Successful nominations will celebrate Samij and Beauchemin for demonstrating excellence in using golf as a platform to positively impact their communities.

(February 27, 2023) – Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation are pleased to announce that Fareen Samij of Burlington, Ont. and Bob Beauchemin of Brampton, Ont. have been named the inaugural winners of the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Award.

Following a national call for nominations to the Canadian golf community in 2022, Samij and Beauchemin were identified by the selection committee as co-recipients of the Lorie Kane Community Leader Award, celebrating a pair of individuals who demonstrated excellence in using golf as a platform to positively impact their communities.

“So many spirited and well-intentioned individuals use golf as a platform to contribute to their community and we are extremely proud to celebrate Fareen Samij and Bob Beauchemin as the inaugural recipients of the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Award,”

said Golf Canada President Liz Hoffman. “Both were nominated by their peers for their wonderful efforts to share the golf experience in their community and I am pleased to congratulate them on this much deserved honour.”

A 5-time Canadian Women’s Long Drive champion and former golf touring professional, Samij is a respected entrepreneur, speaker, and author who founded the Smashing the Grass Ceiling golf program to engage women and young girls to connect and be inspired on the golf course.

“It’s amazing to see the support from the community around creating access to golf and long drive,” said Samij. “I’m humbled to receive this award and will continue to forge ahead and work to help people use the sport to create meaningful relationships.”

Beauchemin, a PGA of Canada professional and Head Teaching Professional at Oakdale Golf and Country Club, was nominated for his efforts to advance junior golf including First Tee Canada, as well as his mentorship to countless golf industry professionals through the Humber College Professional Golf Management Program.   

“I am very humbled to receive this wonderful honour,” said Beauchemin. “Golf has been an integral part of my life for almost 60 years and has given me so much. If I have, in anyway, been responsible for passing on valuable knowledge or igniting a passion and love for the game of golf to the next generation, I feel it is a privilege.”

Samij and Beauchemin will each receive a $5,000 donation from the Golf Canada Foundation to advance a golf program or golf-related initiative of their choice.

Submissions for the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Award were evaluated by a selection committee that includes representatives from Golf Canada, the Golf Canada Foundation, Honoured Members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, industry representatives and the Golf Journalists Association of Canada.  

Get to Know Fareen Samij….

A 5-time Canadian Women’s Long Drive champion and former golf touring professional, Fareen Samij is a respected entrepreneur, speaker, mentor and author who founded the Smashing the Grass Ceiling golf program to engage women and young girls to connect and be inspired on the golf course. The golf program features a series of events ranging from 9-hole tournaments to clinics and retreats all designed to take the “scary” out of golf. The junior component to the program—Smashing Girls—is designed to give girls without access to golf, aged 11-17 the opportunity to learn golf, meet successful women mentors and learn critical interpersonal skills. Samij is also the Tour Commissioner and coach for ALD Canada Long Drive and works actively to recruit and develop long drivers to represent Canada at international events.

 

Samij published her book, Smashing the Grass Ceiling in 2017 to empower, motivate and inspire professional women to make meaningful connections. Through the Smashing program she runs workshops and clinics to help professionals increase confidence and learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya, the McMaster graduate is an entrepreneur who works in the field of event management, orthotics, orthopedic footwear, compression therapy and bracing.

 

Samij has been nominated for Citizen of the Year two times and is the winner of a Provincial Canada 150 award as well a recipient of the Leading Women Leading Change award. She is also the founder and creator of Pythons’ Pit, an entrepreneurial pitch contest for high school students that helps to foster innovation and creativity.

Get to Know Bob Beauchemin

A respected PGA of Canada Class A professional, Bob Beauchemin’s contributions to advance the sport of golf have impacted thousands of industry professionals and juniors over a distinguished career in the game. As Head Teaching Professional at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto, Beauchemin has been a driving force behind the club’s commitment to the First Tee Canada program designed to increase the accessibility of golf for youth in traditionally underrepresented communities. Beauchemin operated two First Tee Canada programs at Oakdale in 2022, providing community youth with no-cost access to experience the sport, using golf as a vehicle to have fun and build confidence.

