada and sits on the Human Resources Committee of Golf Canada. Babcock was born with his visual impairment. His father was a golf professional, so Babcock grew up around golf courses and had the benefit of learning to golf from a young age. He says that some golfers are born blind or visually impaired, while others have lost their sight due to injury or illness, or simply as they age. For those who have lost their sight, being able to continue an activity that they enjoy is important to their physical, social and emotional wellbeing. There are many golfers whose vision loss requires them to seek assistance to play the game. Their “guide” may be a fellow golfer, a non-golfing friend or a family member committed to helping them enjoy the game. The guide helps the golfer get safely around the course, lines them up for each shot and provides information on distances and obstacles and, of course, the guide must also find the ball! Staff at golf courses should understand this partnership of golfer and guide. Starters and marshals should be made aware of the presence of a “walker.” Groups may be slower, as it takes more time to set up a golfer who is blind or visually impaired. Babcock recommends asking the golfer about their speed of play and how much time they need for setup with their guide and then adjust the group size if necessary. Some courses have recognized the challenges in arranging a game and offer incentives to encourage blind and visually impaired people to play. Two-for-one rates for the golfer and their guide, even if the guide is playing, are offered by some. Others offer a discount and one club even offers a complimentary nine-hole round for two golfers, and their guides, each week on Monday afternoons.

Golf for people with missing limbs or limited mobility

Kristian Hammerback is the president of the Canadian Amputee Golf Association and is a member of Golf Canada’s Amateur Competitions Committee. As a golfer who was born missing a limb, golf provided him with a childhood activity he could participate in with his friends. He believes that it is important to provide golfing opportunities for people who are missing limbs or with reduced mobility and that it can be instrumental in getting back into life after an injury or illness. Golfers with missing limbs or limited mobility may have challenges getting around the course and getting to the ball. They don’t like to play long rounds or slow play down for other golfers. Using carts or “solo rider” units, providing red flags and being lenient with cart rules will help to speed their play. Hammerback, who has helped organize several tournaments for amputee golfers, has found that golf courses are always very helpful and “bend over backwards” to give the competitors a great experience. He encourages golf courses to promote golf participation for all, get involved with organizations for people with disabilities to offer golf clinics and partner with local rehabilitation facilities to provide golf opportunities as part of the recovery process.

Golf for people who are deaf or hard of hearing

Alain Turpin, the executive director of the Canadian Deaf Sports Association, says that the biggest challenge is communicating with deaf and hard of hearing golfers. “Sometimes, it is difficult for pro-shop employees to communicate with deaf golfers who speak poorly or can’t speak and use language signs,” he said. He recommends speaking face-to-face with deaf or hard of hearing golfers and writing simple messages on a sheet of paper to communicate. When golfers who are deaf or hard of hearing take part in a sanctioned competition, it is important for the host committee to reserve a sign language interpreter. It makes a big difference for the deaf golfer to feel included and equal. As well, creating awareness for fellow competitors, competition officials and facility staff of the importance of face-to-face and written communication is essential.

Golf for military veterans who are ill or injured

Joe Kiraly, the outreach and communications manager for Soldier On, a program of the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group, attests to the impact that golf brings to the recoveries of veterans. “Golf has been a surprising addition to my life following an injury resulting in physical limitations and loss of personal identity,” said Kiraly. “I saw how golf helped others and decided to try it myself.” The Soldier On golf program, one of its most robust initiatives, is championed by Michael Feyko, who works at Royal Oaks Golf Club in New Brunswick. Feyko is a PGA of Canada teaching professional and a former soldier who used golf as an integral part of his own recovery from injury. The program began as a grassroots initiative to support Armed Forces personnel suffering loss of ability, loss of identity or loss of career and was found to help improve mental and physical health. Kiraly reports golf clubs being very welcoming to ill and injured men and women. Many veterans who have experienced sensory or mobility loss, or who have been suffering emotionally, have found golf to be an important component of their healing. With the support of the golf community, the Soldier On golf program is continuing to grow across the country, with three week-long camps planned in 2020.

Golf is for everyone

While you may not have the opportunity to host the Invictus Games, you can make your club welcoming and accessible to all golfers and potential golfers. We all know people with a disability. Providing them the chance to learn the game or continue an activity they enjoy following the loss of ability is tremendously beneficial to them, their families and your club!

