The entire golf community in New Brunswick is deeply saddened to hear about the passing of John Townsend.
John proudly served as President of the New Brunswick Golf Association in 2004-2005 and was instrumental in the merger to create Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB). A friendly face for us all, John will be greatly missed by many across the province.
Golf New Brunswick would like to extend its deepest condolences to John’s friends and family.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Golf NB, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Luke Lacey as Executive Director of Golf NB.
Luke’s experience with Golf NB for the past 3 years and background in sales and marketing makes him a great fit for the future of Golf NB as we work to grow the game and introduce those who are new to the game.
Luke resides in Fredericton, NB, and is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University with a degree in Marketing and a focus in Strategic Management. His previous experience on the frontline with a Golf facility complements our strategic vision of enhancing our relationships with our member clubs.
I look forward to working with Luke and the fellow executive in 2021 and beyond.
Judy Astle
Golf NB President
Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick. In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province. Programs offered by Golf NB to its 10,000 members include 12 provincial events, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, junior golf development programs, and member club marketing initiatives.
Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB) is pleased to announce the 2021 Golf NB Players of the Year.
The Player of the Year (POY) is a ranking system that awards points to players based on tournament results throughout the golfing year. It is designed to promote golf development through competition and celebrate the individual achievements of golfers in New Brunswick.
NB Men’s Player of the Year
Michel Landry – Fredericton Golf Club
2021 proved to be a successful campaign and once again a year filled with silverware for Fredericton’s Michel Landry. An impressive stretch of play over three days at the NB Men’s Amateur Championship would lead to Landry capturing his fourth provincial amateur title. Landry’s impressive play would continue at the Mactaquac Invitational and West Hills Invitational where he recorded under-par rounds of 69 and 67 to win both club events. Stellar play throughout the year would see Landry secure 114.0 POY points from four qualifying events.
Building off of his impressive 2020 season, Country Meadows’ Stu Musgrave participated in all five of Golf NB’s Player of the Year events in 2021. Consistent play would see Musgrave finish second in the Taylormade NB Men’s Player of the Year Challenge with 48.5 points.
Finishing in third position is former Team NB player and Westfield member, Stuart Earle. Earle recorded a third-place finish at the NB Men’s Amateur Championship to amass a season total of points 48.0.
For more information on the TaylorMade NB Men’s Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE
NB Senior Men’s Player of the Year
Darren Ritchie – Hampton Golf Club
Performing on the biggest stages, Hampton’s Darren Ritchie had an incredible 2021 golf season. His victories at both the New Brunswick Senior Men’s Championship and the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship would propel him to the top of the season-long NB Senior Men’s Player of the Year leaderboard. Capturing a total of 164.5 POY points from three qualifying events, Ritchie would secure the race for the NB Senior Men’s Player of the Year Crown by a small margin over Grand Fall’s Denis Beaulieu.
Beaulieu finished the year with a remarkable 163.8 points from seven qualifying events. His second-place finish in the NB Senior Men’s Play of the Year Challenge caps off a successful season for the Saint Quentin native.
Finishing 19.3 points behind Beaulieu in third place is Fredericton’s Sonny Phillips. The past New Brunswick Champion completed the season-long race with 144.5 points after participating in nine events, including the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship in La Malbaie, Quebec.
For more information on the NB Senior Men’s Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE
NB Ladies’ Player of the Year
Leanne Richardson – Country Meadows
A name synonymous with New Brunswick Ladies’ Golf sits atop the 2021 Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year standings as Country Meadows’ Leanne Richardson tallied an incredible 211.0 points on route to capturing the 2021 Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year Championship.
Impressive play throughout the season saw Richardson claim 3 individual crowns, including the 2021 NB Ladies’ Amateur & Mid-Amateur titles along with a T18 finish at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Senior Championship in Bromont, Quebec.
2020 Player of the Year Champion, Maureen O’Donnell finished in second, 36.5 points behind Richardson with a season total of 174.5 POY points. The Fredericton Golf Club (FGC) member participated in 9 qualifying events highlighted by a 4th place finish at the NB Ladies’ Provincials, 2 wins, 5 Top-5 finishes, and 2 Top-10’s.
Miramichi’s Paula Napke-Flanagan locked down third position thanks to her successful run of play which included, a win at the Sussex Ladies Invitational and the FGC Open, along with five Top-5 finishes combining for a season total of 167.1 POY points.
