Home club – I have been a member of Riverside Golf & Country Club for 20 years.

Handicap/Index – I have been able to maintain my handicap at around 8.

Rounds per year – I play about 60 rounds a year.

Favourite player – My wife Sharon and Sergio Garcia

Favourite golf quote – “I’m as surprised as you are!”

Years with Golf Saskatchewan – 12

Area(s) of service – Course rating, Referee, Handicap Committee and instructor.

How did you get involved with Golf Saskatchewan? I got started with Golf Saskatchewan when a friend of mine was doing course rating and he suggested that I would like to do that as well. I have always enjoyed organizing golf events, and being a Course rater, being a rules official, and being the Handicap chairman at our golf club. It has allowed me to be more involved in all aspects of golf.

What do you like about volunteering? It is very rewarding to me to help Golf Saskatchewan and our golf club with rating, rules and handicapping. I also get to associate with other like-minded golfers from around the province.

What would you say to others about volunteering, not only for Golf Saskatchewan but any organization? I would recommend to anyone who is interested in becoming more educated about golf to volunteer in any of these areas with Golf Saskatchewan.

Robert Klombies jokes that his wife has been trying to “get them back to Saskatoon for about 15 years.” In March the family’s goal was met as Klombies took over the role of executive director at Riverside Country Club.

After careers in British Columbia, Ontario, and Manitoba across the hospitality and sports membership facilities the departure of Jana-Lyn Fairbairn at the private club opened the door for the Klombies to make the move back to their home province. Klombies took over operation of the course in March shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the shutdown of the club. Despite the uncertainties he said his first season has gone well.

“It’s a great opportunity for golf as an industry,” he told Golf Saskatchewan this week. “The amount of people who are playing, the people who are taking it up, and learning and getting involved with it, it’s been really positive. Obviously it’s not business as usual but we’ve seen the rounds up year over year.”

Klombies said their rounds are up immensely at the club. Rounds increased by 40 percent in June, 74 percent in July, and 38 percent in August from last years numbers. He added that he feels for other sports not operating during the pandemic, but it’s great to see golf flourish.

“It’s been great to see everyone out there and enjoying it,” he said.

Although Klombies has been gone from Saskatchewan for 30 years the Riverside is very familiar to him. His father has been a member for 60 years and at 90 years old he still plays at the club. Klombies said the course is an exceptional place to be.

“It’s got a great layout for one thing and the location on the riverside is second to none,” he beamed. “I’ve golfed a lot of great courses in Canada, this is by far my favourite. Just the layout and topography makes it a special place.”

Riverside is recognized among Canada’s top courses on an annual basis it seems. This year the course ranked was ranked 75^th on SCOREGOLF’s top 100 list.

“It has a good reputation,” Klombies continued. “A lot of people from other areas of the country really enjoy coming here and getting a chance to play. We’re pretty proud of it.”

Klombies added his first season couldn’t have happened without the help of the staff and management team. Superintendent Dave Campbell has been at the club for 47 years after taking over for his father in the position. Professional Earl Scott has been at the club over 20 years. Along with the restaurant, administration and proshop staff, Klombies said their team is fantastic at what they do providing service to their members.

“The services we have is very high quality for our members. We’re always looking to make it better and how can we improve and what can we add to make the experience that much better,” he said.

Having finished in a tie for second spot behind Glen Erickson in 2018 and ending up five strokes back of multi-time champion Colin Coben last year, Medicine Hat’s Warren Gnam once again found himself in the mix for the Senior Lobstick title at the Waskesiu Golf Course this week.

Gnam left nothing to chance on Thursday evening as he made a birdie putt on the final hole to win the championship flight for the first time.

“It’s definitely nice to win it, as eventually you are going to get old and run out of chances,” Gnam joked shortly after he received the championship trophy.

“I don’t know if it’s sunk in yet. There’s a lot of good guys in this tournament and its a great course. It’s a joy to come up here every year.”