 

Beauchemin has also taught more than 1,000 aspiring golf industry professionals over his career through the Humber College Professional Golf Management Program (1997-present) in addition to the development and execution of The Humber PGM Player Development Program (2000-present). He has inspired new generations of industry professionals to become passionate and trusted custodians of the game, providing education and mentorship on the rules, etiquette and proud history of the sport. Prior to the launch of First Tee Canada, Beauchemin taught the former Future Links junior golf program since its inception, supporting hundreds of aspiring junior golfers at Oakdale and from the surrounding community through camps, clinics and lessons. An accomplished former Touring Professional (1975-1986), Beauchemin competed on golf tours around the world including the PGA TOUR, Australian Tour, and the Asian Tour in addition to the former Canadian Tour (now PGA TOUR Canada) with which he later served eight years as Commissioner and CEO (1985-1993). He was honoured by PGA TOUR Canada as a Life Member in 2007 for contributions to the advancement of the Tour and its players.

The Lorie Kane Community Leader Award celebrates individuals over the age of 19 with a demonstrated ability to lead community initiatives; who have contributed a measurable impact through volunteerism or charity; or have showcased excellence in their involvement with, or support of youth programs such as First Tee – Canada or other junior golf activities.

Launched in the summer of 2022, the recognition was renamed the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards (both the Community Leader Award as well as the Junior Leader Award) as a tribute to the Canadian golf legend’s contributions to advance the sport and charitable initiatives both on and off the golf course.

A call for nominations for the 2023 Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards will go out later this year.

The updated version of the Rules of Golf came into effect January 1^st and to complement the rollout, golf’s governing bodies have published two important publications to communicate the updates.

These two publications cover the rules of golf and provide helpful insights for those involved in the game.

The Rules of Golf is the primary publication for officials and the main resource for players, golf club committees and referees. It covers the rules and includes updates and amendments from the 2019 edition.

The second publication, The Official Guide to the Rules of Golf 2023, provides context and sample scenarios for the rules, as well as clarifications and procedures for committees to follow. The Official Guide to the Rules of Golf essentially acts as a guidebook. Committees and officials will find information on the Rules, its clarifications, and any appropriate supporting procedures. It will act as a vital resource document intended as a supplementary publication for golf administrators, referees, officials and players.

“The 2023 Rules have a focus on making the rules easier to understand and more accessible with an emphasis on inclusion and sustainability,” said Mary Beth McKenna, Golf Canada’s Director of Amateur Championships and Rules. “The use of gender-neutral terms and the inclusion of Rule 25: Modifications for Players with Disabilities shows the games efforts on welcoming golfers of all abilities and demographics. Equally, there has been a reduction in the number of publications printed, encouraging casual golfers to utilize the Rules of Golf online or through the R&A app.”

Where to purchase them?

Golf Canada is the authorized distributor for The Rules of Golf Publications in Canada.

You will be able to access digital copies of both publications here.

The Rules of Golf and The Official Guide to Golf can also be purchased online using the links below;

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE RULES OF GOLF

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE OFFICIAL GUIDE

Golf Canada provides both publications in English and French.

Note; The printed publications of the Rules of Golf and Official Guide are intended for golf administrators, referees and officials and rules enthusiasts.

In an effort to be more sustainable, please consider accessing the Rules of Golf for free through digital channels either on golfcanada.ca/rules, by visiting randa.org or usga.org/rules. Full updates to the official Rules of Golf digital applications are available now.

It’s all been coming together for Megan Osland this winter.

Osland fired a 6-under 66 in the third round of Sunday’s Cactus Tour event for a one-shot victory. It’s the third win the native of Kelowna, B.C., has earned on the mini-tour this winter, and she feels she’s reaping the rewards of her hard work.

“I think it validates all the work that I’ve been doing in the off-season,” she said in an phone interview from Scottsdale, Ariz. “All my training is paying off.

“I’ve been working with my swing coach, my putting coach, and my mental coach. Everything’s coming together with all three of those.”

Osland said that she’s just made small adjustments in every facet of her game.

“Nothing major in any, in any category, just tweaking little things and just improving kind of the consistency of each area,” said Osland.

Those changes paid off in a three-stroke victory at the Sun City Country Club on Nov. 2, a seven-shot win at Riverview Golf Club on Jan. 15, and then Sunday’s win at Willow Creek Golf Club.

All three of those events were in Sun City, Ariz., but the Cactus Tour will shift to Beaumont, Calif., for its next two tournaments.

Osland plans to play in both as they could be a stepping stone from the developmental Cactus Tour to the second-tier Epson Tour. That circuit serves as a direct feeder to the LPGA Tour, the highest level of women’s professional golf.

