by Luke Lacey – Golf NB

• NB Men’s Four Ball – 1st Round Pairings & Tee-Times

For Immediate Release:
Golf New Brunswick`s (Golf NB) NB Men’s and NB Senior Men’s Four Ball will be held on May 26^th and 27^th, 2018 at the Sussex Golf & Curling Club.

The NB Men’s and Senior Men’s Four Ball events will continue with its historical two-day, 36 hole, format with 22 and 20 teams respectively.

The men’s field will see reigning champions Neil Roberts and Peter McCarthy of Westfield, challenged by the four time winners of the Ralph Costello Shield (2007, 2008, 2011, 2014) Darren Roach and Jason Roach of The Riverside Country Club.  Also looking to push for top spot will be 2016 NB Men’s Four Ball champion, Tim McRae, of the Hampton Golf Club and his new partner, Kevin MacAllister of the Miramichi Golf & Country Club. Two-time NB Junior champion (2008 & 2009) and two-time NB Amateur runner-up (2011 & 2012), Stephane Boudreau of the Moncton Golf & Country Club, has teamed up with club mate Colin Manning as the pair look to improve on Boudreau’s second-place finish in 2017’s event.

The Senior Men’s division includes 2017 champions Wilfred Pilgrim and Darryl Pupek of the Kingswood Golf. As with the amateur men’s division, the Senior Men’s field is very strong as 2017 co-runners up Steve Wilson and Dave Stewart of Sussex Golf & Curling Club return to the field, along with Bob Gray of Maplewood Golf & Country Club, who has teamed up with Bernie Leger of Royal Oaks Golf Club.

The deep and diverse fields in both the Men’s and Senior Men’s divisions should make for an exciting weekend filled with great competitive golf.

• For more information or to register for the 2018 NB Men’s Four Ball please CLICK HERE.
• For more information on the Sussex Golf & Curling Club please 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 9,000 members include: 12 provincial events, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, junior golf development programs and member club marketing initiatives.

Are you thinking about buying a new set of irons, getting a new driver, fairway wood, hybrid, wedges? Make sure you try before you buy! It is the Demo Day season at golf courses so find out who is having a demo day and head over and try out some of the new 2018 clubs. Some golf courses invite a single manufacturer at a time to show their product. Other courses invite a group of companies to go head to head with each other. I enjoy those types of demo days as I can really compare all the different clubs on that day. Look for Demo Day posters at your club or look online to see what courses are hosting demo days as they are usually open to the public.

Some people feel they aren’t a good enough golfer to be fit for a set of clubs. I feel that is not true, a properly fit set of clubs will make you play better. The other important thing to remember about buying golf clubs is to be fit by a PGA of Canada Professional. Most golf courses have a fitting cart to help in the process and some have a Trackman or Flitescope that can give you the specifications of each shot you take. Golf clubs are very sophisticated and buying off the rack is not always a good idea. Things you need to take in consideration, other than what type of club are you looking to buy, are: shaft flex, shaft weight, steel or graphite shafts, loft, lie, grip size, and set make-up. Golf is a game for a lifetime and if you love the game you deserve golf clubs that are fit to your specifications. Do you buy shoes that don’t fit? No, because they hurt your feet. Well, clubs that don’t fit you hurt your golf game!

Enjoy!!

The second of three RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifiers tees off Thursday, May 17^th at Blue Springs Golf Club, in Acton, Ont. Players will be competing for a spot in the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 23-29.

If 100 golfers register for a regional qualifier – as is the case for Thursday’s event – the low-qualifier receives a direct exemption into the RBC Canadian Open. The top 15% of finishers, beyond the low-qualifier, will advance to the Final Qualifier, taking place July 23 at Heron Point Golf Links, in Alberton, Ont..

Matt Matheson earned co-medallist honours at the first regional qualifier on May 8^th, at Bear Mountain Resort, in Victoria, B.C.  Along with Matheson, six players from the event secured their spot in the final qualifier at Heron Point.

A third regional qualifier will take place on June 18^th at Le Blainvillier in Blainville, Qué.

The qualifying competitions are open to members in good standing with the PGA of Canada or other PGA affiliates, amateur golfers with a current Handicap Factor not exceeding 2.0 who are members of Golf Canada or in good standing with their respective associations, as well as other golf professionals.