Having entered the day just one shot off the lead, Gnam fired a round of 71 for a three-day total score of 219 to edge Brad Phelps of Saskatoon by a single stroke.

Although he didn’t realize it at the time, his short birdie putt on the 18th green proved to be the difference in the tournament.

“Brad and Colin were in the group behind us, but we hadn’t talked to them all day so we really didn’t know where they were at in their rounds,” Gnam said.

“I kind of pulled the (approach) shot a little bit. It hit the hill and ended up bouncing about three or four feet away from the hole, so it worked out pretty well in the end.”

Coben ended up four shots behind Gnam in third spot, with Mark Robinson and Tony Turay rounding out the top five.

Erickson, Martin Ring and Doug Kozak made up the rest of the championship flight.

The finish to super senior event wasn’t quite as dramatic as Biggar’s Keith Silvernagle cruised to a nine-shot victory over Blair Sterling.

“It’s like they always say…fairways and greens,” Silvernagle said. “That’s the approach that I always take and I ended up staying out of trouble all week. Plus, I made the odd putt, which doesn’t hurt either

“This is probably one of the best tournaments to take part in, whether it’s in June or in September like it is this year due to COVID-19. The people that run this event make it something that we look forward to each year.”

Murray Osborn, defending champion Gary Tuffs, Jim Scissons and Bob Beebe made up the rest of the super senior championship flight.

The final major event at Waskesiu will be the annual Men’s Lobstick tournament, which will run from Sept. 21-25.

Story originally published by the Prince Albert Herald and authored by Lucas Punkari. Republished with permission.

Like many of you, I’ve always been diligent about maintaining an accurate handicap. The reasons are ridiculously obvious: I want to know if my game is improving (or not) and I want to ensure that when I compete in net events, I’m being honest and equitable with my fellow competitors.

I never really thought about the mechanics of the system, perhaps because I was too lazy or disinterested to read through the ponderous Handicap Manual (now called the Rules of Handicapping). I gave full credit to the boffins who came up with the convoluted doorstop but never cared to interview the geniuses behind the curtain.

And then, this year, along came the World Handicap System.

Perhaps because of the restrictions due to COVID-19, golfers had more time on their hands. In any case, I’ve never been asked more handicap-related questions at the course or on social media. So, taking a cue from the manuals that accompany your new car or fridge or TV, here’s my version of a “Quick Start Guide” for the World Handicap System.

Why a new handicap system?

Why not? Golf now has both a globally recognized set of Rules as well as a worldwide handicap system. Even if you never travel outside Canada, you can be assured you are playing the same game as every other golfer around the world. The new system may require some tweaking after it’s been in effect for a while but it’s doubtful there will be another significant revision in the near future.

How does the new World Handicap System work?

At one of the meetings of the 23-member committee tasked with creating the new system, a USGA delegate compared understanding the intricacies of the handicapping system with air travel.

“I have no idea how an airplane works. I don’t understand jet propulsion, aeronautics and so on, but I trust that when I get on that plane, it will get me safely to the destination I intended.”*

Likewise, the process of coming up with the World Handicap System would make your head spin, so just concern yourself with the final outcome.

But if you’re in quarantine or a masochist or one of those aforementioned boffins, you can review the Rules of Handicapping here.

Has the Course Handicap calculation changed?

Yes. To your benefit. Under the old system, there might have been just a two- or three-shot difference in your Course Handicap from the front to back set of tees, despite the fact that those tee decks might be separated by 1,500 yards.

Under the new system, that difference now might be 10 to 12 shots because the par of the course has been integrated into the calculation.

Why doesn’t my Handicap Index go up when I post a high score?

Under the old system, the low 10 of your most recent 20 scores were used to calculate your Handicap Index. Under the new system, the low eight are used. So that bad score may not enter into the calculation. Similarly, using the most recent eight scores instead of 10 may have lowered your Index.

What the heck is Net Double Bogey?

“Net Double Bogey” has replaced the old Equitable Stroke Control system (ESC).

