In an effort to raise needed funds to help support the administration and implementation of provincial and national programming, and to provide assistance for to those individuals who earned the opportunity to represent their province at either a National or Regional competition, 2018 saw the introduction of the 2019 Golf NB Membership Raffle and continuation of the NB Provincial Team Funding Draw.

2019 Golf NB Membership Raffle

Supported by its partner facilities and TaylorMade Golf Canada Ltd., the Golf NB Membership Raffle was introduced to raise needed funds to help support the administration and implementation of provincial and national programming.

Through the purchase of a raffle ticket, participants were entered for a chance to win a variety of prizes including $1,500 towards a golf membership at one of Golf NB’s 46 partner facilities, rounds of golf at New Brunswick golf courses, Golf NB 2 For 1 Cards and TaylorMade golf balls, among other prizes.

Additionally, eligible participants were also entered for a chance to win a full refund of their entry fee into select 2018 Golf NB Events & Championships.

The winners of the 2019 NB Provincial Team Funding Draw were selected as part of Golf NB’s Annual Awards Banquet & Silent Auction held on Saturday October 20^th, 2018 at the Fredericton Inn in Fredericton, NB.

• Grand Prize Winner – Bill Bishop (Ticket #: 003)
  $1,500 towards a 2019 Golf Membership

• 2^nd Prize – James Simonds (Ticket #: 091)
  Golf Package Including:
  Hampton Golf Club – 4 Green Fees
  Westfield Golf & Country Club – 4 Green Fees
  Rockwood Park Golf Course – 4 Green Fees & 2 Power Carts
  West Hills Golf Course – 2 Green Fees & 1 Power Cart
  Fredericton Golf Club – 2 Green Fees & 1 Power Cart

• 3^rd Prize – Carole Mix (Ticket #: 115)
  Golf Package Including:
  Algonquin Resort – 2 Green Fees & 1 Power Cart
  St. Stephen Golf Club – 2 Green Fees & 1 Power Cart
  St. George Golf Club – 2 Green Fees & 1 Power Cart
  St. Croix Country Club – 4 Green Fees & 2 Power Cart

• 4^th Prize – Eugère Daigle (Ticket #: 146)
  Golf Package Including:
  Golf Pokemouch – 4 Green Fees & 2 Power Cart
  Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club – 4 Green Fees & 2 Power Cart
  Restigouche Country Club – 4 Green Fees & 2 Power Cart

• 5^th Prize – Heather Neilson (Ticket #: 075)
  Golf Package Including:
  Le Club de Golf de St-Ignace – 2 Green Fees & 1 Power Cart
  Petitcodiac Valley Golf & Country Club – 2 Green Fees & 1 Power Cart
  Pine Needles Golf & Country Club – 2 Green Fees & 1 Power Cart

• 6^th Prize – Pat Edwards (Ticket #: 127)
  Golf Package Including:
  Aroostook Valley Country Club – 4 Green Fees & 2 Power Cart
  Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club – 4 Green Fees

• 7^th Prize – Jean LeBlanc (Ticket #: 033)
  12 TaylorMade TP5 Golf Balls

• 8^th Prize – Gordon Steeves (Ticket #: 110)
  12 TaylorMade TP5 Golf Balls

• 9^th Prize – John Brown (Ticket #: 004)
  2019 Golf NB 2 For 1 Card

• 10^th Prize – Gerry Garnett (Ticket #: 032)
  2019 Golf NB 2 For 1 Card

• Supplementary Draws for Reimbursement of Tournament Entry Fees
  • NB Men’s Four Ball – Greg Jones (Ticket #: 042)
  • NB Ladies Four Ball – Brenda Parrott (Ticket #: 020)
  • NB Ladies Provincials – Nancy McKay (Ticket #: 065)
  • RBC Dominion Securities NB Amateur Championship – Greg Jones (Ticket #: 042)
  • NB Mid-Master Championship – Stuart Musgrave (Ticket #: 081)
  • NB Senior Championship – Fernand Robichaud (Ticket #: 099)
  • NB Family Classic & Adult Junior – Gerry Garnett (Ticket #: 032)
    

