OTTAWA – On the second annual National Golf Day, the Canadian golf industry, represented by We Are Golf, is launching a national campaign to encourage Canadians to get involved in the sport. Industry leaders are meeting with Parliamentarians throughout the day, while golf stakeholders are working to spread the word in municipalities nationwide.

“Golf is a sport that brings so many benefits to Canadians – not just through the health aspect, but as a significant economic driver,” said Kathryn Wood, Chair of We Are Golf and COO of Canadian Golf Superintendents Association “Golf in Canada sees $14.3 billion in annual economic impact, and supports over 300,000 jobs – nearly 40% of which are summer students.”

“Our counterparts in the USA are undertaking a similar initiative in Washington, with the goal to broaden participation in the sport across the continent,” added Laurence Applebaum, CEO of Golf Canada, “On National Golf Day, we’re encouraging all Canadians to get involved by playing a round of golf, enjoying family time at the local course, introducing a new player to the game, adopting a school in their community through Golf in Schools, taking a lesson, or making a purchase at their local pro shop.”

We Are Golf launched the inaugural National Golf Day in 2018 with advocacy meetings in Ottawa, a public junior golf activity on the Parliament Hill lawn, and various golf activities at clubs across Canada. The continuation of National Golf Day in Canada in 2019 will again incorporate meetings by We Are Golf stakeholders with MPs, Senators, and government officials.

“We are looking forward to building upon the success of our 2018 National Golf Day and government advocacy efforts in Ottawa, and hope to continue to bring the positive value of the game of golf to the forefront,” said We Are Golf chair, Kathryn Wood.

Golf’s new World Handicap System, which is designed to bring the game of golf under a single set of Rules for handicapping and provide a more consistent measure of players’ ability between different regions of the world, remains on track for implementation from 2020.

Education has begun with events being held in Singapore, South Africa, Great Britain and Ireland, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Continental Europe, Canada, the Caribbean and the USA.

A secure resource portal, accessible via www.whs.com, has also been launched to provide national associations with a library of different materials that they can use to help support their own education efforts.

Coinciding with this release, the USGA and The R&A will be launching a social media video campaign to remind golfers of the eight key features of the new Rules, and to reveal more details.  These features include:

• A minimum number of scores to establish a Handicap Index and maximum Handicap Index of 54.0
• Basis of calculation of Handicap Index
• Acceptability of scores for handicap purposes
• Course Rating and Slope Rating
• Calculation of a Playing Handicap
• Maximum hole score for handicap purposes
• Adjustments for abnormal playing conditions
• Frequency of updates of Handicap Index

Significant progress has been made in preparation for the roll out of the new system, which includes building a library of education materials, finalizing the new Rules of Handicapping, release of the technical specifications and the continuation of testing. Many national associations around the world are busy ensuring that their golf courses are rated in accordance with the Course Rating System and working to update local software platforms so that they are ready to apply the new Rules of Handicapping.  While many countries will be ready to transition early in 2020, given both the magnitude of the change for some jurisdictions and varying seasonality throughout the world, it is anticipated that others will need more time.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “There are many ways in which it is important for golf to modernise and become more appealing for people thinking of taking up the sport and handicapping is clearly one of them. The World Handicap System is a major new initiative for the sport which will establish a clearer and more consistent handicapping process for golfers throughout the world.

“We are working closely with national associations, as we do across our governance, championships and development work, to ensure they are fully prepared for the introduction of the new system as soon as possible after it becomes available for implementation.”

Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA, said, “We hope every golfer will see the benefit of obtaining a handicap – not only to play equitably with anyone no matter where they play, but also as a tool to measure their success.  In making it easier for golfers to obtain and maintain a handicap, we hope golf will be more welcoming and less intimidating throughout the world.”

Laurence Applebaum, CEO of Golf Canada said, “We are pleased to align with golf’s global governing bodies in the development and 2020 implementation of the new World Handicap System. “Over the coming months, we will work with national and provincial partners as well as golf clubs across Canada to educate golfers and ensure a smooth transition to this new system.”