For more information on the Royale NB Ladies Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE
NB Junior Boys Player of the Year
Nicholas Ritchie – Hampton Golf Club
Like father, like son… The Ritchie name is becoming a consistent sight on both Provincial and National leaderboards. A great run of form and consistent play sees Hampton’s Nicholas Ritchie, son of NB Senior Men’s & Canadian Senior Men’s Champion Darren Ritchie, capture the 2021 NB Junior Boys Player of the Year Challenge. A season-high of 72.6 POY points was enough to secure the victory in New Brunswick’s Order of Merit competition.
Ritchie’s 2021 campaign was highlighted by a T23 finish at the New Brunswick Amateur, a 3rd place finish at the NB Under-19 Championship at his home course of Hampton, followed by a victory at the Gage Junior Invitational.
Finishing 12.6 points behind Ritchie was Covered Bridge & JH Sports’ Daniel Kirby. A stellar win at the FGC Junior Invitational and a T38 finish at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Vallée du Richelieu contributed to Kirby’s season total of 60.0 POY points.
Securing a third-place finish in the season-long Order of Merit race would be Devon Gionet. In his last season of junior golf, the Miramichi native finished second at the NB Under-19 Championship, securing him 56.0 POY points.
For more information on the NB Junior Boys Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE
NB Junior Girls Player of the Year
Mackenzie Deveau – Royal Oaks
Royal Oaks’ Mackenzie Deveau had a successful 2021 season as she claimed her second consecutive Golf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year crown.
Deveau’s play during the NB Ladies Provincials and NB Under-19 Championship earned her 14.0 and 17.5 POY points respectively, totaling 31.5 POY points for the season.
Finishing 2.5 points behind Deveau in the race is Riverside’s Addison McClune who’s victories at the NB Under-19 & Under-17 Championships saw her finish the season with 29.0 points.
Rounding out the top-3 in the Golf NB Junior Girls Player of the Year Challenge would be Riverside’s Callie Taylor. An impressive run of play throughout the 2021 season would see Taylor finish with 25.5 points, 3.5 points behind clubmate, Addison McClune.
For more information on the NB Junior Girls Player of the Year Challenge – CLICK HERE
Garry McKay
Volunteers. Golf in Canada can’t do without them and for many who try it, it becomes a life-long passion.
Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Canadians volunteer every year at all levels of golf – from local junior events up to and including the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open.
“The volunteers at our recent Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor absolutely loved what they were doing,” said Golf Canada president Liz Hoffman, who enjoys attending tournaments and getting to hang out with volunteers.
“Whether they were walking scorers, spotters or bringing out water and fruit for the players they loved every minute of what they were doing, and it was contagious.”
Hoffman says if you consider all the roles and responsibilities volunteers have as part of Golf Canada’s board, councils and committees, helping at championships and qualifiers, or who serve as referees or work on handicapping and course rating and then factor everything that happens at the provincial level there is no doubt golf in Canada couldn’t function without them.
“They (volunteers) are integral, right across the country,” she says. “They’re the machine.”
Jim Clark, an Aurora, Ont., resident, first volunteered to work the Canadian Open in 1984 after hearing about it when he was curling.
“I was on the caddy committee,” he explains. “I just loved it. Standing in the parking lot at Glen Abbey and meeting the players as they got out of their cars.
“I enjoyed it so much I did it the next year, and the next year and the next year. And I’ve never missed one since.”
In time, Clark became a governor of the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) and he has worked every significant tournament Golf Canada has been involved in.
But why?
“It can be long hours and exhausting, but it gave me an energy,” he says. “It was the highlight of my year many times. That’s why I kept going back.”
Clark said volunteering in golf gave him a feeling of being part of a team and he loves to talk about the friendships he’s made through working golf tournaments and how volunteers come from all walks of life.
“We had a doctor who ran a parking lot at the Canadian Open,” he said. “He took a week off from his practice to direct cars in the parking lot.”
Hoffman’s introduction to volunteering in golf was not unlike Clark’s.
It happened in 2006 because the University of Toronto, where she was director of athletics and high-performance sport, was hosting the Canadian University/College Championship at Thornhill G&CC, where she’s a member.
After that experience she volunteered at the club level, then with Golf Ontario. And now, 15 years later, she is president of Golf Canada.
Both Hoffman and Clark agree that it’s not hard to get volunteers back for a second or third time because they see they’re making a difference and are having fun doing it.
“Once people do it they love it and they’ll go back,” said Clark. “The hard part is getting them out for the first time because some people can be intimidated by it.”
