2021 Alberta Golfer Magazine

THE ALBERTA

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF ALBERTA GOLF | 2021

Thankful for

Golf

Golf During COVID An Alberta Staycation

Generation Next ALBERTAGOLF.ORG

AJ Armstrong

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

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Gallery

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Gallery

Competitive rounds were a little more peaceful in 2020. With no

caddies or spectators permitted,

all that remained were the golfers and the golf course.

AlbertaGolf.org

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Gallery

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Gallery

With virtually all national and international

amateur championships cancelled or postponed, Alberta’s Interprovincial Teams may have missed the opportunity to compete on a big stage, but they were still proudly named.

AlbertaGolf.org

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Contents 12

Golf During COVID-19 The golf industry overcame incredible challenges to have a very successful and safe year during the onset of COVID-19.

Looking Back

THE ALBERTA

30 We Are Golf

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF ALBERTA GOLF | 2021

AGA Alberta – a united voice for N the entire golf industry.

32 An Unforeseen Impact

Thankful for

36 The Champions

F eatures on Alberta Golf’s major championship winners from 2020.

44 Tour Talk

etting youngsters their first exposure to G tournament golf.

58 Gutting It Out 62 Scholarship Recipients 64 The Unsung Heroes

olf Course Superintendents work incredibly G hard to prepare our golf courses.

70 The Year in Pictures

Photographic memories of the 2020 golf season.

Golf

Golf During COVID An Alberta Staycation

Generation Next ALBERTAGOLF.ORG

AJ Armstrong

The golf industry overcame incredible challenges in 2020 during the onset of COVID-19. It is now time to reflect on all that was accomplished and be thankful for our wonderful game.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Penner.

The Alberta Golfer may be viewed online at: www.albertagolf.org

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Looking Ahead

Generation Next

10 Alberta Golf CEO Message

Four young Albertans are making their way in the highly competitive world of touring professional golf.

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The Digital Commerce Bank Glencoe Invitational 18 Calgary GCC Hosts the Mens Amateur 20 Broadmoor GC Hosts the Ladies Amateur 48 Tournament Schedule

Listing of 2021 Alberta Golf competitions.

52 Fort McMurray GC Hosts the Canadian Mens Mid-Amateur 68 EGA Centennial

ecognizing a century of excellence from the R Edmonton Golf Association.

Programs and Events 16 The Recreational Golfer

Alberta Golf’s fresh focus on everyday recreational players.

42 Getting to 50% 60 The Welcome Package 66 Funding for the Future

A Closer Look 26 An Alberta Staycation

njoy a myriad of tremendous golf experiences E within Alberta’s borders.

34 Melbourne’s Sandbelt 40 The Time Capsule 46 Anatomy of a Golf Hole 72 Disc Golf

What's New 54 Spreading the Wealth 54 New Look for River Valley Juniors 55 Shaw Charity Classic

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Serenity GC Opens New 9

The Alberta Golfer We are seeing tremendous growth in the game of golf as a result of the time people have to enjoy the sport: newcomers are entering the game, while longtime players are returning in droves. The emerging junior market is being well served with numerous affordable opportunities - all segments.

At Alberta Golf, the continued support we provide for Youth on Course will be a focus for 2021 as is the introduction of a Mid Master Championship and an increased investment into our Recreational Golf Series.

Alberta Golf’s Rich History Provincial competitions, sport development and golf history remain core to our business. Over the past three winters our team at Alberta Golf has sifted through more than 150 banker boxes of records and archives, photos and news clippings. All our records are now digitized and we are in the process of developing a digital database and traveling display to share the rich history and stories of golf in our province.

This exercise has resulted in a number of new names for consideration to the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame. It has been such a journey to perform this ‘clean up’ and now we are truly in the enviable position of being able to recognize future champions and contributors without forgetting any of those who helped us get here.

Safe Sport Championships are not planned, delivered and closed in order to declare one winner and a field of losers. The championship atmosphere is exciting and fun; there is anticipation, nervousness, performance, talent and camaraderie.

Cheating, bullying, verbal abuse, harassment, discrimination - absolutely none of this has a place anywhere. Along with the rest of the sporting world, the golf community should be setting the bar high when it comes to adhering to Sport Canada’s Universal Code of Conduct.

Alberta Golf is doubling down on our fouryear partnership with the Respect Group.

It will now become the responsibility of

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

all parents to become part of the solution as we introduce the Respect in Sport – Parent program.

We understand the adrenaline and excitement that builds up when a child is performing well - we must also be cognizant of the internal pressures on all athletes in the field. Maybe today wasn’t their day, but there is always tomorrow.

Digital Transformation Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alberta Golf had started to pursue a transformative option parallel to our core business model - focused on providing value to the broader golf market. The economics of the golf industry for the past decade have not been all that strong and while the resurgence of golf during the pandemic has been phenomenal, we know it will not last forever.

The introduction of a new brand at Alberta Golf will focus on digital transformation and delivering new golfer experiences, a strategy we expect to be critical when things return to normal. This has resulted in the hiring of a new Director of Business Transformation - Sarah Urbanowski.

Rich insights have been gleaned from almost 5,000 survey responses into what the recreational and social golf market is looking for, the gaps that currently exist and how the industry can meet these needs.

With the introduction of a new product offering in 2021, we will answer the call from the sizable segment of the golf market who like to have fun on the golf course and are trying to navigate their way through a very crowded and confused ecosystem.

We hope you will join our safe and transformative movement in 2021 as we continue to move forward.

Phil Berube,

Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer Alberta Golf

2021 Board of Directors

Peter Major, President – Calgary G&CC Mark Bamford, Vice President – Glendale G&CC Tiffany Gordon, Secretary – Heritage Pointe GC Brent Bailey, Treasurer – Windermere G&CC Ken Knowles – Windermere G&CC Kendra Koss – Earl Grey GC Chris Leach – Valley Ridge GC Lorraine Moster – Public Players Club Alonzo Strange – Blackhawk GC

2021 Staff

Phil Berube – Executive Director/ Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Davison – Director, Sport Development John Deneer – Manager, Competitions & Events Kevin Smith – Director, Communications Sarah Urbanowski – Director, Business Transformation Stephen Wigington – Director, Membership & Golf Course Services John Burns – Field Manager, Competitions (Calgary & Area) Grant Cammidge – Field Manager, Competitions (Edmonton & Area)

Alberta Golf Contact Info #22, 11410 27 Street SE Calgary, AB T2Z 3R6 P: 403.236.4616 F: 403.236.2915 Toll Free: 1.888.414.4849 Email: info@albertagolf.org www.albertagolf.org

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ev+ Agency Suite 105, 16060 - 114 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5M 2Z5 P: 780.424.1111 Email: michele@evhq.ca www.evhq.ca THE ALBERTA GOLFER is a print and digital magazine published annually by Alberta Golf in partnership with ev+ Agency.

All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission from Alberta Golf. Thank you to all the golf clubs which allowed Alberta Golf to conduct provincial championships on their courses during 2020. Please enjoy the 2021 edition of The Alberta Golfer. www.albertagolf.org

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Looking Back

GOLF During COVID-19

By Andrew Penner

McKenzie Meadows Golf Club - Hole #17

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Looking Back

Golfers are now used to being socially distanced during play.

At 7:35 a.m., approximately twenty-five minutes before his tee time, Jonathan Chong reaches the entrance to the McKenzie Meadows GC in southeast Calgary and waits his turn at the gate.

In five minutes, after verifying his tee time with the gatekeeper, he'll load his clubs on the back of a sterilized cart and wait for his 15-minute call to the driving range. Then, after hitting a few sterilized golf balls and taking a few practice putts on the socially-distanced putting green, he'll be called to the first tee. Once there, the masked starter, protected by a wall of plexiglass in his cart, will remind the foursome, each on their own cart, that they must not touch the flagstick and need to remain two metres apart at all times. Ah yes, golf during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's been quite the adventure.

Like virtually every other industry on the planet, COVID-19 has, to put it mildly, caused some headaches in the golf world. Every aspect of your friendly neighbourhood golf course – from food and beverage to backshop – has been dramatically affected. And, certainly, there has been plenty of negativity surrounding these significant changes and challenges. However, there has been an upside as well. Golf, as has been well documented, was one of the

winners during the pandemic.

You could actually do it. And a lot of people did. Jonathan Chong, for example, played nearly a hundred rounds in 2020. From Heritage Pointe to the hot-off-the-press Mickelson National, he drove for show and putted for dough. And he was far from alone.

Courses everywhere were packed. And the driving ranges were lined up like the Tilt-a-Whirl at the Calgary Stampede.

(When there was a Calgary Stampede.)

"I was laid off in March, shortly after the pandemic hit,” says Chong, a low-handicapper who works in the automotive industry. “When we suddenly got the green light to play golf in mid-April, I was a happy camper.

My wedding was postponed, but golf was definitely something I could do. I took advantage. I played nearly every day. And my fiancée joined me for many of those rounds. When you've been given a bunch of lemons, might as well make some lemonade.” And his story is one of thousands that have a similar ring in the province.

Of course, when all of those eager golfers, like Chong, suddenly jumped on the 'avid golfer' bandwagon, the golf courses had their work cut out for them.

The mandate, first and foremost: make

the game safe. Make it work. Mitigate the risks. During an unprecedented global pandemic, it wasn't an easy task.

“The year definitely started with a lot of stress as we had no idea when we would be able to open or even if we would be able to open,” says Jacob Manz, the director of golf at Speargrass GC in Carseland. “So we spent a few weeks brainstorming ways that we could make golfers feel safe. Unfortunately, there was no 'How To Manage a Golf Facility During a Global Pandemic' manual to help you form a plan.”

But when golf was, rather suddenly, given the 'green light' in early May, most courses, to some degree, had measures in place. Sanitization schedules, new signage, safety barriers, cup lifters, the removal of rakes and ballwashers, plus the elimination of common touchpoints and human interactions were key measures implemented at basically every facility.

“The cost of doing business was suddenly much higher,” says Manz.

“Buying cleaning supplies and hiring the extra staff necessary to keep everyone safe was a negative. But, unlike other businesses, we could open. We could play. We had revenue. People could escape to the golf course. And that was a tremendous positive.”

AlbertaGolf.org

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Looking Back Certainly, golf during COVID-19 was a steady stream of positives and negatives. Keeping with the positivity theme, an overwhelming sentiment from courses was how well golfers respected and adhered to these new changes and 'rules.'

“The degree to which our members and playing guests accepted and supported the changes we made operationally was a pleasant surprise for us at Stewart Creek,” says Chris Schatzmann, the head professional at the popular Canmore facility. “At the end of the day, everyone was very thankful just to be able to play golf. Collectively, there was plenty of passion to protect this. So many other things were taken away.”

Of course, Stewart Creek, and nearly every other facility in the province, can certainly add to the conversation when it comes to things 'taken away.'

Tournaments, weddings, and corporate events were a monumental challenge and considerable damage was sustained on this front throughout the golf industry.

“We have become a very popular wedding location and having to reshuffle wedding dates was like trying to piece together a sophisticated jigsaw puzzle,” says Schatzmann. “Not only that, but the similar nature of each day was a challenge. We're used to a wide

Jonathan Chong of Calgary re-discovered his passion for golf during the pandemic.

range of activities at the club, often the user groups and agendas differ vastly from day to day. The restrictions and protocols made for a lot of carbon-copy days. This was tough on our staff and difficult to get used to.”

“The golf industry in Alberta has such a short and intense season and, unfortunately, we tend to burn out our employees with long hours and six-day work weeks,” says Manz. “I think this pandemic was a good reminder that having healthy, motivated staff is more important than saving a few dollars on the payroll. Mental health is just as important as physical health.”

Obviously, it's the 'human' elements – the heartbreaking losses, the intense challenges, the emotional ups and

downs – that were, and will continue to be, the focal point of the pandemic. And, as in every industry, it's the victories, as small as they might be, that will carry us forward. As inconsequential as they may seem at the time, the humourous moments too, can give us plenty of traction when the going gets tough.

Manz won't forget this particular lighthearted moment. “I remember one day in spring, when there was so much uncertainty and we hadn't yet hired our maintenance crew, our superintendent, Russ Cramm, came up to me and said, 'Manz, today you're going to learn how to cut greens.'

Needless to say, it didn't go very well.

We lost a few fringes that day. And on the final green, just as I was about to finish my last pass, the sprinklers went on and I got drenched. I guess it was their way of hazing the new guy!”

True, the dark days of COVID-19 will never be forgotten. But life – and golf – will go on. And, together - whether you're an avid golfer, like Jonathan Chong, or a seasoned industry professional – we will prevail. As we've learned with floods and financial crises, we've got to take the good times with the bad times. We'll learn many lessons along the way. And, collectively, in the long run, we'll be better off for it.

Speargrass Golf Course - Hole #13

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Looking Ahead The Glencoe Forest Course #17

25th Anniversary of The Glencoe Digital Commerce Bank Invitational

By Kevin Smith

This is the 25th year for The Glencoe Digital Commerce Bank Invitational and by the time June rolls around it will have been almost 25 months since a stroke was made at one of the premier amateur golf events in the country. Last April during the first COVID-19 lockdown, tournament organizers made the tough decision to postpone the 2020 event.

“We decided we couldn’t really run the event; there were too many unknowns,” said Tournament Chair Dale Goehring.

“We were going to be one of the first tournaments anywhere and the risk of COVID-19 spread during the event would have been a huge downside. We really wanted to run the best event possible and in retrospect the decision to postpone to 2021 was the right one.”

That decision was made even tougher considering the event had a brand new sponsor in Digital Commerce Bank and an exciting new women’s amateur and professional component to the tournament.

For the first 24 years, The Glencoe Invitational was a competition for top

male amateurs in Canada, the United States and countries as far away as New Zealand. PGA Tour winners Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor, and Adam Hadwin, along with the likes of former Presidents Cup member Graham DeLaet, have all graced the fairways of The Glencoe Forest course during the Invitational.

Hughes and DeLaet are former champions along with homegrown Alberta standout Wes Heffernan and The Glencoe’s own Jared du Toit. The 2021 event which runs June 17-19 will finally see women compete in the event for the very first time.

“As an event and as a club we’ve been thinking about this for a number of years and how to do it,” said Goehring. “We think especially the women’s professional competition helps bring to market an event that fills a gap in our country.

Hopefully we can be part of something that leads to more events for women who are elite amateurs and young professionals. That’s the goal. ” This year’s tournament will see a field of 54 players comprised of 30 male amateurs, 10 female amateurs and 14

female professionals. Tee times will alternate between male and female groupings and compete on course at the same time during this three-round event that has no cut.