Now everyone’s maximum score for handicap purposes is net double bogey. Simply put, this is the par of the hole PLUS two strokes (double bogey) PLUS any handicap strokes you may be allowed on that hole.

If you don’t want to have to figure that out when you’re posting your score, let the Golf Canada Score Center do it for you. When you enter your score hole by hole, the Score Center automatically adjusts for net double bogey.

And for those of you complaining about posting scores hole by hole: You play the game hole by hole so why not post your score that way? It takes only a couple of minutes and provides some interesting data.

Here’s my Super Easy Quick Start Guide:

Post all your scores hole by hole immediately after your round. Let the Golf Canada Score Centre take care of the rest. And check out the new app which makes the process even easier.

(*Thanks to Craig Loughry, Director of Golf Services at Golf Ontario, for this anecdote and other invaluable assistance with this article. Loughry was the Canadian representative on the World Handicap Operations Committee.)

The 2020 CP Women’s Leadership Summit — conducted virtually for the first time ever.

The Summit features guest speakers such as former CP Women’s Open champion Brooke Henderson, Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Lorie Kane, TSN personality Lindsay Hamilton and Olympians Perdita Felicien and Marnie McBean.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR today announced the complete schedule for the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season, featuring 50 official FedExCup tournaments – including 14 tournaments that were postponed or canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – culminating with the crowning of the FedExCup champion Labor Day weekend in 2021.

The schedule, which reflects a net increase of one tournament over the original 2019-20 schedule, features the most tournaments in a season since 1975 (51). Three events postponed in 2020 – U.S. Open, Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship and Masters Tournament – will be played in the fall portion of the 2020-21 season and again in their traditional dates during the 2021 calendar year, along with 11 tournaments that were canceled and not rescheduled as a result of the pandemic, including THE PLAYERS Championship. In addition, with the postponement of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020, the men’s Olympic Golf competition will take place July 26-August 1, 2021, as a standalone event for the first time.

“We are excited to present the full 2020-21 PGA TOUR schedule – a ‘super season’ of 50 fully sponsored events and capped off by the 15^th edition of the FedExCup Playoffs,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “If you’re a golf fan, this is a dream season with more significant events than ever before, including the Olympic Games. Building our schedule is always complicated, but never more so as over the past several months as we continue to navigate challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. We appreciate the extensive collaboration with our title sponsors, tournament organizations and golf’s governing bodies that has brought us here – to the exciting conclusion of an extraordinary 2019-20 season this week, and on the brink of a season of 50 events, beginning next week.”

As previously announced, the 2020-21 season will begin September 7-13 at the Safeway Open in Napa, California, which will serve as the season-opening tournament for the sixth time in seven years since the TOUR went to a wraparound schedule. The U.S. Open (September 14-20) at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, follows, being played in the month of September for the first time since 1913, as well as the rescheduled Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship (September 21-27), which will award full FedExCup points (500) for the first time.

The Sanderson Farms Championship (September 28-October 4) will precede a three-event swing on the West Coast with the relocation of two of the TOUR’s Asia Swing events. Following the TOUR’s annual stop in Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (October 5-11), THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, annually played in Jeju Island, Korea, will be played at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, and will be renamed THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK (October 12-18) for 2020. The following week, Japan’s ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will be played at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California, and renamed the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD (October 19-25) for 2020.

The final event of the traditional Asia Swing and the season’s first World Golf Championships event, the WGC-HSBC Champions has been canceled, with the Bermuda Championship (October 26-November 1) occupying the week on its own and awarding full FedExCup points.

The Houston Open moves a month later on the 2020-21 schedule (November 2-8) and precedes the Masters (November 9-15).  The fall portion of the schedule concludes with The RSM Classic (November 16-22), the week prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, and the Mayakoba Golf Classic (November 30-December 6) the week after.

