Estevan’s TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club had a successful summer despite early and late weather woes.

Head professional Amanda Minchin said the club dealt with a later start in the spring and a shortened fall due to unseasonable weather in October but, the year was still positive for the club.

“We had a later start than we would have liked obviously and then the fall wasn’t that great for golf,” Minchin said. “All things considered we worked hard and managed to have a pretty successful year in terms of profit. That’s really due to a lot of diligent work of our management and our dedicated membership and the people that support us.”

Minchin, a proud supporter of junior golf, said the Woodlawn hosted a Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) event along with their regular club events and fundraisers for local groups in the Estevan region. The club hosted a Future Links tournament in 2017 and will host another MJT event in 2019. The course hosted the 2015 Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship. Minchin said they hope to have a provincial event back in the next couple years.

When the course opens next spring members and players will notice a change to the par-5, 15. Minchin says the upgrades aren’t overly significant but will improve the 18-hole track.

“We’re going to take old the old school bridge you see that caused a lot of maintenance issues with planks with the cart traffic. We’re going to remove that and build a land bridge like we did on hole 18 a few years ago to create some consistency in the course,” she explained.

The cart path is also being moved near the 15^th green. Minchin said when golfers are finished the hole they walk back towards to tee box to the path which isn’t ideal. She said the new path will allow play to flow better and help with pace of play on busier days. Minchin said overall the hole won’t change but continued improvements paid for with their profits add up over the years.

“It won’t change the playability of the hole so much, there will be a little different look once you get on the green. We’re just hoping it will flow a little better with cart traffic. It also helps with beautification of the course getting rid of those old bridges we had, we used to have a lot of them on the back nine,” she said.

Superintendent Bob Currie played a key role in the development of the changes and is assisting a local excavating company with the work. Minchin said Estevan has had good weather to conduct the work and the upgrades should be completed by the end of next week if the weather holds.

Saskatchewan’s team of head professionals that competed at the PGA of Canada are basking in their best provincial finish in at least three decades.

John Greenough, Jeff Chambers, Dean Brown, and Scott Knapp placed third overall in the team portion of the event held at Wigwam Golf Resort near Phoenix, Arizona last week. Ontario won the team competition, Quebec placed second overall in the two-day portion of the three-round championship.

Greenough, the head pro at Deer Valley Golf Club led the way with a top-10 finish at one under par. He said he was optimistic going into the tournament.

“I had a good week, I felt like it was going to be a good week,” Greenough said. “Going into the fall I was playing well and won a couple of Saskatchewan events. Going there I knew I had a decent chance of playing well. I managed to keep it in play for most of the event and I putted the lights out. The amount of eight to 12-foot par putts I made was pretty sickening and I was proud of that.”

Greenough was playing the event for the fifth time in his career. Entering the event, he had never made a cut. Achieving that feat was on his list of goals for the 2018 championship.

“I wanted to not make a double-bogey, that didn’t last long,” he laughed. “I didn’t want to three-putt, I didn’t do that, I wanted to be the low Saskatchewan pro, that was a goal I accomplished. I wanted to be in the final group the last day, that didn’t materialize, but I wanted to be in the hunt. It’s exciting when you are playing well, there are people running around watching what you are doing. There was some buzz on the course, I wanted to feel that little bit of pressure and I did so that was nice.”

During PGA of Saskatchewan meetings this week executive director Ken Morrow couldn’t recount a year in the last 30 that the team finished that high. Despite the personal accomplishments Greenough is most proud of the top-three placing for the team.

“Everyone contributed, my 75 didn’t count day one but I got in there for day two. In day two Knapper (Scott) had a tough round but everyone on format team contributed so that was nice. No one was blowing the doors off shooting 67 or 64 but as a team we got it done so that was exciting,” he said.

The format for the provincial championship is that the top three of four scores are combined for the first two days. Cuts are made after the second round potentially eliminating golfers from the provincial teams. Elmwood Golf Club professional Jeff Chambers finished in a tie for 25^th overall at four over par. He was pleased with his week at the event and shared Greenough’s excitement for the bronze medal finish.