Event organizers are excited to see the calibre of professional women who will come to play in the event. The 14 players will battle for a purse of $25,000 that will see the winner receive $15,000 while the runner-up earns $7,000 and third place $3,000.

Dale Goehring admits that the LPGA Tour and Symetra Tour both have events the same week but hopes when invitations go out, The Glencoe Digital Commerce Bank Invitational will be an attractive option.

“Maybe it will attract some players who think playing in a field of 14 for a firstplace prize of $15,000 is a pretty good opportunity compared to a full-field event. We feel the purse will attract female pros from both Canada and the United States.”

AlbertaGolf.org

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Programs and Events

The Recreational GOLFER

By Gord Montgomery In an effort to feed off the growth of the game in the pandemic year of 2020, Alberta Golf, the province’s ruling body for amateur golf, will be more focused on the everyday player in 2021.

Speaking to that idea, Sarah Urbanowski who is the newly-minted Director of Business Transformation for the association, noted that the huge number of those who play for fun is too big to overlook, something a recent survey backed up.

“We just closed our research (in late December) and we had a really good response,” just shy of 2,000 respondents, she explained. “There is a significant number of golfers out there that just love the game, enjoy golf for the social aspect more than anything else.”

Because of that and the fact that Alberta Golf has long been erroneously identified primarily as a proponent of high-end competitive golf, it’s been decided to reach out to the everyday player to show them they are a valuable commodity within this sporting community.

“Those people see this as a social sport and they’re not really attached to the rules and traditions that are part of the game so we have identified that segment,” as the group to focus on, said Urbanowski. “We really want golf to feel inclusive and welcoming.”

The fact there are so many who can be classed as 'recreational players,' means this grouping in particular is vitally important to keeping the game moving forward.

The last time a major increase was

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

seen in the sport was in the early Tiger Woods days, when he brought glamour and excitement to the sport. While this re-energization isn’t due to one person in particular, the COVID-19 shutdown of almost all sports, other than golf, brought the game back into the limelight.

Urbanowski noted though that golf is a difficult game to break into and as such Alberta Golf is looking at helping people become attached to the sport in an easier manner. “We’re at a point now,” with the information gleaned from the survey results, “where we need to look at how to create programs that make them feel it’s a welcoming, inclusive sport. If you’re new to the game, it’s hard to know how to get started, where to go.”

Following that premise, Alberta Golf will create a digital experience, or “a one-stop shop where you don’t have to go hunt around,” on the internet to find a suitable place to foster one’s love for the game.

"We really want this to be a fun experience for people to go out and have a good time with friends"

As mentioned previously, Alberta Golf is well known for its competitive stream.

The recreational stream though is anything but a battle to see who’s the best. Rather, for this grouping it’s about a more relaxed, fun get-together.

“This isn’t about keeping a handicap,” Urbanowski noted. “These golfers, of course, care about their score but it’s also about going out and having a good time.

So, how do we make sure they know where to go, how to get started?”

And now the association has a plan to do just that. In this province, past research has shown there are around half a million participants in golf in one form or another. That number is too big to take for granted, and as such the association is set to keep as many of them as possible involved by letting them have a say in what’s taking place.

“Once we get into some of the offers we’re identifying, we’re going to come back to this segment and ask them, 'What are you looking for? Is this something you’d be interested in?' because we don’t want to build something that they don’t actually want.

We want to make sure we do a thorough job creating and offering something people are interested in.

“We really want this to be a fun experience for people to go out and have a good time with friends,” because for the vast majority of Albertans golf is a recreational endeavour and Alberta Golf is looking to emphasize that they aren’t a forgotten group.

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Looking Ahead

Calgary Golf & Country Club Hosts The

Mens Amateur

By Kevin Smith The Calgary Golf & Country Club is one of the oldest and most storied golf clubs in the province. The course has been on its current property just south of downtown Calgary since 1910, an amazing 111 years!

A restoration project started in August of 2019 is now complete and members will have their full track back to start the 2021 season. The province’s top male amateur golfers will test their skills on the famed fairways July 27-29 during the Alberta Mens Amateur Championship.

“I’m excited to have the full 18 holes open right out of the gate,” beamed head professional Tom Greiner. “We’re really looking forward to hosting the best male amateur golfers in the province and we will welcome them with open arms. Our members are very proud of the entire golf club and we can’t wait to showcase it.”

Greiner became the head professional in 1993 after starting at the club in 1985 in an assistant’s role. During that 1985 summer, a teen-aged Phil Mickelson competed on the course during the Junior Americas Cup. The Calgary Golf & Country Club has a long history of hosting major female and male amateur events.

On the men’s side, Canadian legends such as Moe Norman and Richard Zokol have won national amateur championships on the course. More recently during The Shaw Charity Classic held at

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Calgary Golf & Country Club - Hole #1

Canyon Meadows Golf & CC, the likes of former Masters Champion Mark O’Meara has played the course many times. O’Meara speaks very highly of the old-style layout.

The restoration project didn’t change the fabric or routing of the golf course but did vastly improve the irrigation, adding nearly 500 sprinkler heads. All 18 tee box areas and fairways were re-grassed.

All the cart paths were redone and every bunker on the course was either completely remodeled or refurbished.

There was a lot of tree removal as well, including behind the 18th green to open up the view of the Elbow River. For the Mens Amateur the course will not play overly long but hitting the tight tree-lined fairways will be key, as those fairways will now play more firm and fast.

“It’s not going to necessarily favour someone who hits the ball over 300 yards,” said Greiner. ”I think given the length of the golf course, it will allow more players to be competitive. The defense of the golf course is the greens. The last time we hosted the Mens Amateur the winning score over 72 holes was 3-under par.”

Scott Stiles of Calgary, one of the best putters in Alberta, won that event.

One of the changes from 2008 that Greiner noted is on the par-5 uphill starting hole. In 2008, most played the

hole as a three-shot par-5 with many players opting not to use their driver off the tee. With the length of today’s players, along with a wider landing area at the narrow saddle at the 300-yard mark, many of the competitors this year will have the option to bomb their tee shot and go for the green in two.

MIchael Valk of Medicine Hat is the defending champion, but has never played the Calgary Golf & Country Club, while last year’s runner-up Hunter Thomson grew up on the course.

“The course is literally a two-minute drive from my house,” said Thomson, who will be heading to the University of Michigan this fall on a golf scholarship. “I grew up playing there every day. I know the golf course like the back of my hand, but at the end of the day I still have to get the job done.

“It’s a lot like Medicine Hat Golf & CC,” Thomson admitted. “I think a lot of players that played well at the event last summer will play well this summer.”

Valk certainly hopes that is the case.

“I’m excited to get out there,” said Valk.

“I’ve heard so much about the course.

It’s one of those courses you don’t really expect to play that much, so I’m very excited to get to play one of Calgary’s top courses.”

Looking Ahead

Broadmoor Public Golf Course hosts The

Ladies Amateur

By Kevin Smith The 2020 Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship at Lakeside Golf Club in Chestermere was one of the first provincial tournaments run anywhere in Canada with COVID-19 protocols in place. After spending much of March and April in quarantine, players were excited to see their fellow competitors again and get back into competition. Heavy rain shortened the 2020 event to 36 holes with 14-year-old Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam BC declared the champion after rounds of 70 and 74.

The 2021 Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship shifts to the heart of Sherwood Park just east of Edmonton.

The top female amateur golfers in Alberta will compete for a provincial title at the Broadmoor Public Golf Course June 22-24. Established in 1961, Broadmoor should provide a great setting for the championship.

“We are looking forward to showcasing the facility to the province,” said executive professional Trent Wright. “For a lot of folks who haven’t been here in a long time, I don’t think they’d recognize the golf course with the improvements that have been made over the past 10 years.”

In 2014 Broadmoor replaced all 18 greens with bentgrass and the course now has putting surfaces more than worthy of hosting a provincial championship.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Broadmoor Public GC - Hole #2

“I think we rival any public golf course in Alberta for green speed and quality of putting surfaces,” Wright proudly stated.

Broadmoor hosted the Western Canada Summer Games golf event in 2007 and the golf competition for the Canada 55+ games in 2014. The membership is very active when it comes to ladies golf and everyone associated with the club is looking forward to hosting Alberta’s elite amateurs.

“The Broadmoor members really get behind events,” Wright explained. “There will be lots of people wanting to get involved. We currently have 100 ladies who play Tuesday mornings and 135 ladies who get out Tuesday afternoons, so we’re a very active ladies club.”

For this year’s competition the course will play between 5,500 and 5,800 yards.

The five par-3’s on the course will provide great variety for the competitors with the 11th and 13th holes both playing over 175 yards.

“Broadmoor is a very traditional layout,” said Wright. “We have very mature tree-lined fairways, and the course is very playable and fun. I wouldn’t consider it a long course by today’s standards, but it is a golf course on which you use every club in your bag.”

The front nine is considered the tougher of the two with water in play on five of the holes. The back nine is considered the ‘scoring’ nine featuring a couple of shorter par-5’s which could set the table for big changes in the lead coming down the stretch during the final round.

“In 2020 there were obviously a lot of challenges getting open safely and following all the protocols,” Wright admitted. ”Once we did get open, we were averaging over 300 players a day.

We ended up with just short of 40,000 rounds for the season which was up almost 5,000 rounds from what had already been a busy 2019.”

The 2021 Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship sets up as a good one at Broadmoor. Golf Canada is planning on running their championships in 2021, so it will be exciting to see who makes the Alberta Interprovincial Team that will compete at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship July 20-23 at Royal Montreal Golf Club. Wright is hoping this event will be a steppingstone for international play as well.

“Brooke Henderson, who’s ranked sixth in the world, won her provincial championship in Ontario in 2014,” Wright stated. “I’m hoping the next Brooke Henderson will be playing at Broadmoor this summer.”

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A Closer Look

Generation

NEXT

By Dunc Mills

One of them turned pro at 18 and has played all over the world. One was a Canadian champion at 16 and won the Alberta Open as an amateur. One didn’t play his first junior tournament until he was 15! And one knew he could compete at a higher level after battling heads-up against Collin Morikawa in college.

Who are these guys? They are four young Alberta touring pros making their mark in the world as they try to move up the ladder in the highly competitive cauldron of professional golf. Wil Bateman, Andrew Harrison, Evan Holmes and AJ Armstrong are the four young Albertans; all with major Alberta Golf championships on their resumes, and all with numerous wins and Top Ten finishes as pros or against pros. Let’s get to know them a little better.

Evan Holmes of Calgary won a Canada Life Series event last August at Bear Mountain GR in Victoria for his first professional title.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

A Closer Look

AJ Armstrong Armstrong, 23, burst on the provincial scene by capturing the 2018 Alberta Amateur Championship at RedTail Landing with a blistering 72-hole score of 19-under par, capping his amateur career with Alberta Golf in style.

at Wolf Creek, as he captured his first professional win with a 54-hole score of 7-under par. His play earned him a $7,000 trip to the pay window to kick start his professional career.

Armstrong also got an up-close view of world class players during his collegiate days.

“I’ve been paired with players like Collin Morikawa and Cameron Champ in college tournaments, and their short games were incredible.” said Armstrong.

AJ Armstrong won the 2020 Alberta Open for his first win as a professional.

AJ turned professional in 2019 after wrapping up his collegiate career at Washington State University and began his ‘play for pay’ line of work that summer with mini-tour events on the Outlaw Tour in and around Phoenix. AJ now plays and practices at Superstition Mountain GC in Phoenix and has continued to compete over the past winter on the Outlaw Tour.

AJ also made a trip to Cancun, Mexico in early December for Monday qualifying for the Mayakoba Classic on the PGA Tour.

“I was 2-under after 7 holes and right on pace, but made a couple of doubles and that was that. It was a great learning experience, though,” Armstrong said.

When asked about the biggest differences he’s seen between amateur tournaments and the professional game, Armstrong noted, “I know I really have to work on my short game and scoring. If I can get my bad scores down to around 70 or 71 instead of 73 or 74, that will really help.

“I’ve always had the distance to compete at this level but professional golf is all about learning how to get the ball in the hole.” Armstrong got the ball in the hole better than anyone at the 2020 Alberta Open championship on The Links Course

AJ isn’t working with a specific swing coach at this time, but continues to develop his training and fitness regimen based on what he had learned with the strength and conditioning coaches at WSU. Plans at this point for 2021 include going to Mackenzie Tour Q-School in the spring and hopefully plying his trade on that tour across Canada during the 2021 summer.

Wil Bateman Bateman’s route to pro golf has been somewhat different than that of his Alberta contemporaries. Ranked the #1 junior in Canada at 16, Wil was knocking heads at that age with the likes of Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners in Golf Canada championships. After a short collegiate stint at San Diego State, Bateman turned professional at age 18 and has been plying his trade around the world the last decade.

Wil Bateman of Edmonton poses with his winner's cheque from The McCormick Open on the Outlaw Tour in January, 2021

Bateman said, “I have played in Europe, South Africa, the Mackenzie Tour, and all over South America on the Latino Americas Tour.” Bateman, now 27, became one of the youngest-ever winners on the Latino Americas Tour when he captured the Chile Open in 2015.

The talent level has never been in question for this Edmontonian who plays out of Blackhawk GC. Wil represented Alberta in 2010 at the prestigious Junior Americas Cup tournament in Albuquerque NM, where he finished T2 in the individual scoring, edging Xander Schauffele by a shot and some kid named Bryson DeChambeau by ten strokes!

Professional golf is hard enough to succeed at when you’re healthy, and Wil has had to endure a series of wrist and shoulder injuries over the last half-dozen years. Fully healthy now for the first time in years, Bateman’s results are starting to reflect his fitness. Now living in Phoenix after several years in Orlando, Bateman is working with swing coach Andy Patnou at Desert Forest GC. “Andy has been great for me,” Bateman said enthusiastically. “We have worked hard on generating power from the ground up with better footwork and it’s really paying off. I have a sports psychologist here in Phoenix who has also helped me improve my mental attitude and work ethic. I’m in the gym or on the golf course every day.”

Wil was a regular in Outlaw Tour events in the Phoenix area this past winter and took over top spot on that tour’s money list after winning one of their major events in January. Bateman also plans to attend the Mackenzie Tour Q-School this spring to regain full status on that well-established developmental tour.

AlbertaGolf.org

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A Closer Look

Andrew Harrison Camrose product Harrison is more than ample proof that high level players don’t necessarily have to incubate their games at private clubs with superb practice facilities.

Sometimes, just being able to have unlimited access to a good golf course can be enough. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have boatloads of talent and Andrew certainly fits that mould.

teammates included the likes of fellow Albertans Logan Carver, Ethan deGraaf and 2020 Alberta Golf Mens Amateur Champion Michael Valk.