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This article originally appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Club Manager Quarterly, a publication of The Canadian Society of Club Managers (CSCM), and is reprinted with their permission. The original article can be found online here. Leslie Dunning is the past president of Golf Canada. She believes golf is for everyone and that inclusion is key to growing the game. She is a member of Earl Grey and Bigwin Island Golf Clubs.]]>

Golfers and others are encouraged to join in the conversation online using the hashtag:  #ThankASuper. “Supers aren’t just people who grow grass. They’re an integral part of a team at any golf course,” says Kathryn Wood, chief operating officer of the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association. Just as most superintendents were gearing up for their season, that’s when COVID-19 really spread aggressively worldwide, with sports leagues – including the PGA TOUR – pressing pause. Luckily superintendents were able to maintain an essential, minimal level of maintenance at golf courses (British Columbia was different insofar as courses were not mandated to close). Wood says she has been so impressed by the resilient, smart, group across the country. “Looking back, there have been challenges presented for every person in the pandemic, but golf course supers are pretty ingenious, proactive and flexible and can come through any type of challenge pretty well,” says Wood. “They are very flexible and able to deal with the different challenges they’re faced with.” At Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont., head superintendent Bill Green tells a story of adaptability – a key for 2020, more than ever, he says. He says he had one-person work for him this year – Ashton DeBello, a second-year chemistry student – who last summer worked in the halfway house at the club. Her bosses loved her and wanted to her back in 2020. But when the course opened, there was no halfway house due to COVID-19. She joined Green’s team – along with a chef and a clubhouse maintenance worker, who pivoted gigs to help keep the course in top shape – where DeBello learned construction skills. Now? She’s operating an excavator, installing drainage and building bunkers. “It’s brought the entire club, staff-wise, closer,” says Green about having people from other parts of the club’s business see what it takes for superintendents to get their jobs done. “Even if it’s just a few people, they understand what we’re doing on the golf course a little more. The members know my staff. Usually we’re in the trees and no one sees us. “I think anybody in any business or any walk of life… everybody has had to adjust and change their life in many ways in a lot of cases and we’re no different.” In Manitoba, Darren Kalyniuk is president of the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association and the superintendent at St. Boniface Golf Club. He, like Green, says the staffing and budget issues were the biggest challenges they had to face in 2020. Still, superintendents did what they always do – persevere. “A lot of superintendents put on their rally caps and really did whatever they had to do with limited resources to get the courses back up and running properly,” says Kalyniuk. “Everyone was asked to work with limited staff because there were so many uncertainties with revenues at the beginning and it put a little bit of a challenge on the courses and supers to do more with less.” Doing more with less has been demanded of so many across Canada. Combine that with the increased safety measures installed at workplaces, and you’ve got a challenging season – not to mention there were record-breaking numbers of people coming out and playing golf, too. But David Hunter, the superintendent at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s Hoot and North Courses says he’s seen his staff embrace the challenge. “We’ve been really excited to provide great course conditions for the whole season,” says Hunter. “It’s been a banner year for our staff and we’re incredibly proud of this group of people.” As Canadian golfers, we should all be incredibly proud of superintendents from coast to coast. And to them, on September 23 and every day, we say thank you.  ]]>