Last year’s Ontario qualifier was also played at Blue Springs Golf Club, where Matt Hill of Sarnia, Ont., defeated Jesse Smith of Oshweken, Ont., in a playoff to win medallist honours and an exemption into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

NOTABLES
Matt Hill, Sarnia, Ontario
The 29-year-old former Team Canada member won the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit in 2012. Hill has spent time on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and the Web.com Tour in recent years. In 2009, Hill had one of the greatest seasons in collegiate golf history, when he won the NCAA Championship, seven other individual tournament titles and the Jack Nicklaus Award as the  top NCAA  golfer.

Branson Ferrier, Barrie, Ontario
The 24-year-old was the 2016 medallist at this event. Ferrier played college golf at Alabama State University (NCAA Div I), where he was a three-time first-team All-SWAC selection.

Chris Hemmerich, Kitchener, Ontario
The 25-year-old  earned conditional Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada status in 2017. The former member of  Team Canada and Guelph Gryphon Men’s Golf Team finished T3 at this event in 2016.

QUICK FACTS
Every year since the two-stage regional qualification process was reinstated in 2011, there has been a regional qualifier held in Ontario.

This is the second year in a row  Blue Springs will host this regional qualifier.

The regional qualification process allows amateurs and professionals from across Canada and the world a chance to qualify for the RBC Canadian Open.

There are nine golfers in the field who advanced to the final qualifier from this event last year.

Pairing and more information can be found here.

ABOUT THE COURSE
6,820 yards, par 72, slope 137.

Home of the PGA of Canada headquarters.

Signature features include well protected, heavily contoured greens, and several elevated tee boxes.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Garrett Rank made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 26 spots in the world rankings to climb back into the top 100 in the world. With his NHL officiating season complete, Rank took part in his first competitive golf event of the year, finishing third at the Campeonato Internacional de Aficionados in Peru. The result moves him up to 75th in the world rankings, his best showing since 2017.

Charles Corner takes over the No. 5 ranking in Canada, moving past Chris Crisologo who saw his college career come to an end after finishing in a tie for 26th at the NCAA Division II West-South Central Regional.

Honourable mention goes to 17-year-old Cole Wilson of Kelowna, B.C. who makes his amateur world rankings debut after capturing the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific championship.

Biggest move: Craig Titterington gained 806 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 53rd at the NCAA Division II West-South Central Regional.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Top ranked Maddie Szeryk picked up two places in the world rankings after finishing runner-up at the NCAA Austin Regional. It was the best finish for a player from Texas A&M at a regional since 2012 and the result improved her career-best world ranking to No. 22. The Golf Canada National Team member will now have a shot at the individual title at the Women’s National Golf Championship after the Aggies failed to qualify as a team.

No. 2 ranked Jaclyn Lee moved up six places after a runner-up finish at the NCAA Madison Regional. The Golf Canada National Team member, who captured the Big 10 title last month, will next lead her Ohio State team into the Women’s National Golf Championship next weekend.

Outside the Top 10, Golf Canada Development Squad member Monet Chun picked up 14 places in the world rankings after winning the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship. It was the third Future Links Championship win for the No. 12 ranked Canadian amateur, who also secures an entry into the 2018 Junior Girls Championship later this summer.

No. 5 ranked Michelle Ruiz maintained her world ranking after finishing in a tie for 10th at the NCAA D2 Super Region 2Championship.

Outside the Top 10, honourable mention goes to No. 18 ranked Noemie Pare, who finished in a tie for 18th at the NCAA D2 Super Region 2Championship.

Biggest Move: Phoebe Yue of West Vancouver gained 381 spots after finishing fourth at the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship.

MEN’S TOP 10

Austin Connelly was the only player in the Top 10 to make any positive gains this past week, picking up 11 spots in the world ranking after finishing tied for 11th at the European Tour’s Sicilian Open. The former Golf Canada National Squad member just missed his first Top 10 result of the season by a single stroke. The finish was worth 2.88 world ranking points and enabled him to take over the No. 5 ranking in Canada.

Top ranked Adam Hadwin slipped a spot in the world rankings, down to No. 45 but the B.C. golfer extended his streak of points-paying results after finishing in a tie for 57th at The Players Championship. It marked the 11th consecutive tournament he has picked up world ranking points this year.