Harrison’s kinesiology degree is paying big dividends for him now, as he is using the knowledge he gained to help with his self-administered training and fitness program.

"I have always been pretty much self-taught," said Harrison. “With the knowledge I’ve gained about how my body works, I have been able to really improve my overall fitness level.” Now living in Vancouver where he can train and compete over the winter, Harrison hopes to earn his Mackenzie Tour playing privileges this spring.

Evan Holmes

Andrew Harrison of Camrose captured the 2019 Alberta Open Championship while still an amateur.

Harrison, now 23, earned a national championship at age 16 when he triumphed at the 2013 Golf Canada Juvenile Championship. Andrew continued to excel in Alberta Golf events in the years to follow, with a series of top five finishes in major Alberta Golf competitions. Harrison put an exclamation mark on his amateur career with his 'Double Double', winning both the 2019 Alberta Amateur and Alberta Open championships before turning professional that fall. Andrew made a late charge in the final round of the 2020 Alberta Open Championship at Wolf Creek, finishing a single shot back of AJ Armstrong and earning a $4,000 pay day.

Harrison earned a degree in kinesiology at the University of British Columbia as a member of their national championship-winning golf squad for four years. Harrison’s

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Calgarian Holmes was a relative latecomer to high level golf competition.

Growing up at Earl Grey GCC, Holmes didn’t play his first junior golf tournament until age 15!

“I was just more involved in other sports at that age,” said Holmes. After starting to get some high finishes in Alberta Junior championships, he also got recruited by the UBC Thunderbirds program, joining other Albertans such as Scott Secord.

Holmes, now 26, first got into contention at a major Alberta Golf event at the 2013 Alberta Amateur championship in Sundre, where he carried a 9-shot lead into the final round.

“That was the first time I had been in a position like that,” remembers Holmes.

“I guess I maybe wasn’t really ready, and Riley (Fleming) played great the last round” as Fleming’s 5-under par closing effort nipped Holmes by a single shot.

Holmes continued to work on his game at UBC, knocked on the door a few more times, and won his first Alberta

Golf title with a 15-under par effort at the 2016 Alberta Men’s Amateur in Innisfail, with all four rounds in the 60s.

“I turned pro after I graduated UBC with an economics degree in 2017,” said Holmes. “I went to the Mackenzie Tour Q-school, played some events in Canada and then mini-tours over the winter. In 2018, I played several tournaments on the Challenge Tour in Europe.”

That experience paid big dividends last summer as Holmes took advantage of competing in the Canada Life Series of four events for professionals based in Canada, each with a $50,000 prize purse. Holmes earned his first pro win last August in the Canada Life Series event on the Valley Course at Bear Mountain in Victoria and followed that up with a top five finish at one of the later events in Ontario.

These results earned him limited status on the Mackenzie Tour for 2021, but Holmes expects to be at the Mackenzie Tour Q-School in the spring of 2021 at Crown Isle on Vancouver Island in the hopes of earning increased status on that tour.

“The biggest difference I’ve found between amateur golf and the pro game is that now I have to do things on my own that I took for granted in college,” said Holmes. “I have to plan my own travel, find out where to stay, plus practice and work out on my own now.”

These four men are only some of the young Albertans learning their trade in the world of professional golf. Will one of them rise up through the ranks and be on our 70-inch screens sometime soon? Perhaps, or maybe it will be someone else from Alberta like Patrick Murphy, Matt Williams, Tyler Saunders or Max Sekulic. Time will tell.

A Closer Look

An Alberta Staycation

By Dunc Mills

The Quarry GC - Hole #4, Granite

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

A Closer Look

Golf in the age of COVID-19 has been different to say the least. We have learned to adapt to new protocols for social distancing, food and beverage consumption during and after our rounds, booking our tee times, and riding in carts by ourselves. New rules for flagsticks and bunkers have helped keep us safe while actually helping to speed up play.

But what isn’t different is our desire to get out on the golf course, enjoy the company of friends and family and where possible, explore some new courses to enjoy.

Travel for fresh and interesting golf opportunities was at times difficult over the past year. Many of us who had been accustomed to fleeing to Arizona or California for the winter were suddenly taking up curling again.

When COVID numbers were going through the roof last spring, it was

a challenge just to get to relatively nearby courses in British Columbia or Saskatchewan. Vehicle travel to the States was out of the question and is still in doubt for the coming summer.

What wasn’t in question was the incredible surge in interest for golf in 2020, both the increased play from people who were already avid golfers to the tens of thousands of men, women and juniors coming to the sport for the first time. If these people can’t get into the States, and if it’s problematic to leave the province to enjoy golf, then what an unprecedented opportunity there is this summer to relish an Alberta golf staycation!

Think of the variety of golf courses we have in our province. Alberta has been blessed with a tremendous palette of fabulous golf courses that are suitable for anyone’s taste or budget. We have

everything from some of Canada’s Top Ten courses such as the Fairmont Banff Springs GC or the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge GC, to family-friendly ninehole gems in smaller communities throughout the province.

If you have to put off that long-awaited trip to Scotland, Wolf Creek Golf Resort at Ponoka brings a Scottish links experience to the very edge of the QEII highway.

Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina is one of the iconic golf resorts in America, winding its way over natural sand hills and through majestic pine trees. Look no further than our very own Pine Hills GC at Rocky Mountain House for a similar stay-at-home experience. Okay, so Pine Hills doesn’t have a Payne Stewart statue by the 18th hole, but their green fees are a lot less, too!

Pine Hills GC - Hole #11

AlbertaGolf.org

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A Closer Look

For the snowbirds who were stuck at home this winter and who missed their desert golf, how about a trip to Medicine Hat to take on the coulees, sand and perfect greens at Desert Blume Golf Resort? All they’re missing are a few saguaros and you’d swear you were in Scottsdale!

Lean back for a minute and think about the incredible mountain golf experiences Alberta has to offer.

Kananaskis Country GC, Canmore GCC, Stewart Creek GC and the Crowsnest Pass GC are all the equal and then some of any alpine golf course in Switzerland or Italy.

If you want to combine golf with city life on your Alberta staycation, try The Quarry or RedTail Landing in the Edmonton area, only minutes away from an evening on the town and great shopping.

Desert Blume GC, Hole #16

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

If you’re going to be in Calgary, Heritage Pointe or McKenzie Meadows are two superb daily fee courses that come to mind among dozens of others in our major metro areas.

Got an RV in storage? Take the family out of town to some of the province’s best golf courses in smaller centres, many with readily available RV campgrounds within walking distance of the first tee. Barrhead, Whitecourt, The Dunes in Grande Prairie, Athabasca, Sundre and Coyote Creek all come to mind. All these terrific layouts are only minutes from some of the best hiking, fishing and nature walks you could imagine.

If you’re into dinosaurs, and who isn’t, the Dinosaur Trail GC in Drumheller is only a long par-5 from the world class Royal Tyrrell museum.

Whether it’s a day trip, long weekend, or a two-week see-the-province excursion, Alberta’s golf courses are out there waiting for you and your family. Costs are reasonable. Tee times are easy to book and hard to ignore.

Stay safe and stay Alberta.

Web and Social Media Travelalberta.com Instagram.com/travelalberta Alberta.ca/ COVID-19-travel-advice Tripadvisor.ca GolfCentralAlberta.com AlbertaGolf.org

397 acres of championship golf and casual serenity

Rocky Mountain House, Alberta www.pinehillsgolf.ca

Looking Back

We Are

GOLF

By Todd Saelhof

National Allied Golf Associations - Increasing Awareness of Golf

The thank-you cards fell fast and furious across the desk of Robert Rousselle, the president of the Alberta branch of NAGA, the National Allied Golf Associations. The cards were ringing endorsements for a job well done by the Alberta branch of NAGA during the strangest times of our lives.

COVID-19, be damned.

Golf got its groove on in the face of the coronavirus pandemic with help from the guiding hand of Rousselle & Co., a group of enthusiasts committed to the sport.

"Extremely positive," said the NAGA Alberta president, beaming with pride when talking about the feedback sent the association's way for steering the province's golf industry through the health troubles of 2020.

"I received many cards over the season, thanking us for all the work we did,” Rouselle said proudly. “The comments were very thankful from an extremely high percentage of golf clubs in Alberta."

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

We Are Golf is a Canada-wide coalition of the National Allied Golf Associations, aimed at increasing awareness of golf as a key driver of our economy, a steward of our environment and a vital way in which millions of Canadians stay fit and healthy every year.

We Are Golf is comprised of Golf Canada, the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada, the PGA of Canada, the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association and the Canadian Society of Club Managers. Around these parts, the provincial chapters of those five associations make up NAGA Alberta.

"Our intentions are aligned with We Are Golf," said Rousselle of his five-man cohort comprised of the heads of the provincial branches of the national bodies.

"The whole intention around NAGA is to promote a united voice that represents the entire golf industry.

Indeed, the praise seems appropriate given the role of Rousselle and his merry band of men over the past year.

"Our role goes in waves," continued Rousselle, himself doubling as PGA of Alberta executive director. "We had the flooding (in 2013). We had issues with pesticide. Our role is to come in and support the golf industry and become one voice for government. We represent the voice of all our members."

Many considered NAGA Alberta to be a driving force behind what became a successful golf season, surprisingly emerging from the worry that engulfed the industry during the early stages of the pandemic. But just how does the association fit into the golf landscape?

Giving all golfers in the province a voice is just what NAGA Alberta did last spring with the pandemic keeping other sports on the sidelines. The outfit snapped into action at that point with an industrywide push to get golf courses open for business.

Looking Back

"With social distancing important, golf to us was a very safe environment," Rousselle said. "Getting back to golf was a little bit of a return to a sense of normalcy in some way."

Remember when BC tracks were open and golfers there were swinging their sticks? Remember when clubs here were closed and an online petition was drawing attention — and names — to get the game going?

"Our role was crucial," said Rousselle, adding the 53,000-signature petition fostered by Mark Graham at change. org that rallied support in their favour.

"Right away, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work — we didn't go into panic mode. We brought in some key individuals to give us a hand — communications people and people who understood government.

“Then we built a strategy to be able to approach the government on all fronts.

We respected everything Alberta Health Services wanted to do in relation to security, precaution, best practices … and it paid off with a key document we prepared and provided.

"We wanted to work with the government — give them the right information to make the right decisions to get us playing golf," continued Rousselle. "We didn't see ourselves as an essential service, but we definitely were looking for an exemption."

They got it, with the province allowing golf courses to open May 2 — not long after the snow lifted and the weather turned in our favour — despite the pandemic.

"I think NAGA Alberta has done an amazing job — and we're still relying on them," said Dale Tomlinson, general manager of The Winston Golf Club in the heart of Calgary. "They took out the guesswork for us at the clubs. They had industry professionals — doctors and legal consultants — put together

a package of what we needed to do to ensure healthy and safe programs at the club.

"It saved us so much time. It saved us from making mistakes. They were able to draw on what courses were doing in the U.S. — what worked and what didn't. It was absolutely pivotal."

Tomlinson himself helped out in NAGA Alberta's mission by manning a survey answered enthusiastically by 80 golf courses in three provinces. Its mandate was to know what each club planned to do in the face of COVID-19 so all clubs could all be on the same page.

He called the feedback "essential" to their success.

"But I think the most important thing was NAGA hiring a consultant to help us and work with the government and work with AHS to ensure that they understood golf was safe and to assist in building protocols to make sure that all the patrons that came to the club were safe and the staff was safe," said Tomlinson, who doubles as PGA of Alberta vice-president.

"They were absolutely instrumental in providing some of the documentation and resources with regard to COVID-19 protocols — how to stage golf carts, the creation of the park-and-play model,

providing information on do's and don'ts. Those grew into more normal services as the year progressed to having an absolutely successful 2020 golf season."

How successful?

Rousselle reeled off a few uplifting statistics, including how the number of rounds played went up by 17% nationally in August, while during that same month in Alberta, the count was up 30%.

"That's quite extraordinary," Rousselle said. "And the numbers in September were high, too, and retained. It's big numbers for the industry. The golf industry definitely saw a lot of hype in the amount of players — the most since the Tiger Woods era. We saw a lot of new players, a lot of consumers buying hard goods, an increase in membership.

The key role now for all of us will be the retention portion. We're staying positive about the whole image."

Indeed, COVID-19 be damned.

"Where golf courses lost a lot was in weddings and corporate tournaments," Rousselle added. "But in general, the golf courses did well — and some did really, really well.

"We looked at it as a big victory for Alberta."

"The whole intention around NAGA is to promote a united voice that represents the entire golf industry" Robert Rouselle, President, NAGA Alberta.

AlbertaGolf.org

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Looking Back

An Unforeseen

Impact

By Jim Claggett

Wolf Creek Golf Resort’s Ryan Vold has been in the golf industry for more than four decades and has seen plenty. He accepted long ago that ups and downs are all part of the landscape.

Vold said in the 80’s and 90’s there were some peaks when some years were far better than others and when the mid2000’s hit, things started sliding the other way. The economy and the weather play a role in the direction golf can go, but this past season was something else.

“Golf was always a kind of nice, slow ride but this one (2020) was just a freak of nature. We saw extreme amounts (people playing golf) with some courses going 30 to 40 per cent (increase in rounds played).”

He was quick to add he is not referring to total revenue as there are other elements which contribute to the bottom line like pro shop, food & beverage and tournaments, all which were flat.

The situation was quite robust right out of the gate at Wolf Creek and Vold explained it was due to being prepared to host golfers right away in May. Most courses were thinking golf would start around May 15th in Alberta, but officials

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

announced people could tee it up May 4th. The Wolf was ready to pounce.

“That gave us a huge start and I thought it would flatten out once other golf courses started to come on board and then it didn’t. It just kept going and then I thought, boy this is a giggle,” Vold said.

Lesley McMahon, owner of Balmoral Golf Club in Red Deer is the past president of the National Golf Course Owners Association. She said it was a familiar refrain from member courses.

“Most places were very happy with their green fee numbers and their rounds,” she said. “The type of golf courses that didn’t do as well, from the people I spoke to, were the private clubs.” She said members were playing more in many cases at those courses, but their fees had already been paid.

“It’s not across the board that everything was up and fabulous. It kind of depended on what market you were in.”

So why did many courses see such an influx in people?

With other sports on hold, Vold figures people had to find options for

Looking Back

Balmoral GC , Hole #2

themselves and their children. Enter golf. “It was some kind of recreation you could all do together, get outdoors and you’re not going to have the COVID-19 restraints like anything else. Golf was that perfect sport,” he said.