Since its conception, the development of the WHS has focused on three key goals: to encourage as many golfers as possible to obtain and maintain a Handicap Index; to enable golfers of differing abilities, genders and nationalities to transport their Handicap Index to any course around the world and compete on a fair basis; and to indicate with sufficient accuracy the score a golfer is reasonably capable of achieving on any course around the world, playing under normal conditions.

The system has been devised following extensive consultation with the six existing handicapping authorities: Golf Australia, the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU) in Great Britain and Ireland, the European Golf Association (EGA), the South African Golf Association (SAGA), the Argentine Golf Association (AAG) and the USGA. The Japan Golf Association and Golf Canada have also been closely involved in developing the new system.

Widespread support for WHS was expressed in an international survey of 52,000 golfers with 76% in favour of the new system and a further 22% saying they were willing to consider its benefits. Focus groups were also held in different regions of the world to elicit detailed feedback on the features of the new system, which have contributed to the finalised Rules of Handicapping.

The World Handicap System will unite the golf world under one single set of handicapping rules and will be governed by the USGA and The R&A, with support from the existing six handicap authorities.

As an extension of their support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support The R&A’s and the USGA’s efforts to implement the World Handicap System.

The RBC Canadian Open will be providing exemptions to a wide range of competitors for the 2019 championship, being conducted June 3-9 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Exemptions have long been an important and unique facet in bringing together a field of competitors for Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.

Exemptions for 2019 will be formalized over the coming weeks leading into the event, with the final four spots awarded on the Monday of tournament week following the Monday Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links.

The 2019 RBC Canadian Open champion earns the $1,368,000 winner’s share of the US$7.6 million total prize purse along with 500 FedExCup points, two-year exempt status on the PGA TOUR, exemptions into the 2019 Open Championship and 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions, and an invitation to the 2020 Masters Tournament and Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The 2019 RBC Canadian Open is also part of the Open Championship Qualifying Series. The top-3 finishes (not otherwise exempt) earn a spot in the field of The Open Championship in July at Royal Portrush.

For RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Bryan Crawford, the new June date of the RBC Canadian Open as well as strong performances by Canadian professional and amateur competitors on the global stage has made decisions related to RBC Canadian Open exemptions more difficult than ever.

“What we’re seeing in 2019, especially with our new date on the PGA TOUR schedule, is tremendous interest from European Tour players looking for the opportunity to compete in the RBC Canadian Open,” said Crawford. “Similarly, its exciting to have such a deep roster of talented Canadians performing well on tours around the globe as it’s important to provide playing opportunities for our Canadian players. All are positive considerations, and while it makes for tougher decisions against certain categories, the end result is a talented and deserving field of competitors challenging for Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.”

The 2019 RBC Canadian Open field is limited to 156 participants with both professionals and amateurs eligible to participate, and a total of 24 exemptions are available into the RBC Canadian Open in various categories.

Following the conclusion of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, Golf Canada will review and evaluate the full slate of exemption categories.

EXEMPTION CATEGORIES

Category A – 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur Champions [2 positions]: 

Both 2018 champions receive playing positions in the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, provided they remain amateur. Two-time reigning Canadian Men’s Amateur champion Zachary Bauchou of Forest, VA will be joined by 2018 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion Joseph Deraney of Belden, MS.

Category B – Regional & Final Qualifying [7 positions]:

Three (3) Regional Qualifying competitions will be conducted May 6 at Kings Lakes by the Sea in Delta, British Columbia, May 16 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North) in Caledon, Ontario and May 27 at Elm Ridge Country Club (North) in L’Ile Bizard, Quebec. The low qualifier at each regional competition receives an exemption directly into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, provided a minimum of 100 competitors participate at each regional site, and up to the next 15% of the field will be eligible to compete in Final Qualifying. Amateurs must have a handicap not exceeding 0.

Final Qualifying – conducted Monday June 3 at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ontario — will be available to those exempt or who have qualified through regional qualifying, non-exempt PGA TOUR members and others, with four (4) spots directly into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open. Qualifying is open to all professionals and amateurs, with a maximum field size of 144 competitors. Amateurs must have a handicap not exceeding 2.0.