“The carrot for that is the you get points for both of those tournaments and the overall point winner at the end of the two tournaments gets an exemption into an Epson Tour event,” said Osland, who played in five Epson Tour events in 2022 and was a regular on the second-tier circuit 2016-2019.

“Getting back on the Epson Tour full time is the biggest thing that I need to do. Then from there, obviously, the goal is to get an LPGA Tour card, whether that’s through Epson or Q-school at the end of the season.”

Osland’s hot start to the season puts her in a strong position to quickly meet her goals, as long as she continues to produce results.

“You’ve just got to play, well make some money, and then they’ve got a reshuffle in May,” said Osland, referring to the LPGA and Epson Tour’s annual recategorization. “Basically you can get reshuffled into having full status again, if you’ve made enough money.

“That’s the route that would be ideal if I can just get a couple starts early in the season.”

The Epson Tour kicks off its season next week with the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic at the Country Club of Winter Haven in Winter Haven, Fla. Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., won the event in 2015 and Samantha Richdale, also from Kelowna, took the title the next year for back-to-back Canadian wins.

Canadian golf icon and philanthropist to help foster donor relationships and support the advancement of First Tee programming for children and families across Canada

TORONTO, February 21, 2023 – Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation are pleased to announce that Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and dedicated philanthropist Mike Weir has been named the first official First Tee – Canada ambassador.

As an ambassador for First Tee – Canada, Weir will support the program through attendance at fundraising events, helping to foster donor relationships, and broadening the reach of First Tee – Canada’s positive impact on children and families.

Born and raised in Bright’s Grove, Ont., the eight-time PGA TOUR winner and 2003 Masters champion has been a philanthropic supporter of Canadian youth for nearly 20 years through the charitable work of the Mike Weir Foundation.

First Tee – Canada provides affordable access to golf for youth across the country, striving to diversify and grow the game of golf to reflect the strengths of Canada’s multiculturalism more closely. Inclusive programming is delivered at golf courses, schools, and community centres introducing golf and providing life-enhancing experiences through sport to children.

“I am honoured to take on the role of First Tee – Canada ambassador,” said Weir. “Historically, golf has not been the most accessible sport for families to get involved with, and I am proud to be part of a program that is working with donors and community leaders to break down those barriers. My passion for golf and supporting children’s development is well aligned with the First Tee – Canada’s mission and I am excited to contribute wherever I can.”

“We are extremely proud to welcome Mike Weir as a First Tee – Canada ambassador,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue. “Mike has meant so much to Canadian golf and his altruism and charitable experience will help generate meaningful awareness of First Tee across the Canadian philanthropic community. We highly anticipate Mike’s ambassadorship adding to the continued advancement of the program, and its ability to positively impact Canadian youth.”

Weir, who took up the game at Huron Oaks near Sarnia, Ont. was recently named International Team Captain of the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club. As a philanthropist, the Mike Weir Foundation has raised over $8,000,000 for Canadian children’s charities since 2004.

Launched in 2020 with the generous support of the Golf Canada Foundation and its network of donors, First Tee – Canada has operating chapters in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, the Atlantic region, and a newly launched Prairies region. With programming in schools, at community centres, and at golf courses, Golf Canada’s goal is to welcome 100,000 First Tee – Canada participants by 2024.

For more information and to learn how you can support First Tee – Canada, visit www.firstteecanada.ca.

BRAMPTON, ONT. – Brampton Golf Club will open its fairways to elite talent from across the globe when it plays host to the World Junior Girls Championship presented by Sargent Farms from October 2–7, 2023.

In addition to 72-hole team and individual golf competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will be a celebration of the sport with a focus on developing the game. Prior to the tournament getting underway, the World Junior Girls Championship will host a coaching summit and a girl’s skill development clinic supported by Sargent Farms and their partnership of the event.

The opportunity to host the week-long event spurs a sense of pride for Brampton’s membership.

“We’re truly excited to be sharing our course with the top girls from around the world,” said Boris Uvakov, Brampton’s General Manager. “We’re invested in the growth of the game at all levels and our membership is proud to do our part in hosting world-class championships.”

The World Junior Girls Championship is conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with Golf Ontario and supported by the R&A and International Golf Federation. Recognized by the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), the World Junior Girls Championship will run for its 8^th time, with the individual champion earning an exemption into the 2024 CP Women’s Open.

