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.

April 27, 2018

Golf in New Brunswick has started as of today as I write this article. The Algonquin Resort, Petitcodiac Valley Golf Club and the Sussex Golf & Curling Club are open for play, with more course to follow in the near future.  This is the time of the year we all look forward to and I hope we get some great weather in the next 5 months (am I asking too much? I think not!!).  So how do you start your golf season?

Have you played all winter down south and are ready to head out to the 1st tee? Have you worked with your PGA of Canada Golf Professional this winter and ready to play? Do you dust off your clubs and head to the Driving Range to see if you can find a swing? Do you dust off your clubs, call your Pro and book a lesson first? Or do you dust off your clubs and head to the 1st tee?

There are a few options and they all sound great, but if you haven’t been down south or been working with a PGA of Canada Golf Professional this year, I would recommend booking a lesson and getting your season started off properly. Have some good mental thoughts and something to work on at the driving range, and then head out on the course. Make sure you stretch your muscles before hitting balls or playing the course and if you are tired after 9 holes, call it a day and try to go for 18 next time. You definitely do not want to hurt any muscles so soon in the season.

Remember, stretch, get a lesson, go to the driving range and then hit the course. Enjoy the season and may you have the best scores of your life this year.

Vancouver – The  Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) presented by Boston Pizza has announced former Golf Canada staff member Russell MacKay has been their Operations Manager.

MacKay, a graduate in Recreation and Sport Business from the University of Waterloo where he was a member of the University’s Men’s Golf Team, spent three co-op terms with Golf Canada after which he joined the Association full-time to work in Amateur and Professional Championships.

MacKay relocated to British Columbia in 2016 to undertake the role of Membership and Events Manager for the PGA of BC, and has now transitioned to a national role with Canada’s most-played Junior Golf Tour.

“I am excited to apply the knowledge and experiences gained in many different facets of the golf industry to help the MJT continue its growth,” said MacKay, who will be working with MJT National Operations Director, Trent Matson and MJT Director of Marketing and Administration, Elaine Denton.

The MJT aims to develop champions, in golf and in life, promoting the game from grassroots through to provincial, national, university and professional levels. Registration for tournaments is ongoing and the full MJT National schedule is available online at www.maplejt.com.

Wolfville, N.S. – More than 800 graduates from Acadia University will receive their diplomas at ceremonies taking place May 13-14, joining Acadia’s more than 30,000 alumni worldwide. In addition, Acadia will confer Honorary Degrees on individuals who have distinguished themselves in public service, education and professional sports. Among those Honorees will be Canadian LPGA Tour professional Lorie Kane.  Kane, an Honoured Member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame who graduated from Acadia in 1988, will receive a Doctor of Humanities.

“Our Honorary Degree recipients exemplify in every way how each of us can use our background and experience to make significant and meaningful contributions to our communities, our country and to the world,” said Acadia President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Peter Ricketts.

Kane has triumphed on the golf course and is recognized as a leader for the sport. Since her rookie year on the LPGA Tour in 1996, she has won nearly $7 million in career earnings. In that time, she recorded four LPGA Tour victories and 99 top-ten finishes, including eight in majors.

In 1998, she won the Heather Farr Player Award, given by the LPGA Tour to the golfer who demonstrates determination, perseverance and spirit through hard work, dedication and love of the game.  In 2000, she won the William and Mousie Powell Award given by the LPGA Tour to the golfer whose behavior and deeds best exemplifies the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA. In 2006, she became a member of the Order of Canada.

Prior to turning pro in 1993, Kane represented Canada as a member of the Canadian International Team from 1989 to 1992. She was also a member of the 1991 Canadian Commonwealth Team and the 1992 Canadian World Amateur Team. As a CP Ambassador, she embodies ongoing support of women’s golf through the CP Women’s Open and helps advocate and elevate the CP Has Heart charitable campaign which raises money and awareness for heart health.

Congrats to CP ambassador @LorieKaneLPGA on @AcadiaU’s announcement that she will receive an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree! With her dedication to @CPHasHeart, we couldn’t think of anyone more deserving. ❤️?? https://t.co/Tr8I3jiFOx pic.twitter.com/A9p5fWWS3x

— Canadian Pacific (@CanadianPacific) May 2, 2018

Golf fans in Saskatchewan will be able to watch Kane compete live at the 2018 CP Women’s Open, taking place August 20-26 at Wascana Country Club in Regina.

MEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Josh Whalen made the biggest move among the Top 10, picking up 39 spots in the world rankings. The Golf Canada National Team member has gained a total of 68 places in the rankings over the course of the last four weeks.

A couple of Top-10 players will be taking part in the NCAA Regional Golf Championships. No. 6 Charles Corner has been selected to compete as an individual at the Stockton, California regional while Chris Crisologo will lead Simon Fraser University in the Division II West Region.

Honourable mention goes to Craig Titterington, who makes his world amateur rankings debut after finishing runner-up at the GNAC Championship. The senior at Simon Fraser University may have lost out on individual honours in a sudden-death playoff but he, along with teammate Chris Crisologo, helped the Clan to its second conference title.

Biggest move: Marc Sweeney of Saskatoon, Sask., jumped 692 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 17th while helping the University of South Carolina Beaufort to the title at the Sun Conference Championship.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

WOMEN’S AMATEUR TOP 10

Several Top-10 players – including three members of the Golf Canada National Squad –  will be taking part in the upcoming NCAA Division I golf championships.

Top ranked Maddie Szeryk, who picked up a single spot in the world rankings this week to No. 26, will lead Texas A&M into the Austin Regionals, which will also feature No. 8 Valerie Tanguay and Oklahoma.

Jaclyn Lee, fresh off her Big 10 title win, takes Ohio State into the Madison Regional while Naomi Ko and NC State will take part in the San Francisco Regional.

Six teams and three individuals will all advance from each regional to the championships finals to be held at Oklahoma State University.

Biggest Move: Gloria Choi of Langley, B.C. gained 332 spots in the world rankings after finishing runner-up at the GAC Women’s Golf Championship. It was her fifth top-5 result this season.

Complete World Amateur Golf Rankings can be found here.

MEN’S TOP 10

Richard T. Lee made the biggest move as most of the Top 10 took the week off from competition. Lee climbed 27 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 37 at the Asian Tour-European Tour co-sanctioned Volvo China Open. The result marked his best finish on the Asian Tour this year and was worth 1.20 world ranking points for the No. 10 ranked Canadian.

One change in the rankings saw Benjamin Silverman move past Austin Connelly to take over the No. 5 ranking in Canada.

Outside the Top 10, Steven Lecuyer becomes the latest Canadian pro to join the Canadian rankings. The Edmonton native who currently calls Victoria, B.C. home, picked up his first career world ranking points after finishing in a tie for 13th at the Zambia Open on the South African Sunshine Tour. It marks his best career result on any professional men’s tour. Lecuyer takes over the No. 20 spot in the Canadian rankings.

Other notable results: No. 6 Austin Connelly missed the cut at the Asian Tour-European Tour Volvo China Open; No. 7 Adam Svensson missed the cut at the Web.com Tour United Leasing & Finance Championship;

Click here for Men’s Official World Golf Rankings.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

Brooke Henderson slid down to the No. 16 spot in the world ranking as both tournament winner Lydia Ko and runner-up Minjee Lee moved past the top ranked Canadian following their performance on the LPGA Tour this past week. Henderson finished in a tie for 43rd at the MEDIHEAL Championship. Since winning in Hawaii, Henderson has played four of the her last eight rounds over par.

No. 2 Alena Sharp was the only player in the Top 10 to not lose any ground in the world rankings, finishing in a tie for 50th at the MEDIHEAL Championship.

Other Notable Results: No. 3 Maude-Aimee Leblanc and No. 5 Anne-Catherine Tanguay both missed the cut at LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship.

Click here for full Women’s Rolex World Rankings.

OTTAWA – Today, Canada’s national golf industry associations announced the first annual National Golf Day, May 29, an event aimed at raising awareness to the public and government decision makers on the many positive impacts of the golf industry.

“More Canadians play golf than any other participation sport and our industry is #1 in driving economic impact, employment and charity fundraising,” said Jeff Calderwood, National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) and We Are Golf Chair. “Combined with golf’s diversity, healthy fitness benefits and environmental stewardship, we really do have such a positive message to communicate.”

National Golf Day provides the opportunity for Canada’s golf industry leaders to discuss these wide-reaching benefits of the sport directly with MPs, Senators and policy advisors at Parliament Hill. A May 28 evening reception will also be held in Centre Block, and NAGA will be hosting a day of interactive golf activities on the front lawn where MPs and visitors will be able to participate. This day of outdoor golf activities will include a focus on junior golf.