MAMARONECK, N.Y. – Mike Davis spent the last decade running the USGA, where he set up golf courses to provide an extreme test for elite players and searched for solutions to increasing distance. Now he wants to build golf courses, a lifelong passion. Davis announced Tuesday he will retire as CEO at the end of 2021, ending a 32-year career with the USGA that began with him overseeing ticket sales and transportation. He became the seventh executive director in 2011 and the USGA’s first CEO after an organizational shakeup in 2016. Davis, whose love of golf course architecture dates to when he was a junior golfer and would doodle holes on a piece of paper, said he will join Tom Fazio II in a new golf architecture firm called Fazio & Davis Golf Design. “One of the wonderful things these 32 years afforded me was I’ve gone out of my way to see most of the world’s great courses,” Davis said. “I’ve played them, studied them, read about them, taken pictures of them. I’ve read all the architecture books. I get as giddy with some architects as I do being around Jack, Arnold, Byron Nelson and Mickey Wright.” The announcement comes two days after Bryson DeChambeau crushed the notion that accuracy is tantamount to U.S. Open success. DeChambeau said he would hit driver as often as he could, even if it went into Winged Foot’s notorious rough, and he won by six shots by becoming the only player at par or better all four rounds of a U.S. Open at Winged Foot. The retirement, however, was in the works for several years. Davis had planned to announce it in September when the 2020 USGA championship season was over, so a successor could be found. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic forced the U.S. Open to be postponed from June until last week, with the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston still to come in December. Davis said he told his wife when he was appointed executive director in 2011 that he would do the job for 10 years. He told the USGA board more than three years ago that he would work through 2021 so he could try his hand at building courses. “I knew I would regret it if I didn’t try,” he said. His one regret was not seeing through the conclusion of the “Distance Insights Project.” A summary in February suggested it was time to stop increases in distance at all levels, highlighting an average gain of 25 yards over the last 30 years for elite players. The feedback process and next step have been delayed by the pandemic. “I think something is going to happen,” Davis said. “When is it going to be done? How is it going to be done? How will we introduce it? It’s a multiyear process. I’d have to stay many years to see this thing through. I’m just happy that for the first in over 100 years, we’re finally doing something. I pushed at it with the R&A, I pushed it with our own group. “I will look back saying that is one thing I am very proud of, because I just know it’s in the best interest in the game.” His last U.S. Open will be at Torrey Pines next summer. Meanwhile, Davis stays on to guide the USGA through the COVID-19 pandemic, setting up what amounts to a satellite office and a new testing centre in Pinehurst, North Carolina, advancing the distance project and working with his successor. USGA President Stu Francis said a search would begin immediately, with hopes of having the next CEO hired by the U.S. Open next summer. Davis first took over setting up U.S. Open courses at Winged Foot in 2006, and he introduced the concept of graduated rough that grew longer the farther away from the fairway. That was from his first U.S. Open experience at Baltusrol in 1980, which he attended with his father. Davis recalls thinking it was unfair that someone who missed the fairway by a little was punished more than someone who missed by a lot. He has been criticized for some setup decisions, most recently at Shinnecock Hills, though that was to be expected. His predecessor, Tom Meeks, predicted in 2009 that Davis would make a mistake at some point. “It doesn’t happen by design. It happens because it’s the U.S. Open,” Meeks said. There was so much more to the job, especially as CEO. Davis was part of the most significant overhaul of the Rules of Golf that took effect in 2019, and he signed off on a decision to ban the anchored stroke used for long putters a few years earlier. He also was executive director when the USGA signed a 12-year broadcast deal with Fox worth about $1 billion, a deal that NBC took over again earlier this year. Part of Davis already is looking ahead. He doesn’t want to design golf courses on paper. He wants to build them, and he said he would spend time on the construction crews of architects Bill Coore and Gil Hanse to learn that end of it. “I can’t wait to get my hands dirty,” Davis said, chuckling like someone who has been wanting to do this for a long time.]]>

new Golf Canada app is perfect for posting scores using regular stroke play, we know that not everyone takes to the course to play nine or 18 holes counting all his or her shots. Playing games in a group is way to spice up your usual round. Even for the most experienced golf group, there may be something new below that you’ve never tried! Read on to learn more about some of our favourites.

1. Alternate Shot

Otherwise known as ‘foursomes’ this is a completely different kind of golf that North Americans usually only see on TV during the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. Trying this out with your friends will a) make you understand why the best players in the world struggle with it and b) maybe make you try to find some new friends, depending on where your partner leaves you to hit from. Alternate shot is, well, that. One player hits then the next player hits from where she or he ended up. It could also be modified to where each twosome hits a drive, you pick the best one, and you alternate shots from there to the hole. Must play with four golfers.

2. Six-Six-Six

This is a simple match-play format that allows you to play with everyone else in your group and not just a single partner for the duration of the round. The 18 holes are divided up into three six-hole matches and you can use any scoring format you choose. Even if you get defeated soundly in one of your matches, you have two others to try to redeem yourself. Must play with four golfers. If you are riding in carts, the usual format is ‘carts’ (those in the same cart), ‘drivers’ (those who are driving), and ‘opposites’ (a driver and a passenger).  

