The Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) and MJT Mini Tour stopped in Saskatoon at the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club for an event this Canada Day long weekend.

In total 92 junior golfers participated in the two events that included a junior golf clinic conducted by five-time Saskatchewan women’s amateur champion Anna Young.

The overall low score was a tie, Will Blake, 15, and Josh Nagy, 17, each shot a two-round total of 151 over 36 holes. Blake continued his strong season winning the juvenile boy’s (15 -16-year-olds) by four strokes over TJ Baker of Prince Albert. Estevan’s Jayden Dudas was five shots off the pace claiming the bronze medal in the juvenile category.

Nagy, coming off his win at the Future Links event in Yorkton was six strokes ahead of Chase Gedak to claim the junior boy’s (17-18-year-old) division. Micah Tangjerd of Saskatoon finished in third place with a total of 163.

Both the juveniles and juniors played the event at 6,711 yards.

In the bantam boy’s (13-14-year-olds) division, Saskatoon’s Alex Swinnerton fired rounds of 78 and 76 to win the age group by eight strokes over fellow Bridge City golfer Max Regier. Winnipeg’s Scott Miner was third at 163.

The peewee (12 and under) boy’s winner was Strathmore, Alta.’s Parker Riou. He posted rounds of 77 and 83 for a total of 160, nine shots ahead of Warman’s Dane Giesbrecht. Calgary’s Leyton Arthur was third at 173.

Autumn Neiszner continued her strong season with another win, the Wascana Country Club player won the 15-18 girls age group with a score of 169, ten ahead of Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve. Symone Ripley of Saskatoon placed third at 213.

Ella Kozak of Yorkton was the lone competitor in the under-15 age group, the Deer Park member shot 178 (91, 87).

All the results of the junior event can be seen here.

Mini Tour recap

Poppy Hudye Baranskey, 10, shot 110 to sit atop the 9-10 girls age group of the Mini Tour portion of the event. She was eight shots better than Saskatoon’s Grace Odnokon and 13 ahead of Madison Elliot, also of Saskatoon.

Kyle’s Chloe Wills was the lone girl in the 11-12 age group, she carded a 122.

In the under-eight age group Austin Nesbitt of Pilot Butte was the low shooter, he scored an 86. Melville’s Keaton Kreklewich was just three strokes back at 89. Peyton Olynick of Saskatoon placed third with 96.

Saskatoon’s Lucas Sturgeon shot 80 to claim the boy’s 9-10-year-old group.

In the 11 and 12-year-old boy’s age group Coben Taylor is taking home a gold medal. The Saskatoon golfer stroked a 90, seven less than second-place Lyndon Ross. Ayden Ross of Swift Current finished in third at 106.

All the Mini Tour results can be seen here.

The next Saskatchewan MJT event is July 22 and 23 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links.

Saskatchewan juniors are getting set for the provincial championships that take place at Nipawin’s Evergreen Golf Course from July 9 to 11.

A little south of Prince Albert and east of Saskatoon you will find one of Saskatchewan’s most beautiful regional parks and another “hidden gem” golf course near Wakaw.

Established in 1965, Wakaw Lake Regional Park is supported by five surrounding rural municipalities. The park features all the amenities you’d expect from a Saskatchewan regional park including camping, boating, fishing, marina, a beach, swimming, playground, mini golf and a breath taking nine-hole golf course.

“This is one of those hidden gems,” said Gord Asmussen, the golf club president. “People come out from Saskatoon, Prince Albert, southern Saskatchewan, what they find here is one of the nicest golf courses in the province, especially for nine-hole courses. The views and the vistas they get off some of the tee boxes are second to none.”

The course plays between 5,442 yards 6,310 yards over 18 holes and spread across three sets of tees. Long sloping fairways, elevated tees, water hazards and mature tree lines make for a challenging round at Wakaw Lake according to Asmussen.