Provincial Team Funding Draw

Supported by TaylorMade, the NB Provincial Team Funding Draw provided those individuals who earned the opportunity to represent their province at either a National or Regional competition the opportunity to offset their travel costs through the sale of raffle tickets, on three distinct TaylorMade prize packages, with all proceeds staying with the individual who sold the ticket

The winners of the 2018 NB Provincial Team Funding Draw were selected as part of Golf NB’s Annual Awards Banquet & Silent Auction held on Saturday October 20^th, 2018 at the Fredericton Inn in Fredericton, NB.

• Winner – Jim MacAdam
  1st Prize – TaylorMade M4 Golf Package including woods, irons & bag

• Winner – Billy Johnstone
  2^nd Prize – M3 Driver

• Winner – John M.A. Brown
  3rd Prize – Two TaylorMade Wedges & 12 TaylorMade TP5 Golf Balls

Golf NB would like to thank its partner facilities and TaylorMade for their continued support of golf in the Province of New Brunswick and we look forward to working with all of our exceptional partners again in 2019 and beyond.

JEJU ISLAND, Korea, Republic Of – Brooks Koepka is golf’s new No. 1 after winning the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges on Sunday by four strokes.

Koepka, who displaced Dustin Johnson for the world’s top ranking, shot a final-round 8-under 64 for a 21-under total of 267. Koepka, who had never held the top ranking, led by four strokes after three rounds.

“To be No. 1 is something I’ve dreamed of as a kid,” Koepka said. “I don’t think this one is going to sink in.”

Gary Woodland certainly made it interesting. Woodland started the day five strokes behind Koepka, who was only 1-under after nine, but Woodland pulled level after making six birdies in seven holes on the front nine.

The two dueled on the back nine, with Woodland birdieing 15 and 16 to again pull level. But Koepka did the same, and a bogey by Woodland on the par-3 17th gave Koepka the cushion he needed to close out the win despite a birdie on the 18th by Woodland.

The biggest moment came on the 16th. Koepka went from a fairway bunker to just left of the green, about 70 feet away. Koepka hit a chip-and-run that was stopped by the pin and dropped for the birdie.

Koepka finished in style with a 25-foot eagle putt on the 18th for a 29 on the back nine.

“I’m not somebody who’s going to panic if things go the wrong way,” Koepka said of his slow start. “I felt like the one at 15 was quite big with Gary making a charge.”

Canadian Adam Hadwin surged up the leaderboard in Sunday’s finale with an 8-under-par 64. The Abbotsford, B.C., native closed the event with a share of 10th.

Woodland finished second after a 63. Ryan Palmer birdied his last seven holes to shoot a course-record 62 and finish in a tie for third place with Rafa Cabrera Bello (65), four strokes behind Koepka.

Woodland was happy with his final round, but looked back to a few missed birdie chances on Saturday.

“Brooks with the lead.not much fazes him,” Woodland said. “So you knew you had to make a lot of birdies and I made a lot today. I was trying to put as much pressure as I could. But just shows I was too far back to start after not making too many putts yesterday. I gave myself a chance, I was tied for the lead there. Brooks obviously just made some clutch shots down the stretch.”

Palmer said he became more confident with each of his seven straight birdies on the back nine.

“The more I made, the more free I felt in my swing and I was able to hit some close,” Palmer said. “I made some long putts coming down the stretch. Actually on 17, I looked at my scorecard, I was like, ‘oh, that’s six in a row.’ It is kind of back there, but you don’t think about it. What a special day.”

Defending champion Justin Thomas, who could have prevented Koepka from moving to No. 1 with a repeat win, finished at 5-under after a 68 Sunday.

Koepka is the third player this year to reach No. 1 for the first time, joining Justin Rose and Thomas. The last time that happened was in 1997, when Ernie Els, Tom Lehman and Tiger Woods each rose to No. 1.