“Our group of four, I don’t think it could get much better,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “It was pretty awesome to be down there with the guys competing with one another and to finally break through and make the top three and beat out some of those big provinces it was pretty awesome.”

The championship capped a solid year for Chambers on a personal level and for the Elmwood club in Swift Current. He took home the coach of the year, pro developer of the year and junior promoter of the year at the PGA of Saskatchewan awards in October. Chambers said having his wife at the gala, Elmwood staff and some of his students contributed to a surreal evening.

“It was really special to have them all there. I was really hoping for the coach of the year when I got it, it felt good knowing my work had paid off. It was a nice surprise winning the junior promoter again, that’s my seventh time now. I think it feels more special every time I get it, it was the one award that choked me up a little bit,” Chambers said.

Much like Greenough’s Deer Valley course, the Elmwood has seen some extensive renovations over the last few years. The club replaced all 18 greens, rebuilt the driving range and constructed a new academy building. Chambers said to see the finished product this season was a highlight as well.

“It has been a four-year process of a lot of construction and everything going on so to finally see the result and all the grass filling in it was a great feeling. A lot of people came to check it out which was great,” he said.

Conner McGill has been appointed the new general manager at Valley Regional Park in Rosthern and will officially take on the role starting December 10.

McGill currently resides in Warman, however he worked at Valley Regional Park in the early 2000s, albeit in a minor role.

“I was employed by the park for three years, right around 2000 to 2002,” he said. “For the first year, I was just working at the front gate of the regional park. Then two years after that I was a pro-shop staff (member) at the golf course.”

Along with managing the day-to-day operation of the golf course, McGill is also in charge of the campground and other facilities at the park.

“There’s 46 seasonal sites at the campground that I’ll oversee and then the rest of the daily rentals.”

McGill has lived in the Saskatoon area for most of his life and has pretty much dedicated his life to golf. Most of his past jobs revolved around the sport. He has worked in retail with Golf Town and has been employed at some other area courses.

McGill may be a familiar name to players in the valley region. He was an assistant pro at the Legends Golf Club in Warman for five years and was also an assistant pro at Dakota Dunes Golf Links south of Saskatoon for four years. The father of three young children said he wants to bring what he learned from those jobs to his new role at Valley Regional Park.

“I’m looking to bring my knowledge and a fresh look. The guy that’s moving on from Rosthern (Valley Regional Park) had been there for 25 years, so he’s excited to see the ideas that I might bring to the table.”

McGill studied golf management at MacEwan University in Edmonton, a course he said was a business management degree with some subjects specifically golf related. The 35-year-old is very passionate about golf and he wants to bring as many people to the game and have people enjoy the sport as much as he does. He has been married for 12 years and has three children ages six, five and three.

“They (his family) all love golf, and they love coming out to the golf course. So, you’ll see me out there with them occasionally as well.”

Even though McGill will not be living in Rosthern, it could be something he will re-think in years to come.

“I’m not going to relocate, yet. It’s a possibility down the road, but we just moved into a new place in Warman three or four years ago,” he said.

McGill has never had the title of general manager before, but he’s been in a leadership role in most of his previous jobs. There are still some familiar faces, since his last time around at Valley Regional Park, including the current head grounds keeper who was a salesman that dealt with the golf course.

“I know him a little bit, but I’m looking forward to working a little closer with him. The golf course was in fantastic shape last year when he was the head superintendent,” McGill said. “I have a good understanding of how the park operates and obviously every job has challenges, and it’s just figuring out the best way to deal with that and moving on.”

Story courtesy Mackenzie Hientz/Clark’s Crossing Gazette
www.ccgazette.ca

The season of giving has another reason to be cheerful. Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru raised over $425k for breast cancer research in 2018 thanks to the efforts over 13,000 participants at 175 events across the country.

Since the program’s inception in 2003, upwards of 120,000 women have raised over $6.7 million to date with all proceeds donated to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Over 140 women celebrated this year’s success at the 15th annual Golf Fore the Cure National Event at Thornhill Golf Club in Thornhill, Ont.