Since its inception in 1921, the fairways at Brampton Golf Club have hosted many of Canada’s best. The venerable club has hosted the PGA of Canada Championship, the PGA of Canada Senior Championship, PGA TOUR Canada, the Ontario Men’s Amateur and Ontario Women’s Amateur.

The club will provide an opportunity to showcase its recently renovated golf course to the world’s top 78 junior golfers from 25 countries across the globe, an increase from 2022 and the largest field size of the tournament’s history.

“Being in the GTA there are a lot of opportunities for visiting girls to explore outside of the golf competition,” added Uvakov. “We’re very proud to welcome competitors, coaches and spectators to our course and the great city of Brampton.”

Many of the Canada’s top-ranked golfers have competed in the World Junior Girls Championship since its inception, including LPGA superstar Brooke Henderson who competed in the 2014 inaugural competition.

Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include world Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand who won back-to-back World Junior titles in 2018 and 2019 as well as Yuka Saso of Philippines who won the 2016 World Junior title. Other former World Junior competitors who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Hannah Green of Australia and Maja Stark of Sweden.

In 2022, Spaniard Cayetana Fernández saved her best for last at Angus Glen Club in Markham, Ont., as the 17-year-old shot a final-round 2-under 70 to lead Spain to victory. Sweden finished second, with Chinese Taipei picking up third.

Admission to the championship is complimentary.

Nick Taylor’s second place finish at the WM Phoenix Open on Sunday made Canadian golf history.

His US$2 million in winnings was the most ever won by a Canadian at a single event, even topping previous winners, as the PGA Tour significantly increased its purses this season.

It also elevated the native of Abbotsford, B.C., to No. 73 in the official world golf rankings, putting five Canadians in the top 100 of the men’s standings for the first time ever.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is the top-ranked Canadian, sitting at 37th overall.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., is 53rd, Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford is 63rd and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., is 69th.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is just outside the top 100 at 112th.

Hughes won the Sanderson Farms Championship on Oct. 2, earning $1.422 million.

Svensson won the RSM Classic on Nov. 20 and earned $1.458 million.

Hughes, Svensson and Taylor are Nos. 12, 13, and 15 in the FedEx Cup standings, the PGA Tour’s rankings.

Long-time professional golf standout as well as legendary golf writer to become the 84^th and 85^th inductees into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame

Inductees to receive the highest honour in Canadian golf as part of RBC Hall of Fame Day in June during the 2023 RBC Canadian Open

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame today announced that long-time professional and PGA of Canada member Jim Rutledge as well as celebrated writer Robert Stanley Weir have been selected for 2023 induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

Rutledge, 63, from Victoria, B.C. will be inducted in the player category while Weir – who was born in 1856 and died in 1926 – will be inducted as a builder for his over two decades of writing on golf. Weir, considered by many to be Canada’s first golf writer, is most famous for writing the English lyrics to ‘O Canada.’

With their inductions, the pair become the 84^th and 85^th honoured members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

“The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame is thrilled to welcome Robert S. Weir and Jim Rutledge as our newest honoured members,” said Ted Fletcher, Chair of the Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee. “Jim was – and continues to be – an accomplished player at the professional level while Mr. Weir was a pioneer in golf writing, golf psychology, and a wonderful wordsmith on a variety of subjects beyond golf. I speak on behalf of the entire selection committee as well as the honoured members to say they are deserving of their appointments.”

“My initial reply to Ted’s phone call took me completely off guard. After it all settled in, I flashed back to my career and of how fortunate I have been to represent Canada and travel the world doing what I loved for so many years,” said Rutledge. “I am truly honored and thank all involved in my nomination.”

With his induction, Mr. Weir becomes the 26^th person inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame’s builder category and 18^th to be inducted posthumously.

“Weir was a Renaissance man of golf, and beyond golf, given that he was a highly respected judge and poet, and that he wrote the English lyrics to O Canada,” said fellow Hall of Fame member Lorne Rubenstein of Weir. “Of course, I am focusing on what he did for golf as Canada’s first golf writer. He set the stage for all of us who have read his work in a variety of publications. Canadian golf writers stand on Weir’s shoulders and at his side, learning from him and enjoying his work.”

Weir and Rutledge will officially join the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame during an induction ceremony taking place on Tuesday, June 7 during the RBC Hall of Fame Day as part of the 2023 RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf & Country Club.

JIM RUTLEDGE…
Jim Rutledge is one of Canada’s most accomplished touring professionals – and continues to compete to this day.