It was Koepka’s 12th victory worldwide, including four wins on the European Challenge Tour. He now has won in six countries – the U.S., South Korea, Spain, Italy, Turkey and Scotland.

“Everything I’ve done this year it’s been working. So I don’t want to change anything,” Koepka said. “Just keep improving.

“I’m so excited right now, you have no idea. I can’t wait to go play again.”

He’ll get his chance soon. Next week the PGA Tour heads to Shanghai for the final stop on its Asian swing, the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Henry Lee made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 21 spots in the world rankings and moving past Myles Creighton into the No. 8 spot in the Canadian rankings.

Brendan Macdougall climbed seven spots in the world rankings.

Biggest move: Anthony Occhiuto of Guelph, Ont., gained 568 spots in the world rankings after finishing 21st at the Tom Tontimonia Invitational. That comes on the heels of a runner-up finish two weeks ago.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

There’s a new No. 1 atop the Canadian amateur women’s golf rankings as Jaclyn Lee takes over top spot. The Golf Canada National Squad member has a pair of top 5 finishes in each of her first two collegiate events this year. She takes over the top ranking from fellow Golf Canada team member Maddie Szeryk, who recently graduated from Texas A&M and hopes to pursue a professional career in 2019.

Vanessa Ha made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 44 spots in the world rankings and vaulting up to No. 3 in Canada.

Brigitte Thibault picked up 10 places in the world rankings after finishing 10th at the NM State Aggie Invitational, her first top 10 result of the collegiate season.

Biggest Move: Amanda Minni of Delta, B.C., gained 496 spots in the world rankings after posting a career-best third place result at the UW Edean Ihlanfeldt Invite.

Click here for the full World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR)

MEN’S TOP 10

Austin Connelly was the only golfer inside the Top 10 to make a positive gain, picking up four places in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 42nd at the European Tour’s Sky Sports British Masters. The result was worth 1.21 world ranking points for the former Golf Canada National Squad member. It also marked just the second time in the last 11 tournaments he has had a points-paying finish.

Click here for the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR)

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Top ranked Brooke Henderson maintained her No. 8 world ranking after finishing in a tie for 14th at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship. The result earned her 5.58 world ranking points – her 11th consecutive points-paying finish.

Augusta James led all players in the Top 10 with a gain of six places in the world rankings.

Both Brittany Marchand and Anne-Catherine Tanguay each gained five places in the world rankings. Marchand has points-paying results in each of her last two tournaments while Tanguay has earned world ranking points in eight of her last nine events.

Click here for the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings.

LONDON, England – A global consensus amongst leaders in public health, public policy and sport backs golf in the race to tackle physical inactivity and the prevention of a range of non-communicable disease (NCD) including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer of the breast and colon.

Evidence linking golf and health, commissioned by the World Golf Foundation and supported by The R&A, was presented this week in London at the 7th Congress of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH). The biennial scientific meeting is widely regarded as the world’s flagship physical activity and public health event attended by more than 1,000 delegates from 60 countries.

Recognition that playing golf has significant physical health and wellness benefits and can provide moderate intensity physical activity to persons of all ages, comes just months after the World Health Organization (WHO) published its Global Action Plan for Physical Activity. The Global Action Plan targets one in four adults, and four out of five adolescents (11-17 years) who are insufficiently active, and charts how countries can reduce physical inactivity in adults and adolescents by 15% by 2030.

The scientific consensus for golf is evidenced in research led by the University of Edinburgh and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Findings reveal that playing golf is associated with a range of physical and mental health benefits, and further collaborative efforts to improve access for the sport are needed.

New studies are underway to discover if playing golf improves strength and balance, contributing to a key public health goal of fall prevention in healthy aging and into conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Marking the close of the ISPAH Congress, public health practitioners, policymakers and golf industry leaders were hosted at a satellite event in the Palace of Westminster by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf.

