Deer Valley’s Carey McLean earned a bronze medal at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Championship in Ryley, Alberta.

The SAIT Trojan finished with a 54-hole score of plus-36, 252 (80, 81,91) at Coal Creek. McLean led the event with five birdies over the three rounds. She was the leader after the second round but the Turcotte sisters played their best rounds on the final day to slip past McLean.

“It’s a little bittersweet because I knew what I was capable of and I didn’t accomplish it,” McLean said following her round. “But, I know I made the team proud. My club selection wasn’t great today, and when I got frustrated I let it affect my putting.”

Along with her bronze medal in the women’s individual event McLean collected a team bronze and a mixed team silver. With the Trojan’s third place finish they have qualified for the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec from Oct. 14 – 18.

Kassidy Turcotte won the championship. Kennedy Turcotte placed second picking up the silver medal.

Alex Schmidt

Alex Schmidt is coming off two podium finishes for Lewis-Clark State, but the Warrior Fall Invite didn’t go as well for the Regina golfer.

Schmidt carded rounds of 79 and 83 landing her in 12^th place.

Lewis-Clark had two teams in the event at the Lewiston Golf and Country Club on Sept. 30 – Oct. 1. The two Warrior clubs tied for third place.

The team is now preparing for the Lilac Invitational in Spokane, Washington on Oct. 7 – 8.

Brody Istace

Brody Istace had a great performance for his school, the Columbia International University Rams with a tie for 11^th place.

The Kindersley native fired back to back rounds of 79 to finish at 14-over par at the NCCAA South Region Tournament at the Columbia Country Club.

As a team the Rams were second in the five-team event. Next up is the Redhawk Fall Collegiate Invite in Pulaski, Tennessee from Oct. 6 – 8.

Marc Sweeney

Marc Sweeney and his University of Southern Carolina Beaufort teammates competed in The Invite at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Florida on Sept. 30 – Oct. 1.

The Saskatoon product posted a three-round score of plus-four, 230 (77,78,75) tying for 44^th in the field of 100.

As a squad the Sand Sharks moved up four spots on the second day of the event and placed fourth overall. The team will travel to Adairsville, Georgia for a three-day event beginning on Oct. 20.

Carson Harcourt

Carson Harcourt and the Minot State Beavers were at an event in Lemont, Illinois on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

The Kipling product finished tied for 16^th at plus-eight, 152 (74, 78). The Beavers as a team finished in sixth place out of 16.

Their next event will be the Blue Tiger Invite at Lincoln University of Missouri on Oct. 13 and 14.

Jace Carlisle

Estevan’s Jace Carlisle participated in the weather shortened Hawkshead Invitational hosted by Wayne State along with his Lake Superior State teammates.

On Sept. 28 Carlisle shot an opening round score of 79. Day two was cancelled.

The Lakers will travel to Northwood University in Midland, Michigan for a tournament on Oct. 6 and 7.

Whether you’re a club member, an avid public player or a new enthusiast to the game, spending on the sport of golf drives massive benefit to communities across Canada.

The impact of golf on the Canadian economy is enormous—an economic impact in excess of $14B is only part of the story. Golf courses and the industry at large account for hundreds of thousands of jobs. Canadians and international visitors plan golf vacations to communities that market themselves as golf destinations and resorts offer golf packages that result in millions of tourism dollars. Tens of thousands of charitable causes use golf as the platform to general $500M annually for worthwhile causes. The golf industry—including more than 5M golfers, nearly 2,300 facilities and local retailers plus countless superintendents, PGA of Canada professionals and industry stakeholders—play a vital role in the continued growth and health of the sport.

Understanding the full scope of Canadian golf including the economic, employment, environmental, tourism and charitable impact of the game in communities from coast to coast is critical. Evaluating that impact is why We Are Golf, a coalition of Canadian golf associations, are inviting Canadians to participate in the latest iteration of the Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY

The survey, which takes approximately 12-15 minutes to complete, will generate incredible insights, spending trends and meaningful data towards understanding the current impact of golf in Canada.

As part of the survey, We Are Golf wants to know how much you have or expect to spend on golf and golf related activities or purchases. From green fees and equipment to trips or other golf related spending, the confidential information and insights you share will help estimate the economic impact of golf in your community.

The Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study will be carried out by Group ATN Consulting and your privacy as well as any personal or proprietary information shared will be protected in strict confidence. Results of the Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study will be reported in early 2020 and the information gathered will only be used to report aggregate results both at the national and provincial level.

We Are Golf includes 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. The results of the Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study will be shared across the Canadian golf community and used to advocate the benefits of our sport.

Thank you for your participation in the Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study.

The Melfort Ladies Club hosted their annual wind-up Tuesday night at a local eatery just like the group does at the end of each golf season but this year’s event was extra special.

Long-time Melfort Golf Club member Bernice McCosh is hanging up her clubs after 70 years. The ladies play twice a week during the season and for over seven decades McCosh has been a part of the club. She has been a mentor to hundreds of women over the years and has inspired junior girls to take up the game as well. Golf Saskatchewan was on hand to present McCosh with a plaque to commemorate her nearly lifelong devotion to the game since she move to Melfort in 1947.

“It was a very pleasant surprise,” McCosh told Michael Oleksyn of the Melfort Journal following the presentation.

“My friends golfed, my husband-to-be golfed, it’s a way of getting out, the fellowship of the club,” she added when asked why she took up the sport.

Sherry Mahon has been the president of the Melfort Ladies Club for the past two years. She presented McCosh with a bouquet of flowers as well and stated “Bernice, you are an inspiration to us all and golfing with you has been an absolute pleasure.”

Golf Saskatchewan Executive Director Brian Lee couldn’t attend the celebration as he is in Ontario attending Golf Canada meetings but he passed along this message.

“You have been actively involved in the Melfort Ladies Golf Club, helping with the junior girls golf program and introducing golf to the younger generations. As you reflect upon seven decades of golf memories, know that you have inspired young women along the way, to participate in golf for a lifetime.  At 92 years of age, you are a true role model for us all, embodying the expression, age is just a number.”

When away from the course McCosh is an accomplished organist and pianist. She was president of the Melfort Music Festival for years and is a past Melfort Citizen of the Year.

What to do when a left-handed player, ball, and stance are interfered with…

Situation and Question: The player’s ball ends up on the right-hand side of the cart path between the cart path and thick bushes. The player is left-handed. The player can’t take a normal left-handed stance due to thick bushes interfering with the player’s backswing.

The player states their only option is to hit right-handed. As the player is standing on the cart path, is this reasonable?  If it is reasonable, where would my nearest point of relief be?

ANSWER:

The answer depends if the shot the player has stated they will play is reasonable. If left-handed shot is not an option, it is not unreasonable for the player to play it right-handed.

Where the nearest point of “complete” relief from the cart path is most likely into the trees/bush on the right-hand side of the cart path.

In this instance, the player would most likely have to chip out or declare the ball unplayable and proceed under Rule 19.

There is a possibility of the player being able to drop on the opposite side of the cart path, however a measurement would have to be taken to determine the Nearest Point of Complete Relief. This situation is covered below.

Abnormal Course Conditions (Including Immovable Obstructions) 

Interference from Immovable Obstructions

QUESTION: I have interference from a cart path, sprinkler head or other artificial object (immovable obstruction) – what are my options?

ANSWER: You may either play your ball as it lies or take free relief. To take relief, you must find the nearest point of complete relief from the artificial object and drop your original ball or another ball away from the object and within one club-length of that point not nearer the hole (see Rule 16.1).

If there is a tree/shrub at B1 / P1, the option for the right-handed player is still at P1. The player could state, the only reasonable shot I have is to play this left-handed, it is possible the player could get Nearest Point of Complete Relief on the other side of the cart path, although it would have to be measured to determine. For our situation, let’s say it is on the right hand side of the path, the player could drop and then make sure complete relief has been taken. The player then can switch to playing the shot right handed, and once again take new relief from interference from the abnormal course condition even further to the right.

The process was seven years in the making but Riverside Country Club Executive Director Jana-Lyn Fairbairn is a certified club manager.

The designation is authorized by the Canadian Society of Club Managers (CSCM) and consists of four Business Management Institute (BMI) courses. The classes are a week long that Fairbairn attended at Ryerson University in Toronto. She took her first course in 2012 and has worked at the distinction since. She said aside from advancing her knowledge of golf club management she said working alongside other managers was a large benefit.

“The thing that’s really cool about it because, when you go to one of these BMI’s or even doing the review course and exam in Atlanta you talk to other general managers about their clubs and their structure and challenges and opportunities. Lots of the work is group work coming up with presentations and simulations and case studies and that kind of stuff, so it opens your eyes to so much more than the five key problems at your club,” she explained.