The National Event included 18 holes of golf featuring raffles, prizing, and games, followed by an awards dinner to thank and recognize the fundraising efforts put forth by 13,000 Golf Fore the Cure participants across Canada this year.

“Golf Canada is very proud to celebrate the success and growth of women’s golf in Canada through the Golf Fore the Cure program,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “The collective efforts from volunteers, site coordinators, and our partners at Subaru and Canadian Cancer Society continue to be a driving force behind the achievements of Golf Fore the Cure. We’re excited for the next season and hope we can accomplish raising over $7 million for breast cancer research.”

The top 20 fundraising events of 2018:

Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru was created in 2003 by Golf Canada to drive women’s participation in the game of golf through the use of fun, non-intimidating activities. Through a unique partnership structure with the Canadian Cancer Society (and Québec Breast Cancer Foundation), the program has women across the country participating in golf activities and raising money and awareness for a cause close to Canadian hearts—the fight against breast cancer.

In totality, Canada holds over 37,000 charity events at golf courses across the country which raise approximately $533 million annually for charity.

Subaru Canada has been a proud partner of Golf Fore the Cure since 2007.

Photos from the 2018 National Event can be viewed here.

To learn how to get involved with Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru, visit golfcanada.ca/golfforethecure

 

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Over 140 women on hand today at the #GolfForetheCure National Event @ThornhillClub to celebrate women’s golf and all the fundraising achieved in 2018 ?????‍♀️

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Golf Saskatchewan has finalized the logistics to decide the province’s best golfers in 2019.

The provincial championship calendar will be highlighted by the 100^th Saskatchewan Senior Men’s Championship at the Royal Reginal Golf Club (RRGC).

Rick Hallberg will look to defend his senior championship at the RRGC from Aug. 6-8. The senior women’s provincial championship will take place at the same time. Jo-Anne Schiller will defend her title in Regina and Jason Mohr will defend his Mid-Masters (40+) division title.

Yorkton’s Kade Johnson will look to defend his men’s amateur title when the 54-hole event lands at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club from July 16-18. The men’s amateur will continue to play with the mid-am field as well. Mike Herperger is the men’s mid-am title holder.

Moon Lake Golf and Country Club will be the host course for the Women’s Amateur Championship, that will run July 3-5. Carla Odnokon is the defending champion.

The junior boys and girls’ championship are going to be hosted by the Evergreen Golf Club in Nipawin. Josh Nagy and Brooklin Fry are the reigning champions. The junior tournaments will take place July 9-11.

Golf Kenosee will be the site of the provincial Mixed Championship on Aug. 24 and 25 and the Lynbrook Golf Club in Moose Jaw will be the venue for the 49^th Rosebowl on Aug. 21 and 22.

Golf Saskatchewan will also be involved with the golf tournament at the Western Canada Summer Games in Swift Current to be played at the Chinook golf course, the Future Links event being held at Deer Park in Yorkton and the 2019 Tony Cote First Nations Games in Meadow Lake.

The cold weather in northern Saskatchewan isn’t stopping the progress of construction for the Loon Lake and District Golf and Country Club’s new clubhouse.

In June of 2017 the course’s clubhouse was destroyed by a fire. Construction on the new building began in June of this past summer. The new facility will feature a restaurant, lounge, proshop, meeting room and 85-seat banquet space.

In an interview in July with Proshop Manager Heather Schneider she said the new clubhouse should be ready for operation in time for the 2019 golf season.

The club posted an update on their Facebook page Friday.

If asked the question “How has technology impacted your game?”, most golfers automatically think of their adjustable driver, game-improvement irons, a ball that promises both distance and accuracy, foul-weather gear and footwear that protect them from the elements and, perhaps, a distance-measuring device that takes the guesswork out of approach shots or an electric trolley that saves wear and tear on their bodies during a round.

But we got some revealing and unexpected answers when we ask experts from various sectors of the Canadian golf industry what technology they thought was most impactful on golfers.

