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Team Saskatchewan’s golf teams for the Western Canada Summer Games (WCSG) will consist of five girls and five boys based on Order of Merit (OMT) points.

To be eligible to compete for a spot at the Games, players must be under 17 years old as of Aug. 1 this year, be a Saskatchewan resident, and be a member of Golf Canada. The golf portion of the games will be played at the Chinook Golf Club in Swift Current from Aug. 14 to 18.

Positions on the teams will be determined by OMT points, Golf Saskatchewan will take a players top four events plus the provincial junior championships taking place at the Evergreen Golf Course in Nipawin from July 9 to 11. The teams will be announced July 12. The top four players in the Juvenile age group (15-16) and the top player in the Bantam age group (13-14) will be asked to join Team Sask.

The first OMT event was held in Estevan May 4 and 5. The Elmwood Golf and Country Club is hosting the second Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) in Saskatchewan this upcoming weekend. The deadline to register is Thursday (May 16). Registration details can be found here.

A pair of Future Links events in June will be used for points as will another two MJT tournaments near the end of June.

You can see the dates and registration information under the “compete” tab, then click on Junior OMT. The WCSG standings after the first qualifying event can be seen here. To view the Golf Saskatchewan OMT points structure click here.

Saskatchewan golfers drawn in by TaylorMade’s products are entranced by “Twist Face” technology for the 2019 season.

The new engineering involved for the company’s drivers is being pushed heavily with the help of golf’s top names. Saskatchewan TaylorMade sales manager Mike Langin describes the details of the new design.

“Every driver that we produce gets tested and every driver is injected with a different amount of resin that sits behind the club face to essentially optimize each driver,” Langin explained to Golf Saskatchewan. “It’s is close to the maximum coefficient of restitution (COR) that is still legal so in terms of quality control it narrows down the scope and so every driver we produce is a consistent COR across the board.”

The golf magnate is near, if not at the top of the leaderboard when it comes to PGA Tour professionals stocking their products. Tiger Woods is the biggest face the company has advertising wise, but Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, John Rahm, Jason Day, and Ricky Fowler also have TaylorMade in their bags.

Langin said Tiger claiming another green jacket with a win at the Masters helps their company but it also assists golf.

“Selfishly from a TaylorMade standpoint it’s great for us to have Tiger on our team and obviously playing well and winning again is huge,” he said. “Just for the entire game of golf, we’re getting that Tiger buzz again and people are getting more into golf and following it more.”

TaylorMade has launched new products for 2019 that will cover your entire bag. Langin said the TaylorMade research and development team worked with Woods when it came to their new line of irons. The company had some issues with “face slot problems” in recent years but TaylorMade is optimistic their new “Speed Bridge” line will give golfers what they need.

“It creates a little more stability in the head but also allows the face to be a little more flexible, so it actually flexes a little bit more and that gives it the trampoline effect,” Langin said. “With that we’re seeing a little bit more ball speed. That’s our theme this year, speed. This year with injections in the M5 and M6, everyone gets faster.”

The most underrated market for TaylorMade is when it comes to greens, but that is coming to a stop quicker than a six-running putt on the Stimpmeter. The “Spider” line of putters is scurrying among PGA Tour leaders. The Spider is ranked as the number one putter on tour for 78 weeks over the last two years. Langin said those numbers are catching the ears of potential customers.

“When you tell people our putters have been the number one model for almost every week for the last two years you put that into perspective,” Langin said.

The other main component of Taylormade’s market is golf balls which is growing immensely. Last year the company ranked fifth among ball sales, even behind Nike who had been out of the ball industry for over two years. The TPX and TP5X model balls have secured 25 percent of the Canadian market, well above their 10 percent value across the globe.  Langin said their golf balls produce the best results.

“Other manufacturers make good balls as well but, with the use of Trackman and Flightscope it shows numbers and it shows you pick up more speed with our ball,” Langin said.

“The numbers don’t lie,” he lamented.

Constantly dealing with quick delivery companies TaylorMade has also redeveloped their online ordering system to get orders into Saskatchewan golfer’s hands sooner. Potential customers can also visit myfittingexp.com for more information.