Category C – PGA TOUR Member [2 positions]:

Two spots into the field of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open are allocated to members of the PGA TOUR who are not otherwise exempt into the field.

Category D – Web.com Graduate [2 positions]:

Two 2018 Web.com Tour graduates who earned their PGA TOUR cards for the 2018-2019 season, and who are not otherwise exempt.

Category E – PGA of Canada [1 position]:

One spot into the field of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open is awarded to the PGA of Canada’s Order of Merit leader as of June 1, 2019.

Category F – Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada [3 positions]:

One spot will be awarded to the highest ranked Mackenzie Tour alumni on the 2019 Web.com Tour Money List through the Evans Scholar Invitational, as of May 26, 2019, and that played a minimum of six (6) Mackenzie Tour events in 2018.

One spot will be awarded to each of the winners of the first two tournaments on the 2019 Mackenzie Tour schedule—the Canada Life Open (May 23-26 at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia) and the Bayview Place DC Bank Open (May 30 to June 2 at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria, British Columbia).

Category H – At Large [7 positions]:

These exemptions will be allocated to players at the discretion of Golf Canada based on performances from Tours worldwide. Players can be Canadian or foreign, amateur or professional to be considered.

Professionals finishing in the top-10 at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, and not otherwise exempt, can enter into the next regular-field event on the PGA TOUR schedule (Travelers Championship).

If an amateur wins:

• The player would not receive the champion’s prize money or the 500 FedEx Cup points, but they would earn the invitations to the other tournaments.

With respect to exempt status, if the player chooses to stay an amateur, they can play out of the winner’s category through 2020-21, but would be limited to non-member regulations (i.e., a maximum of 12 PGA TOUR starts for the season). If they turn pro after the win, they still would not receive the prize money or FedEx Cup points but would be fully exempt and have all the benefits of being a member.

Sandra Post is no longer the most successful Canadian in LPGA Tour history – and she couldn’t be happier.

Post was cheering Brooke Henderson from home as she won the LOTTE Championship on Saturday in Hawaii, tying Post’s career wins record for a Canadian. Henderson also matched Mike Weir and George Knudson for wins by a Canadian on the PGA or LPGA tours at eight.

The 70-year-old Post, from Oakville, Ont., is all for Henderson winning again and moving ahead of herself, Weir and Knudson – all of whom are in Canada’s Golf Hall of Fame.

“I truly believe that records are made to be broken,” said Post on Monday. “My last win was in 1981, which was another century. I think it’s long overdue. No matter who came up after me, I always wished they would do better than me.”

Henderson finished 16 under on Saturday at Ko Olina Golf Club to beat South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji by four strokes. At just 21 years old, the native of Smiths Falls, Ont., has won a major in the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and ended a championship drought for homegrown talent at the 2018 CP Women’s Open, Canada’s national championship.

“I hope Brooke wins more and more and more events,” said Post. “I hope that there’s no stopping her for a very long time. Then it will be her bar to set and then hopefully someone else comes along and breaks it.”

Although Post, who watches every LPGA Tour event, is a big fan of Henderson, she feels it’s too early to call her the greatest Canadian golfer ever.

“We don’t know how long she’s going to play and it’s a different time,” said Post. “There are more tournaments, there are more majors for her to win. When I played, there were only two majors.

Now there’s five per year. Everything has changed.

“Having said that, I think it’s more about women’s sport. I think it’s good to have someone like Brooke for the exposure of the sport and people following it. I think it’s good for women and for sport to have winners.”

Post and Henderson first met ahead of the ANA Inspiration in 2015, the first major of the LPGA season, when the latter golfer was still an amateur. Post won the event twice when it was still known as the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle and offered up some advice to the young golf prodigy.

“I don’t give her any advice now, she’s got it well in hand,” said Post with a laugh.