“The smartphone!” responded Craig Loughry, Golf Canada’s director of handicap and course rating. You need only to look at the home screen on his phone for evidence. It’s plastered with the icons for multiple golf apps. Among GPS apps, he says Golfshot seems to be the most popular, but he’s enthusiastic about others, FunGolf in particular. Tracking your game stats has become simple, again thanks to various apps.

“Remember tracking fairways hit, greens in regulation and putts per hole? Well, that’s evolved,” said Loughry. “Used properly, these apps can actually show you what areas you need to focus on to improve your game.” There are lots of these apps available, both free and subscription-based, including the one developed by Golf Canada.

More exotic is “real-time game tracker” technology that fits on your club. “It records and tells you your swing speed, specific distance of each club, tracks your tendencies of misses, tracks your position on the course—all shot by shot, including your putts. It’s really amazing technology.” A couple of examples are Arccos and Game Golf.

Liam Mucklow is the founder of the Golf Lab, based in King City, Ont., so naturally he points to things such as launch monitors, 3D motion capture and force plates as advances that have improved the ability of instructors to help golfers become better through not only teaching but club fitting as well. “These three pieces of equipment allow me, as a coach, to measure the complete feedback loop from ball flight, club delivery, body movement, and ground reaction forces. In short, it helps me make golfers better faster than ever before.”

Among others interviewed for this story, Mucklow suggested high-tech “entertainment ranges” such as Drive Shack and TopGolf will encourage more people to try the real thing. A recent report by the U.S. National Golf Foundation confirmed that.

The folks who run the real courses where you play are also proactive to ensure they are delivering the best experience possible from communicating through social media and email to organizing and running events.

“As the golf industry changes, so changes the role of the PGA of Canada professional,” notes Adam Tobin, director of golf at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ont. “For example, I’ve noticed the increase in tournament operation software that allow for easy one-stop development of tournaments, events, leagues, and every aspect that comes along with them. But the main item that has progressed is the way we communicate with our members on a regular basis. Many clubs are employing full-time communication managers and in my opinion, it is one of the most important roles at a club.”

David Main, a PGA of Canada member and a club manager, can see the question from both perspectives. He cites data management as a major advancement that impacts the customer experience positively. While this technology is largely invisible to the customer, Main said it allows clubs to better shape their service performance on an ongoing basis.

As well, he says, “I see more clubs automating the guest experience in the future. Why have someone checking you in when you can tap your membership or pre-paid guest card and get access to golf? Why have servers when you can select menu items from a tablet and pick them up at a window or have a food runner deliver it? Why can’t I scan my fingerprint to get access to my club storage, use my member or pre-paid card to access a power cart? How about facial recognition software for security and tracking member usage?

“Stuff you thought was only in the movies will soon be part of the club world.”

That’s tomorrow and beyond. But today, the most important and yet largely overlooked impact of technology is evident when you step onto the first tee and survey the opening hole. Course architects routinely employ computer software to design and redesign holes and entire layouts.

“New computer technologies that create vivid photo visualization and 3D modeling of proposed redesign plans are invaluable,” says Toronto-based course architect Jeff Mingay. “These present club members, some of whom may have trouble interpreting traditional two-dimensional overview plans of a hole, with a real-life view of the proposed changes.”

Mingay, who is also integrally involved with the construction and grow-in of his projects, cites new strains of bentgrass discovered through modern research techniques as a major development. “Superintendents are better able to present more consistently smooth, fast putting surfaces that are healthier and can better handle drought, traffic, harsh winter conditions and other stresses than annual bluegrass.”

Kathryn Wood, chief operating officer of the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, reached out to her Twitter followers for answers to our original question. Thanks to the many who responded! (You can learn more from this recent USGA article)

“For the most part, I’m pretty sure most golfers don’t have even the foggiest idea of how technology is driving golf,” tweeted Brad Hutchinson, course superintendent at Ontario’s Warkworth Golf Club. “And almost every time I start to explain it, they get this glazed look like they’re thinking about putting.”