The BMI’s consist of about 10 core competencies such as leadership, board, member, and general manager relationships, communications, marketing, operations and maintenance, human resources, strategic planning, and accounting. Fairbairn said expanding on these skills is important, but she reiterated the networking is crucial.

“We had a board meeting recently at Riverside, a couple questions came up about something. I sent a quick email to a couple GM’s, one in Victoria and one in Winnipeg, in five minutes I had some feedback and different ideas and kind of a different way to think about it and that’s huge too,” she explained.

Fairbairn joined Glencoe’s Jan Bloemraad and Paul Chambers from the Toronto Golf Club in receiving the distinction this year. The exam she eluded to earlier was complex and she’s happy to have the designation.

“It’s a huge relief,” she said. “The final step is the exam and I had to go to Georgia State University for that. It’s a 400-question multiple choice exam and it covers the 10 competencies; you must pass each and have over 80 percent as a total. It’s a really stressful exam, it’s an eight-hour exam, it’s intense.”

She is currently the lone Saskatchewan club manager and one of 70 across the country to have the distinction. Fairbairn will receive her certificate at the CSCM national conference in London, Ont. later this fall.

Creighton’s Lauren Fox has put a golden bow on her impressive high school golf career.

Fox came back from three strokes down on the second day of the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association golf championships on Saturday to claim her second consecutive gold medal. Fox said despite being down after the first of two rounds at TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club in Estevan she knew she could post a lower score.

“I wasn’t disappointed with my 81, I just new I could play a little better,” she told Golf Saskatchewan. “I think some people sort of counted me out, oh she’s three strokes back. That could have been one hole, it wasn’t, I had to pick at hole by hole.”

Fox was the lone player to shoot in the 70’s during the final 18 holes carding a 79. Neiszner, who won the silver medal shot 85 during the second round. Brooklin Fry was tied with Neiszner in first afdter round one. She won the bronze medal. The weather wasn’t ideal for the golfers on the weekend but being from northern Saskatchewan she thinks that helped her come back.

“I think the conditions were tougher the second day, it was colder and really windy. I’m not really a stranger to playing in bad conditions. Last year it snowed so I think that helped me,” she said.

Fox will cap her high school championship career with a silver medal and two golds. She said she’s proud of the accomplishment and going out on top was her mandate.

“My goal was to go two in a row so after the first day I was a little bit hard on myself because I didn’t want to go silver, gold, bronze. I went out the second day, I knew I still had a shot so that’s what I did,” she proclaimed.

35 girls competed in the championship. South East district won the team competition, Battle West placed second, Horizon Central won the bronze.

Fox will graduate this year; she hopes to continue with golf in her post-secondary schooling.

Gedak wins gold on home track

Estevan’s Chase Gedak is the 2019 boy’s high school golf champion.

Gedak shot the low round of the day during the both rounds of the championship, on Friday he was the lone golfer in the 70’s (74) and on Saturday he stroked a 69, four shots ahead of fellow Woodlawn member Jayden Dudas who won the silver medal. Gedak cruised to a nine-stroke victory.

“For that to my last high school tournament and for me to win in the fashion I did it feels pretty good to go out like that,” he said.

This is the second time in three years Estevan has played host to the tournament. Gedak added winning on his home track adds to the experience.

“It was pretty exciting,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of rounds there, so I was pretty confident going in. It felt rally good to come out on top at the end of the weekend.”

South East won the team gold in the boy’s division as well with the help of both Gedak and Dudas. Gedak said outscoring his long-time friend was nice considering he’s gotten the best of him on several occasions.

“I’ve played against him a lot and he’s a really good player,” Gedak said. “I knew it would be tough going into the final round against him, but he ran into some trouble out there and I kept playing steady golf. It was pretty good to beat him because he’s got the better half of me his fair share of times. It did feel good.”

Gedak was right in the hunt at the provincial Junior Men’s Championship in Nipawin but an 11 on the 54^th hole of the event dropped him back and off the national team. Instead of being down on the experience he used it as motivation.

“It was a big learning curve for me, it’s not something I am too frustrated about,” he explained. “I’ve taken more positives away from it than negatives. I’m trying to get over it and I’m sure I learned a lot more than if I would have would have got a spot on the team. It feels good winning now and trying to forget about it. It was a good learning experience, stuff like that happens, it’s golf.”