Outside the Top 10, a giant move by Justin Shin who picked up 523 spots in the world rankings after finishing runner-up at the PGA Tour China Series’ Haikou Championship. The result was worth 3.00 world ranking points and enabled Shin to move back into the Top 20, taking over the No. 14 spot in Canada.

Other notable results: No. 3 Mackenzie Hughes finished tied for 57th at The Players Championship; No. 4 Nick Taylor finished tied for 79th at The Players Championship; No. 7 Adam Svensson missed the cut at the Web.com Tour Knoxville Open;

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Brittany Marchand made the biggest gain of the week, picking up 12 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for seventh at the Symetra Tour event in South Carolina. The result was her second top 10 finish on the development tour this year and was worth 0.68 world ranking points.

Other Notable Results: No. 6 Augusta James, No. 7 Samantha Richdale, No. 8 Jennifer Ha and No. 9 Elizabeth Tong all missed the cut at the Symetra Tour event in South Carolina;

As I was growing up, my friends and I were always outside playing games. Most revolved around sports but at times there were some very intense imagination games played. The one constant were the rules but the wildcard was how to play under those rules and that’s what amped up the fun level.

When it comes to the game of golf, players can apply the same logic and make that Saturday/Sunday morning round a touch different from the 18 hole, play your own ball format.

Craig Loughry, with Golf Canada, suggests trying something other than stroke play and see how that fits into your regular tee time. You might get more than just your foursome playing along.

“Any version of that where you’re partnering and just taking the best shot of yours or your partner’s that obviously helps in including more people in I guess what you might call a social competition. It can get serious but allowing the higher handicap players be part of a team, they will be more likely to say yes to that competition than on their own where they might feel a little intimidated.”

Match play is the simplest alteration to you just playing your own ball. You go one on one with another player using your handicaps to level the playing field. You can also use match play as a foursome to partner up with another player and use a best ball format to go hole by hole.

He says partnered events are starting to creep into courses around Canada more often these days as one-off events and he’d like to see it become more of an every-day play type of thing in our country.

“Countries like Scotland and Ireland, they play most of their golf partnered. They do play a lot of match play but they do a lot of partnered events,” he said.

A popular version over seas is the alternate shot format with both partners teeing off and from there you choose which ball to play and alternate shots until you hole out.

“You can imagine what that does for pace of play there. They play fairly quickly over there for a lot of reasons but one of them is because they are playing foursome type events and that’s just for normal, everyday play.”

There are plenty of versions of scrambles to choose from and it can be a full field of players taking part or Loughry says take one day and make a change to how you play your round. For some high handicap players, it might take away some of the pressure they might feel playing with lower handicap golfers.

“When you introduce the concept of a partner, you have someone to lean on. The neat thing about partnered events is it also works the other way,” he said. “So, if your partner hits a bad shot, they may leave you in a bad spot and you might feel a little more pressure but at least you’re able to have a better chance of being in a better spot on the golf course when you do have a partner.”

Loughry says the partner style of golf is not something you see in North America for the most part and he’s not sure why it doesn’t pop up on a more regular basis amongst foursomes out for their daily or weekly round.

“It’s still golf. Why not try something a little bit different?”

Another foursome competition called Wolf is another option. At the start, the teeing order is decided by flipping a tee and the order is rotated (on the first hole 1,2,3,4, on the second hole 2,3,4,1, on the fifth hole 1,2,3,4, again and so on).

The Wolf is always the last player teeing off each hole and then he selects a player to be his partner for that hole or he can go it alone against the other three. If the Wolf and partner win the hole, each gets two points. If the non-wolf partners win they get three points each. If the Wolf wins the hole playing alone he/she gets four points and if another player beats the lone Wolf then all players except the Wolf get a point.

Another version is having partners chosen by the two shots which are left of the fairway and the two which are right. Then you can play a best ball or alternate shot with the lowest score getting the point.

No matter how you slice it (pun intended), shaking up that regular round of golf can be fun, interesting and challenging.

Other than a golf ball and maybe some pocket change, what have you go to lose?

So why haven’t you?

Adopted a school, that is.