Born in Victoria, Rutledge was a celebrated junior and amateur golfer in British Columbia before winning the 1975 Canadian Juvenile Championship and the 1977 Canadian Junior Championship. He turned professional in 1978 and has spent the better part of the next four decades competing on golf tours all around the world.

Rutledge was a member of the European Tour (now DP World Tour) in 1990 where he finished a career-high 55th in the Order of Merit. He also competed in the 1990 and 1991 Open Championships. He made the cut in 1990 and finished tied for 57th.

Fast forward a decade and Rutledge was a member of the Nationwide Tour (now Korn Ferry Tour) from 2001-2009. He won his first event on that Tour in 2006 and finished 14th on the money list which earned him PGA TOUR status for 2007. Rutledge earned the distinction of being the second-oldest rookie in PGA TOUR history when he teed it up that season.

After turning 50, Rutledge has made several appearances on PGA TOUR Champions.

He has won on the PGA Tour of Australasia and on the Asian Tour, but most of Rutledge’s success has come in Canada. He is a six-time winner on the Canadian Tour (now PGA Tour Canada) along with the 1984 PGA of Canada championship and the PGA of Canada Senior Championship seven times including most recently in 2022.

Rutledge has also represented Canada at the World Cup three times and the Dunhill Cup twice.

He was inducted in the BC Golf Hall of Fame in 2011 and the PGA of Canada’s Hall of Fame in 2022.

ROBERT S. WEIR…
Robert Stanley Weir was Canada’s first golf writer who wrote on the subject for over two decades.

Ninety articles have been uncovered so far while not all his works have been found. Weir wrote about golf as the sport established itself in Canada and the United States at the turn of the century and as World War I ended. His early work on golf could be found in Canadian Golfer, Golf Magazine (in both the U.K. and U.S.), Golfer’s Magazine, and Golf Illustrated.  A collection of his golf writing is available here.

Weir joined esteemed golf writers such as Bernard Darwin, Jerome Travers, and Harold Hilton in the inaugural issue of Golf Illustrated. Darwin once said of Weir: “He has an easily intelligible method of explaining something, which is horribly difficult to explain.”

Weir’s work also appeared in Vanity Fair and Harpers Bazaar. He published two books of poetry, plenty of legal works and is perhaps best known for penning the English lyrics to Canada’s national anthem. Outside of his work chronicling the game, Weir was also a member of Royal Montreal Golf Club and Outremont Golf Club as well as a founding member of Kanawaki Golf Club where he served as the club’s first president in 1902. As a competitive player, he represented Canada as a team member at the 1920 International Match. Weir also served as a Board member with the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) in 1905. 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Scottie Scheffler successfully defended his WM Phoenix Open title Sunday at TPC Scottsdale to regain the No. 1 spot in the world.

Scheffler closed with a 6-under 65 to beat Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., by two strokes on the Stadium Course. The 26-year-old Texan took the No. 1 ranking from Rory McIlroy with his fifth PGA Tour victory.

Taylor earned US$2.18 million for finishing runner-up at the lucrative event, which easily his largest single-tournament payday. He entered the weekend with total earnings of $9.1 million for his career that includes two PGA titles.

Last year, Scheffler beat Patrick Cantlay in a playoff for his first tour title. Scheffler added victories in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGC-Match Play and the Masters and was the PGA Tour’s player of the year.

Scheffler made a 22-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th to break a tie with Taylor, then took a two-shot lead on the par-3 16th when he rolled in a 15-footer for par after hitting his tee shot far left on the stadium hole.

Scheffler birdied the par-4 17th with a 5-foot putt and closed with a par to finish at 19-under 265. He earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse in the second of the PGA Tour’s new designated events, created to bring the top players together more often.

Scheffler became the seventh player to successfully defend a title in the tournament, following Ben Hogan (1946-47), Jimmy Demaret (1949-50), Lloyd Mangrum (1952-53), Arnold Palmer (three straight from 1961-63), Johnny Miller (1974-75) and Hideki Matsuyama (2016-17).

Taylor also finished with a 65. The Canadian bogeyed the 16th, missing a 7-footer after Scheffler holed his par putt.

Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford, finished in a tie for 10th at 10 under. He entered the final round three shots off the lead but finished with a final round of even par.