There was 52 boys golfing in the field.

Gedak is graduating this year as well and is pursuing college golf. He has been in contact with several schools but is still weighing his options.

The complete results can be found here.

Golf Saskatchewan has awarded their Volunteer of the Year award for 2019 to Byron Harvie.

Harvie got his start with the organization about 15 years ago after some persuasion from then Executive Director Daniel Rauckman. Harvie was the chair of the both the Canadian Junior Boy’s Championship and the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship at the Riverside Country Club which was enticing to Golf Saskatchewan.

Harvie then wrote his level 3 Rules test followed by passing the level 4 test, at the time he was the only person to acquire the accreditation. He then got into course rating, again at the coaxing of Rauckman. He then served on the board of directors for several years including two and a half years as president. Today he’s still a referee and course rater. Harvie said it’s the people you meet that keep bringing him back every year.

“I’ve watched some of the junior golfers who were let’s say 11 or 12 years old when they first started to play in juniors and now they are playing in the men’s amateur or the women’s amateur, that’s always been really special. They are all fine young people, they will come up now and talk to me, give me a hug or whatever. That makes it really good when you are around,” Harvie said.

Despite his long history of service to Golf Saskatchewan and Golf Canada Harvie didn’t get involved in the sport himself until later in life. He was active in sports playing baseball, hockey, and curling but when his son wanted to take up the game, he followed.

“When our son decided he would like to golf, he was 12,” Harvie explained. “We got him enrolled at Greenbryre with Pete Semko. I’ve known Pete a long time, but I have known his wife Cheryl even longer because we went to school together and lived around the corner. I said to Pete, if he’s going to be out here what about me? They let me join their club and I got started there. Next thing I knew after a couple years I was the club captain for a couple years before moving over to Riverside. That’s where it started.”

On Saturday, Sept. 21 the Golf Saskatchewan Hall of Fame inducted their class of 2019. Harvie and his wife, Lori, who works annually on the Hall committee were seated near the front when current Golf Saskatchewan Executive Director Brian Lee presented Harvie with the volunteer honour.

“As soon he mentioned the first couple things I knew exactly what it was because I have presented those when I was president to some people, I knew what was coming, I had to laugh,” Harvie said. “I kind of had it in the back of my mind because Brian kept pestering me to go down to the volunteer appreciation day. I was not overly surprised but I’m very proud to be recognized. It’s a feather in one’s cap.”

Harvie worked at a consulting firm for a career, he spent time in Montreal and Calgary before his work brought him to Saskatoon where he currently resides. Him and Lori now spend five months a year in California and golf more rounds there than they do at the Riverside where they are still members. Harvie said giving back to the game is easier when you have assistance.

“You can’t do this without the support of your wife,” he beamed of Lori. “My computer skills are not good, so she does all the computer work I need to do. With the course rating I have to be a lot better than I am.”

Harvie also has some advice for anyone thinking about volunteering with Golf Saskatchewan or any organization.

“I think the one thing is, especially if you are getting a little older, if you have to do a little study it keeps your mind sharp. Secondly, it gives you something to do and interact with other people. Things that are nice and fun and you need to do in the aging process.”

Harvie also serves as the rules chair of his men’s club in California.

“You simply can’t get away from it,” he laughed.

You can hear more from Harvie below as he spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork.

The high school golf provincials are half over in Estevan with a tie among the girls’ leaders and a hometown product on top of the boy’s leaderboard.

Shell Lake’s Brooklin Fry (Battle West) and Regina’s Autumn Neiszner (Regina) both shot 78 at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club on Friday and sit tied for first overall at six-over par. Reigning champion Lauren Fox (North East) of Creighton is in third place at plus-nine, 81.

Kylie Severson (East Central) and Nessa Hamilton (Qu Appelle) are knotted up in fourth place at 85.

Battle West leads the female team competition with a score of 181, South East is a stroke behind at 182. Horizon Central sits third at 189.

On the boy’s side, Estevan’s Chase Gedak (South East) is the lone player under par after round one, he shot 69 on the opening day of the 36-hole championship. Gaige Calkins (South West) is second at plus-one, 73. Jayden Dudas, also of Estevan (South East) is tied for third with Prince Albert’s (North Central) TJ Baker at 74.