Most golfers think the clubs in their bag are the highest importance when it comes to carding low scores; that’s likely the case but having proper food and beverages available to keep you fueled for upwards of four to five hours is also crucial to a successful round.

Heather Hynes is a sports nutritionist based in Saskatoon and has several golfers on her client list. She said being prepared for a round starts with your meal preparation before you tee off.

“I think the biggest thing is really looking at what type of things you’re having before you head out to the course just to make sure you’re going to have enough sustained energy to play 18 holes,” she said. “Having a good-sized meal prior to playing that’s going to give your body a good amount of carbohydrate energy from fruits and veggies and grains and then having a good source of protein at the meal as well.”

Hynes said if you eat properly ahead of your round you should be covered until about the turn to the back nine. She suggested either purchasing a healthy snack or packing options such as protein or granola bars, fruit, and crackers to get you through the second half.

As for staying hydrated, she said weather plays a huge factor. On hot days it’s crucial to stay hydrated, she said cooler days still having access to liquids is important. She added making sure you are properly consuming beverages will make your round more enjoyable.

“People ask me questions of, well if I have a beer how much water do I need to drink to compensate for that? That’s not how the body works,”’ she explained. “If you are having a couple drinks just make sure you do have a lot of replacement of water just so you can maintain hydration. That’s just for the enjoyment of the game so you can still perform and still feel comfortable. Again, more stressed placed when the temperature is high.”

The tips provided by Hynes are for higher handicap players for the most part or players who play more for fun than competitively. She said for players that are serious about their game and work hard at it much more focus on health and nutrition is involved.

“If someone is looking to perform at an elite level you are looking at fine tuning everything you are doing and nutrition is a piece of the puzzle,” Hynes said. “They would be looking at how they eat day in, day out. They would be fine tuning what types of snacks work best for them when playing. What settles a nervous stomach, what’s going to result in sustained energy? Whether they are using a sport drink like a Gatorade or a Powerade due to the duration of a round, and again the temperature they are playing under.”

“You can get very specific and I would say our top athletes are working towards that,” she added.

Hynes said staying full and hydrated in golf is much different from other sports. Hockey and soccer athletes have a much higher heartrate and is much more intense. She said golfers can “graze” on snacks throughout the round and the release of the energy is slowed so your energy will be sustained over a longer time period.

She also said for early morning golfers, if you aren’t having a full breakfast before the round that you do eat a proper meal following the round to “recover” and not skip the meal because of their tee time.

Yorkton’s Ella Kozak has her second under-15 girl’s division win on the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) in two events.

After winning the division in Estevan last weekend the 13-year-old shot a 36-hole total of 166 (85, 81) in Portage la Prairie, Man. on May 11 and 12 during that province’s first event of the season. Kozak was 33 shots better than Swan River’s Crystal Zamzow who placed second. Jeri-Ann Lafleche of Winnipeg rounded out the top three. Kozak’s score was nine strokes behind the overall girl’s winner, Mikyla Albert of Selkirk, Man. Fired 157 (79, 78) to win the 15-18 age group.

Other Saskatchewan competitors in the event included Estevan’s Drew Fenwick, Zachary Hill of Redvers, and Chase Gedak, another Estevan golfer. Fenwick placed eighth in the juvenile (15-16 years-old) division carding an 80 and 84. Hill, was a stroke back in ninth at 165 (86, 79).

Gedak competed in the junior (17-18 years-old) category, he collected the silver medal after back to back rounds of 75. Jacob Armstrong was four shots ahead to claim the category.

Saskatchewan’s next MJT event is at Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf and Country Club on May 19 and 20.

The competitive golf season teed off last weekend with the juniors in Estevan at the Maple Leaf Junior Tour event but to prepare for the busy tournament schedule Golf Saskatchewan is working to certify more referees for this season and years beyond.

Approximately 15 people attended the latest rules seminar conducted by Golf Saskatchewan and executive director Brian Lee last weekend in Saskatoon. On top of Lee’s Golf Saskatchewan duties, he’s also a certified Golf Canada referee.

Brian Topp was one of the attendees who’s excited about becoming a golf referee. He took his Level 1 training online before attending the Level 2 session. Topp is a long-time player who decided to get involved on the Rules of Golf aspect following the changes to the rules. The Saskatoon resident and Holiday Park member said he wanted to show respect for previous volunteers who were involved when he played in competitive events.