Steve Brine, Minister for Public Health and Primary Care, said, “Physical activity of any type comes with a range of physical, social and mental benefits. For some, golf can be a great way to stay active and there’s growing evidence about ways the sport can help those living with long term conditions such as Parkinson’s and dementia. And for those who haven’t discovered their favourite sport yet it’s never too late to get inspired, connect with people and improve your wellbeing.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Golf is working hard to encourage more people into the sport, who will realize its many health benefits. With 60 million golfers spanning six continents, golf has found common purpose in working with public health practitioners and policymakers to optimise the health benefits of playing the sport.

“We recognize the importance of the World Health Organization Global Action Plan for Physical Activity and we will work with our affiliates and partners around the world to help improve health and well-being through golf”.

Professor Fiona Bull, WHO Programme Manager, Non-Communicable Disease Prevention, said, “Non-communicable disease is responsible for nearly three quarters of all premature deaths globally, including 15 million deaths per year in people aged 30 to 70 years.

“The new World Health Organization global action plan and the implementation toolkit ‘ACTIVE’ aims to help all countries improve the environments and the opportunities for all people to be more active. Golf is a popular sport for men and women and it is great to see golf’s global leadership recognizing health priorities and identifying ways golf can be more accessible to more people.

“I took up golf in my 30s but thought it was a very technical, expensive and elitist sport. Thankfully a 6 week ‘come and try course’ showed me how easy it was to enjoy golf as a beginner and how active playing 9 holes can be. I am looking forward to seeing how golf can attract many more girls and women to enjoy the sport and be more active and healthy”.

Annika Sorenstam, Major Champion and a global ambassador for golf and health, said, “As the recent international consensus statement highlighted, golf is great for the health of people of all ages – it benefits those playing the sport and even tournament spectators.

“Given the health benefits, we must work together to make golf more accessible if we are to achieve our sport’s full potential.”

The 2018 International Consensus Statement on Golf and Health to guide action by people, policymakers and the golf industry was published last month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

A further Golf and Health Scientific Meeting will be held on Thursday 18 October 2018 at Mytime Active, High Elms Golf Course, Bromley, UK – a club promoting healthy lifestyles. Researchers from Asia, Australia, Europe and the USA will discuss their respective projects and the future direction of research on golf and health.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Chris Crisologo made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 34 places in the world rankings. The Golf Canada National Team member also moved up a place to No. 5 in the Canadian rankings. Fellow team member Josh Whalen gained nine places in the world rankings over the past seven days.

Biggest move: Cameron Kellett of London, Ont., gained 485 spots in the world rankings following his runner-up finish at the UNG Fall Invitational. The freshman at Division II Young Harris College equaled the college record (NCAA era) for 54 holes at 207 in earning his third top-10 result in as many tournaments, including a pair of top 5 finishes.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Jaclyn Lee started the collegiate season right where she left off, finishing third in the Windy City Collegiate Championship. The Golf Canada National Team member – who finished last spring by winning the Big Ten Championship, a runner-up finish at the NCAA Regional and fifth overall at the NCAA Championship Final – picked up her fifth top 10 result in her last six tournaments.

No. 7 Brigitte Thibault picked up three places in the world rankings after finishing 11th at the Johnie Imes Invitational.

Biggest Move: Melany Chong of Mississauga gained 238 spots in the world rankings after finishing 28th at the Starmount Forest Fall Classic.

Click here for the full World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR)

MEN’S TOP 10

No positive gains made by any of the golfers in the Top 10 as the new season of the PGA TOUR got underway this past week.

Mackenzie Hughes moved past Graham DeLaet into the No. 4 slot in Canada as DeLaet continues to rehab from back surgery. Hughes kicked off his PGA Tour campaign by finishing in a tie for 33rd at the PGA’s Safeway Open.

Adam Svensson and Roger Sloan, who both earned their PGA TOURcards for this season, made it into the weekend of their first event of the season. Svensson finished in a tie for 41st at the Safeway event while Sloan was tied for 60th.