“I think you get to use every club. The starter is a short par-five, then you have a short par-four guarded by water on the left and trees on the right. The par-threes are reachable for almost all golfers, there is a 590-yard par-five so that challenges even those big ball hitters. There is a little bit of everything. There is one dogleg par-four guarded by trees, it’s a challenging little course,” he said.

With that being said, there is 150 campsites in the park so the course plays family friendly.

“Everybody can play,” Asmussen said. “With the campground here we have a lot of people come out and camp and golf as a family.”

In recent years the course has had flooding issues along their picturesque second hole, but they have alleviated the water issues by installing a 16-inch pipe under the fairway that drains from the bottom of a north hill into a holding pond. The pipe continues along the course and drains into the lake. The work was completed last year, and the stakeholders could not be happier with how the work turned out. Park administrator Rick Kindrachuk said project, led by long-time superintendent Dean Hildebrandt has worked amazingly.

“It was a worthwhile venture,” he said. “The water hazard has added not only some beauty and a challenge to the course, but it’s also taken care of our drainage problems as well.”

The club has over 200 members from nearby Wakaw and the surrounding RM’s and communities. They feature weekly men’s and ladies’ leagues and have junior golf programs in place. There is a full service, licensed clubhouse and the course recently purchased a new beverage cart. The drainage issue was the number one factor for the board of directors that manage the course, but other upgrades are being undertaken. They have built or expanded on five of the tee boxes plus the crew and volunteers built a potentially problematic bunker off the right side of the ninth green.

Kindrachuk said the partnership the golf club board has with the operating body of the park works great and allows for seamless work with everyone involved.

“The park works extremely well with the golf club. We have much more here than the course but with a nine-hole facility as beautiful as this one it looks after itself and we can focus on other things,” he said.

The course also features several tournaments through out the year led by their men’s event that sells out every year and has a waiting list.

For more information on Wakaw Lake Golf Course click here.

Rule 12: Bunkers

Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions in Bunkers

May I remove a loose natural object (loose impediment) in a bunker? What about an artificial object?

A loose natural object is a loose impediment and may be removed anywhere on the golf course (see Rule 12.2a). But, you’ll want to be careful that your ball does not move if you move a loose impediment or you will get one penalty stroke and must replace your ball. An artificial object is an obstruction. If it’s movable, it may be moved anywhere on the course, including in bunkers and penalty areas (these may include the rake, a can, towel, etc.)

Remember the Rules Matter!

The TaylorMade M5 has now been in the golf bag of the last two Major Champions. Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka have trusted the performance of the M5 to lead them to victory. TaylorMade has taken the same tour-level performance and built it for every golfer. Thanks to the speed tuning resin of the Injected Twist Face of the M5 driver. Everyone is promised industry-leading ball speeds for more distance and better forgiveness on mishits.

Key Features

• Each M5 driver club head is tested to ensure that it is at the legal limit for ball speeds and distance.
• Twist Face helps players improve accuracy by reducing the gear effect experienced by strikes in the toe and heel of the driver club face.
• The Inverse T-Track of the M5 offers the maximum amount of custom fit ability to tailor make each driver to golfers of all swing types and skill levels.

TaylorMade M5 Driver Detailed Review

Design and Technology

The TaylorMade M5 driver is created with a multi-material, carbon composite crown to give engineers more freedom to move weight into better positions of the club head. The club face of M5 features more recession in the high toe and the low heel sections to help players find more fairways on their worse strike. Hammerhead 2.0 technology helps retain ball speeds across the face, especially in the lower part of the club head. All of this forgiveness combines with the speed tuned resin-injected club head for maximum ball speed and distance characteristics.

The constant advantage of TaylorMade’s flagship driver model is the freedom for club builders and players to dial in their exact launch, spin, and shot shape preferences. The Inverse T-track of the M5 driver helps players optimize the center of gravity of the club head to give them more weight exactly where they need it most. A center of gravity built for your golf swing can lead to more distance and more protection from your frequent misses. Players that struggle with a slice can move more weight to the heel for a draw-bias design. Golfers that cannot see their driver going left can move the weight into the toe section and help them eliminate the left side of the golf course.