The TOUR returns at the Sentry Tournament of Champions (January 4-10) with the same sequencing as the 2019-20 season until March, as there have been adjustments made to a number of Florida-based tournaments. The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 1-7) and THE PLAYERS Championship (March 8-14) will follow the WGC-Mexico Championship and Puerto Rico Open (both February 22-28), while The Honda Classic (March 15-21) moves to the week after THE PLAYERS. The Valspar Championship (April 26-May 2), traditionally played the week after THE PLAYERS, will now conclude on May 2, between the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (April 19-25) and the Wells Fargo Championship (May 3-9).

After the 40^th playing of The Honda Classic, the TOUR’s longest-running title sponsored event dating back to 1982 – an eight-week stretch begins that includes six tournaments that were canceled and not rescheduled during the 2019-20 season prior to the PGA Championship, beginning with the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play (March 22-28) through the AT&T Byron Nelson (May 10-16), set to be contested for the first time at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.

Additional tournaments that return to the schedule include the RBC Canadian Open (June 7-13), John Deere Classic (July 5-11), The Open Championship and the Barbasol Championship (both July 12-18).

The men’s Olympic Golf competition (July 26-August 1) will be played the week after the 3M Open (July 19-25) as a standalone event for the first time and will be followed by the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and Barracuda Championship (both August 2-8), before the FedExCup Regular Season concludes at the Wyndham Championship (August 9-15).

The FedExCup Playoffs will consist of three events: THE NORTHERN TRUST returns to Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, which will host the event for the fourth time; the BMW Championship will be played for the first time at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland, outside of Baltimore; and the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta will conclude on September 5, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.

In addition to Caves Valley Golf Club, host of the 2021 BMW Championship, the 2020-21 season features several new or familiar venues. As previously announced, Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas and Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California, will host tournaments for one year only. For the first time, the Houston Open will be played at Memorial Park Golf Course in downtown Houston; TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, will host the AT&T Byron Nelson for the first time; and St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto, Canada, will return as host of the RBC Canadian Open for the first time since 2010.

Rotating major championship venues in 2021 include The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort at Kiawah Island, South Carolina (PGA Championship), Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California (U.S. Open), and Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England (Open Championship). Kasumigaseki Country Club in Japan will host the men’s Olympic Golf competition.

Home club – Wildwood Golf Course

Handicap – 15.1

Rounds per year – 50

Left/Right handed – Right

Favourite player – All Canadian players.

Favourite golf quote – “Shucks!” or “I did it!”

Years with Golf Saskatchewan – Five (Been a member of Golf Canada since 1986, played at Holiday Park with family then joined the ‘Executive 9’

Area(s) of service – Course rating with Golf Saskatchewan, Club Captain at home course.

How did you get involved with Golf Saskatchewan? I like to know the Rules of Golf and the process towards them.

What do you like about volunteering? The absolute best year end wind up!

What would you say to others about volunteering, not only for Golf Saskatchewan but any organization? Welcome to the team.

The annual Ladies Lobstick tournament at Waskesiu Golf Course is a week that Kathy Ziglo looks forward to each year.

The Saskatoon golfer added to her list of highlights at the tournament on Friday afternoon as she captured her third career title over Brooklin Fry of Shell Lake.

“All of the wins are different, especially with the match play format,” said Ziglo, who previously won the event in 2012 and 2014. “You never quite get there (to the final) the same way as you have to play each of your opponents a little differently.”

“I have far more second places than first places here, so I’ll take one of these every time that I can get them. The weather’s been great here all five days and we’re up here at Waskeisu…there’s not much you can complain about.”

Ziglo, who defeated Pauline McDougall and Abra Thompson earlier in the week, was up against a familiar foe in the final as she’s been a mentor of sorts to the 15-year-old Fry.

“I love the kid but I want to beat her,” Ziglo joked. “I let her off a bit with a few missed putts early on and she let me off a bit there at the end with some missed putts of her own, but it was still a really good match.

“I’m not sure if she’s going to end up choosing to play hockey or golf in this life, but I hope she sticks with golf. She has so much potential.”

Fry’s runner-up showing capped off a memorable summer for the youngster, who won the Golf Saskatchewan junior women’s and women’s amateur titles in July.