Shame on them.

Now focus! These turf professionals make every effort to make your round the best it can be.

Several respondents reiterated Mingay’s opinion of the impressive advances in turfgrasses as well as a dizzying array of items such as TDRs (soil moisture meters that allow superintendents to precisely schedule irrigation cycles and hand-watering thus improving playability and more efficient use of water), sophisticated GPS-directed sprayers and drones, plant growth regulators such as Primo Maxx, new reel-sharpening systems for mowers, communicating course updates through social media, onsite weather stations, and more.

So the next time someone tells you that golf is stuck in the Dark Ages, recite some of the above. Until, that is, their eyes glaze over.

British Columbia’s Brian McDonald claimed the 2018 PGA of Canada Head Pro Championship Thursday in Arizona, but Deer Valley’s John Greenough used a great third round to finish with a stellar 10^th place finish.

The Deer Valley Golf Club and Resort professional saved his best round for last stroking a 68 at Wigwam Golf Resort vaulting himself from 29^th to climb inside the top-10. Greenough fired a three-round total of 215 over 54 holes. Greenough played better as the week progressed opening with a 3-over, 75 in round one and an even-par 72 on Wednesday.

Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club professional Jeff Chambers was as high as fifth at one point of the tournament finished in a tie for 25^th at 4-over, 220 (73, 71,76). Royal Regina Golf Club pro Dean Brown landed in a tie for 37^th at plus-7, 273 (73,73, 77) and Scott Knapp out of Regina’s Tor Hill Golf Course finished at plus-15, 231 (73,78,80). Knapp tied for 57^th place.

Victoria Golf Club head pro Lindsay Bernakevitch, who won the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship four straight years (2000-2003) playing out of Regina shot even par over the three days landing in a tie for 11^th.

The complete leaderboard can be found here.

Ontario’s Percy Gordon is leading the charge at the PGA of Canada Head Professional Championship, but several Saskatchewan golfers are seeking a potential top-10 finish.

Swift Current’s Jeff Chambers (Elmwood Golf Club) sits at even-par through 36 holes of the event at Wigwam Golf Resort near Phoenix, Arizona. Chambers followed his opening round of 73 with a 1-under, 71 on Wednesday. He is in a tie for 14^th place.

Regina’s Dean Brown (Royal Regina Golf Club) has carded back-to-back 73’s, his 2-over par is good enough for a tie in 21^st. John Greenough (Deer Valley Golf Club) is at 3-over after shooting par during round two. Greenough is tied for 29^th. Scott Knapp (Tor Hill Golf Course) fired a 78 on Wednesday, the Regina golfer is tied for 46^th at plus-7.

Four-time Saskatchewan men’s amateur champion Lindsay Bernakevitch, hails from the Regina area is now the head pro at the Victoria Golf Club is also in a tie for 14^th at even-par.

The third, and final round will take place on Thursday. Knapp will tee off at 8:57 a.m. Saskatchewan time. Greenough begins his round at 9:06 a.m. Chambers starts at 9:15 a.m. Brown hits his first shot at 9:42 a.m. and Bernakevitch will play in the 9:51 group.

You can see the complete leaderboard here.

A trio of Saskatchewan professional golfers are tied for 23^rd position after day one of the PGA of Canada Head Professional Championship at Wigwam Golf Resort near Phoenix, Arizona.

Royal Regina Golf Club pro Dean Brown, Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club professional Jeff Chambers and Scott Knapp from the Tor Hill Golf Club in Regina all shot plus-1, 73 during day one of the 54-hole event. Deer Valley’s John Greenough is in a tie for 45^th at plus-3.

Carleton Golf & Yacht Golf Club professional Percy Gordon leads the 88-player field at 6-under par.

The tournament continues Wednesday with round two. Chambers and Brown will play in the same group during the second round and tee off at 11:51 a.m. Saskatchewan time. Knapp is in the next group teeing off at 12 p.m. and Greenough will be the first Saskatchewan pro on the course with the 10:48 a.m. group.

You can see the tournament results here.