“I appreciated them when I was there and I hope that I know what I’m doing out there and they will appreciate what I’m doing out there for them,” Topp said

The Rules of Golf was alternated with upwards of 150 changes going into the 2019 season. Topp said he was interested in getting involved last year but made the decision to wait until the new rules come into effect. Topp said the wait will be worth the experiences.

“Being a nurse, I interact with the public, that will come in handy interacting with players,” he said. “Plus, I’ve been on the other side as a player at events. What I’m looking forward to is working with the juniors, you are sort of leading them down a path.”

Topp said he is excited to lay out course tee boxes and pin placements as well in his learning curve.

Meanwhile, Nipawin’s Kevin Duchscherer has been involved in the rule’s aspect since 2014. He said the transition to the new Rules of Golf wasn’t seamless.

“I felt I needed to focus on unlearning and relearning the rules.”

“I felt I needed to focus on unlearning and relearning the rules,” he laughed. “I felt by erasing the inner blackboard and getting new notes up there to study from was going to be successful in recertifying myself. It took some effort; I was fortunate enough to learn the new stuff and not let the old stuff complicate things in my own head.”

Golf Saskatchewan needs anywhere from two to eight referees per event. Duchscherer got involved through his daughter’s participation in provincial events. The Evergreen Golf Club member in Nipawin is also a volunteer on the Golf Saskatchewan board of directors.  He said seeing people like Topp stepping up to provide their time is crucial to the success of the sport in the province.

“It’s absolutely awesome, its invigorating every time we get a new person in,” Duchscherer said. “Everybody always brings some sort of expertise we can rely on when we need to. Every time a new person shows up, I am always thrilled what I can learn from them as well as to mentor them if I can too.”

Lee is working on the test results and will reach out to all attendees in the near future. He said all the participants did extremely well and he is looking forward to continuing to work with them such as Jim and Linda Walker who have been crucial rules officials over the years or new refs such as Topp. Duchscherer said overall there is a passion all the attendees and current referees applaud.

“It’s like going out and playing and hitting that beautiful shot, and you can’t wait to get out and do it again. That’s how I feel. We have a new set of rules out there, it’s going to be exciting as to how they play both as a referee and a player,” Duchscherer said.

Many emigrants from Scotland and England brought a love for the game of golf with them to Saskatchewan.  The initial meeting to organize golf in Regina took place in March 1896.  Four holes were laid out, increasing to nine holes for the formal opening of the Regina Golf Club in 1899.   Clubs were formed in Moose Jaw (1906), Saskatoon (1907), Sedley (1908), Prince Albert (1908), followed by two country clubs, Wascana (1911) and Riverside (1912).

1908: Regina Golf Club, October 1-3, 10

The first Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship began on Thursday, October 1, 1908 at the original Regina Golf Club links on the north side of Wascana Creek.  The nine-hole qualifying round was to start at 9:00 a.m., followed by the top eight moving to match play at 10:00 a.m.  After lunch, the four winners would play matches, with the championship final starting at 3:30.  Saskatoon golfers were unable to attend the competition and when the expected Moose Jaw golfers did not arrive that left two from Sedley and six from Regina for the men’s championship.  In the all-Regina final on Saturday, October 3, W.S. Gray won 4 and 3 over J.K. Hunter.  During the game Hunter had the misfortune to be stymied four times to Gray’s once.

Instead of the club team matches which had been planned for Friday, an Open competition was substituted.  After play on Friday, October 2 James Balfour and J.K. Hunter qualified for the final match.  This, however, was not played until Saturday, October 10 when Hunter won 3 and 2 over Balfour.  Since Hunter and Gray had each won a competition, they played off Saturday afternoon for the competition medal which Gray won 5 and 4.