“I’m just trying to stay focused on one shot at a time and trying not to worry about anything else out there,” said Fry, who will be suiting up on the blueline for the Prince Albert Northern Bears this winter. “I’m just keeping focused on my game and that approach seems to work for me.

“One of my goals was to meet Kathy in the final and I was hoping to get the win, but it just didn’t turn out the way that I wanted it to.”

Friday’s final was a back and forth affair as the duo traded the lead through the first 14 holes.

After making an impressive up and down for bogey after finding the creek on her approach to the 15th green to halve the hole with Fry, Ziglo moved out in front for good on the 16th by making a par putt.

She sealed the match on the next hole after Fry missed her par attempt.

“I made a couple of good up and downs during the round and I just tried to play my game today,” Ziglo said. “I knew that Brooklin was going to be 50 or 60 yards ahead of me on her tee shots, so I was just focusing on hitting the fairways and greens.”

“I was consistent all week, but not quite in the way that I wanted to be,” added Fry, who reached the final with wins over Nancy Brooks and three-time defending champion Kim Brown, who grew up in Prince Albert and now calls Saskatoon home.

“I had a really good round yesterday (against Brown) where I felt like I played the way that I knew I could, but I just wasn’t quite as good in the other rounds this week.”

Ziglo also had a familiar face in her cart during Friday’s round as four-time Ladies Lobstick champion Brown served as her caddy.

“That was a good secret weapon to have,” Ziglo joked. “We play so much together and she knows my game really well. Kim’s a positive influence out there for me and I couldn’t have had anyone better next to me today.”

Fry wasn’t the only youngster to turn in an impressive showing this week as 14-year-old Ella Kozak of Yorkton won the championship flight consolation final over Brooks, who is from Calgary.

“The potential for Ella and Brooklin is endless,” Ziglo said. “They have great swings and they are both getting great coaching. It’s a real pleasure to watch them play.”

The complete results from Friday’s final round are listed below:

• First Flight: Kayla Sawchuk over Arlene Segin
• First Flight Consolation: Andrea Ring over Cheryl Dougan
• Second Flight: Marg Ravis over Sharon Botterill
• Second Flight Consolation: Tarina Ly over Donna Gottselig
• Third Flight: Angela Prystay over Dianna Sutton
• Third Flight Consolation: Karen Minton over Deb Thierman
• Fourth Flight: Shannon Starecki over Lana Manson
• Fourth Flight Consolation: Pattie Krafchuk over Audrey Perra
• Fifth Flight: Sherry Anderson over Adrianna Lacoursiere
• Fifth Flight Consolation: Eileen McGill over Delphine Soulier
• Sixth Flight: Kris Gunn over Barb Bremner
• Sixth Flight Consolation: MJ Chuey over Kathleen Chipperfield
• Seventh Flight: Deb Young over Kathy Reis
• Seven Flight Consolation: Sheree Selin over Judy Reynolds
• Eighth Flight: Cec Huyghabaert over Kristie Gottselig
• Eighth Flight Consolation: Karen Cottrell over Julianne Burlet
• Ninth Flight: Terri Kachur over Pat Janko
• Ninth Flight Consolation: Cheryle Sutton over Aida Gonzales

Story originally published in the Prince Albert Herald, authoured by Lucas Punkari. Republished with permission.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – With so few people around, Jon Rahm still got word from the other side of the Olympia Fields clubhouse that Dustin Johnson had made a 45-foot birdie on the final hole to force a playoff Sunday in the BMW Championship.

Resilient as ever, Rahm went out and made some magic of his own.

From one end of the 18th green to the other, Rahm’s putt from just over 65 feet rolled down the ridge and into the cup, setting off a roar so loud it nearly made up for not having spectators.

Johnson could only laugh at his birdie putt, eliciting a rare show of emotion – a slow, sweeping upper cut. And he had the same reaction to what Rahm did. What else is there to do?

The course that all week felt like a U.S. Open delivered the kind of excitement typical of the Masters.