It was perfect enough to draw players from three categories, said McMahon.

“The people who were golfing in the past played more. Many people who were golfers in the past and hadn’t played in a while, came back to the game. But our biggest increase in play was from people that have never played before.

I would say we had triple the phone calls from people saying ‘Hey, I’ve never played before, when’s a good time to come, what do I need to know, what do I wear, do you rent clubs?’ ” Another positive side effect of the pandemic saw an increase in the number of ladies playing the game not only in Alberta, but right across Canada. It’s a demographic of the sport which has struggled in the past.

“Our female customers definitely increased, especially our young female golfers,” said McMahon. “They were not beginners; they came with the full equipment and were definitely players.”

So, you have all these new players getting a taste and some returning to play even more. The question is how do you keep them coming back? It is something the Golf Industry Advisory Council for Canada talked about and while the discussion is ongoing, we could see a plan moving forward to help keep the momentum moving forward.

“I think everybody at their individual courses, having that same thought.

What’s 2021 going to look like? When do I start my marketing? Who am I going to market to?” said McMahon. Vold says the real test will be if those other sports come back in the spring.

In the meantime, many course operators can look back on 2020 with a positive feeling for now.

“Depending what happens with all the golf courses, we could be in for another growth curve for the next four or five years hopefully,” said Vold. “The spike happened, and we’ve moved to this level. Everybody has got that many more rounds. Can we hang on to that level and grow from there?”

“It was some kind of recreation you could all do together, get outdoors and you’re not going to have the COVID-19 restraints like anything else.

Golf was that perfect sport.”

That is the million dollar question.

AlbertaGolf.org

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A Closer Look

Playing in the Sandbox Exploring Australia’s Sandbelt

By Jack Pengelly

The Metropolitan Golf Club

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The Alberta Alberta Golfer Golfer2021 2020

It was necessary in 2020 to experience golf travel destinations from a safe distance (both my bed and couch sufficed, with the added benefit of a slack dress code). Images of birdieing an iconic golf hole simmered in our minds, yet at times this felt more improbable than, well birdieing an iconic golf hole. Even if your body cannot for the time being, let your mind travel – to the Sandbelt in Melbourne, Australia. The courses highlighted below are private, but unlike their North American counterparts their doors are open to international play. The Sandbelt is a golf architecture haven, testing players of every ability in a way rarely seen in North America – with options. Firm conditions reduce the disparity in distance off the tee and seismic greenside runout areas present endless possibilities while chipping. The fairways are wide, but players looking to attack flags must approach the green from the correct angle. Each hole in the Sandbelt presents a unique calculus for players, resulting in perhaps the best collection of golf holes on the planet.

A Closer Look

The Metropolitan

Kingston Heath

Royal Melbourne

Finding a single blade of grass out of place at The Metropolitan is an arduous task.

The flawless conditioning complements the elegant design of the golf course.

The immaculate greens are engulfed by hard-edge bunkers, something you won’t see anywhere else in the world.

Biting into greens, the dense sand forms a hardpack barrier that snarls back at you.

The dogleg 1st is a tremendous opening hole; the green suffocated by bunkers on either side. Set 80 yards from the green is a centreline bunker that fools the eye into thinking the green is inundated with trouble.

Deciphering when to be aggressive and when to lay back at Kingston Heath is an art that comes only by recognizing the subtleties in each hole. Bunkers vary in their consistency and the routing is magnificent in transforming a seemingly benign piece of property. It is rugged, natural, and pristine all at the same time.

Royal Melbourne is simply bigger.

Housed on four separate parcels of land, the Main Paddock shares holes from the East and West courses. This area forms a composite course used in tournament play, including the 2019 Presidents Cup.

Bunkers can swarm your view off the tee, but a sensible tee shot will afford ample room to safely find the fairway. In recent years, the club has taken this a step further, peeling back the Eucalyptus and restoring the course to its roots. These modifications increase its playability, making it easier to find errant shots and giving the player an expansive view of the property.

The uphill par-3 15th culminates a ten-hole tour-de-force (forgive me for considering ten holes to be one stretch but this place is incredible).

The 15th features ten (ten!) bunkers greenside, with the predominant bunkers on the left and right each ten feet below the surface of the green.

Emblematic of the Sandbelt, this hole epitomizes the look and feel of Alister MacKenzie bunkering.

Upon entering Royal Melbourne, a horse-drawn plow and scoop come into view, representing the only mechanical aids used in building this fabled site. Rivalling Augusta National & Cypress Point, Royal Melbourne is lauded as course designer Alister MacKenzie's greatest architectural feat. And yet, when routing the course MacKenzie kept pieces of the 9-hole layout that preceded his arrival – including a small forced carry over native grass on the par-5 15th.

MacKenzie despised forced carries for punishing shorter hitters, wanting instead to build golf courses that everyone could enjoy. He left this native grass untouched however, as a reminder of how flawed golf architecture can be. It’s a fitting testament for the pinnacle of golf course design to contain a nod to imperfection.

The comment was made to me these private courses are accessible to the general public for those who 'get' golf architecture. But I believe it’s better phrased as those who want to get it. What the Sandbelt does best is present an engaging and fair test to different types of players. The absence of punishing hazards promotes enjoyability for a mid-handicap player, while those looking to shoot lower scores are asked to strategize and hit an array of shots.

The Sandbelt is comprised of eight renowned golf courses, complemented by dozens more in greater Melbourne.

With three stunning national parks, all less than a two-hour drive from the world’s 'most livable city' the golf shouldn’t be what makes this journey unforgettable. It shouldn’t be – but it will.

AlbertaGolf.org

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Looking Back

HUNTER THOMSON Alberta U19 Boys Championship

There are a ton of top-notch junior golfers across the Wild Rose Province. Which makes Hunter Thomson’s romp at the 2020 Alberta U19 Boys Championship all the more impressive. This wasn’t just a win. It was a runaway.

When the scores were added up after three rounds at Links of Spruce Grove, Thomson was eight strokes shots clear of the competition at 8-under 201. Whoa. “Winning by eight shots, I think that was really special — to, I guess, dominate the field like that,” he said. “Everything was just on that week. It couldn’t have been much better.” Thomson, who honed his skills at Calgary G&CC and now represents The Glencoe G&CC, had struggled at a tournament the previous week.

After a solid start at provincials, the 16-year-old stumbled to a doublebogey on Hole 10 in the opening round. That might have been the turning point. “That put me back to 1-under and I just thought, ‘Man, you have to pick it up,’ ” Thomson recalled.

The Champions

“And then I made five birdies over the last eight holes to shoot 6-under.

That was kind of where I noticed I could probably do something special this summer, not only at the Alberta Junior.” Thomson, who was also runner-up at the Alberta Amateur, was named to Canada's National Junior Squad for 2021.

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By Wes Gilbertson

Looking Back

ALEX LARGE

MICHAEL VALK

YEJI KWON

KYLIE BARROS

Alberta Mens Mid Amateur Championship

Alberta Mens Amateur Championship

Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship

Alberta Ladies Mid Amateur Championship

During an incredible run of seven consecutive birdies, it seemed like nothing could stop Alex Large.

This was not quite Michael Valk’s backyard. But pretty darn close.

Even the relentless rain couldn’t wipe the smile off Yeji Kwon’s face. The 14-year-old was thrilled to be back in tournament action and was anxious to prove that countless hours of practice during the pandemic had paid dividends.

Nobody loves to golf in nasty weather.

Valk was raised just a few blocks from Medicine Hat G&CC and, Unless, that is, his phone buzzed. as a kid, would ride his bike to the course for summer rounds and practice sessions.

While Large sizzled up the leaderboard at the Alberta Mens On this oh-so-familiar turf, he Mid-Amateur Championship at Coyote Creek, he was constantly triumphed at the 2020 Alberta Mens Amateur Championship. checking his pocket to be sure he didn’t miss a call from his wife Jocelyn, who was due to deliver “I’ve played that course a million their second child any day. times. I know every inch of it,” said Valk, now a member at nearby Desert Blume G&CC. “So “Especially when that birdie roll to go out there that week and started, I was thinking, ‘It would play as well as I knew I could at be just my luck now that after that big a time, with my friends a couple of birdies, my phone will go,' “Large quipped. “And I’ll and family around, that was have to try and tell her, ‘Hold on, pretty special to me.” honey, I’m on a roll.’ ” Of all those cruises around this semi-private layout, Valk might Their son, Jaxon, was born the have saved his best for the final following week. round of the Alberta Amateur.

Tied for the lead at tee-off, Large, who is originally from the 21-year-old local sizzled New Zealand and moved to Canmore in 2010, drained those to a 6-under 65, matching the competitive course record. seven straight birdie putts on Nos. 8-14 during the final round.

Shortly after his eagle on No. 11, A member at Canmore Golf he figured he could start to soak & Curling Club, he posted a up the moment. three-day total of 10-under 203 en route to a four-stroke victory and his first Alberta title.

“That was a cool feeling, knowing I could play the last few holes of my golf course with a “It’s crazy what a bit of smile on my face, knowing that I confidence, a bit of momentum did it,” said Valk, who ultimately does,” Large said. “And that was earned a five-shot victory at it on that day. I started rolling 9-under 204. “That’s something and I just felt confident on each I’ll never forget.” putt that I was going to make it.

And I kind of did.”

For the emerging star from Port Coquitlam BC, the title was just a bonus. When the final round of the 2020 Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship at Lakeside was scrubbed due to unplayable conditions, Kwon owned a one-shot lead. Thanks to her two-round total of 2-over 144, she was declared the winner of the weather-shortened shootout.

“I think it was a really good opportunity to win such a big tournament,” Kwon said. “Usually, I get really nervous at big tournaments before I play. But then at this tournament I was just really excited and really happy.

So I think I’m going to try to set that type of positive mindset for every tournament.”

Kwon certainly has a bright future. In miserable conditions at Lakeside, she was setting the pace for one of the deepest fields in the history of the Alberta Ladies Amateur. With several Golf Canada national-teamers teeing it up, nobody expected a Grade 8 student to claim the victory.

“Anything is possible,” Kwon reasoned.

But Kylie Barros has plenty of experience under an umbrella, and that was perhaps key to her victory in the 2020 Alberta Ladies Mid-Amateur Championship.

Barros, who hails from Edmonton, was perched atop that leaderboard when the provincial amateur showdown was washed out after two days due to heavy rainfall.

“I don’t think anybody who played golf at UBC in Vancouver for five years can say they aren’t used to those conditions, so I think I had a slight advantage,” said Barros, a member at Glendale G&CC. “I have vivid memories of playing in 1C weather in Vancouver, next to the ocean, and just freezing my butt off.”

While braving the wicked wind and driving rain at Lakeside, Barros persevered to a tworound score of 5-over 147. When the tournament was halted, she was a couple of strokes ahead in the 25-plus age bracket.

“Anytime that you win anything at a provincial event, you should be proud,” Barros said. “I was quite happy that I was able to play some good golf down the stretch, especially in some really, really bad weather conditions. It was definitely a nice honour.”

AlbertaGolf.org

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Looking Back

KIM CARRINGTON

GRANT OH

MAX SEKULIC

ANNABELLE ACKROYD

Alberta Senior Ladies Championship

Alberta Senior Mens Championship

Alberta Match Play Championship

Alberta U19 Girls Championship

Prior to a pair of practice rounds, Kim Carrington had never played Glendale G&CC, site of the 2020 Alberta Senior Ladies Championship.

Calgary’s Grant Oh punctuated his first provincial title with an exclamation point.

As a second-time winner, this was a first for Max Sekulic.

Nonetheless, the defending tournament champ was instantly comfortable on the greens.

Her step-dad, Jim Jempson, the longtime head professional at Willow Park and an all-timer in Alberta’s golf industry, wasn’t surprised.

Oh carded birdies on three of the last four holes — and on four of the final six — to claim bragging rights at the 2020 Alberta Senior Mens Championship at Olds Golf Club.

“You know how you just get dialled in and get into that zone?” Oh explained. “That’s sort of what happened.”

Calgary’s Annabelle Ackroyd has now graduated from the junior ranks. The rest of the contenders must have been counting down the days to her 19th birthday.

Ackroyd completed a threepeat at the 2020 Alberta U19 Girls Championship at Links at Spruce Grove, leaving one last engraving on a trophy that has her name all over it.

“Jim said to me, ‘The reason you feel so at home is because the designer of Glendale is Norman Woods, and that’s the same designer as Willow Park.’ And that’s where I grew up playing for 37 years,” Carrington said.

“And I think that was my biggest strength was having the ability to understand the greens and having the confidence that these greens were just like home.”

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, there wasn’t a lot of ordinary in the summer of 2020.

This, however, was one sliver of same old, same old — Carrington once again topping the leaderboard at the provincial senior shootout. The Cottonwood G&CC member carded a three-round score of 9-over 225, capping a steady showing with nine straight pars to close out a five-stroke victory.

In her past five starts at this event, Carrington now has four wins and one runner-up placing.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

He needed to.

The final round at Olds turned into a soggy shootout between Oh and James Varnam, a New Zealander who was spending the summer in Edmonton.

Varnam cranked the heat up with a run of five consecutive birdies from Nos. 5 to 9.

Oh, thanks to superb iron play and clutch work with his flat stick, finished with a flourish — birdies on Nos. 13, 15, 17 and 18 — to seal a three-stroke victory.

He signed for a total score of 8-under 208.

“You want to win a tournament, not back into a tournament,” said Oh, who calls Silver Springs G&CC his home hangout. “James played great, too. We both shot under-par on that last day, so it’s not like one of us was faltering and backing up and losing the tournament. We each went for it.

Luckily, I came out on top.”

The rising star from Rycroft had never repeated as a tournament champion before achieving that feat at the 2020 Alberta Match Play at Jagare Ridge.

“I really love the format. It’s kind of a good fit for the way I like to play,” Sekulic said. “I was super proud of it because you don’t get to win often in golf, even the good players, so being able to do it again was special.

“Usually, what happens is if you’re coming to defend a tournament, you feel that pressure to win again. To do it with that in my mind, I think that was proof I’ve improved, especially in tournament conditions. To be able to deal with that pressure and pull it off, that’s huge for me.”

Sekulic, who competes collegiately for the Washington State Cougars and sharpens his skills at The Glencoe G&CC during the summer months, has now won eight straight showdowns at the provincial match-play competition.

In 2020, he outlasted Tommy McKenzie (Priddis Greens) for a 2-up victory in the final. “I would love to win it three times in a row,” Sekulic said. “It’s definitely one of the things I’ve marked on my calendar.”