As a prospective adopter of a school, you may think you need to be a corporate giant like Golf Town, which has adopted almost 100 schools, or the formidable twosome of Golf Lab founder Liam Mucklow, a well-known champion of junior golf, who along with auto sales magnate Edward Wong has done the same for almost 20.

Or maybe, as a facility or a PGA of Canada professional, you are overawed by Manitoba’s Golf Mentor Academy, the 2017 Future Links, driven by Acura, Facility of the Year.  Thanks to the dedication of PGA of Canada professionals Glen Sirkis and Adam Boge, they welcomed more than 2,000 juniors to their facility last year.

Well-deserved kudos to all of them and the other companies and facilities who have supported the Adopt a School program, part of Golf Canada’s comprehensive Golf in Schools initiative over the past decade.

But you, as an individual golfer, a pro, a golf course or a range, can play just as a vital role in reaching out to youngsters in your area to share the joy and lifelong benefits of golf. Your reasons without a doubt will be as individual as your golf swing.

Maybe you’re like Jim Clark who grew up in the small town of Midland, Ont., with a bunch of sports-mad kids, including Bill Hack Jr. They played every sport available to them, but golf was special for many reasons, not the least of which was that Bill’s dad ran the Midland Golf and Country Club.

Bill Jr. passed away from cancer earlier this year. It tore the fabric of the longtime group of friends. Clark wanted to do something to commemorate their pal. Adopt a School was the answer.

“We were together all the time, from kindergarten through high school, and we stayed close after. So when Bill passed, I thought, ‘What would he want? How can we commemorate him? I reached out to the old gang and asked them to contribute a few bucks each. So we all chipped in.”

“Chipping in” provided the funds to adopt the elementary school they all attended. With the support of a local course, there are a bunch of kids who will be introduced to the game this year. Mr. Hack would be proud.

Wong, Senior Managing Partner of Alta Nissan in York Region north of Toronto, took up golf as an adult when he realized how essential it was to his business interests. Taking lessons from Mucklow, he became entranced not only with the game, but with the opportunity offered by Golf Canada to share the game with kids, an opportunity he didn’t have as a youngster.

His passion is evident. “Do you like children? Do you like to see them experience new things? Do you like to see them to excel? Then you must get involved.”

Wong is sincere when he says his company wants nothing back from their investment, which includes the recent opening of a junior development facility at King Valley Golf Club in King City, Ont. “We’re not looking for a financial return on all this. We really want to give something back to the community and to golf. That’s a bit revolutionary from a marketing perspective.”

And a fine example for others.

To put a spin on a famous saying: Don’t ask what the game can do for you. Ask what you can do for the game.

Adopt a School is a component of the national Future Links Golf in Schools, driven by Acura program, an umbrella junior development initiative created by Golf Canada in conjunction with the PGA of Canada and PHE Canada with support from the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada as a program partner. It provides golf facilities, companies and individuals with the opportunity to “adopt” one or more schools of their choosing to introduce the Golf in Schools program at that school. (Schools can also enroll in the program on their own.)

Since the program’s inception in 2009, adoptions have accounted for almost half of the more than 3,500 registered schools delivering the Golf in Schools curriculum to almost 420,000 students. Last year, 266 new schools were adopted, introducing golf to an average of 120 students per school.

Much responsibility rests with the country’s golf facilities and golfers to make this program succeed.

Why? Because, ideally, each school is linked with a green-grass facility like a course or a range and none of this is feasible without financial support from golfers like you. (Financial assistance is available from Golf Canada to facilities which want to support this through the Get Linked program.

Facilities that have linked to schools have reported significant increases from the business side, such as memberships, lessons and food and beverage, as well as the long-term gratification of enhancing the ongoing vitality of the game. Participating teachers at “adopted” schools laud the program for its emphasis not just on golf but on developing affiliated values such as perseverance, etiquette, character and honesty.

As an added bonus, the Canadian Seniors Golf Association (CSGA) has generously continued their matching program during Adopt a School Week. For the first 30 adoptions, any golf facility, PGA of Canada professional or individual who “adopts” a school into the Golf in Schools program from May 28 to June 1 will see their adoption matched with a school of their choice. This matching grant is possible due to Golf Canada’s partnership with the CSGA.