Post is generally impressed with the growth of golf among Canadian women, pointing out the success of Henderson, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay on the LPGA Tour. She’s also impressed by the success of Canadian amateurs Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., who was the only Canadian in the field at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and Oakville’s Nicole Gal, who won the won the girls’ 14-15 age division of the Drive, Chip and Putt championship, also at Augusta.

“The LPGA has done a lot in girls’ golf to promote it and grow it,” said Post. “When you see contests like Augusta’s Drive, Chip and Putt, and you see the women’s amateur that they played before it, it’s impressive.

“Right now, junior golf and the enthusiasm for it and parents getting their kids into it, it’s really good for the game.”

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Brooke Henderson didn’t join the LPGA Tour thinking she would end up amongst the best Canadian golfers of all-time. At least not so soon, anyway.

Henderson tied the Canadian record for most career victories on the LPGA or PGA Tour on Saturday when the 21-year-old captured her eighth career title by shooting a 2-under 70 to win the Lotte Championship for the second year in a row.

Sandra Post had eight career victories on the LPGA Tour between 1968 and 1981, while Mike Weir and George Knudson equalled that on the PGA Tour.

“When I was younger it was just a goal to be on the LPGA Tour, to win my first event,” Henderson said.

“And when that happened and I won my first major the year after, things kind of just started to fall into place. I knew the record was eight. Just kept creeping toward it the last three years, which was really exciting.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., won last year’s event in Hawaii for her sixth Tour victory and followed that up in August 2018 as the first Canadian in 45 years to win the CP Women’s Open.

“I think starting last year I sort of saw that it was within my reach if I had two good seasons. Last year put me into great position, and coming back this year it’s been on the back of my mind every week that I tee it up. I’m just really happy that I have finally done it.

“Looking forward to overtaking it now.”

She finished 16 under on Saturday at Ko Olina Golf Club to beat South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji by four strokes.

All the highlights from Brooke’s repeat performance in Hawaii ???? pic.twitter.com/XDRFo8KBht

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 21, 2019

Nelly Korda, tied with Henderson for the third-round lead, finished with a quadruple-bogey 8 for a 77 that left her seven strokes back at 9 under. She hit into the water twice on 18, then threw her ball in after finishing. The 20-year-old American also had a double bogey on the par-4 seventh.

“Pretty bad,” Korda said. “I mean, it was a tough day, but I ended really poorly and I’m pretty disappointed in that. … It was an unfortunate final round, but there is nothing I can do about it anymore.”

Ariya Jutanugarn (73) and 2016 winner Minjee Lee (74) tied for third at 11 under.

Henderson bogeyed her first hole, but that was the only blemish in the final round as she followed that up with three birdies and 14 pars.

She looked to be in some trouble on the par-4 16th, but saved par when she hit a put from off the green.

“It’s really amazing to even be mentioned in the same sentence as Mike Weir, George, and Sandra,” Henderson said. “This week was really special. I always love coming to Hawaii. Last year was such an incredible week for me, to be able to hoist that trophy for the first time. Coming back I knew I knew the golf course really well.”

Fellow Canadian and Olympic teammate Alena Sharp watched Henderson play out the round and joined her in celebration.

“Congrats my friend ?BrookeHenderson! Unbelievable title defense and tying Sandra Post’s record for most wins by a Canadian on the ?LPGA tour. So freaking proud of you!,” tweeted Sharp (72), who finished 2 under for 40th place.

Henderson takes home US$300,000 for the win. Through seven events in 2019, she has made six cuts, has one victory, three top-10 finishes and one top-15 finish for $498,151 total earnings.

Henderson, ranked No. 12 in the world, has one major among her tournament victories, winning the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after beating Lydia Ko in a playoff when she was only 18.

Hamilton – A generation of Hamilton youth will soon experience the lasting impact of the RBC Canadian Open’s proud return to the Hamilton Golf Country Club.

Golf Canada, in partnership with RBC, the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation, along with the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board and Hamilton Catholic District School Board, announced today a number of youth initiatives that will make the 2019 RBC Canadian Open more junior-accessible than ever before, while creating a meaningful golf legacy in the Hamilton Wentworth region.