3. Wolf 

A points-based game, this one takes a little planning and some concentration (perhaps try to find an accountant to play with?) but it’s a dramatic one that makes for some great stories by the time the day is done. There is a ton of other ways to track points and add bonuses to your Wolf game, but here are the basics:

• The order of play is determined on the first tee. The ‘Wolf’ always tees off last. The order in which golfers tee off, regardless of score, rotates every four holes so each player becomes the Wolf on a continual basis.
• Once each player hits his or her tee shot, the Wolf decides to either take a partner (based on the locations of the tee shots) or go as the ‘Lone Wolf’ and try to beat the other three players on his or her own ball.
  • Variation: You could also be the ‘Blind Wolf’ and declare, before any of the tee shots are hit, that you are going to go at it alone
• Points are collected as follows
  • Wolf and partner win the hole: two points
  • Non-Wolf partners win the hole: three points
  • Lone Wolf wins: four points
  • Lone Wolf defeated by any player: The other three get one point

Must play with four golfers.

4. Bingo, Bango, Bongo

Another fun one that doesn’t need to involve four players, and it’s perfect for golfers who have a higher handicap but still want to get in on the action during a round. It’s another game of points but one that’s wrapped in being ‘first’ to do something. The first player to hit his or her shot onto the green gets a point (Bingo!), the player whose ball is closest to the pin when all balls are on the green gets a point (Bango!), and the first person to hole out gets a point (Bongo!). At the end of the round whomever has the most points wins. Can be played with two, three, or four golfers. 

5. Vegas

Another team game, this one can get out of hand if you’re applying a monetary value to each point – but it’s a unique twist on a usual ‘scoring’ game. Teams are decided on the first tee and scores are not added, but combined. If Player A makes a 4 and Player B makes a 5 then their score is 45. If Player C makes a 5 and Player D makes a 7, their score is 57 and Team AB wins the hole by 12 points. The lower score always goes to the front of the combined score. Must play with four golfers. 

6. Best Ball

A Best Ball match is just that, and can be combined to any number of other team matchups on the course. Teams of two play straight up, but as the name suggests, the ‘best’ score on the hole counts as the team score. ‘Best Ball’ is not to be confused with a ‘Scramble’ (very popular for family or corporate tournaments) where all four members of a team hit a tee shot and they continue on to hole out by choosing the ‘best ball’ out of the bunch every time. Must play with four golfers.

7. Skins

Golfers apply points (or dollar amounts) to each hole and the lowest score wins the pot. If any two golfers tie the hole then the point or dollar amount carries over to the following hole. Things can add up quick and make the holes later in the round even more exciting! Can play with two, three, or four golfers.

8. Stableford

Another opportunity for the higher handicap golfers to earn points against their lower-handicap friends, the Stableford system of scoring is so popular even the PGA Tour uses it for one of their events. Points are applied to scores and the higher the better, in this instance. For example: Three points for an eagle, two points for a birdie, one point for a par, no points for a bogey, and minus-1 point for a double-bogey or worse is a good way to start. Can play with two, three, or four golfers. 

9. Nassau

Playing a Nassau is the most popular of golf games and the one with the most variations, too. At its simplest, a Nassau is broken out in to three games: low front-nine score, low back-nine score, and low 18-hole score. Dollar amounts or points are applied to each match. Say you were going to play a $5 Nassau, the most you can lose is $15. If you win all three, you win $45 ($15 from the other three players). A popular move when playing Nassau’s is to ‘press’ (basically double-or-nothing on the original bet), which you could do if you were down a few strokes and wanted to try for a late-round charge. Fun add-ons, called ‘junk’ can be added to the original Nassau game. Hit it in the water but still made par? You could add a ‘Fishy’ to your Nassau. Knocked it off a tree but still made par? Congratulations, you made a ‘Barky.’ Chipped in? Well done, you earned a ‘Chippie.’ Golf is a fun enough game as it stands, but over 18 holes and with the same group round after round, there is no shortage of little games you can bring to the course the next time you tee it up.]]>

COVID-19 GOLF RELIEF FUND, an initiative aimed at supporting golf courses in helping employees and golfers stay safe while also thanking front-line workers through encouraging additional play and welcoming juniors to further experience the game. As part of the RELIEF FUND, golfers and golf fans across the country were able to participate in a digital sweepstakes campaign featuring significant prizing across Canada and the U.S. in 2021. Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation would like to thank everyone who participated in the sweepstakes and supported the COVID-19 Golf Relief Fund thus far. We are excited to announce and congratulate our sweepstakes prize winners below:

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We are not done yet… You can still help by getting behind the COVID-19 Golf Relief Fund!