Donations can also be made in-store at local Golf Town locations across Canada during Adopt a School Week.

So whether your support helps develop the next PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour star or just gets kids in your community interested in the game you love or commemorates a friend, you can take justifiable pride in the fact that you’ve given back to the game.

As Clark says, “It’s not expensive and it’s so easy to do. You don’t have to do it on your own. Get the people you golf with all the time to chip in. You need people who care about the future of the game to fund it, and it’s not expensive in the least, an engaged teacher at the school who doesn’t have to be a golfer necessarily, and a facility to support it.”

The result “will give you goose bumps,” says Wong.

Learn more about Adopt a School Week by clicking here.

The R&A is currently doing some research to find out about use of the www.randa.org website and what could be done to improve its website in future.

They are asking golfers, from Canada and abroad, to take a few minutes of their time to share their thoughts. It doesn’t matter if you have visited The R&A website in the past or not.

Please bear in mind they are seeking feedback specifically on the www.randa.org website rather than The R&A app, other publications or The Open website.

Please click here to start the survey.

This survey is being administered by SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC. on behalf of The R&A. Any responses you give will be anonymous and confidential and will only be used in aggregate form for research purposes. No personally identifiable information is collected as part of this survey.

Long-time executive director of Golf Manitoba, Dave Comaskey is moving onto a new chapter in his career.

Originally from the northern community of Thompson, Manitoba, he started his career at the Southwood Golf and Country Club working as an assistant golf professional from 1995 to 1999. Comaskey returned to the University of Manitoba and followed up his Bachelor of Arts degree with a degree in Recreation Studies. He went on to become the assistant executive director at Golf Manitoba under Dave Morison in 2002. After almost 13 years as the executive director, Comaskey said working in golf is a privilege.

“It’s in me, I’ve grown up around golf and loving it. It’s always been my passion, I feel very fortunate to be working in the industry. Golf has always been a major part of my life,” he said.

Comaskey took over for Morison in 2005 when the former executive director retired. The amalgamation of men’s and women’s golf associations was an initiative Comaskey is proud of. He said the 100^th anniversary of golf in the province a couple years ago was another.

“We launched some player development initiatives, a celebratory tournament, some marketing stuff, that was a really neat and challenging year,” Comaskey said.

The development of games programming (Manitoba, Western Canada and Canada Games) is also among Comaskey’s highlights.

He will continue to work in the golf industry. Comaskey is the new golf course operations coordinator for the City of Winnipeg’s Golf Services. The city has three courses that will operate with Comaskey’s management. He said the timing is right for both him and Golf Manitoba.

“It’s a good time for me and Golf Manitoba. It’s healthy for someone else to come in here and bring some new ideas and initiatives,” he said.

Comaskey is looking forward to the new opportunity. He said the choice was a difficult one to make but staying within the sport was important.

“It wasn’t an easy decision by any means to move on to a new opportunity, but it certainly made it easier having it be in golf,” he said.

The board will begin their search for Comaskey’s replacement this week. His last day will be May 11.

PARINGS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE HERE.

FOLLOW SCORING ONLINE AS PLAYERS COMPLETE THEIR ROUNDS BY CLICKING HERE.

RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifying gets underway May 8^th at Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford, B.C., where 39 players will be vying for a spot in the RBC Canadian Open final qualifying event, which takes place July 23th at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

Players need to finish among the top 15% of the field, including ties, in order to punch their ticket to the final qualifying event.

The 18-hole qualifier at Ledgeview is the first of three regional qualifiers taking place across the country. The second qualifier takes place May 17^th at Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont., with the third regional qualifier taking place June 18^th at Le Blainvillier in Blainville, Qué.

The qualifying competitions are open to members in good standing with the PGA of Canada or other PGA affiliates, amateur golfers with a current Handicap Factor not exceeding 2.0 who are members of Golf Canada or in good standing with their respective associations, as well as other golf professionals.

QUICK FACTS

The regional qualification process allows amateurs and professionals from across Canada and the world a chance to qualify for the RBC Canadian Open.

The low qualifier receives a direct exemption into the RBC Canadian Open if 100 players or more compete at a regional qualifier. If less than 100 people register for a regional qualifier, the top 15% of the field and ties beyond the low qualifier, advance to final Monday qualifying.