Other notable results: No. 1 Adam Hadwin missed the cut at the PGA Safeway Open; No. 2 Benjamin Silverman finished tied for 75th at PGA Safeway Open; No. 3 Nick Taylor finished tied for 53rd at PGA Safeway Open; No 6 Austin Connelly missed the cut at European Tour Alfred Dunhill Links Championship; No. 9 Corey Conners missed the cut at PGA Safeway Open; No. 10 David Hearn finished 86th at PGA Safeway Open

Click here for the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR)

WOMEN’S TOP 10

No upward movement for eight of the 10 golfers in the Top 10. Only top ranked Brooke Henderson, who is No. 8 in the world, and Christina Foster, ranked No. 10 in Canada, maintained their weekly ranking.

Other Notable Results: No. 9 Jennifer Ha missed the cut at Symetra Tour Championship

Click here for the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that Brooks Koepka has been named the 2018 PGA TOUR Player of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2017-18 season.

PGA TOUR members who played in at least 15 FedExCup events during the 2017-18 season were eligible to vote. The balloting process ended on October 1.

Koepka, a 28-year-old native of West Palm Beach, Florida, finished a career-best ninth in the FedExCup following a season that included victories at both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. He earned four additional top-10 finishes, including runners-up at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and Charles Schwab Challenge.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, our congratulations to Brooks Koepka on being voted PGA TOUR Player of the Year by his peers,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Brooks has brought a new brand of athleticism to the PGA TOUR, and we saw the results this year with his historic season at the major championships and a top-10 finish in the FedExCup. These feats were accomplished despite missing significant time due to injury, a testament to his work ethic and perseverance throughout the season.”

Following the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January, Koepka did not compete on TOUR while recovering from a left wrist injury, making his return in late April at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He collected his first top-10 post-injury at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, a second-place finish to Justin Rose.

With his victory at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Koepka became the first player since Curtis Strange (1988-89) to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles. Five starts later, Koepka won his third major title in his 100^th PGA TOUR start, capturing the PGA Championship by two strokes over Tiger Woods with a tournament record 16-under 264. At age 28, Koepka became the fifth American since 1945 with three or more major wins before the age of 29 and the fifth player to win the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same season.

Koepka posted season-low rounds of 63 on four occasions in 17 PGA TOUR starts, including the lowest final round ever at THE PLAYERS Championship. He closed the season with 13 of 16 rounds in the 60s over the four FedExCup Playoffs events.

Kopeka competed in his first ever RBC Canadian Open in 2008, where he failed to make the 36-hole cut.

Koepka, who will receive the Jack Nicklaus Trophy for winning PGA TOUR Player of the Year, was selected for the honor over Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose and Justin Thomas.

Some Canadian golfers are long-standing members of the PGA TOUR, while others secured status for the 2018-19 season at the last minute.

Add them all up and the CanCon will hit a record level at this week’s Safeway Open.

Eight Canadians are in the field for the season opener at the Silverado Resort and Spa North in Napa, Calif. That’s the most at a PGA TOUR event outside of Canada since the TOUR started keeping track in 1970.

TOUR regulars like David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., are joined by Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont.

Silverman, who’s entering his sophomore campaign, was among the group of Canadians who broke through in the last few years after spending time on lower-level TOURs.

“I think we were just pushing each other to get better,” Silverman said. “We were all very talented at the time but just not there yet, not at TOUR level yet. Just knowing that there was only two or three Canadians to look at — yet we were all right there in the mini-TOUR ranks — it just probably pushed us all and motivated us all to make it.”

The previous high for Canadians in a non-domestic TOURnament was seven, according to PGA TOUR senior communications manager Doug Milne. It happened twice in 1987 (John Deere Classic and BMW Championship), at the 2008 U.S. Open, and twice last year (Safeway Open and CareerBuilder Challenge).

The number could grow again when Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., makes his return. He has status on the PGA TOUR with a major medical extension but isn’t ready to play after undergoing back surgery in August.

Silverman needed a strong finish at the recent Web.com Tour Championship to book his return to the PGA TOUR. A tie for third did the trick as he moved into 22nd on the Web.com Tour Finals money list, just inside the 25-man cut.