Beginning with the 2019 event, which runs from June 3-9, the RBC Canadian Open Youth Initiative will span a five-year period through to the Open’s return to Hamilton Golf and Country Club in 2023.

One element of the new Youth Initiative will see golf programming introduced into schools across the Hamilton Wentworth region, with a goal to deliver programming to nearly 100 schools over the next five years. The Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation will lead the school fundraising efforts in 2019, working closely with Golf Canada Foundation, the official charity of the RBC Canadian Open.

For the first time ever, RBC Canadian Open School Days will take place during early week practice rounds on Monday and Wednesday of tournament week. Participating schools from the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board will visit on Monday, June 3 while Hamilton Catholic District School Board schools will visit on Wednesday, June 5.

With free admission for participating students and teachers, the School Days experience is credited to the RBC Canadian Open’s new June date on the PGA TOUR schedule. In addition to watching world-class golf, students will get a behind the scenes tour of Canada’s National Open Championship, including visits to The Rink, a tour of the CBS TV broadcast operation, pictures with the iconic RBC Canadian Open trophy, autograph sessions and a variety of junior golf activities.

Golf Canada will also work collaboratively with the City of Hamilton’s three 18-hole municipal golf courses (King’s Forest Golf Course along with the 36-hole Chedoke Golf Club – Beddoe Course and Martin Course) as well as the Hamilton Fore Golf program to engage youth golfers at the RBC Canadian Open. Each of the three courses will have juniors participate in Golf Canada’s Walk with a Pro event during the Wednesday Pro-Am.

“When we announced that Hamilton Golf and Country Club would host a pair of RBC Canadian Opens, we worked with officials from the City of Hamilton and the Club to develop a robust youth initiative that could have a lasting impact in the community,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Bryan Crawford. “Introducing more youth to the game through the school system, connecting with the city’s municipal courses and bringing juniors out to the golf course to watch the world’s best players compete will be really special for kids across the region.”

Golf Canada will work with various stakeholders to secure funding for the RBC Canadian Open Youth Initiative. The Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation will be the main source of funding in year one with other community partnerships to be explored in the years when the tournament is not hosted in the Hamilton area.

“Creating a community legacy was an important element to our Foundation getting behind the RBC Canadian Open Youth Initiative in 2019 and 2023,” said Al Scott, Vice President of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation. “Our goal with Golf Canada was to create a junior golf legacy around the RBC Canadian Open’s return to the Hamilton Wentworth region and give back to the community where we live, work and play.”

Golf Canada also offers a Student Volunteer Program to encourage juniors to earn their community volunteer hours as part of the RBC Canadian Open (or CP Women’s Open). Juniors looking to participate will pay a reduced fee of $40 which includes a uniform and weeklong volunteer badge.

The RBC Canadian Open is also pleased to offer FREE admission to children aged 12-and-under. Juniors aged 13 to 17 can also take advantage of a reduced priced Youth Ticket.

More information about the 2019 RBC Canadian Open including tickets, corporate hospitality and volunteer information is available at www.rbccanadianopen.com.

Whose turn is it this week to treat golf as their whipping boy?

Mainstream media feed on the sport as a source of unsubstantiated headlines, many based on the fallacious stereotype of golfers as overweight entitled middle-aged men riding in golf carts while smoking a cigar and chugging a beer. (I do wish they would stop using my foursome as an example.)

For their edification, and yours, here are some verifiable facts about just one positive aspect of golf.

Last fall, Dr. Andrew Murray and his colleagues at Edinburgh University’s Physical Activity for Health Research Centre reported on the results of a review conducted by researchers into 5,000 existing studies about golf.

5,000 studies!

What they found was stunning.

Golf not only has physical and mental health benefits for everyone who plays, but those benefits increase with age. Older folks improve their balance and endurance as well as respiratory and cardiac health.

“We know that the moderate physical activity that golf provides increased life expectancy, has mental health benefits and can help prevent and treat more than 40 major chronic diseases such as heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, breast and colon cancer,” Murray told the BBC.