Donations to the RELIEF FUND will be accepted throughout the season.

Click here to learn more about the COVID-19 Golf Relief Fund

  Despite the challenges of the pandemic in the communities where we live, work and play, golf has seen a strong increase in rounds played across the country. Interest in the game and the golf experience among avid players, new enthusiasts, and juniors has been encouraging with golf’s re-emergence through COVID-19. Golf is well positioned for continued success moving forward and as the season begins to wind down, take a moment to be proud of the industry’s collective efforts to keep golfers and course staff safe in 2020.]]>

Hosted by TSN anchor Lindsay Hamilton, the goal of the event was to provide inspiring stories and a networking opportunity, while also accepting donations for the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. While the networking component wasn’t able to flourish like it has in the past, the Summit was “a success story for us” according to Mary Beth McKenna, the assistant tournament director of the RBC Canadian Open who has co-led the event since it began three years ago. The event was divided into four sessions, each with different women discussing their experience as leaders in their respective positions. Speakers included Canadian golfers Kane and Henderson, and Olympians Marnie McBean and Perdita Felicien, among other prominent women in leadership positions. A three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and Canada’s chef de mission for the 2020 (though postponed to 2021) Tokyo Summer Games, McBean knows a thing or two about leadership. Though, even McBean indicated she’s always actively learning how to be a better leader. As the Summit’s first speaker, McBean spoke about her early days with rowing teammate Kathleen Heddle, and how it wasn’t necessarily the match made in heaven their later results would make it seem. “I actually actively worked for a long time to get into a different boat because I didn’t think Kathleen had what it took because she was introverted, she was calm and quiet,” said McBean. “I was like, well, that’s not what a champion is.”

It was encountering someone with a personality and working style different to her own that McBean said taught her an important lesson on teamwork and leadership. McBean quickly learned that welcoming “the diversity of the personalities in the boat” would be crucial to their success. “I learned to accept that as long as I stopped trying to make Kathleen me, and I let her be her authentic self, she’s extraordinary,” McBean said.

“Leadership isn’t about meeting in the middle with people, it’s about earning trust and respect. I give 100 per cent of what I have to give, and if I’ve earned it, I’ll get 100 per cent of what the people I’m working with, who I’m leading, what they have to give,” McBean said.

The overarching message on leadership from McBean was this: humility and communication. It was a theme that seemed to find its way into separate discussions by all the speakers throughout the two-hour Summit.  Humility and the openness to continue learning and growing was a key aspect of Olympian Perdita Felicien’s discussion on overcoming adversity and her experience as a black athlete. “It’s lifelong learning, it’s lifelong commitment,” Felicien said on how to be an ally. “I’m also learning, I’m also figuring it out.” Felicien said she’s had conversations with friends who are white, who’ve called or texted her to say that they want to listen and learn about being an ally. “They want this to change. They might not know exactly how, but they are here, and they are at the table and they are deciding, ‘you know what: enough is enough’,” Felicien said.

The session prior, with Candy Ho, CEO of The Cape on Bowen Community Development and Pam Arpin, assistant vice president, customer and corporate Services at Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) focused on the importance of communication. Arpin discussed how she worked on having successful communication with her employees at the beginning of the pandemic when CP was deemed an essential service and many employees continued working at the office. Arpin said she focused on making sure her employees knew that she was always available despite the fact that she didn’t necessarily have the answers they were looking for. She said it was important, “because any void in communication, people are going to fill up that void with their own speculation.” Arpin said she thinks it was a missed opportunity “if you haven’t grown as a leader through this.” It’s that aspect of humility and the willingness to grow that both Arpin and Ho emphasized in their discussion together. It was apparent that no matter what leadership role you’re in, from CEO to a veteran golfer, being a leader transcends it all.