Sloan was 10th on the list while Svensson earned his card by finishing 14th on the Web.com TOUR’s regular-season list.

Silverman’s best finish on the PGA TOUR last season was a tie for seventh at the Sanderson Farms Championship last October. His other top-10 result came a few weeks later when he was tied for eighth at the RSM Classic.

He earned US$793,140 over the campaign, made the cut at 17 tournaments and finished 136th in the FedExCup standings.

Reached this week in Napa, he said he was very pleased with how his rookie campaign played out.

“A whole slew of courses that I’ve never seen before, which is always tough to get used to,” Silverman said. “I think I handled it pretty well. I had some good finishes. I learned a lot about myself in terms of how many TOURnaments I can handle.

“I think 28 regular-season events was kind of a lot for me. I’m going to learn from that and try to manage my schedule a little bit differently so I can get some more rest this season.”

Ben Silverman (Getty Images)

Silverman said he was inconsistent at times due in part to his effort to develop a more well-rounded game. He wanted to be able to hit high-, medium- and low-trajectory shots either straight or with a draw or fade, all while trying to add different short-game skills.

This season, he plans to keep it simple and go with what got him to the PGA TOUR in the first place. He’ll go with more bump-and-run shots around the green and will stick with his “little fade” off the tee and on the fairways.

“The biggest adjustment with my game is I’m pretty much just sticking to one ball flight and never changing it,” Silverman said. “Whether it suits the hole from a traditional standpoint or not doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’m just going to stick to hitting shots that I feel comfortable with.

“That was my gameplan in Jacksonville in the Web Finals and I had great control of the ball all week. I’m just going to keep that strategy going moving forward.”

Hadwin is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the world golf rankings at No. 58. Silverman is next at No. 240, followed by Taylor (No. 280), DeLaet (No. 294) and Hughes (No. 297).

Play begins Thursday on the 7,203-yard course. American Brendan Steele is the defending champion.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Brendan Macdougall made the biggest gain among the Top 10, picking up 10 places in the world rankings after finishing 17th at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate, pacing High Point University to a 12th place finish overall.

Henry Lee moves up four places in the world rankings after securing his second straight top 10 result, an eighth place finish at the Husky Invitational.

Charles Corner moves past Chris Crisologo into the No. 5 spot in Canada.

Biggest move: Graeme Brunet of Sarnia, Ont., gained 997 spots in the world rankings after finishing third at the High Country Shootout.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Celeste Dao made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 15 places in the world rankings. The Golf Canada Development Squad member, who was recently named to represent Canada at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina later this month, also climbed past National Team member Naomi Ko to take over the No. 3 ranking in Canada.

Jessica Ip picked up 27 places in the world rankings.

Outside the Top 10, Abbie Anghelescu climbed 120 spots to move into the Top 20 for the first time, taking over the No. 19 ranking in Canada.

Biggest Move: Megan Ratcliffe gained 309 spots in the world rankings after finishing 32nd at the Coeur D’Alene Collegiate.

Click here for the full World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR)

MEN’S TOP 10

With the Ryder Cup stealing the golf spotlight and stage qualifying for the Web.com Tour, there were very few qualifying events when it came to the world rankings.

Roger Sloan made the only positive move among the Top 10, picking up four places in the world ranking. Sloan is set to make his PGA Tour return for the first time since 2015 this week as the new season kicks off. A number of other Top 10 Canadians will be in the field as well: No. 1 Adam Hadwin, No. 2 Benjamin Silverman, No. 3 Nick Taylor, No. 5 Mackenzie Hughes, No. 9 Corey Conners and No. 10 David Hearn.

Click here for the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR)

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Augusta James made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up five places in the world rankings.

Brittany Marchand gained two places in the world rankings and has moved to within seven places of taking over the No. 2 ranking in Canada.

Other Notable Results: No. 8 Samantha Richdale finished tied for 39th at the Symetra Tour event in Florida.

Click here for the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings.