Jon Rahm, the former Arizona State star who opened the year with consecutive victories in Hawaii and the California desert, was third at 14 under after a 68. He also was in position to take the No. 1 spot with a victory.

Justin Thomas was fourth at 13 under after a 65. Jason Day (68) followed at 12 under, and Jordan Speith (70) was another stroke back with Sam Burns (68), Sungjae Im (69) and Tyrrell Hatton (69)

Rickie Fowler was in the group at 10 under. The 2019 winner had a hole-in-one on the par-3 seventh, using a 6-iron in the 216-yard hole.

McIlroy closed with a 70 to tie for 32nd at 4 under.

Canada’s Stephen Ames, 58, picked up his third PGA TOUR Champions victory by going wire to wire at the Trophy Hassan II in Rabat, Morocco.

But it wasn’t without a challenge during Saturday’s final round. Australian Mark Hensby got as close as one after a birdie on No. 10, but he missed a short birdie putt at the 12th that would have tied him for the lead.

Hensby proceeded to double bogey each of the next two holes to push Ames’ lead to five, and Ames cruised home from there.

“I knew everybody else had to catch me,” Ames said. “I played the game I needed – put the ball in play. I had opportunities but didn’t make any. Unfortunately, Mark faltered with two double bogeys.”

Hensby, 51, held on to finish solo second. It was his best finish in 11 career PGA TOUR Champions starts.

Ames, who burst from the gate with what would tie for the low round of the tournament in the first round – a 6-under 67 that included eight birdies – needed only 18 pars in the final round to seal the deal.

Ames last won at the 2021 Principal Charity Classic. He led by three shots after two rounds the last time PGA TOUR Champions was in Morocco, for the 2020 Morocco Champions, but he wound up finishing second to Brett Quigley.

“Everybody knows this is a tough golf course. Takes a lot of patience, and there was a lot of patience going on for me this week. I’m ecstatic about the win. It moves me forward nicely.”

Eight talented PGA of Canada coaches to receive in-depth career development and bring a stronger gender balance to high-performance coaching in Canadian golf

Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada are excited to announce the names of eight talented coaches who will receive critical education to advance their careers as top golf coaches in the country.

The eight participant coaches from the Women in Coaching program will receive in-depth career development focusing on four main areas: individualized learning plans with monthly one-on-one check-ins, virtual and in-person coaching education and hands-on training experience.

Launched in 2021, the Women in Coaching program aims to strike a stronger gender balance with high-performance coaches that better reflects the Canadian golf community.

“We are thrilled to be supporting female coaches who have a deep desire to develop their skillsets,” said Beth Barz, the Women in Coaching Program’s Coach Developer. “Their continued growth supports all athletes in the player development system who will work with coaches involved in the Women in Coaching program for years to come.”

Application information was posted publicly on Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada’s websites, where applications were accepted this past winter.

“I am proud to be part of the Women in Coaching program and have an opportunity to learn from top educators and other female coaches from across Canada,” said Kat Kennedy, Assistant Golf Coach at Simon Fraser University and one of the eight Women in Coaching participants. “As a current collegiate coach, I prioritize professional development to gain the tools and skills to provide support and guidance to help student-athletes realize their full potential.”

The eight PGA of Canada members were selected based on prior coaching experience and current coaching or volunteer coaching positions. Past competitive playing experience was also considered an asset.

The eight chosen participants for the Women in Coaching program include:

• Shannon Raina – Calgary, Alberta
  Earl Grey Golf Club, Apprentice Professional and Junior Development Leader

• Kat Kennedy – Richmond, British Columbia
  Simon Fraser University, Men’s and Women’s Assistant Coach
• Megan Ratcliffe – Victoria, British Columbia
  Bear Mountain Resort, Assistant Golf Professional
• Michelle Waters – Vancouver, British Columbia
  Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, Apprentice Golf Professional
• Winnie Yun – Langley, British Columbia
  Lago Golf Academy (Westwood Plateau Golf Club), Junior Instructor
• Anne Rogerson – Dorval, Quebec
  Golf Le Champêtre, Head Golf Professional
• Leila Harman – Surrey, British Columbia
  Morgan Creek Golf Course, Saunders Performance Golf Academy Instructor
• Nicola Greaves – Calgary, Alberta
  Willow Park Golf & Country Club, Associate Professional & Junior Leader

To date, 17 PGA of Canada professionals have received training through the Women in Coaching program. This year’s first in-person session kicks off Monday, February 13th in Phoenix, AZ.