A member of the University of Minnesota’s golf squad and a regular at The Glencoe G&CC, she finished six shots ahead of the pack at 2-under 207.

“Every year, I feel like I’ve played some of my best golf at the Alberta Junior, and I think that comes with playing it so many times” Ackroyd said. “I’ve been playing this tournament since I was 10, and it’s always been one of my favourites. There’s nothing better than winning provincials and being the top player in your province at that time. So I’m always ready for that event.”

Ackroyd made an early surge in Spruce Grove. She circled seven straight birdies — a career-best streak — in the opening round.

“I was playing with two good friends and one of was trying to keep me calm and the other one was like, ‘Annabelle, this is insane. I don’t even know what to say,’ ” Ackroyd recalled with a chuckle. “And I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, either.’ I couldn’t miss.”

Looking Back

GEORGIA BARR

COLE BERGHEIM

JAYLA KUCY

JON VINGE

Alberta U17 Girls Championship

Alberta U17 Boys Championship

Alberta U15 Girls Championship

Alberta U15 Boys Championship

The trophy is nice.

Red Deer’s Cole Bergheim was making a mess of this par-5 finishing hole at Alberta Springs, splashing his drive into the drink and then airmailing the green with his approach.

As the old saying goes, ‘Two out of three ain’t bad.’ That’s how Jayla Kucy of Camrose was feeling after her victory at the 2020 Alberta U15 Girls Championship.

Calgary’s Jon Vinge put a lot of trust in a brand new club.

He wasn’t disappointed.

For Calgary’s Georgia Barr, this takeaway is just as important.

“I learned that I’m apparently good under pressure,” she said, reflecting on her clutch finish at the 2020 Alberta U17 Girls Championship.

She proved that during the provincial age-category shootout at Alberta Springs, rebounding from a bogey on No. 16 and closing with back-to-back birdies to seal a one-shot victory at 5-over 149. Barr realized it was a tight leaderboard but if she was feeling nervous down the stretch, you never would have guessed it.

On No. 17, she knocked her tee ball on the dance floor and drained the putt for a deuce.

And on the par-5 finishing hole?

Driver down the middle, threewood onto the green and a two-putt to clinch the win.

“It felt very rewarding, like all my hard work had paid off,” said Barr, a member at The Glencoe G&CC. “And it was awesome — all my friends, they stayed for the little presentation.”

Barr was only 15 last summer, so she’ll be back to defend her title.

Her competitors should be warned, we know now that she thrives under the pressure.

“I think it was a good confidence booster for me,” Barr said

As he sized up an unlikely upand-down to save par, he didn’t realize he needed it to force a playoff at the Alberta U17 Boys Championship.

“It was probably the best shot I’d hit in my life,” said Bergheim, a regular at Red Deer G&CC. “I just hit a flop to an impossible pin and it went to probably a foot for a tap-in.”

With that, Bergheim was headed back to the 18th tee box — twice, in fact — for a playoff against Ethan Howes of Fort Saskatchewan. (Both completed 36 holes with identical scores of 3-under 141.)

He wouldn’t require any circus shots in sudden death. “I played that hole a lot better the next two times,” Bergheim said. “I birdied both times.”

When Howes couldn’t match that second circle, Bergheim added his name to an impressive list of winners at the U17 level.

“All of the past champions, I’ve played with them and looked up to some of them,” he said. “The past one, Tommy McKenzie, we’re pretty good friends. So it’s pretty cool now that my name is right beside his.”

She’d triumphed in this age category — formerly known as bantam — as a 12-year-old, settled for runner-up status in her repeat bid and wanted to regain the crown in her final crack at it.

“It felt really good to win this one back,” said Kucy, who represents Camrose GC. “And I shot a score of 73-75, so you can’t really complain there.”

Indeed, Kucy had nothing to gripe about after the two-day tournament at Alberta Springs.

She was grateful to be grouped with a close friend, second place finisher Kalee Seto, saying that helped to keep her relaxed. She joked it was nice to be playing with anybody other than her older brothers.

“They tease me because they hit it really far and I’m in the 230s,” she laughed. “They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re a weakling.’ ” Rest assured, Jayla, a lot of Albertans would be thrilled to be hitting it 230 yards right down the pipe … especially combined with your short game. Not many golfers will win two provincial titles, let alone before their 15th birthday.

“I’ve been golfing since I was four,” she said. “I think that really helps.”

Vinge scratched out a onestroke victory at the Alberta U15 Boys Championship, executing on a game plan that often included leaving his driver in the bag.

“I got a new four-iron about a week before the tournament, and I used that on most of the holes,” he said. “I was really happy about that, that I hit it so well.”

Vinge, a junior member at Pinebrook G&CC, completed two spins of Alberta Springs at even-par 144. With no walking scorers due to pandemic precautions, he didn’t realize he had rocketed up the leaderboard during the second round.

The difference was ultimately his birdie on the par-5 closer.

The recipe? “Four-iron, four-iron and then a two-putt,” he said.

That new club, it seems, is a keeper.

“It was so great to have all my hard work pay off,” Vinge said of his first provincial championship.

“I found myself posting a lot of lower scores in the back half of the summer and I was really happy with how I played after that. So I’d say that win really boosted my confidence.”

AlbertaGolf.org

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A Closer Look

The Time

CAPSULE The Alberta Golfer magazine has been published annually by Alberta Golf since 1986. In a new feature starting this year, we are going to showcase some of the articles, advertisements and personalities from previous issues of The Alberta Golfer. Enjoy a trip down memory lane with this collage of material from the inaugural 1986 edition of The Alberta Golfer.

The front cover of the inaugural edition of The Alberta Golfer magazine. Pictured is the Alberta team that captured the 1985 Willingdon Cup championship, Alberta’s first Willingdon Cup win in 19 years. L to R: Brent Franklin, Peter Major, Jim Bruce (President of the RCGA), Russ Powell (President of Alberta Golf and Non-Playing Captain), Ken Wasslen, and Ken Tamke.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

A Closer Look

Shown are a sample of some pictures and advertisements from the 1986 edition. Bob Wylie of Calgary won the 1985 Canadian Mens Senior Championship. Check out the size of that 1986-era mobile phone!

AlbertaGolf.org

41

Programs and Events

Getting to 50%

By Leslie Dunning Recent media attention on female golfers has certainly helped make golf more appealing to women and girls.

The average percentage of female members at Alberta Golf/Golf Canada Member Clubs in 2020 was 22%, with only one in five golf courses exceeding 30%. Junior girls represent only 2% of total membership; however, there are a few clubs that have achieved more than 8% membership by junior girls.

Why are some clubs attracting a greater percentage of female golfers and how can other clubs grow their female membership?

Why does it matter

Golf provides everyone with a sport that they can play for most of their lives. With 2020’s COVID-19 related restrictions on other activities, many people re-discovered golf, or took it up for the first time. More couples and families played golf together during 2020, due to physical distancing requirements and the opportunity to do something outdoors as a household. The opportunity now is to retain these golfers and increase the number of female golfers in the years ahead.

Financial decisions are family decisions, so investing in playing golf and club membership must be important for everyone in the household. When women believe in the value of the game for their children, their partners and themselves, participation rates and revenues will increase.

What can clubs do?

“Making every golfer feel welcome,” is what Judy Forshner, head professional at The Glencoe Golf & Country Club, believes contributes to their 33% female membership. “We strive to provide strong programs for every demographic and interest at the club.” Judy describes a very comprehensive approach, including

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

social, educational and competitive opportunities, with lessons, special events and league play. “Our events are always very popular; each providing a different kind of opportunity for our women members to enjoy the game.”

Sturgeon Valley Golf & Country Club’s general manager Mark Beckwith attributes the semi-private club’s 33% female membership to its full-time female members, plus a long-standing Monday night league.

With a tremendous opportunity before us - what will your club do to get to 50%?

Kendra Koss, 2020 president of Earl Grey Golf Club, was surprised that their 9% junior girl membership was the highest in the province, at more than four times the average.

“Junior golf has been an intentional focus of our club. We see girls playing with their families, making friends and finding other girls to play with. Girl-specific opportunities also help to build relationships among the kids and add that all-important social element. In 2020, we had a record 22 girls in the junior club championship,” Koss proudly noted.

Pinebrook Golf and Country Club’s director of golf Shelley Charlton shares that one of their core values is to be a “friendly, family club”. Pinebrook’s junior girl membership of 8% is four times the provincial average. “We encourage getting the kids involved at a young age,” Charlton said. “Being a female in the golf business, I strive to be a mentor and to contribute to growing the game for female players.”

The 50% challenge

“The club makes women feel welcome by offering female-friendly lessons, demo days, merchandise, social events and clubhouse specials,” Beckwith noted. “These are part of the club’s business plan and are designed to encourage women to support and enjoy the club.”

To reach a 50% female participation ratio, there must be opportunities for women and girls to be introduced to the golf course in a welcoming way – perhaps by family or friends. Women’s days - with putting, chipping and driving stations, combined with social, dining and merchandise opportunities, can help develop interest in golf. Promoting future lessons to attendees is a great next step!

Coyote Creek Golf and RV Resort, with 34% female members, provides lot owners with access to the golf course. Dean McBride, director of golf, reports, “We have many owners that use their property on weekends or during the summer. Playing golf is part of their enjoyment here and we plan a women’s component for every event.”

Thelma Coutts of Lethbridge, a past president of the Canadian Ladies Golf Association, recalls recognition pins having been used for decades to encourage female golfers. “Today, women want different things out of golf. While many want to learn the rules and improve their playing ability, most women see golf as a way to enjoy time with their family and friends.”

page 43 Celebrating a distinguished history of 125 years Edmonton CC ad

PROUD HOST OF THE 2021 ALBERTA MENS MID AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP JUNE 28 - 30, 2021 edmontoncountryclub.com

1 780 487 1150

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Looking Back

Serin Girard of River Bend GC

For 25 years, the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour has been a fantastic opportunity for young golfers in the province to get their first exposure to the world of junior golf competition.

As they progress through the learning tree of junior golf, some of these youngsters will rise to the top of the pyramid and represent Alberta in national and international events.

Others may not necessarily achieve that level of success on the course, but all of these kids have the chance to become not only better golfers, but better people, from their exposure to junior golf.

Tour Talk Jalen Apedoe of Serenity GC

We have interviewed three fathers of young golfers who have started down the path of junior golf development. We wanted to get the perspectives of the parents of these young people about their respective family’s involvement with the Tour and junior golf in general.

By Dunc Mills

Ken Rohr of Camrose is the father of 12-year-old Nicole, who will be entering her third year on the Tour in 2021. Brett Girard of Red Deer is the father of Serin, age 11, who plays at River Bend GC and who will be going into her sophomore season on the Tour this summer. Andrew Apedoe of Serenity GC in Calgary is the father of son Jalen, age 12, who played his first Tour event in 2018.

Q. When did your child start to play on the Tour and how many events did he or she compete in last year?

KR: Nicole played two events in 2018 to get her first exposure to tournaments. She played in 13 Tour events in 2020.

BG: The 2020 season was Serin’s first on Tour. I think she competed in eight events this past summer.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Looking Back

AA: Jalen started out with a few events in 2018 at age nine. He played seven tournaments in 2020, mostly within an easy driving distance from our home in Calgary.

Q: What would you consider the most important thing your child has learned from playing in McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour events, and junior golf in general, over the last couple of years?

AA: I think it is the confidence that Jalen has gained which has carried over into day-to-day life. He sets his own agenda for practice and for competition. We try to put the emphasis on fun and to just let the kids play!

KR: I would say it’s the sportsmanship that Nicole has learned. She knows that she can compete hard, but fairly, and she has actually turned into a bit of a mentor for other young girls at the Camrose GC to help them learn the etiquette of the game.

Q: What has your child told you that he or she enjoys most about tournament competition?

BG: Without doubt, it’s the post-game camaraderie. Serin really enjoys the travel, seeing her friends and learning how to compete.

AA: Jalen has always been ‘playing up’ against older boys, but our main goal has been to find ways for him to get more tournament experience. We have always encouraged him to be involved in multiple sports.

KR: Her mother and I wanted Nicole to learn a new sport and gain selfconfidence. Playing on the Tour and with Enid Botchett’s girls’ club in Edmonton has really helped. Now her main focus is on improving her game. She went from a 35 handicap to a 16 last summer!

BG: Learning the Rules and the integrity of the game has been very important for Serin. She has made many new friends on the Tour and looks forward to seeing as many of them as possible at each tournament.

Q: What changes have you seen in your child’s life skills off the golf course that you would attribute to their exposure to junior golf?

Q: What were your expectations as a parent for what your child might learn from the experience of playing on the Tour?

AA: As a family, we look at athletics as a metaphor for life. The kids are always meeting new players at tournaments, and Jalen has now found it much easier to make new friends.

BG: My wife and I wanted Serin to learn the Rules and help build a foundation for her golf moving forward. We like the fact that they aren’t allowed caddies. I think this helps them learn to be independent out on the course.

KR: Increased self-confidence and pride in her accomplishments.

BG: Serin is meeting new players and adults at every event, which has really helped in her ability to show respect to everyone at the competitions.

AA: Jalen just loves the thrill of competition. He has lowered his handicap to a 7 and is learning how to transfer this to competitive tournament rounds.

KR: Nicole and Serin have become good friends on the Tour, and like Serin, Nicole can’t wait to get to a tournament to see which of her buddies will be there.

Q: Any thoughts or recommendations you might have for other parents of young golfers who might want to get their kids into tournament golf?

KR: Just get out and do it. Get the kids involved.

AA: Be patient. Don’t focus on the results as much as the process, and above all, keep the emphasis on the fun.

BG: Enter a few events to find out if your kid likes it. Get a feel for what the tournaments are like and enjoy it together.

The McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour has a full slate of events this summer in every corner of the province. They’re fun, affordable and a great way to get entrylevel experience while also providing older juniors excellent high-level competition on outstanding golf courses. Visit www. albertagolfjuniors.org and we will see you on Tour!

AlbertaGolf.org

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A Closer Look

Anatomy of a Golf Hole

Calgary Golf & Country Club’s Classic Closer

By Andrew Penner

It sits tucked away in the valley – on a hidden bend along the Elbow River – just minutes from downtown Calgary.

Established in 1897, it's the oldest private golf course still in play in Alberta. Whether you're a member or a fortunate guest, the Willie Park Jr.-designed Calgary Golf & Country Club is always a treat to play. While the layout features many outstanding, one-of-a-kind holes, there is one hole that is the undisputed 'champ' on the course: the stunning riverside closer.