That’s one of the reasons Hoffman is on a crusade to broaden golf’s volunteer base in Canada.
“I’ve had so many parents come up to me and say, “if you ever need volunteers let me know because I’ll help in any way I can,’” says Hoffman who points out the reason they ask is because they simply don’t know how to get involved.
For starters, you don’t have to be a great golfer or even a golfer, period.
“We welcome applications from all individuals who share our values and may contribute to increasing equity diversity and inclusion in our sport,” says Hoffman. “We want to look inside and outside our sport.
“We want to broaden our volunteer base and underrepresented groups are key. We need to make sure we reach out to them and let them know who we are and how to get involved.”
Golf Canada has made it simple to sign up as a volunteer. For starters, you can simply go to www.golfcanada.ca/volunteer-opportunities to get more information on how to volunteer with Golf Canada.
Or if you prefer, you can call Golf Canada or your provincial golf association and ask, “how do I volunteer?”
You can reach Golf Canada at 905-849-9700 or toll-free at 1-800-263-0009.
Kingswood‘s Director of Golf, Chris Billings, Fredericton Golf Club President, Wayne Tallon and member Steve Burns, and Golf NB Executive Director Tyson Flinn are joining fellow Capital Winter Club members Chris Schnare, Stephen Muzzerall, Kevin Larlee, Geoff Maybee, Mike Jennings, and Paula Emery as the group attempts to set a new “Longest Marathon Curling Game World Record” in support of Youth Mental Health in the Fredericton area.
Inspired by the success of a group of Capital Winter Club curlers (Mike Doucette, Brian Douglas, Don Clark, Tony Doucette, Walter Bidlake, Ned Boyle, Mark Pitkin, and Stan Sullivan), who established a new World Record of their own, at 73 hours and 54 minutes, on April 12th, 1982, the newest set of Fredericton Record seekers will be attempting to take down the current mark of 105 hours, 6 minutes and 51 seconds, belonging to a group of curlers in Ontario.
The two five-player teams will start play at 6:00 PM on Monday, November 15th, and wrap up 120 hours later at 6:00 PM on Saturday, November 20th, just in time for the Capital Winter Club’s 60th Anniversary Dinner.
In addition to establishing a new World Record, the group is attempting to raise $1,000 for each hour of curling completed in support of Youth Mental Health in the Greater Fredericton Area. “No one should ever have to wait to talk to someone when they need to, especially based on financial need”, says Steve Burns, one of the primary organizers of the event along with Chris Schnare. “Hopefully the money we raise will help and bring some awareness to resources for our youth. If we can hit our target of 120 hours for this record, we could raise $120,000.”
“I was happy to be asked by Steve and Chris to be part of this once in a lifetime event. We are all excited for the opportunity to be able to use something as unique as a World Record attempt to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.”
said Tyson Flinn, Golf NB Executive Director
Tax Receipts are available for donations of $20.00 or more.
OAKVILLE, ON – Golf Canada and Golf New Brunswick are saddened to learn of the passing of former Golf Ontario executive director and Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member, David (Dave) Mills. The 74 year old passed on Friday June 11, 2021, surrounded by family.
Mills had been involved with Golf Ontario since 1986. He served on the board of directors from 1989-1997, before being appointed executive director in 1997, where he helped turn around an association that was experiencing significant financial and administrative challenges.
Mills led several initiatives during his time with Golf Ontario, including: the GAO Scholarship Program, educational seminars, Golf in Schools, learn to play clinics, new provincial championships, Team Ontario, participation in Canadian and Ontario Summer Games, a partnership with Ontario Golf Magazine to be official magazine of Association, led the process to establish Ontario Golf Hall of Fame and helped to have golf recognized as an “Official Sport” by Sport Canada.
Perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments was leading the process to amalgamate the Ontario Golf Association with the Ontario Ladies Golf Association to create one of the largest amateur golf associations in North America.
Mills was also a certified rules official and has volunteered his expertise at numerous GAO events and at the RBC Canadian Open, national amateur championships and Skins Games. He retired from the GAO in 2014, but continued to volunteer at provincial events.
In retirement, Mills also dedicated his time to re-establish the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame. Now known as the Dr. Robert L. Vaughn atrium, this Hall of Fame can be viewed in the Belleville CAA Arena (Yardmen Arena).
Dave Mills had a great love for the game of golf and for his wonderful family, and he cherished every moment he got to tee it up with friends and family.