I have always been a fan of TaylorMade drivers. Used by some of the best players in the world, TaylorMade metalwoods continue to be validated on some of the most difficult golf courses. The M5 is my favorite TaylorMade driver in this year’s cycle. I was able to achieve my ideal ball flight quickly by adjusting the weights to help suit my swing. The M5 provided me with some of my longest drives ever thanks to higher launches and lower spins. The M5 looks, sounds, and feels like a better players driver. The sound is muted and a pleasure to hit. The contrast of the grey to black is easy to align and inspired me with confidence standing over my tee shots.

For my tests, I outfit the higher lofted, 10.5-degree M5 club head with a Tensei CK Pro Orange shaft 70TX version. I adjusted the hosel setting to sit open and play around 9.25-degrees. Moving the weight slightly into the toe side helped me reduce my left miss and allowed me to swing aggressively without fearing my drives would end up out of play. In total, the M5 could instantly go into my golf bag. Validation on the course led me to more comfort as my practice and play continued. If you are a golfer in the market for a new driver this season, M5 has to be on your list.

Golfers looking for more forgiveness will enjoy the performance of the larger 460 cc version and players that want a different shape and even more penetrating ball flights may find a better fit with the 435 cc option.

The 460 cc M5 is available in three lofts. 9, 10.5, and 12-

Specs

The stock shaft offerings for the M5 are the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange, non-pro version, and Project X HZRDUS Smoke. Both shaft models are available in 60-gram and 70-gram weight options in regular, stiff, and extra-stiff flexes. TaylorMade’s full custom shaft line up is available and can be ordered at various upcharge costs. Golf Pride’s popular Multi-compound, or MCC, grips come standard but several options can be custom ordered for no additional charge.

Conclusion

The M5 driver is one of the highest performing drivers in this year’s testing lineup. The M5 excels at giving players the ability to adjust their club to their delivery position. Seeing your favorite ball flight more often can give you more confidence and help you shoot better scores. Technology like Injected Twist Face, Hammerhead 2.0, and the Inverse T-track create more opportunities for you to out driver your competition and help you make more birdies. As more data is collected showing us how important getting the right driver for each golfer is becoming, this is the year to upgrade your equipment and the M5 should be at the top of your testing list.

Author Bio

Paul Liberatore was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He has been an avid and passionate golfer for over 30 years, and loves learning and increasing his knowledge on the game. While still in college, Paul co-founded the AccuHit Company with his father and helped it to become one of the most recognized golf training aids in the world. A lawyer by day, his true passion is his website Golfers Authority which delivers the very latest in golf equipment reviews, buyer guides, tips, and advice that helps players take their golf game to the next level.

The Citizens Golf Club in Moose Jaw held the inaugural Saskatchewan Sand Greens Amateur and Open Championships in 1936.  The next year the name of the course changed to Lynbrook Golf Club and they continued to host the event for many years.

The Eilers’ Trophy for the competition was donated by Walter Eilers of Regina.

1936, Aug. 12-13: Amateur winner: Kemp Healy, Moose Jaw; 3&2 over Lawrence Gusa, Moose Jaw.  Open:  Jimmy Ubukata, Moose Jaw and Tommy Ross, Regina tied at 152 after 36 holes, and agreed to split the $25 purse.  (Open entry: 7 pros)

1937, July 5-6: Amateur winner: Donald McDonald 4&2 over Adam Thompson.  Open winner: Hugh Fletcher, 145 for two-rounds.

1938: winner: Byron McDonald

1939, Sept. 3: Orv McGowan tied with Lynbrook clubmate Burt Sallstrom at 153 after 36 holes, but finally won after nine extra holes. (45 holes in one day!) (67 entries)

1940: no tournament

1941, Sept. 1: Orv McGowan, 73, won over Win Herget, 76, both Moose Jaw players.