Rahm’s big birdie putt on the first extra hole spared him thoughts of his blunder in the third round, when he picked up his ball on the fifth green without marking it, leading to a one-shot penalty and his only bogey of the weekend.

He tore through the back nine Sunday on his way to a 6-under 64, the lowest round of the week, to finish at 4-under 276.

Johnson, a 54-hole leader for his third straight tournament and coming off an 11-shot victory last week at the TPC Boston, birdied three of his opening four holes to open a three-shot lead, dropped a pair of shots around the turn and then delivered in the clutch with his 45-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 67.

It was only good enough to stay at No. 1 by a slim margin.

He also stays at No. 1 in the FedEx Cup going to the Tour Championship, meaning he will start the chase for the $15 million bonus at 10-under par, two ahead of Rahm, the No. 2 seed.

Rahm won for the second time this year on the PGA Tour, and the 11th time in his career worldwide.

Mackenzie Hughes had reason to celebrate, too. He was on the verge of playing his way into the top 30 who advance to East Lake when he took a sloppy bogey on the 17th. Needing a par on the 18th, he put his approach into the front bunker, splashed out to 5 feet and raised both arms when it dropped.

CLUTCH ? pic.twitter.com/ymUALeZh8p

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) August 30, 2020

“Yeah, that was some of the most pressure I’ve felt in a long time,” said Hughes.

“You know, I’ve contended to win some tournaments this summer, and that kind of felt like the same kind of intensity on that putt. I really woke up today with a pretty bad neck and really struggled tee to green. Didn’t have my good stuff at all, and somehow found a way to grind it out. I made it pretty hard there down the stretch, but just really thankful and relieved to get it done.”

Niemann also moved into the top 30, though he was chasing victory all day.

The top 30 are assured spots in at least three majors next year, along with the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua to start the year. The winners-only event is taking the top 30 in the FedEx Cup from having lost three months of the season to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tiger Woods missed all the action. He made double bogey on his 17th hole for a 71, making this the first time he was over par in all four rounds of a tournament since the Bridgestone Invitational in 2010. Woods failed to reach the Tour Championship for the second straight year. He now gets two weeks off before the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, and Olympia Fields proved to be a good test for that.

Just 10 years old, Jackson Giesbrecht is comfortable at competitive golf and wanting to get better.

Giesbrecht was five when he picked up the game hitting balls with his dad, Grant. He played his first tournament when he was just eight. Despite the young age, the Warman athlete wasn’t worried about the upped pressure of a competitive event.

“I was not nervous, just excited,” Giesbrecht told Golf Saskatchewan over the weekend.  I wanted to play tournaments. You have no pressure when just playing with family, you can take re-shots sometimes. In tournaments there is always a little more pressure. Everything counts, but I love meeting new friends and playing.”

Giesbrecht said his summer went “really good” in four events and one was “a struggle.” He did pick up his first Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) win in August in Estevan. He said that built his confidence over the last month of the season.

“I got my first win which was really exciting. Now I know I can win and hope to get the chance again,” he said.

His summer was capped by a trip to Tsawwassen Springs for the MJT Mini Tour National Championship on Aug. 20 and 21. Giesbrecht shot rounds of 95 and 83 on the 4,000-yard course. He said travelling to the event was different, but the experience was memorable.

“The travel was a little different as we had to wear masks,” he explained. My favourite parts were hanging out with my dad and playing with some real nice kids.”

With still plenty of junior golf in his future, Giesbrecht said he hopes to get better, compete, use the sport to receive an education, and reach the top of more podiums.

“I would like to get the chance to play in international tournaments.  I want to keep improving at all parts of my game and get more chances to compete. One day I would like to play college golf and I want to win more,” he said.

The sport will continue to be a family affair for the Giesbrecht’s as 13-year-old Dane is a fixture on the MJT and provincial events too.

“Golf is a family game for us. I am lucky to get to play with my dad, brother, cousins, grandparents, and many of my friends from school or that I have met through tournament golf,” he concluded.