In 1892 Kelso Hunter came to Regina from Glasgow, Scotland and was a lawyer in the Land Titles office.  He was responsible for laying out the original nine holes for the Regina Golf Club and served as the club’s secretary-treasurer for fourteen years.  W.S. Gray had recently arrived from Scotland to take up a banking position when he won the first Saskatchewan men’s amateur championship.  (Barclay, pp. 73-74)

The women played a nine-hole competition on Thursday and Friday at 1:00 p.m.  The two Regina competitors, Mrs. McPherson and Mrs. Kingsley, each lost by one point in the first round so the final match was between two Moose Jaw players.  Mrs. George won 2 and 1 over Mrs. Bailey to take the medal.  A mixed foursomes competition attracted eight participants.

1909: Regina Golf Club, September 28-30

A meeting of club representatives during the first tournament unanimously chose Moose Jaw for the 1909 provincial tournament but it ended up returning to the Regina Golf Club.  A bus left the King’s Hotel both morning and afternoon to transport players and their friends to the course.

When the golf tournament opened with gale-force winds scoring low was difficult.  Some of the expected competitors from outside Regina were late or did not appear.   In the men’s championship final J.H.H. Young defeated Kelso Hunter, both from Regina.  The men’s Open stroke competition was won by Rev. D. Ritchie with 93, the Open handicap winner was James Balfour, and the mixed foursomes’ event was won by Mrs. D.P. McCall and J.K. Hunter.

The women’s Open championship was won by Mrs. G.B. Kingsley who defeated her sister Mrs. Penny for the title.  The next day the women’s handicap competition was won handily by Mrs. Penny with 67 over Mrs. D.P. McCall’s 76.

 1910:  Regina Golf Club, July 1-2

Although golfers were expected from Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert, apologies for their absence were sent in leaving only eight entries from Regina competing for the Saskatchewan golf championship.  Greens were reported to be in good shape as play commenced Friday morning and continued until the final on Saturday afternoon.  Rev. David Ritchie of Francis, Saskatchewan won 4 and 3 over the previous winner J.H.H. Young of Regina.  In the men’s handicap event final J. Kelso Hunter won with a net 89 over James Balfour’s net 92, both competitors playing with a handicap of three.

There were four entries for the ladies’ handicap tournament, won by Miss Cockshutt of Brantford, ON with 72 over Mrs. A.J. McPherson, 77.  Four couples entered the mixed foursomes event: Countess Von Schwartzenburg and James Balfour, Mrs. A.J. McPherson and W.F. Donaldson, Miss Cockshutt and J.K. Hunter, and Miss M. Martin and A.F. Angus.  The latter couple won after a playoff of two extra holes.

Thirty-six years after Rev. David Ritchie won the Balfour Cup, his son related this story to a Regina Leader-Post reporter while he was visiting from Ottawa.   His father, a Presbyterian minister posted at Francis, Saskatchewan from 1905 to 1911, was an ardent golfer.  Newly married, he started off for the Regina competition in a democrat, with his bride on the front seat beside him and his golf clubs in the back.  Somewhere along the way the democrat hit a terrific bump and confusion reigned for several minutes.  Straightening himself out, the Reverend glanced back, then calmly turned to his much shaken-up bride and remarked, “Mercy, I almost lost my golf clubs that time!”   Rev. J.M. Ritchie, also a Presbyterian minister, reported that his father still enjoyed golfing in Seaforth, Ontario in 1946 but was only able to play nine holes a day.  (Leader-Post, 1946, Jul. 12)

[Note: a democrat is a light, four-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses, having two double seats, one behind the other.] 

1911: Regina Golf Club, September 4-5

G.F. Donaldson of Regina won the men’s amateur 4 and 2 over Dr. A.M. Young of Saskatoon.  The turning point in the match came on the fourteenth hole when “Young foozled his drive and got into the rough grass at the edge of the creek, while Donaldson had a nice iron shot close to the green, and with his mashie pitched the ball into the hole, while Young took three more.” (Morning Leader, Sept. 6, p.6)

In July, Donaldson placed sixth in the Seattle Open handicap tournament when he and two other Regina golfers competed.

There is no record of a women’s competition this year. 