Golf Canada extends its deepest condolences to the Mills family and friends.
To read more on his impact on golf across the province, click here.
For Immediate Release:
FREDERICTON, NB – Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB) is pleased to announce the Club de Golf Fraser Edmundston Golf Club as the host venue for the 2022 & 2023 NB Under-19 Championship.
Golf NB will return to Edmundston for the first time since the 2019 NB Men’s Amateur Championship. Having hosted two Canadian Men’s Amateur Championships (1956, 2002) and countless NB Provincial Championships, including eight NB Men’s Amateur Championships (2019, 2001, 1982, 1975, 1967, 1963, 1958, 1952), six NB Ladies Provincial Championships (2012, 1896, 1978, 1962, 1957, 1948) and two NB Men’s Senior Championships (2014, 1992). The Fraser Edmundston Golf Club is no stranger to hosting provincial and national events.
“There is no doubt that players can expect a true test of championship golf,” said Golf NB Tournament Committee Chair, Gary Melanson. “We are very excited to be returning to Fraser Edmundston. The selection process is never simple with so many great facilities across the province who are all capable of providing the best championship experience possible for the competitors.”
“The club and our board of directors are thrilled to be given the opportunity to host this event”, said General Manager Julie Lavoie. “Junior golf is very important for the future of the game and any chance we have to help promote the sport and do our part is something our club highly values. We feel an event of this magnitude will be good for our members, the club, and the community.”
The 2022 NB Under-19 Championship is scheduled to take place on July 8th-10th, 2022 followed by the 2022 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on July 26th-29th at a yet to be determined venue and the 2022 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on August 8th-11th, at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops, BC.
About Fraser Edmundston
In 2008, the Fraser Edmundston Golf Club received a Recommended Play Award from Golf in Canada for “providing quality, variety, and most of all enjoyment. All things Golf in Canada looks for a great golf course.” That same year, Golf Digest gave the club a Four-Star Rating as well as including it in its Best Places to Play List.
Situated in the legendary Republic of Madawaska, the Fraser Edmundston Golf Club offers players an unforgettable challenge throughout their round. The club offers a variety of topographical changes, mature tree lined fairways and well place bunkers, not to mention the famous railroad track and lake.
Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick. In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province. Programs offered by Golf NB to its 46 partner facilities and 6,600 individual members include provincial championships, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, and junior golf development programs
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For Immediate Release:
FREDERICTON, NB – Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB) is pleased to announce the West Hills Golf Course in Fredericton, New Brunswick as the host venue for the 2022 NB Men’s Amateur Championship.
Scheduled for July 15th-17th, 2022, the NB Men’s Amateur will be the first Provincial Event held at the 6,750-yard championship course, designed by the award-winning firm of Huxham Design.
The NB Men’s Amateur Championship will highlight Golf NB’s schedule as one of the six Major Championships slotted to take place in the summer of 2022.
Brett Wilson, PGA of Canada Atlantic Member and Director of Golf at West Hills, said the tournament fits the club’s plan to raise its profile and establish itself as one of the top Championship Venues in the province. “We are very excited for this opportunity to showcase our course to some of New Brunswick’s top amateur players,” Wilson said. “Since 2015, our staff have done a tremendous job developing the course and clubhouse to prepare for an event like this.”
Wilson, a past NB Men’s Amateur competitor, and Team New Brunswick Member, said “All of our members and our staff are proud of this property, I know we’ll be ready to host a memorable event, especially one with such great history.” 2022 will mark the 92nd playing of the NB Men’s Amateur Championship, and the first time the event has been held in the Fredericton Region since 2009 when Moncton’s Mathieu Gingras was crowned champion.
West Hills joins a growing list of host venues for Golf NB’s 2022 Championship Schedule, including the Mactaquac Golf Course, the Gage Golf & Curling Club, the Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club, and the Fredericton Golf Club.
About West Hills
West Hills Golf Course was designed by the award-winning firm of Huxham Design. It first opened for play in the summer of 2015 and boasts an elaborate practice facility along with an 18-hole layout that offers risk and reward opportunities for all levels of golfers.
Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1934, is the official governing body for amateur golf in New Brunswick. In January of 2006, the New Brunswick Golf Association (NBGA) officially merged with the New Brunswick Ladies Golf Association (NBLGA), resulting in one united governing body for amateur golf in the province. Programs offered by Golf NB to its 46 partner facilities and 6,600 individual members include provincial championships, rules of golf education, course rating and handicap services, and junior golf development programs