“Evidence suggests golfers live longer than non-golfers, enjoying improvements in cholesterol levels, body composition, wellness, self-esteem and self-worth.”

The Edinburgh University study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and is part of the Golf and Health Project, which is led by the World Golf Foundation.

A visit to the Golf and Health web site www.golfandhealth.org is a revelation. (Highly recommended for those mainstream media types mentioned above.)

Other studies show that walking 18 holes is equivalent to an eight-kilometre hike. That hike can drop blood glucose levels by up to 30 per cent in older golfers and helps everyone with weight maintenance and physical fitness. Walking and carrying your clubs can burn up to 2,000 calories per round. Even if you can’t carry, get off the power cart and use a manual or electric push cart (what the Brits call “trolleys”).

Heck, even being a spectator at a golf tournament is good for you.

“Spectators at golf events have been reported to walk significantly further than the 7,500 to 10,000 steps recommended daily for health,” according to Golf and Health. So you don’t have to actually play the game to reap the health benefits associated with it.

Even if the preceding hasn’t persuaded you to get out and golf, how about this for a kicker?

The death rate for golfers is 40 per cent lower than for non-golfers of the same age, sex and socio-economic status, according to a study of 300,000 golfers by Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet. That equates to a five-year increase in life expectancy for regular golfers.

When the Edinburgh University study was released, the London Daily Mail ran this above the story:

“Play golf and you’ll live longer.”

Now, that’s a headline you can believe.

Canada’s top-ranked golfer and Canada’s iconic railway are partnering for five more years, both on and off the course. Canadian Pacific (CP) has renewed seven-time LPGA tour-winner and the No. 12 ranked female golfer in the world, Brooke Henderson to serve as its golf ambassador.

Since signing on with CP in 2017 as a golf ambassador, Henderson has won four more LPGA Tour titles, including her historic win on home soil at the 2018 CP Women’s Open where she became the first Canadian to win the National Open Championship in 45 years.

Joining the CP family is sister and caddy Brittany Henderson, who will also wear the CP logo as she supports Brooke as a team and family member.

“It is an honor to extend Brooke’s sponsorship until Dec. 31, 2023, and welcome Brittany to the CP family,” said Keith Creel, CP President and Chief Executive Officer. “Brooke remains the perfect ambassador for CP as we continue to grow the game of golf, advocate for healthy living through CP Has Heart, and build on the iconic Canadian brand that is CP. Adding Brittany to the CP family was a natural decision, as railroaders know that precision and excellence requires a strong team.”

CP continues to sponsor Team Canada, a relationship that marked the beginning of Brooke’s relationship with the railway. Both the Hendersons are graduates of the amateur program that supports young golfers as they pursue their professional dreams.

Brooke has also been named a repeat winner of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as the Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year. In addition, PostMedia recognized her as their 2018 Summer Female Athlete of the Year and Canadian Sport Awards named her their 2018 Athlete of the Year.

“I am so proud to continue my relationship as an ambassador for CP. As many of my own family members have worked for CP in my hometown of Smiths Falls, it is truly special for me to wear the logo and continue that long history as a member of the CP family. Furthermore, the sincere gesture to add my sister Brittany to the CP family is incredible, as she’s been with me every step of my career. We both look forward to celebrating many more victories with the CP family.”

Already in the CP family is four-time LPGA Tour winner Lorie Kane, who signed on as an ambassador in 2014 when CP took over title sponsorship of the National Open. Kane, who was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2017 and named a recipient of the Order of Canada in 2006, has an established reputation as one of the most personable and consistent players in the game, and has dedicated many efforts off the course to champion support for CP Has Heart.

CP recently named SickKids Foundation as its official charity beneficiary of the 2019 CP Women’s Open that will be hosted at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ontario. Through its CP Has Heart program, CP will once again make a substantial donation to support local paediatric care. Follow along this season as golf ambassadors Brooke and Lorie encourage fundraising efforts to help reach this year’s $1.75M donation target.