A par-4 that stretches to 483yards from the upper tee deck, the 18 th at the Calgary Golf & Country Club has long been considered one of the great finishing holes in Canada. Most recently, in the August, 2020 issue of SCOREGolf Magazine, numerous panelists – comprised of dozens of talented players and industry professionals from every region in the country – included this hole in their list of the top par-4s in the country.

And, without a doubt, thanks to a few aesthetic tweaks, the hole has only gotten better. “It's a stunning and challenging finishing hole,” says Tom Greiner, the head professional at the esteemed private club.

“The tee is elevated about 125 feet above the fairway and the Elbow River wraps around the back of the green and along the right side of the fairway. The removal of some large evergreens behind the green has opened up the view of the river and the escarpment, which was hidden before.

So the ‘wow’ factor is even higher now.”

With the shimmering Elbow River to the right and a pair of punishing bunkers

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

left, the tee shot is critical. “It's the most important and the most intimidating tee shot on the golf course,” says Richard Zokol, who won the Canadian Amateur at the Calgary Golf and Country Club in 1981. “A miss right or left will most likely lead to a bogey or worse. But the view from that tee is incredible. It's just a perfect golf hole, visually, aesthetically, strategically, you name it. It's one of my favourite holes in Canadian golf.”

If you are successful in terms of hitting the fairway, your approach to the green – a mid-iron is typically required – will need to avoid the bunker left and the trees right.

Although missing short will likely leave a tricky pitch or chip, it's the best option if you don't hit the green. And the green itself – a massive surface with seemingly hundreds of challenging hole locations – has some of the most perplexing contours on the course. Even for the scratch player, a four is a great score.

And par is exactly what Zokol was forced to make here on the 72 nd hole of the 1981 Canadian Mens Amateur Championship. “I had a four-shot lead going into the final round,” recalls Zokol.

“But Blaine McCallister shot 64 and I stood on #18 needing a par to get into a playoff.

Long story short, I made a clutch 5-footer to get into that playoff. At the time, it was the biggest putt of my life.”

But Zokol, who went on to have a successful professional career, isn't the only accomplished Canadian golfer with a 'career' moment on the hole. The eccentric Moe Norman, perhaps the best

ball striker in the history of the game, won the 1955 Canadian Amateur at the Calgary Golf & Country Club as well. And, not surprisingly, his story on the 18 th hole has a decidedly different flavour.

After winning the tournament (he beat Lyle Crawford in a playoff), Norman, who was socially uncomfortable and painfully shy, couldn't bear the thought of making a speech and attending the ceremony on the 18 th green in front of all those dignitaries.

When it came time for the final trophy presentation, he was nowhere to be found.

Officials looked everywhere for him. Finally, they spotted him along the river by the 18 th hole, skipping stones, at peace, hiding out. But the ceremony was long over.

In The Feeling of Greatness: The Moe Norman Story, author Tim O'Connor wrote, “Moe was enormously proud to win the national championship, but the thought of facing all the bigwigs in the their blazers and ties in front of all those people and reporters, not knowing where to stand, whose hand to shake, what to say – it was all too much.” When O'Connor interviewed Norman prior to his passing in 2004, Moe, responding to the incident, had simply stated, “Crawford thanked everybody for me.”

Indeed, the legendary Moe Norman – he went on to win the Canadian Amateur the following year as well, played in two Masters, and won 55 professional tournaments – was an extraordinary figure. A one-of-a-kind gem. Not unlike the 18 th hole at the Calgary Golf & Country Club.

Looking Ahead

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Alberta Mid Master Championship

Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship

June 07-08– Inglewood Golf & Curling Club

June 22-24– Broadmoor Golf Club

Field: 120 players Format: 36 holes of stroke-play competition Eligibility: Must be a 15.0 Handicap Index or less and aged 40 & over as of the first day of the Canadian Mid-Amateur

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition Eligibility: Must be a 25.0 Handicap Index or less

Alberta Senior Ladies Championship

Alberta Mens Amateur Championship

Alberta Senior Mens Championship

July 20-22 – Lethbridge Country Club

July 27-29 – Calgary Golf & Country Club

August 03-05 – Sturgeon Valley Golf & Country Club

Field: 120 players

Field: 120 players

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Eligibility: Must be a 8.0 Handicap Index or less

Eligibility: Must be a 20.0 Handicap Index or less and aged 55 & over as of the first day of the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship

Field: 120 players Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition Eligibility: Must be a 30.0 Handicap Index or less and aged 50 & over as of the first day of the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship

*Dates, venues, competition requirements and information are subject to change.

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Field: 120 players

The Alberta Golfer 2021

Looking Ahead

Alberta Mid Amateur Championship June 28-30 – Edmonton Country Club Field: 120 players Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Alberta U19 Championship July 06-08 – Carstairs Community Golf Club

The Alberta Open Championship

presented by SVR Lawyers

Field: 160 players

July 13-15 – Wolf Creek Golf Resort

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Field: 120 professional and amateur players

Eligibility (Boys): Must be a 15.0 Handicap Index or less and aged 18 & under as of August 1st

Format: 54 holes of stroke-play competition with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Eligibility (Girls): Must be a 25.0 Handicap Index or less and aged 18 & under as of August 1st

Eligibility: Must be a 5.0 Handicap Index or less

Alberta Match Play Championship

Alberta U17, U15 & U13 Championship

Alberta Interclub Championships

August 11-13 – River Bend Golf & Recreation Area

August 23-24 – Alberta Springs Golf Resort

September 08 - Kananaskis Country Golf Course

Eligibility: Must be a 8.0 Handicap Index or less and aged 25 & over as of the first day of the Canadian Mid-Amateur

Field: 36 players for qualifying round. 16 player bracket for championship Format: 18 holes of stroke-play competition to determine qualifiers and seeding in brackets Eligibility: Must be a 8.0 Handicap Index or less

Field: 120 players Format: 36 holes of stroke-play competition for U17 and U15. 36 holes of stroke-play competition for U13.

Eligibility (U17 & U15): Must be a 30.0 Handicap Index or less and aged 16 or 14 and under as of August 1st Eligibility (U13): Must be a 54.0 Handicap Index or less and aged 12 & under as of August 1st

Field: 36 teams of four players (men), 36 teams of four players (ladies) Format: 18 holes of team gross & net stroke-play competition with the best three of four scores per hole being counted to the team total Eligibility: Males and Females, must be registered by club.

AlbertaGolf.org

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Looking Ahead

LOCAL QUALIFYING (18 holes stroke-play competition): Olds Golf Club

Westlock Golf Club

Nanton Golf Club

June 01 Mens Amateur Central Qualifier – Olds Golf Club

June 15 Alberta Open North Qualifier – Coal Creek Golf Resort

July 05 Senior Mens South Qualifier – Nanton Golf Club

June 02 Mens Amateur Calgary Qualifier – Elbow Springs Golf Club

June 16 Mens Amateur South Qualifier – The Bridges at Claresholm Golf Course

July 06 Senior Mens Central Qualifier – Olds Golf Club

June 03 Mens Amateur Edmonton Qualifier – Edmonton Petroleum Golf & Country Club

June 17 Alberta Open South Qualifier – Silver Springs Golf & Country Club

July 07 Senior Mens North Qualifier – Cattail Crossing Golf & Winter Club

June 14 Mens Amateur North Qualifier – Westlock Golf Club

Edmonton Petroleum Golf & Country Club

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

McLENNAN ROSS ALBERTA JUNIOR TOUR PRESENTED BY CROWE MACKAY

2021 McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour Goals: Provide young Albertans the opportunity to develop their golf games in a series of coordinated tournaments throughout Alberta in a fun, but competitive environment • To make the tournaments challenging for the elite level junior golfer, but also to provide young players just starting out their first exposure to well organized tournament competition • To give back to the development of junior golf in Alberta by assisting host courses with funding for their junior development programs • To educate players and developing referees with the understanding and application of the Rules of Golf •

Six core values at the heart of the McLennan Ross Alberta Golf Junior Tour:

1

TEACH RESPONSIBILITY

2

TEACH THE RULES OF GOLF

3

PROVIDE GOLF AT A MINIMAL COST

by developing qualities of leadership & integrity, while assisting juniors in becoming productive members of the adult community

4

TEACH SPORTSMANSHIP

5

PROVIDE TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

6

PREPARE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

As well as etiquette and fundamentals

By providing an environment that encourages and promotes good sportsmanship and friendship among junior golfers

Giving junior golfers opportunities to travel and play a variety of high-quality courses

By providing post-secondary workshops to assist juniors with their educational transition

2021 ALBERTA JUNIOR TOUR SCHEDULE June 5 - 6 Henderson Lake

July 13 Innisfail

July 26 Carstairs

August 9 Stony Plain

August 17 Wainwright

July 5 McKenzie Meadows

July 14 Olds

July 27 Collicutt Siding

August 10 Desert Blume

August 18 Camrose

July 15 Lacombe

July 28 Montgomery Glen

August 12 Taber

August 23 Woodside

July 29 - 30 Goose Hummock

August 12 Edmonton Petroleum

August 25 Nanton

August 5 Strathmore

August 16 Whispering Pines

July 7 Barrhead July 8 Trestle Creek July 12 Ponoka albertagolf.org

July 19 RedTail Landing July 21 Whitetail Crossing July 26 Canmore

Tour Championship August 30 Wolf Creek

Looking Ahead

Fort McMurray Golf Club Hosts Canadian

Mens Mid-Amateur

By Gord Montgomery One thing players teeing it up at the Fort McMurray Golf Club for the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship late this summer can take heart in is that the track won’t play like it did when it hosted professionals at the PGA TOUR Canada (now known at the Mackenize Tour- Canada) Syncrude Boreal Open for a couple of years. You see, it will likely play harder.

The club’s general manager, Dave Callum, explained that since the devastating fire that roared in and around this northern Alberta community in 2016, the toughness aspect of his 27-hole layout has changed.

“I wasn’t here in the Boreal Open days but the biggest change from then is we lost tens of thousands of trees that burned down,” Callum noted. “The golf course now is a little different. You don’t have those overhanging limbs as much but I think that actually helped the golf course itself get into better shape. It actually gets a little more sunshine and a little more wind goes through.”

As if the fire devastation wasn’t enough, the course also suffered flood damage in 2020, again changing the complexion of the course.

“A lot of areas along the riverbank that were tree-lined aren’t there anymore.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Fort McMurray GC is surrounded by evidence of the forest fire that ravaged the community in 2016.

So the wind whistles through some of those holes, bringing some different challenges. The Big River nine, which will be the front nine of the event, has a bunch of brand new bunkers and we had six new greens in play this year.”

The combination of the Big River and Black Bear nines which will be used exclusively for the event are long, and yes, tough. The slope rating of the pair, off the back tees, is 139 and they play to a par of 72 (36-36) over 7,100-plus yards.

As if that isn’t enough difficulty for players to deal with, there’s also this tidbit that Callum tossed in: “It’s not by today’s standards the longest golf course, but if you miss it (fairways) here, you’re in trouble. There are no shots out of the bush.

“For us, hosting this isn’t just about putting a feather in our cap. It’s a chance to show Canada how we’ve bounced back from two devastating events here.

Fort McMurray, in some people's eyes, has a stigma about it, which is so untrue.

This is an unbelievable community,” Callum boasts.

“The most important thing about hosting is this isn’t just about our golf course. This is about golf and about our city. It’s such a strong and resilient community. It’s just an amazing place.

This is going to show the country what a great city we have here.”

The fact the membership is willing to share their course with the best players of this calibre in the country, and pitch in to help out where needed, is another tick in the community spirit box. Callum said it’s not a difficult thing for his members to turn these 18 holes over for a week as “..they have the Fox Tail nine to use.”

In the end what this event will do is once again showcase Fort McMurray as a congenial host. “I know there was a feeling of loss when we lost the Mackenzie Tour tournament, so I think we’ll show we can still host these topnotch events. It’s a stern test of golf that I think will impress people.”

Oh, one other thing. In closing, Callum mentioned that in late August when this tournament happens, black bears are frequent visitors along the course’s surrounding areas. And, they’re often in the company of foxes, “..that will steal your sandwich right off your cart,” so players will find some wildlife here other than birdies and eagles.

The Golf Canada Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship runs from August 24-27

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What's New

Spreading

the Wealth

By Jennifer Davison As the golf landscape dramatically changed through the spring of 2020, it became apparent that new solutions were going to be needed for almost every area of the industry. As a non-profit organization, Alberta Golf needed to adapt our programming so that we could still have an impact in the community through new and innovative channels. One of these channels became the 2020 Sport Development Camp Grant program.

Through our close partnership with the PGA of Alberta, we helped to connect PGA pros with their local communities by offering a grant program for junior camps being run in their area.

These grants were available to every PGA member who is employed at an Alberta Golf Member Facility.

A New Attitude for

Pros applied for funding, sent in lesson plans, shared player data and encouraged players to fill out an online survey. Twenty grants of $1000 were available for 2020, and approximately 400 participants attended the various camps. We are pleased to confirm that the same number of grants will be available for 2021.

We feel this program is important because it helps encourage participation throughout the province at local clubs. It also highlights the importance of teaching the fundamentals of the game through professionals who make the game fun and accessible for kids.

For more information regarding the program please contact Jennifer Davison, Director Sport Development at jennifer@ albertagolf.org.

River Valley Junior Golf (RVJG) was formed in 2002 as a non-profit organization to promote the game of golf amongst Juniors (6-18) in Edmonton and surrounding areas.

It welcomes players of all levels of expertise, from beginners to low handicappers. Members get access to discounted rates for tournaments, events, and lessons, as well as opportunities for mentorship, grants and scholarships.

Junior members can tee it up at three golf courses in Edmonton: Riverside, Victoria and Rundle Park; all at family-friendly discounted rates.

Register before April 30th and you will receive a FREE River Valley Junior Golf hat and bag tag!

Sign up today online www.rvjg.ca or call 780.616.9168.

Follow @RVJuniorGolf on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter for contests, and everything tee to green in the Edmonton golf scene.

The Alberta Golfer 2021

Sport Development Camp Grant program in 2020.

River Valley Junior Golf

As River Valley Junior Golf rises up to enter its third decade of junior golf excellence in the Edmonton area, they are excited to reveal a brand-new logo, website and a new look to their program. “It was definitely time for an update!” says Kyrstie Green, RVJG volunteer.

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Over 400 kids attended golf camps funded by the

What's New

Shaw Charity Classic Raises $12.5M for Charity During the Pandemic

The Shaw Charity Classic supports over 200 youth-based charities in Alberta.

One of the casualties of the golf landscape in Alberta last summer was the cancellation of the 2020 Shaw Charity Classic, originally scheduled to be held at Calgary’s Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club last August.