1942-43-44: no tournament

1945, Sept. 29-30:  Amateur winner: Howard Bidwell.  Open winner: Hugh Fletcher; both scored 75 on final day.  (85 golfers from Regina and Moose Jaw entered)

1946, June 29-July 1: winner: Art Gault, 144; runner-up: Howard Bidwell

1947: Orv McGowan, winner for the third time.

1960: Lynbrook Golf Club: winner: Ray Marsh, M.J

1 961: Swift Current, Elmwood Golf Course: winner: Alex Kozakavich, 147

1962:  North Battleford Golf and Country Club: winner: Bob Beranek, North Battleford

1964:  Melfort Golf Club

1969: winner: Tony Wiebe, M.J.

1971: winner: Tony Wiebe, M.J.

1972: Lynbrook GC: R/U: Doug Craig, M.J.

1975: Senior winner:  Clarence (Boy) Ashworth

1979: Lynbrook GC: runner-up Doug Craig, M.J.

1983: Lynbrook GC: winner: Tony Wiebe, M.J., 203; R/U: Mark Abert, 206

1988: R/U: Fred Collins Jr, M.J.

Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame members Doug Mader and Ron Dosdoll are two of the province’s most successful sand green golfers. You can read more about their accomplishments here.

*Years not listed a championship was not held. Records are incomplete following 1988.

The publication was produced by local golf historian Lori Harvie.

With school ending this week summer vacation plans are being put into motion for families across the province, and whether you are near the east-central area or don’t mind hitting the open road make McNab Regional Park a stop on your journey.

Nestled into the area just south of Watson, the park features everything a family, group, or single summer traveller demands for a memorable day, night, week, or longer. The park features an outdoor swimming pool, 30- and 50-amp campsites with both water and sewer service, and perhaps most importantly, a nifty nine-hole golf course. Interestingly enough, another area town with an adjacent park with similar amenities is approximately 30 minutes away in LeRoy. McNab manager Kim Mitchell said the step up the park near Watson has on nearby LeRoy Leisureland is location.

“We have travellers coming on Highway 6 which is always very busy, Highway 5 is always very busy,” she explains. “We tend to get a lot of people staying in our campground because we have a few more amenities in our campground. They stay and they come golfing.”

Like many small town Saskatchewan courses McNab’s is fairly wide open but tricky doglegs, water hazards, and longer distances for called for pars make the track a challenge for all levels of golfers. McNab is a par 35 and plays between 2,946 and 3,174 yards. With over 80 members in a town of 700 the club is profitable and features the weekly men’s, women’s, and mixed leagues. The course is also working hard to generate future members with a junior program according to Mitchell.

“Every Monday night, tee off is at 5:30 p.m. It is six dollars for the round of golf or whatever we do that day whether it’s different formats, best ball, scramble, or other games. We try to keep it fun for the various ages,” she said.

A round is very affordable for guests staying at the campground, nine holes is just $10.

McNab has a full slate of tournaments scheduled every year highlighted by their Watson Fire and Rescue Pink Ball Tournament on Sept. 8. The next tournament is the Ladies’ and Men’s 2 Person Scramble on July 14.

McNab is working with LeRoy Leisureland and two other nearby nine-hole courses on a neat summer promotion. If you pay the entry fee of $20 at your home course and keep your scorecards from St. Brieux, LeRoy and Hidden Meadows between now and Aug. 23 you could win a cash payout. Members pay half prize at the other courses; the promotion is labelled the Four Course Seasonal.

The full service clubhouse has recently seen renovations, they redid the carpet, took out a wall to make it more visually appealing and allowing in more sunlight plus the park purchased new tables and chairs. Mitchell said they have the staff and capability to add a few more revenue generating services.