Wawota’s Theoren West (South East) is fifth at 78. Cort Tunall and Hunter Kutcher are in the hunt at seven-over, 79.

South East leads the team standings with a score of 211. North Central is second at 236, South West and West Central are in a tie for third at 240.

The complete round one results can be found here.

The second round will be played on Saturday.

Once again, the Elk Ridge Resort Golf Fore Cure event was the top fundraising event of the year to battle breast cancer in Saskatchewan.

Chair Verna Schneider said they didn’t raise as much this year as the previous two events but, the support from the golf course and surrounding area is still strong.

“Yes, the support is still there,” she said. “A lot of business people from Prince Albert and north. We get golfers from Prince Albert, Candle Lake, Waskesiu, you know, those places. We had another good year; it was a little less than the two previous years. It was still over $20,000 which is good.”

This is the ninth year Elk Ridge has taken part in the national fundraising initiative. They surpassed the $100,000 mark in 2019. Schneider said for many area ladies, the event is a highlight on their calendar.

“For some of them yes, we do still have to work hard for golfers, that’s always been our problem,” she admitted. “Part of it is it’s on a Thursday in the summer, people have company and families or that type of thing otherwise most of the ladies from our club and the area support us.”

The top fundraising club from each province gets to attend the national Golf Fore the Cure event, this year it was held at the Mississauga Golf and Country Club. This is the fourth year a group from Elk Ridge attended. Schneider said the past three years the top raising foursome travelled to the event but the Dutchak family insisted the Elk Ridge organizing committee (Leigh Anne Nelson, Donna Dutchak, Debbie Klarenbach, Schneider) receives the experience. Schneider attended her first national event and said the trip was a fantastic time.

“It was good, we’re very happy, we had a very good trip to Toronto to the national tournament. Adidas is a wonderful sponsor, my goodness we came home with wardrobes,” she laughed.

The money raised through the program is distributed to the Canadian Cancer Society however, the Elk Ridge committee keeps their funds in Saskatchewan that has been used for various Saskatchewan Cancer Agency initiatives. Next year will be the final year that Elk Ridge will host the event. Schneider said they’ve had a great run, but all good things must come to an end.

“Everything reaches a time when you have to say okay, that was good. I think it’s time for someone else to do something else,” she said.

Elk Ridge was second in the nation this year, the host club in Mississauga raised over $32,000.

Since the program’s inception in 2003, over 130,000 women have been involved and helped raise over $6.8 million.

After weeks of district and regional events, the field is set for the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Associations’ (SHSAA) provincial golf championships taking place at TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club in Estevan Friday and Saturday.

The Woodlawn hosted the championship two years ago and was approached by the SHSAA to once again welcome the event. Head professional Amanda Minchin said despite heavy precipitation levels of late the course should play well for the competitors.

“The course is still in great shape,” Minchin said. “The greens in my unbiased opinion are awesome. They are running just like they were mid-summer. We have had a lot of rain in the last three weeks, the course is wet. We have a couple holes that are still trying to drain but overall it looks amazing.”

North Battleford hosted the event last year and had a heavy dump of snow on the first day of the event. According to the Weather Network, as of Thursday afternoon, Friday is expected to see a high of 10 degrees with a 40 per cent chance of rain and Saturday the high is expected to be eight with rain. Minchin said the elements will play a factor but shouldn’t hinder the players experiences.

“Hopefully the weather cooperates okay with them, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be awesome weather but, hopefully it’s not a heavy rain and two degrees or anything. Hopefully the kids enjoy the course and I think they will,” she said.

Almost 100 students will be competing in the event. Estevan product Jace Carlisle won the boys champuionship last year, he’s now playing golf in college at Lake Superior State University. Creighton’s Lauren Fox was the 2018 girl’s champion. Minchin said even without Saskatoon golfers participating the field is stacked with strong players.

“I think this is a provincial event, it’s a big deal,” she said. “The kids that have come for practice rounds are out there, they are excited, yeah this is a big event.”

Not only will the Woodlawn be hosting the high school event for the second time in three years their club is a fixture on the Saskatchewan leg of the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour. Minchin is a big promotor of junior golf and is excited to once again welcome everyone to the Energy City for the weekend.

“We’re happy to have the kids here, the coaches, teachers, parents, we hope they enjoy their few days with us. We wish them good luck and we want them to have fun,” she added.

The 36-hole tournament begins Friday morning.