“We just have to be humble, have that mindset for growth, and then no barrier is a barrier, they’re all opportunities,” Ho said when asked about obstacles she’s encountered in her own career. 

While it may have been possible to view the postponement of the CP Women’s Open and the restriction from having an in-person Summit as a barrier, instead the CP Women’s Leadership Summit went on, taking advantage of the unique situation. McKenna admitted that having to do the Summit virtually this year was a curveball, but it also opened up new opportunities. “We had people attend outside of Canada, so you didn’t necessarily have to be in the marketplace to enjoy these great speakers,” said McKenna. Usually in a space-restricted setting, the event has around 275 attendees, according to McKenna. This year, however, she said there were over 1,100 registrants from various countries. [caption id="attachment_100310" align="alignnone" width="1100"]

Canadian Pacific staff tuning in from HQ in Calgary[/caption] McKenna also said that everything went seamlessly for the Summit, and she wants to carry that momentum into next year, with the hopes that it can be done in-person if it is safe to do so. The key takeaway from the Summit is this: what defines a successful leader is not just one thing, on one occasion, it’s finding humility, and it’s about keeping an open line of communication, even when you don’t necessarily have the answers. And it’s about the small, subtle acts of understanding and empathy, like taking the hand of a 15-year-old walking up to that final hole, despite being her competitor. Henderson said that golf can teach people a lot of life lessons. “I feel like almost every day is a challenge out there,” said Henderson. “But that’s part of the reason why we love it.” The truth can be said about life and leadership, as well. ]]>

OTTAWA – The National Golf Course Owners Association Canada’s monthly Research Reports, presented by Club Car, continue to show impressive increases in both rounds played and revenue for the 2020 golf season. NGCOA Canada Rounds Played Reports for the month of July showed an increase of 25.5% nationally year-over-year. All provinces were up by double digits with Saskatchewan leading the charge with an impressive increase of 40.1% followed with BC at 38.9%, 24.6% in Ontario, 22.9% in Alberta, 21.7% in Atlantic, 19% in Quebec and 17.2% in Manitoba. What is even more impressive is the 2020 year-to-date increase of 9.3% nationally, considering the late start to this season in many regions due to COVID-19. At the end of May, the national Rounds Played results were down 25.9%. But the portion of May that courses were able to open was very strong and that continued through the first full month for all courses in June, and throughout the summer. “Back in April, the uncertainty from COVID-19 and government mandated closures meant that the entire golf season was at serious risk”, stated Jeff Calderwood, CEO of the NGCOA Canada. “And now we’re tracking for record setting 2020 results!” July rounds played also outpaced the past 5-year average by an impressive 25.6% which further reinforces the success golf is experiencing. In addition to the golf benefitting as one of the safest activities during COVID-19 restrictions, NGCOA Canada’s Weather Impact Report shows that weather has also contributed to the success. Tracked regionally, the collective weather impact reported by all golf course operators scored an 8.1 index on a 0-10 scale where 5 is “normal”. The Reports show that Atlantic, Quebec and Ontario benefitted the most from favorable weather conditions. Nationally, golf courses are also experiencing corresponding increases in revenues. Of particular note, credit card transaction revenues increased by 73.2% over July 2019, with Quebec and Ontario seeing the highest increases! The increase in online and contactless payments coupled with the renewed popularity in golf appear to be the main contributing factors. That tremendous growth in July credit card transactions brings the 2020 year-to-date increase to almost 20%, more than offsetting the large decreases seen in March and April. All regions had significant growth with the exception of Atlantic Canada where it appears member and local play is driving the increase in rounds while the lucrative golf tourism market has been seriously curtailed by restrictions on both inter-provincial and International travel. Calderwood goes on to note that “We had been hearing how busy golf courses have been and we saw positive data coming out of the June, the first full month this year. But our July Rounds and Revenue Reports confirm that the anecdotal comments and early positive data have indeed translated into a very sustained positive 2020 trend for Canadian golf. This may be a record-setting year despite the challenges associated with COVID-19”.]]>