COVID-19 might have derailed the Shaw Classic itself, but it certainly didn’t affect the charity aspect of Canada’s only stop on the PGA TOUR Champions. Despite having had to cancel the 2020 event, tournament organizers were nonetheless able to raise an incredible $12,572,483 to support over 200 youth-based charities throughout Alberta.

Since the first Shaw Charity Classic in 2013, the event has been the flagship tournament on the PGA TOUR Champions in terms of its spectacular performance in raising funds for charity. The Shaw Charity Classic is a three-time recipient of the Tour’s highest honour – the prestigious President’s Award - in recognition of the event’s incredible success in charitable giving and overall tournament operations.

After the cancellation of the 2020 tournament, the tournament’s title sponsor, Shaw Communications, along with the Shaw Family, were the first to step up in the annual fundraising drive with a commitment to match up to $2 million in community donations.

This generosity and leadership triggered an avalanche of donations from over 3,000 contributors across Canada, resulting in the secondhighest total of charitable fundraising in the eight-year history of the tournament. The Shaw Charity Classic has now raised the staggering total of over $61 million for charity since its inception.

Jim Riddell, Chair of the event’s seven-member Patron Group, spoke about the success of the 2020 fundraising. “We are humbled and touched by everything that has been accomplished, thanks to thousands of Canadians who have rallied together in a time of crisis to support hundreds of charities through this much needed fundraising platform.”

The COVID-19 situation this summer will determine the fate of the Shaw Charity Classic, but the 2021 instalment is scheduled to be held August 11-15 at the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club in Calgary.

Volunteers are the backbone of the Shaw Charity Classic.

AlbertaGolf.org

55

What's New Serenity GC - Dancing Bull #13

Serenity Golf Club Completes Sun Catcher Course Play Golf Calgary is a consortium of five golf courses in the greater Calgary area. Their portfolio of properties includes The Links at GlenEagles in Cochrane, the 27-hole HeatherGlen Golf Course just east of the city on Glenmore Drive, as well as Blue Devil Golf Club and its sister course, the Lil Devil 9-hole short course, both situated in Fish Creek Park in Calgary’s south end.

The fifth and newest course in Play Golf Calgary’s collection is Serenity Golf Club, located a few minutes southeast of the Calgary city limits.

Serenity opened in 2017 with their Dancing Bull 18-hole layout, added the first nine holes of the Sun Catcher course two years later, and expands this year to 36 holes with the addition of the back nine on the Sun Catcher course.

Play Golf Calgary’s general manager Slade King talks about the history of the Serenity Golf Club and the excitement building this year with their newest nine holes. “Construction actually first started on Serenity back in 2008,” King said. “We purchased some raw farmland in 2006, and put shovels in the ground two years later. But sometimes plans get changed.”

The Blue Devil property had been in development by Calgary’s wellknown Shaw family, and ten years ago consisted of a 12-hole course that was never opened for public play.

Scott Atkinson, the majority partner of Play Golf Calgary, had the drive and vision to complete the Blue Devil project. He purchased Blue Devil with the intention of developing the course into to a full 18-hole layout

Serenity GC - Dancing Bull #12

and adding both a clubhouse and the family-friendly nine-hole Lil Devil short course.

Focusing on the Blue Devil project left construction at Serenity on the back burner for a few years. Well known architect Gary Browning, who did the design and layout of Blue Devil in addition to the restoration of Kananaskis Country Golf Course, was brought back to finish his work at Blue Devil with the construction of their final six holes.

“It was only natural that we would use Browning to complete the layout at Blue Devil,” King noted. “Gary is so talented and we had such a good working relationship with him already.

It was a ‘no-brainer’ to have him finish the job. During the completion of Blue Devil, Gary was still nibbling away on the construction out at Serenity.”

Naming the course ‘Serenity’ was a very appropriate choice. This is not a typical real estate / golf course project by any means. There are no homes or condos surrounding the Serenity layout. King boasts, “It is so peaceful out here at Serenity. City traffic is miles away and no back yards border the golf course.”

This latest addition to Calgary’s golf landscape is scheduled to open in June.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Looking Back

Alberta Golf's John Burns got wet to help retrieve equipment for Ontario's Sarah Gallagher at the 2020 Alberta Ladies Amateur.

Gutting it Out Competition checklist: 14 clubs in the bag, check...rangefinder, check...a dozen ProV1’s,,,,,check,,, swim trunks, check... scuba gear, check.

Wait a minute, golf round or afternoon swim? For Sarah Gallagher, 16, and playing in the Alberta Golf Ladies Amateur Championship at Lakeside Greens in Chestermere last July, round two of the provincial championship turned into both.

Competing against many of the top female golfers in Canada, the Burlington, ON junior fired a stellar opening round of 1-over par 72. Gallagher started her second round with two bogies in her first three holes, but then settled in with a string of pars, despite the inclement weather. Not bad at all, considering the gale force winds and driving rain that greeted the competitors that day.

Then, the unthinkable! On the Par-5 12 th hole, while chipping to the green, disaster struck! A large gust of wind literally picked up her cart and deposited it into the pond just right of the green.

Clubs, cart, rangefinder, phone…. all submerged under three feet of water.

With the help of her fellow players, Gallagher gathered what she could find and resumed play.

She retrieved the essentials to finish the round, but her phone and rangefinder were seemingly lost forever.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Resumed play?? Yes, resumed play.

Sheer willpower and determination (or perhaps simple stubbornness) kicked in and Sarah played on. Now when we think of gutting out a finish, perhaps visions of Tiger Woods hobbling on a torn ACL and fractured left leg in the 2008 US Open comes to mind For Sarah, gutting out her finish after going for a swim that July morning simply meant doing the best she could despite the adversity. By the way, Sarah finished 15 th in the tournament as the weather shorted the championship to just two rounds. The entire experience was certainly representative of her determination and mental toughness.

When asked via Zoom months later, Sarah conceded, “Quitting was never really an option. I was cold, soaked and upset at what had happened, but wanted to represent myself the way my dad had taught me...never give up.”

Sarah’s father Mike admits he was “..worried growing up. Sarah may have been a bit of a princess,” as they both chuckled at the reference.

“Seeing how she handled the challenge that day makes me proud of the person she’s become.” Mike said. Two hours after the incident, both the rangefinder and the phone were located and retrieved from the pond by Alberta Golf’s John (Aquaman) Burns!

By John Burns

The equipment was initially in working order, but later succumbed to the submersion.

The future bodes well for Sarah. The grade 12 student carries a 4.0 grade point average and is a member of the Ontario Golf Association -Team Ontario.

She has her sights set on college in the US, all of which will continue to test her ability to gut out finishes.

Sarah’s story parallels the story of the 2020 golf season in Alberta.

More than ever, we focused on simply playing golf. Whether practicing on the range, or getting out on the course, we were altogether grateful just to be able to get outside.

The year that almost wasn’t renewed our love of the game. It renewed our appreciation for the great outdoors and reaffirmed in our minds how blessed Albertans are for the number of courses at our disposal. If only briefly, golf helped divert our attention and refreshed our spirits.

Sarah Gallagher played through adversity, but then didn’t we all? Despite what this world threw at us, despite how good we may or may not be at playing golf, the fact is, we played.

We’re all in our own way gutting it out, and that’s what really counts.

Programs and Events

The Welcome Kit

By John Gordon

It was an idea whose time was coming in any case. The pandemic just accelerated its arrival.

Call it your ‘digital membership kit’. It’s the new, more convenient and more environmentally conscious version of the traditional Golf Canada kit containing your membership card, benefits booklet, and other information.

Now you can access all of that membership information —and much more —via the Golf Canada app on your smartphone or on the website from your computer.

Previously, in many cases, the kits were shipped to courses which then distributed them to their members. In the new COVID-19 reality, that became an unattractive option.

“We were hit hard by COVID-19,” said Brian Doherty, Golf Canada’s Senior Coordinator for Golf Services. Doherty’s special area of responsibility includes Alberta. “We didn’t want to contribute to any unnecessary touch points.

The app avoids those. It’s also more environmentally friendly because it requires no printing or shipping.”

The app, which was rolled out in 2020, allows you to post and track scores and statistics, immediately access your official Handicap Index, keep your score digitally, and access GPS distances for more than 1,400 courses across Canada. It also enables you to find the applicable Rule of Golf to explain procedures for common situations on the course, follow other golfers, achieve badges, and more.

There will be even more benefits in 2021, says Taylor Stevenson, Golf Canada’s Senior Manager of Golf Services. “We will have Shot Tracer to record the path of your shots and other enhancements like expanded course search criteria,”

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Stevenson said. As well, Golf Canada member courses will have the ability to offer promotions and special offers to their customers.

Doherty says the app has been well received in Alberta. Its ease of use is one important factor while another is that golfers, like everyone these days, are leery of the aforementioned public touch points due to fear of the virus. The numbers don’t lie.

In Alberta in 2019, 395,000 scores were posted through the app (34 per cent of all scores posted) and 134,000 were posted via club kiosks (11 per cent of all scores posted). Compare that with 2020, when 516,000 scores were posted through the app (40 per cent of all scores posted) and just 32,000 via club kiosks (2.5 per cent).

Membership dues are reinvested into Grow the Game programs in Alberta and across Canada. Stevenson points out that in addition to the other benefits, the move to a digital membership kit will free up more resources to put back into the game.

A Golf Canada/Alberta Golf membership provides a variety of benefits and amenities. Here’s a summary. For the full explanation, visit https://join.golfcanada. ca/. To find out more about the app, go to https://golfcanada.ca/article/needknow-golf-canadas-new-app.

• An official Handicap Index through the World Handicap System • Access to the Golf Canada Score Centre to post scores and track your statistics • Follow other golfers, achieve badges for bragging rights, and more • Track all your scores and stats in the Golf Canada app • Access your handicap anytime, anywhere • Access to GPS distances for more than 1,400 courses in Canada • Free access to online Rules of Golf education that explains procedures for common situations on the course • Up to $2,500 reimbursement for damaged, lost or stolen equipment • Up to $1,000 for any travel-related incidents • Up to $2,500 for golf cart-related accidents • Up to $1,000 towards the cost of repairing or replacing a window • 15 per cent off RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open tickets • Up to 25 per cent off Avis car rentals • 11 per cent off Hilton hotel room bookings with complimentary upgrades at participating properties • 10 per cent off Golf Canada merchandise • 25 per cent off Levelwear • Golf benefits with RBC Insurance for home and auto

Every drive here is perfect We are a small town non profit club that has come a long way in the past 10 years.

We are very proud of our turf quality and host to Canada’s largest introduction to the game of golf.

Our junior academy has over 1,000 children from the ages 4 - 14 sign up for a weekly lesson that goes from the end of May until the end of July. We are also proud to be the home of Riley Fleming and Patrick Murphy.

In 2019 our team received the 2019 Junior Leader of the Year Award.

Call (403)946-2343 | collicuttgolf.com Equity Memberships Available

NEW “Optimist L’il Loop” 2021 (3 holes specifically for children)

Looking Back

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

The Alberta Golf Foundation is proud to announce that in 2020, a total of almost $48,000 has been awarded to the following 47 students:

Alex Zang Amanda Graham Ameen Ghannoum Andrew Germain Annabelle Ackroyd Ashlyn Waters Brady McKinlay Brandon Bach Carolyn Tellier Courtney Smith Daniel Troconis Velazco Elias Theodossopoulos Ethan Choi Farhan Zahid Geun Ho (Benjamin) Choi Graham Enns Haaziq Altaf Hamzah Naeem Isabella Bagni Jack Scanlon Jared Caldwell Jesse Drwiega Jevaughn Sodhi Justin Lee Kai Iguchi

University of Alberta University of BC Okanagan RCSI - Medical University of Bahrain University of Calgary University of Minnesota University of Alberta Utah Valley University University of British Colombia University of Alberta St. Mary's University University of Alberta Lewis-Clark State College North Carolina State University University of Calgary University of Calgary University of Calgary University of Calgary University of Calgary University of Alberta Queen's Universitiy University of Calgary Royal Conservatoire of Scotland University of Calgary University of Alberta Utah Valley University

Ryan Hodgins, Simon Fraser University

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Kailey Wirsta Lakeland College Kate Martens University of Victoria Kimberley Soares University of Calgary Kody Palamarek Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Korbin Allan Savannah State University Kyle McIntosh University of Alberta Max Sekulic Washington State University Muhammad Khan University of Calgary Muhammad Suleman University of Alberta Nayab Ahmed University of Lethbridge Payal Sethi Samuel Merritt University Quinn Fitzgerald University of Calgary Rae-Anne Ziegenhagel Medicine Hat College Raisa Chowdhury University of Calgary Rao Jayadeep University of Alberta Ryan Hodgins Simon Fraser University Sarah Nagel University of Alberta Augustana Campus Sergio Murillo University of Calgary Shufan (Michael) Zhai University of Calgary Sumeye-Bilan Abdulkadir University of Alberta Taylor Stone University of Texas at El Paso Trystan Wiszowaty University of Alberta

Kate Martens, University of Victoria

Be a part of history

Inglewood Golf and Curling Club is honoured to host the inaugural

Mens Mid Master Championship 403.272.4363

inglewoodgolfclub.ca

Looking Back

The Unsung HEROES

By Wes Gilbertson

Terri Solodan (L), Executive Director of the AGSA, Cameron Kusiek (C), 2019 President of the AGSA, and Dennis McKernan (R), Past Executive Director of the AGSA.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Looking Back Course superintendents have long been known as the unsung heroes of the golf industry. A fitting description.

But after the summer of 2020, with tee sheets jam-packed as more and more folks flocked to this safe and socially distanced sport, perhaps we should all be singing their praises. Or, at the very least, tipping our caps to the greenskeepers, some of the earliest-rising and hardest-working men and women on Alberta’s golf scene.

“A lot of superintendents were expected to do the same amount of work with less staff, with tighter budgets,” said Terri Solodan, executive director of the Alberta Golf Superintendents Association (AGSA).

“It really spotlighted how important that asset is — the golf course, the grass, the turf underneath it. And for me, I think it spotlighted that they’re just so dedicated and so adaptable. They kind of worked with what they had.

“I can tell you, there’s not a superintendent I know that this past summer wasn’t getting on machines and cutting grass or cutting pins, doing work that normally they would have crew doing for them. And that’s while still doing all their normal duties.”

For a lot of Albertans, golf turned out to be an important escape during a strange, stressful and sometimes scary summer.

Who knew that wayward drives and double bogeys could be so good for your mental health?