“We are doing more catering and outside of golf events,” she said. “We can do anniversaries, weddings, grads, we can really do anything you need.”

The club is currently awaiting new cups, pins, and flags for the course and will be installed soon. Local sponsors will be featured on the hole locators and each member is asked to volunteer for few hours per season performing various tasks. Mitchell said they don’t mind and that the local support is crucial to their success.

“A tonne of local businesses and businesses from the surrounding communities that use this place give us what we need to run. I can’t thank them enough,” Mitchell said.

Aside from the golf course, the pool offers swimming lessons over the summer. The park is also installing a playground near the clubhouse.

McNab does cater to out-of-towners and that is a huge goal of theirs’s but providing summer time memories to locals is also critical for their board, bottom line and community.

“McNab Park is very important to Watson and the area,” Mitchell said. “It gives us the ability to have three kinds of recreation, golf, swimming, and camping. Without McNab Park here there would be people travelling larger distances to gets kids to a pool for lessons or an afternoon swim, and of course to golf.”

You can learn more about McNab on their website or call 306.320.7752.

With an original goal of raising $1,500 for Kidsport Saskatewan, Estevan’s Brian Fitzpatrick “crushed” the mark during his “longest day of golf” venture..

On June 22, Fitzpatrick and Carnduff’s Kris Carley played 115 holes at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course taking pledges and raising funds through gofundme for the provincial organization that helps kids get into sports that can’t due to financial difficulties. After playing for 17 straight hours, the sore and tired twosome spoke with discoverestevan’s Nick Neilsen.

“Today during the round quite a few donations came in through the gofundme page as well as people coming up to us saying you guys are doing a great job and giving us money,” Fitzpatrick said.

With a final tally of $4,300 raised as of June 25, Fitzpatrick was excited for the grand total.

“It was great,” he said. “I set a goal of $1,500 to start off with and we crushed that so it’s pretty amazing.”

Originally the plan was for Fitzpatrick to go about the initiative on his own with a goal of 90 holes, but Carley wanted to be involved in some way.

“When he started the gofundme and there was money coming in I wanted to donate to it but I didn’t know how I was going to do it,” Carley explained. “As I got thinking about, one guy out here if the course is full he’s going to be pulling his hair out. I sent Brian a message and asked if he wanted company for the day and he said that would be great. By yourself it would have been pretty boring, I thought I would come on board and I set my donation on how I played.”

The better Carley played; the more money would be raised.

“I figured playing was the best way to do it, I set my parameters at a dollar for par or worse, two dollars for every birdie and $10 for every eagle and I would match Brian’s too. I think I got us to about $185 today through all the holes played,” he said.

The official longest day of the year is June 21, but the Woodlawn was hosting a tournament forcing the pair to move the date a day later. They did battle some wind and rain during the day but overall they are very pleased with the turnout.

Fitzpatrick is delivering the money to the provincial Kidsport office in Regina on Wednesday.

Beginning in May of each year the Nipawin Special Olympics group runs a six week long golf program that culminates with a tournament on the Saturday prior to Father’s Day at the Evergreen Golf Course.

This year 24 players took part from Nipawin, Prince Albert, Tisdale, and Regina. Last year 17 players attended the event.

Betty Blue has been working with the Special O organization for over 25 years and said the once a week golfing program is very exciting to the athletes.

“They absolutely love golfing, they really do,” Blue remarked to Golf Saskatchewan this week. “I thinks it is getting more popular all the time for Special Olympians. They also get to see new faces and make new friends.”

The program includes weekly lessons at the course over the six-week period for the local players. One participant even travels to Nipawin from Tisdale to take part. During the tournament, fun is the key basis. The more developed athletes will play nine holes, the beginners play a best ball format and get through as many holes as possible, this year they played four which was an improvement from the year prior.

The event ends off with an award ceremony with medals and prizes. The Spot at the Evergreen catered a meal for the group as well which is also a highlight according to Blue.