In the five years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open, $8.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada. This will mark the third time in six years southern Ontario has hosted the CP Women’s Open resulting in more than $3.3 million dollars invested in London (2014 – $1.3 million) and Ottawa (2016 – $2 million).

Golf NB is pleased to announce its 2019 championship schedule which for the first time will be presented by Argus Audiology.  The 2019 schedule includes a balance of both individual stroke play events and team events to be hosted at some of New Brunswick’s top championship golf courses.

The 2019 schedule is headlined by Golf NB’s premier amateur championships — the NB Pee Wee (July 2^nd & 3^rd only) & NB Junior Championships from July 2^nd to 4^th, both at the Hampton Golf Club, the Argus Audiology NB Ladies Provincial Championships from July 7^th to 9^th at Golf Pokemouche, the RBC Dominion Securities NB Men’s Amateur Championship will help the Westfield Golf & Country Club celebrate its 100^th anniversary from July 11^th to 14^th and the Argus Audiology NB Senior & Mid-Master Championships which will be held in Four Falls, NB at the Aroostook Valley Country Club from July 22^nd to 24^th.

The 2019 competition calendar also includes a selection of team events for all ages and skill levels.  The 2019 NB Men’s Four Ball, presented by TaylorMade (with both Amateur & Senior Divisions) will again be held during the final weekend in May, May 25^th & 26^th, at the Sussex Golf & Curling Club.  The Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club will once again be hosting the NB Ladies Four Ball on Sunday June 9^th in conjunction with their Ladies Scramble that will take place on Saturday the 8^th, while The Riverside Country Club will again play host to the NB Family Classic & Adult/Junior, and “Jim Connolly” Little Swingers (for children 10 years of age and under and an adult partner), both presented by TaylorMade on Monday August 19^th.

The tradition of giving back will continue in 2019 as the Ladies of the Petitcodiac Valley Golf & Country Club will host the 2019 ServiceMaster NB Golf Fore The Cure event on Wednesday August 21^st.  Entering its 16^th year, the ServiceMaster NB Golf Fore the Cure has raised over $600,000 for Breast Cancer research in the province of New Brunswick.  With a committed group of volunteers at the helm, the 2019 ServiceMaster NB Golf Fore The Cure is bound to be the biggest and best event yet.

Rounding out the 2019 event schedule are Golf NB’s two year-end match play events.  The final matches for the year-long play downs in the Past Presidents’ Cup Inter-Club Challenge will be held on September 14^th & 15^th at the Memramcook Golf Club while playing captains Kathy Grebenc & Sonny Phillips from the North will look to regain the Estabrooks Cup from Marc Armstrong & Sandy Comeau’s Southern team at the Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club, on September 28^th & 29^th, in Golf NB’s year end Ryder Cup style wrap up to the various season long Player of the Year Challenges.

As the Provincial Sport Organization for golf in New Brunswick, Golf NB conducts the country’s provinces amateur golf championships as part of its mandate to promote the sport of golf in the province and to provide deserving participants with the opportunity to represent themselves, their families, their clubs and their province at one of Golf Canada’s many National Championships.

In addition, the variety of Provincial Championships up for grabs, the 2019 Golf NB Provincial Championships will offer the opportunity for up to 52 of New Brunswick’s top amateur golfers to earn their way into one of Golf Canada’s many regional or National Championships.  With 21 positions on one of Golf NB’s seven provincial teams and 31 additional individual exemptions the potential for New Brunswick content at the National level is abundant.

Golf NB’s 2019 Championship Season, presented by Argus Audiology, kicks off on May 25^th & 26^th with the NB Men’s Four Ball and concludes the weekend of September 28^th & 29^th with the 22^nd playing of the Estabrooks Cup.

“We are once again very proud to be working with many of New Brunswick’s top golf courses,” said Tyson Flinn, Executive Director of Golf NB. “Our 2019 venues are set to showcase the very best that amateur golf in New Brunswick has to offer and we couldn’t be more appreciative to our host clubs for their support.”

TO VIEW GOLF NB’s 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE INCLUDING ALL HOST VENUES and REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS PLEASE CLICK HERE