Hopefully, during one of your rounds, you stopped or waved to say thank you to those who do the mowing, set the pins and are occasionally spotted up to their elbows in mud as they try to fix irrigation issues. While turf-teamers start their tasks early and are typically on a second cup of coffee before the sun even rises, they were more visible than ever in 2020. It’s tough to find a gap between golfers when every tee time is filled.

“It was a challenge,” acknowledged Dean Zilinski, who is superintendent at Coal Creek Golf Resort and served as president of the AGSA during an unprecedented summer. “But I think everybody should be

“A lot of superintendents were expected to do the same amount of work with less staff, with tighter budgets,” said Terri Solodan, executive director of the Alberta Golf Superintendents Association (AGSA) proud of how we were able to adapt to a fluid situation. I mean, who would have thought golf would have been so busy?

I think it was a big success story for the whole industry.”

Superintendents played an important part in that success story, and not just by delivering stellar conditions to the recordsetting droves of divot-diggers. Those on the AGSA’s board of directors are especially proud — and rightfully so — of their contributions in the push to convince the provincial government to allow courses to open in the spring.

They banded together with several other stakeholder groups (see p. 30) presenting a long list of protocols and best practices to ensure that par-seeking would be a safe activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The politicians and health officials were convinced and Premier Jason Kenney announced in late April that golf was a go — two days later. While private club members and green fee players were doing somersaults when that news dropped, superintendents and their crews were scrambling.

“When they made that announcement, it was foot to the floor,” Zilinski said. “And really, we didn’t let off until the cold snap that ended the year.”

“Things had to happen fast, and every club pulled it off in a professional and safe manner,” added Chris Prodahl, who

is superintendent at Glendale Golf and Country Club and will double as president of the AGSA for 2021. “And then to fastforward to September and you look at the amount of golf that was played at each facility in a safe manner, that’s something to be recognized for. We have proven it can be a safe sport. Everybody bent every which way that they could to pull it off.”

The AGSA has an active membership of about 175 head superintendents, assistant supers and students, with representation from roughly 125 courses province-wide. The association was formed in 1987, aiming to promote the work and expertise of these unsung heroes and to encourage networking and sharing between the top turfies around Alberta.

As Solodan put it: “The woes and challenges that a super may have in one area, another may have had years before and have experience in how to figure it out and solve it.”

With most of their meetings and get-togethers cancelled, they missed out on some of that connectivity in 2020. Their work still shone.

“They’re just so dedicated and so passionate about what they do and always want their best foot forward and the course to look as good as it possibly can,” said Solodan, hired as executive director of the AGSA in 2019. “They don’t get a lot of the spotlight, but they should.”

AlbertaGolf.org

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Programs and Events

FUNDING for the Future

By Jennifer Davison

One of Alberta Golf’s major objectives is to grow the game of golf. Whether it is giving a child the opportunity to try the game for the first time, helping top players excel in their training or paying tribute to all the people who helped to build this community from the ground up, growing the game is critically important to the long-term health of the sport.

Alberta Golf is proud to announce the Alberta Golf Fund – a way to help grow the game right in our own back yard.

Alberta Golf has created five initiatives to which donors can contribute, with a variety of programs offered within each initiative. All of the money raised stays right here in Alberta.

Junior Golf

• Investing in junior golf is the key to securing the future of golf in Alberta.

Alberta Golf’s flagship program, Youth on Course, allows kids to play golf for $5 per round. Donations to this segment of the Alberta Golf Fund go directly to support the Youth on Course program. The potential for expansion within junior golf in Alberta is extremely exciting, with many new opportunities just around the corner.

• Youth on Course is a program started in Northern California a number of years ago. It was brought to Alberta in 2019 and has produced some incredible numbers in the two short years it has been in the province. In 2019, 1,000 rounds were played by kids with a Youth on Course card, and in 2020 that number skyrocketed to 8,000 rounds.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

Heritage

• Preserving golf’s history in Alberta and celebrating those vital ambassadors that made the game what it is today is the top priority of this area. Donations will expand the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame, Volunteer Awards and the ongoing Heritage Project.

• The Heritage Project is a new initiative designed to take the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame and all the history that comes with it on the road. The goal is to create a travelling display that would be available for viewing at every one of Alberta Golf’s major championships.

High Performance

• Alberta continues to produce some of the top prospects in the country for national and international competitions. Funding in this segment of the Alberta Golf Fund directly impacts the Player Support Program, Multi-Sport Games/Teams and Athlete Assistance.

• The Alberta Golf Player Support Program supports the top athletes in the province through funding that is directed to a player’s personal professional support staff. Players are able to direct funds to four different areas of their training – coaching, swing instruction, fitness/nutrition or sports psychology.

• Players are invited to join this program via a pre-determined set of criteria, which include the Golf Canada Order of Merit and performance at Alberta Golf Championship events.

Women's Golf

• Golf continues to grow at a rapid pace in this ever-expanding demographic in Alberta. From corporate events, to networking, to increasing numbers of junior girls hitting the links – programming designed to specifically target women and girls in Alberta will be directly impacted by this fundraising campaign.

• This initiative continues to be a work in progress, however the goal would be to enhance some of the programming our industry partners are working on.

This segment of the fund will assist young female professionals getting started in the golf industry and eventually creating a Women’s Golf Summit – where women from across the province can come together and grow the game for everyone.

Scholarships

• Year after year, the Alberta Golf Association Foundation (AGAF) helps support students in Alberta pursue their post-secondary education.

Donations for post-secondary scholarships can be made directly to the AGAF via its website at albertagolffoundation.org Alberta Golf is excited to launch this opportunity for those that love the game of golf to be able give back. Alberta Golf is working in conjunction with the Golf Canada Foundation to ensure that every donation over $20 receives a tax receipt.

To make a donation or to obtain more information, please visit the Alberta Golf website under “Make An Impact” or contact Jennifer Davison at jennifer@ albertagolf.org

Southern SouthernAlberta's Alberta'sonly onlyprivate privategolf golfclub club located locatedininthe theheart heartofofLethbridge Lethbridge

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Proud Proudhost hostof ofthe the2021 2021Alberta AlbertaSenior SeniorLadies Ladies Championship: Championship:July July20th20th-22nd 22nd

Good Goodluck luckto toall allCompetitors Competitorsin in Alberta AlbertaGolf's Golf's 2021 2021Championships Championships

Looking Ahead

Edmonton Golf Association Centennial

By Dunc Mills

Royal Mayfair GC will host the EGA Men's Amateur Championship July 18-19.

Since its inception in 1921, the Edmonton Golf Association has organized and operated golf tournaments and programs in the capital city. Kent Coulter is the president of the EGA this year, as the organization looks to celebrate a century of service to golf in the Edmonton community.

“I’m very proud to be involved with the EGA,” said Coulter. “This is such an important year in our history. We want to do everything we can to make the 2021 season something special.”

Alberta Golf is the overall governing body of golf in the province, but the cities of Edmonton and Calgary each have their own respective volunteer groups to help roll out a full slate of tournaments for players. Coulter sees the role of the EGA evolving in the future to offer much more than just competitions.

“We want the EGA to be a hub of information for all golfers in the Edmonton area,” commented Coulter.

“Of course, our tournament schedule is the main focus of what we do, but we want to be much more than that for every category of player.

“With so many people now coming to golf for the first time, where can they get information about what’s going on with golf in Edmonton?” Coulter continued.

“I see the EGA’s role becoming an important resource for everyone. We can

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

work in partnership with Alberta Golf to get information to the public not only about our tournaments, but also junior clinics, learn to golf programs, where to buy equipment, and so much more.”

This is a lot of work and Coulter has some very knowledgeable and experienced people on the EGA board to help with the process. “The EGA has divisions for men, women, juniors and for tournaments,” said Coulter. “Donna Finacune is one of our vice-presidents and is the Centennial Committee Chair.

Robin Laurie is the Men’s Tournament Chair and I double up as the Junior Division Chair in addition to being the president. We have several other men and women all pitching in to help run things smoothly.”

One of the major events on the 2021 schedule is the Edmonton Men’s Amateur Championship, scheduled to be held at the prestigious Royal Mayfair Golf Club on July 18 th & 19 th . The EGA has also scheduled a full slate of ladies, senior and junior competitions. Details of their events can be found on their website at www.egagolf.org.

“We are also very proud to announce the return of The Edmonton Open,” Coulter boasted. ”The Edmonton Open was a major part of the EGA tournament schedule for many years, with all the top amateurs and club professionals in the city competing. Now titled The BMW Edmonton Open Championship, the tournament will return to The Ranch Golf & Country Club on August 22 nd and 23 rd,” Coulter said.

Another very enjoyable event on the EGA schedule in previous years has been the EGA Scramble, which returns this year as the Centennial Scramble in a mixed men’s and women’s format at Victoria Golf Course on June 20 th and 21 st . The Edmonton City Junior Championship is confirmed for Northern Bear GC on August 3 rd and 4 th .

Coulter is also working diligently to establish a new match play competition in Edmonton patterned after the wildly successful Riley’s Best Ball tournament that has been a staple of the Calgary Golf Association’s program for decades.

“The Riley’s Best Ball match play event in Calgary has grown to the point where they now have men’s, ladies and senior men’s divisions,” said Coulter. “We are working hard to have at least a men’s division up and running for the 2021 season here in Edmonton.”

The EGA Centennial promises to be an exciting year.

ALBERTA SPRINGS

“WITHOUT

A

A

DOUBT

ROUND

ONE

OF

OF

GOLF

BEST IN

PLACES

ALBERTA

”

TO

ENJOY

38302 RANGE ROAD # 283, RED DEER COUNTY WWW.ALBERTASPRINGSGOLF.COM 403-342-5995

The Year in

Looking Back

1

3 1. The senior ladies are never short on showing support for their champions.

The 2020 Senior Ladies Championship was held at Glendale GCC. 2. The Ladies Amateur at Lakeside GC was the site of heavy wind and rain for 2 straight days. The course was deemed unplayable on day 3, and the event was shortened to 36 holes.

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The Alberta Golfer 2021

2

4 3. New rules and protocols impact everyone involved at Alberta Golf Championships. Long-time referees Wendy and Peter Davies are two of our many volunteers who made 2020 a success.

4. Sanitized and ready to go at the Mens Mid Amateur Champioship at Coyote Creek in Sundre, Alberta Golf’s first Championship of 2020.

5 5. When social distancing meets sportsmanship.

6. The Alberta U17, U15 & U13 Championship provides a great opportunity for young golfers to learn about competition, and have fun!

7. Tate Bruggeman shows perfect form during the Alberta U19 Championship at The Links at Spruce Grove.

8. Just because it’s a provincial championship, doesn’t mean you aren’t enjoying time with your friends.

9. Led by former Senior Ladies Champion Lynn Kuehn, Lacombe GCC enjoy the Kananaskis Country GC during the Alberta Interclub Championship.

10. Zach Haydamack enjoys his hardware from the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour Championship.

Pictures

Looking Back

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AlbertaGolf.org

71

A Closer Look

Disc Golf

By Jim Claggett

The mainstay of play early on was from former Ultimate Disc players looking for something new. Morstad says now they are seeing traditional golfers coming over to disc golf for a variety of reasons.

“If you’re a keen golfer, you’re a keen golfer. They already have their passion, and I would not in any way suggest one over the other.”

Disc golf is fun, challenging and great exercise for players of all ages.

The sport of disc golf is a relative infant compared to the traditional game of golf.

Years ago, things were not so rosy for this newcomer to the sporting landscape according to Kelly Morstad, president of the Calgary Disc Golf Club.

There was some misunderstanding of what the sport was about and how it could work within green spaces around the city. As a result, some disc golf courses were lost to players. But over the years disc golf has seen a positive move towards acceptance and popularity, boasting an estimated 10,000 players provincially.

A lot of the growth has to do with the flexibility of where courses can be set up, like one in Calgary’s Baker Park.

“On any particular Saturday, we would have four or five groups on the tee box,” said Morstad. “We didn’t do a lot of counting, but one afternoon we sat there and there was something like 350 to 400 people passing through by five o’clock.” That is reasonable evidence of the popularity the game is experiencing across a wide demographic. “We’re seeing a lot of couples and groups of young people coming out,” Morstad said.

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Both games could be viewed as having a positive impact on one’s mental health and there are a lot of commonalities between the two pursuits, said Morstad.

“I hope to be throwing discs when I am in my 90’s,” said Morstad.

“You get out there, get the exercise, breathe the air. You have your own meditation on how well you are playing.

The camaraderie with your group. There are moments of ‘great’ and moments of ‘what was I thinking’. You could not tell the difference between the two sports.”

There is another redeeming factor presented by disc golf. The 9-hole Richmond Greens Golf Course in Calgary was shut down in 2019 by the city as a cost-cutting measure. The disc golf community saw this as an opportunity for the course to undergo a transformation.

“The city was losing money on the 9-hole course, so we’re going to be converting

it into a championship disc golf course,” said Morstad. A bonus is the fact the land will be used year-round.

Most of us find it easy enough to lose a golf ball or three during a round. The same can be said for losing a disc-with an asterisk. Players will write their name and phone number on their disc and if you come across one during your round, you can easily contact the owner and return the disc (they run about $20 each so it is appreciated). Most traditional golfers would not expect that to happen with their cherished Titleist.

Disc golfers also have a way of dealing with fresh snow by attaching a 30-centimetre ribbon to the bottom of the disc. When it tunnels its way under the snow, you can easily track it down.

Morstad says disc golfers also make sure they all trek along the same path during play. When players come up to where they think their disc is hiding, they can head straight to the spot and keep the surfacecontaminating footprints to a minimum.

Another project which is percolating is cultivating relationships with golf courses to allow disc golf to be played there during the winter. Morstad says that disc golfers would not play on the fairways, greens or tee boxes, but instead use the natural treed areas to play their game.

“That’s one of our value propositions to them (the city). They have Nordic skiing so it’s not an uncommon idea to make their land accessible year-round,” said Morstad.

It seems that the two sports can co-exist and who knows what doors may open as a result of some cooperation. Just like its golf counterpart, disc golf is a sport for all ages.

“I hope to be throwing discs when I am in my 90’s,” said Morstad.

Signature Rod Whitman designs The Old Course & The Links Course are designed to capture minimalist links golf. Playability that prioritizes creativity and shot-making in all areas of the golf course is paramount. Rugged terrain, pure sand belt fairways and bunkers carved through the natural contours of the land provide the character of Wolf Creek. The Evolution of Old World Golf.

Call 866.783.6050 or visit wolfcreekgolf.com Located at Morningside exit 439 off the QE2 Highway

GREYWOLFGOLF.COM · SUNDREGOLF.COM