“We try to have a meal that they don’t get at home because they all cook for themselves, so we go for something extraordinary,” she said.

All in all the program was another success this year and Blue said they will be back for another year. She added the work put in by volunteers, staff and the participants makes the event a memorable one each year on the calendar.

“I think it’s a great program,” she beamed. “I’d like to thank Derek (Tallon) at the Evergreen. He gives us so much stuff, he allows us to use his stuff clubs and carts. I think the main thing is everything went well, and everyone enjoys it.”

Wascana Country Club member Ryan McNall has his second men’s Order of Merit Tour (OMT) win of the season and sits first overall in the standings after claiming his fifth Publinx Championship.

McNall defeated Carson Harcourt in a four-hole playoff on Sunday at the Tor Hill Golf Course in Regina picking up 500 OMT points and vaulting over Lobstick victor Danny Klughart. McNall said he wasn’t on top of his game and some luck may have been involved.

“I grinded it out really, I didn’t hit it very good, I didn’t have much going,” he said.

After being three-over through five holes during round one, McNall battled back to finish the round at an even, 71. Jace Carlisle was the first-round leader at 68. McNall opened round two with a bogey, parred holes two up to 11 before another bogey at 12 dropping him to plus-2 and trailing Kipling’s Harcourt and his brother Shawn McNall. However he managed to birdie the par-five 16 and 17, a “tough” par three. McNall had a chance to birdie out on 18 to win but had to settle for par and the playoff.

“I heard had Carson finished even so I knew I was in a playoff, but I got lucky at the end,” he admitted.

The playoff started on hole 18, neither player could grab the edge until Harcourt got into trouble on hole 3 North allowing McNall the victory. Harcourt does pick up 400 OMT points and sits third overall. McNall hasn’t finished lower than third in four events this season. He said the amateur tour is enjoyable when the players are so competitive.

“It makes it fun for sure, you don’t have one guy that stands out,” he said. “In a tournament like that there is probably eight different guys that could win it. It’s always fun when it comes down to the end.”

Shawn placed third just a stroke back and earned 350 OMT points, he’s fourth in the OMT race. Carlisle placed fourth in the tournament, Travis Fifi rounded out the top-five just three strokes off the leaders.

McNall hasn’t played a national event since 2017 at his home course of Wascana, the mid-am. He said his strong start to the year has refueled his passion for competitive golf.

“I’m going to play in more tournaments than I ever have this year. We will see what happens with the OMT. Last year I didn’t go to nationals so I’m planning on doing that if I can qualify,” he said.

Next up on the tour is the Reliance Gregg’s Central Amateur at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club on June 29 to July 1. The province’s top amateurs will look to use the event as a tune up for the Golf Saskatchewan provincial amateur and mid-am at the same venue two weeks later.

Johnson finishes tied for sixth at Glencoe Invitational

Yorkton’s Kade Johnson finished in a tie for sixth place this past weekend at the rain shortened Glencoe Invitational in Calgary.

Sitting as high as fourth at one point with five birdies in round one, Johnson closed the second, and last round with back-to-back bogeys to finish the 36-hole tournament at two-over par. The event is a three-round championship, but Saturday’s 18 holes were rained out.

Saskatoon’s Ty Campbell was also in the field, he finished in 46^th place at 17-over par.

Kozak posts top-10 finish in Manitoba

Meanwhile in Manitoba at the City and District Championship in Carman, Yorkton’s Ella Kozak posted a 31-over par to claim a top-10 finish at the event.

The 13-year-old shot a 15-over, 87 during round one and an 88, 16-over during the second and final round of the championship that featured a field of 23 women amateurs, Kozak was the only junior entered.

Kozak’s card featured one birdie, 10 pars, 18 bogeys, and seven double-bogeys.

When dropping in taking free relief or penalty relief, your ball must be dropped in and come to rest in the defined relief area.

Click here to learn more.