“We are really looking forward to our time in Ottawa and expect that government officials from all parties will be impressed to learn about all the ways golf contributes in virtually every riding throughout Canada,” added Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “There are so many meaningful benefits that golf delivers in communities from coast to coast and it will be great to share all those insights on National Golf Day.”

Golf courses and all related stakeholders throughout Canada are encouraged to promote the same positive messages. NAGA will provide shareable social content.

NAGA is also announcing a rebranding of its public facing name to We Are Golf. This aligns with the same brand name used by the American golf industry for allied association activities such as National Golf Day. NAGA does carry on as the administrative body but will use the We Are Golf brand for all public communications.

Please watch for additional We Are Golf and National Golf Day communications over the coming weeks as we lead up to the May 29 event itself.

For more information on We Are Golf, visit wearegolf.ca  

If you’re looking for a poster child for Golf Canada’s “Future Links, driven by Acura” program, Stephanie Sherlock is just about the ideal candidate.

OK, so “child” isn’t appropriate any more as she will attain the ripe old age of 31 next month, but she remains my top nominee for a number of reasons.

Her first recollections of competitive golf include Future Links tournaments in her home province of Ontario and neighbouring Quebec. Those were stepping stones to a stellar junior and amateur career (she was a Team Canada member from 2006 to 2010 and twice was the country’s top-ranked female amateur) that included winning the 2007 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and a spot on Canada’s 2008 World Amateur Team. After her all-American performance at the University of Denver, she spent three years on the LPGA Tour before deciding the pro life wasn’t for her.

So Sherlock returned to her home town of Barrie, Ont., to work at the course she grew up on. Simoro Golf Links is owned by her parents, Dave and Angela.

“I wasn’t here very long before I looked around and thought, ‘Man, there aren’t very many kids here,’” she recalls. So she picked the brains of some more established club owners and pros who had thriving junior programs to discover their secret.

While a common theme was their dedication to growing the game, there was another factor: the multi-tiered Future Links programming.

The scope and depth of the Future Links concept are impressive, starting with the very young novice golfer and extending right through high-level amateur competitions. Since launching in 1996, more than one million youngsters have participated in the various Future Links programs including Learn to Play, mobile clinics, Future Links Championships, Junior Skills Challenge, Girls Club, and an awesome grassroots initiative called Golf in Schools.

Golf in Schools is offered in more than 3000 elementary and almost 350 high schools across Canada. It provides a basic introduction to golf through the school physical education curriculum and is endorsed by Physical Health and Education Canada. Almost half of the participating schools are the result of a “school adoption,” whereby an individual, golf club or corporation donates to bring the program to the school.

(For more on the comprehensive programming offered by Future Links, driven by Acura, click here.)

Integral to the ongoing success of Future Links is a concept called Get Linked which connects schools and green-grass facilities such as golf courses and ranges.

Sherlock shares her knowledge with kids in Grades 1 through 5 at five area schools via the Golf in Schools program. As a result, she says, Simoro has seen an uptick in junior and family participation.

“We’ve got to be dedicated to getting more kids into golf, not just because we care about the future of the game itself, but we have to ensure the future of our business, too. We consider it a long-term investment and it’s awesome just how much support and materials we get from Future Links.”

Her message is echoed from coast to coast.

In Corner Brook, NL, Wayne Allen looks after three junior programs, all within an hour’s drive of his home base at Blomidon Golf and Country Club. Like Sherlock, he introduces Golf in Schools programming to five local schools every winter and has seen a tremendous impact.

“Six years ago, the nine-hole Deer Lake course didn’t have a junior program,” says Allen, who has been involved with Golf in Schools for 10 years and whose club was named the 2014 Future Links Facility of the Year. “So we started one with six kids. The next year, there were 20. That winter, we visited the schools for the first time and the following summer, we had 60 juniors in the program.”

Ten-fold growth in a couple of years. Impressive, to say the least.

The impact extends beyond increasing the participation rate among youngsters. As a result of the exploding junior programs, Blomidon introduced two new membership categories: An intermediate category for older kids and a family category.

The latter became necessary, says Allen, “because the parents would drop off their kids for golf, then go to the patio for lunch, waiting for the kids to finish. Eventually, they’d say to themselves, ‘Why am I just sitting here when I could be playing golf?’

“The growth in membership has been huge thanks to our junior programs.”

For more on Future Links, driven by Acura, contact Adam Hunter (Manager, Grow the Game) by email (ahunter@golfcanada.ca) or through Twitter.