By: Maddy Boelhouwer
28th edition of the Canada Games helps introduce First Tee – Ontario, youth-focused golf and life skill development programming, to the Niagara Region.
NIAGARA, August 2022 – The Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games are pleased to support and collaborate with Golf Canada and the Ontario chapter of First Tee – Canada to further enrich youth in the Niagara Region.
The 2022 Canada Games take place from August 6th to the 21st, welcoming over 5,000 young athletes and coaches to compete for the podium in Canada’s largest multi-sport event. Niagara 2022’s golf competition will take place at the beautiful and challenging Legends on the Niagara’s
Battlefield Course with practice rounds on August 15th and 16th followed by four competition rounds from August 17th to 20th. Ten provinces and one territory will compete in teams of two boys and two girls for both team and individual medals. Golf Canada will conduct the competition along with a team of 2022 Canada Games staff and volunteers.
On Tuesday (August 16), First Tee – Ontario invited a group of local children to Legends on the Niagara Golf Course to join a day of fun activities. The group participated in a First Tee golf clinic using the driving range and practice green and got the special opportunity to walk alongside an
athlete as their “honourary caddie” for one hole during practice rounds.
The activation provided an opportunity for children and families to learn more about what the game of golf has to offer through First Tee – Ontario, and for youth to witness first-hand the endless opportunities available to them in the world of sport.
The Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games promote community development, youth advocacy, and sport development. The Niagara 2022 Host Society is excited to support a like-minded program such as First Tee – Ontario.
“We are proud to share our platform with, and spread awareness of, First Tee – Ontario,” said Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games Sport Lead Tracy Murphy. “This is a program that aligns with our values and provides youth with the opportunity to experience and reap all the benefits sports have to offer. We look forward to a long-term collaboration with First Tee – Ontario and wish the program success and prosperity in the Niagara Region, and beyond.”
First Tee – Ontario is delivered at golf facilities, schools, and community centres with curriculum and coach training specifically designed for each of these environments, providing youth aged five to 18 with affordable access to learn fundamental golf skills, and life skills and values developed through sport.
Programming began in late 2021. To date, there are 11 First Tee – Ontario program locations across the province, two of which are in the Niagara Region. Locations are primarily chosen to engage with equity-deserving groups and under-served communities.
“We are grateful for the support and excitement from Canada Games. The positive impact that First Tee can make within communities would not be possible without our generous and supportive network,” said Golf Canada’s Grow the Game Director, Adam Hunter. “We hope the group had fun, learned something about sports, or themselves, and went home with a smile on their face. That’s what First Tee – Canada is about, providing youth with an inclusive space to feel empowered through sport.”
Golf Canada joined forces with First Tee in 2020, and First Tee – Canada was born. There are currently more than 80 program locations operating under provincial chapters in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, and the Atlantic regions. As the program grows, First Tee – Ontario continues to pursue new program locations.
For more information on how to get involved, or become a program location, please visit firstteeontario.ca/ or contact Amaya Athill aathill@golfcanada.ca.
About the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games
At the peak of Niagara’s boldest summer yet, more than 5,000 up-and-coming athletes, their coaches and support staff will gather in the Niagara Region to compete for the podium in Canada’s largest multi-sport event. From August 6 to 21, 2022, Niagara will surge stronger than ever on the national stage. The 2022 Canada Games, made possible thanks to funding and support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Niagara Region, and the Canada Games Council, will give rise to new
legacies of ambition, confidence, and compassion that will inspire generations to come.
For further information, visit us at niagara2022games.ca or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@2022canadagames).
About First Tee – Canada
First Tee – Canada is a non-profit youth development program operated by Golf Canada since 2020. In partnership with First Tee, Golf Canada launched First Tee – Canada to provide educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values for youth through the game of golf. First Tee – Canada continues to expand programming and engage youth at golf courses, schools, and community centres in deserving regions across the country.
For more information and to learn how to support First Tee – Canada, visit firstteecanada.ca.
For media inquiries, please contact Madelyn Boelhouwer mboelhouwer@golfcanada.ca.