“I’m not good enough to keep track of my handicap.”

Craig Loughry, Golf Canada’s Director of Handicap and Course Rating, is tired of hearing that.

“The purpose of the Handicap System is to make the game of golf more enjoyable by enabling players of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis,” the Golf Canada Handicap Manual states.

“If you’re playing golf regularly, you’re keeping track of your scores in some fashion,” he points out. “You’re golfing for a reason or reasons, whether it’s for the competition against yourself or others, recreation, socializing, whatever. It obviously is a significant part of your activity schedule, so why not keep track on an ongoing basis?

“If golfers didn’t care about keeping score, then courses wouldn’t need scorecards, but they seem to have to replace thousands every year.”

Loughry is right. Everyone tracks their progress in just about every other facet of their lives, so why not in their golf games? In business or other pursuits, you expect a level playing field, right? A Golf Canada handicap factor provides both for your golf life.

Additionally, you never know when not having a Golf Canada handicap factor will come back to haunt you.

Knowing zero about your handicap can find you playing off a zero handicap.

A couple of personal anecdotes…

Years ago, I was invited to play in a pro-am. When I showed up at registration, I was asked for my handicap. When I said I didn’t have one, I was told I would have to play off scratch, from the pro tees. Some of my drives barely made the tee block from where my fellow amateurs (the ones with official handicaps) were playing from. Needless to say, I started posting every score after that humiliation.

My wife (who faithfully maintains an accurate handicap factor) plays in the member-guest tournament at a friend’s club every summer. The club sends out a friendly note leading up to the event.  It says, “it is the member’s responsibility to provide a handicap factor from an accredited golf association for their guest(s). Failure to do so will result in your guest(s) playing from scratch. Please note that scorecards, letters or ‘she shoots about an 85’ are unacceptable.”

If you have a Golf Canada Gold-level membership, the lengthy list of benefits includes an official handicap factor. It’s easy to post your adjusted scores online or at any Golf Canada member course and there’s even an app for your phone. It’s easy to join online even if you’re not already a member of a club and start tracking your scores right away.

Now that I’ve persuaded those of you who haven’t maintained a current and accurate factor (you must post all scores using the easy-to-understand Equitable Stroke Control system) to get on the bandwagon, here are some other handicapping notes.

Active Seasons

Regrettably, the end of the Canadian golf season is approaching. Each provincial golf association decides on what is called the “active season” for handicap posting purposes.

By province, the active seasons are:

• British Columbia March 1-Nov. 15
• Alberta March 1-Oct. 31
• Saskatchewan April 15-Oct. 31
• Manitoba April 15-Oct. 31
• Ontario April 15-Oct. 31
• Quebec April 15-Oct. 31
• Nova Scotia April 15-Oct. 31
• New Brunswick May 1-Oct. 31
• Prince Edward Island April 16-Nov. 14
• Newfoundland and Labrador April 1-Nov. 30

Going South This Winter?

It’s never been easier to post out-of-country scores if you’re lucky enough to play in a warmer clime this winter.

“Essentially, all you have to do is simply change the Canadian flag icon to the international one and then start typing in the most unique part of the club/course name,” says Taylor Stevenson, Golf Canada’s manager of member services.

As well, says Loughry, the International Golf Network (IGN) allows Golf Canada members to link their golf membership (handicap record) from Canada to their U.S. club(s). What’s the advantage of that?

“You only need to post your score once and that score automatically gets posted into the other record. This is not only important now for our many members who travel and golf outside the country, but will be more so when the World Handicap System is implemented.”

We Are The World

In 2020, the new unified World Handicap System will be implemented to make handicaps truly consistent and equitable around the globe. The new system will feature more flexibility and reflect the changes in how the game is played worldwide.

For example, both competitive and recreational rounds will count for handicap purposes, the number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap will be reduced and, perhaps most importantly, the result will be a consistent handicap that is portable from courses to course and country to country.

There is even a calculation that considers the impact that abnormal course and weather conditions affected your score.

Click here for more on handicapping.