1912: Saskatoon Golf Club, August 31 – September 4

Saskatoon hosted the provincial men’s championship for the first time in 1912.  On opening day, a cavalcade of motor cars left the King George Hotel, “carrying with them the most enthusiastic golfers of the city and the province”.  The Daily Phoenix enthused: “Saturday was a great day for golf, and without doubt the greatest day of golf within the province.  Over 40 players were on the course.”  (Daily Phoenix, Sept. 2, p.7)

The top eight players in the qualifying round played matches for the championship.  Defending champion G.F. Donaldson of Regina won the first prize of a handsome scarf pin donated by Saskatoon Golf Club president J.D. Gunn, while runner-up N.C. Byers of Saskatoon received a gold-headed cane donated by A.H. Hanson.  In the handicap event, a playoff was required after two competitors finished with 80.  First prize of a club bag went to A.M. McIntyre, while runner-up L.M. Bidwell received a driver and brassey donated by the club.

It was not all serious golf, as the newspaper reported that “One of the most novel games ever played on the course was a match in which six players took part.  Refreshments were served on every green, the losers of the hole having to wheel the refreshments to the next green in the greenkeeper’s barrow.  This roused no end of amusement”.  (Daily Phoenix, 1912, Sept. 2, p.7)

Next year it would be much easier to reach the golf course as the street car line would then be in operation.

1913: Regina, Wascana Country Club, August 30 – September 2

The street car left daily at 9:15 from the downtown post office for those wishing to take in the golf tournament at Wascana Country Club and, since the weather was ideal, many did.   The competition was becoming more representative of the whole province as 48 golfers entered the qualifying day; five from Saskatoon, two from Prince Albert and Moose Jaw, one from Swift Current, one unattached, and the rest from Regina.  When three scores of 103 tied for the last two places in the sixteen-person championship flight a draw was made to relegate one of them to the second flight.  G.F. Donaldson was back home after spending the previous two months in Scotland and he would be able to keep the trophy if he won the championship for the third time in a row.  This was not to be, as W.S. Gray of Regina won handily over James Balfour, taking the title on the twenty-seventh hole with a score of 11 and 9.  A handicap competition was held on Monday, with post entries and the 50-cent fee taken until the 1:00 p.m. starting time.   H.S. Anderson won with a net 79 and two golfers tied for second with net 83.  A dance was held Saturday night at Wascana Country Club in honour of the visitors.

The founding meeting of the Saskatchewan Golf Association was held on September 1, 1913 and James Balfour of Regina was elected the first President.  Other officers were: Honorary President – Chief Justice Haultain; Vice-President – W. (Bill) Laidlaw; Secretary-Treasurer – N.C. Byers of Saskatoon.  The Executive Committee was made up of representatives from Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina Golf Club, Wascana Country Club, Saskatoon Golf Club, and Saskatoon Country Club (Riverside) which was selected as the site for next year’s tournament.

1914: Saskatoon, Riverside Country Club, September 6-9

The Saskatoon Country Club successfully hosted its first tournament.  “Four days choke full of good golf, fun and jollity, hospitality of the best, according to the visitors, and a great course.  What more could one wish?”  (Daily Star, Sep. 9, p.7)   Part of the fun was Judge McLorg’s offered prize of twenty-five cents worth of the best cigars to anyone who hit the water tank to the left of the first tee.  Chief Justice Haultain came closest to claiming the prize, missing by a mere three inches.

It was customary to play thirty-six-hole matches to determine the provincial champion and it took G.F. Donaldson until the thirty-sixth to win his third amateur title over W. Laidlaw of Saskatoon.  Regina won both the men’s and women’s team matches.

The women’s competition was reinstated after not being played in 1911, 1912 or 1913 when the men’s provincial tournament was held.  Mrs. W. Parry of Regina won easily over Mrs. A.M. Boyd of Saskatoon 5 and 4 to take the championship.

The Saskatchewan Golf Association re-elected James Balfour as president and formed an executive committee of one representative from each club in the province.  Future championships were to be played in August.  A proposal was put forward to investigate an interprovincial tournament for the four western provinces.

1915: Wascana Country Club, August 17-20

• Aug. 17 – Gentlemen’s championship qualifying round; and gentlemen’s teams. Ladies’ first round; Ladies’ team (9 holes each)
• Aug. 18 – first and second rounds of gentlemen’s championship.

Ladies’ second and third rounds (9 holes each)

• Aug. 19 – Ladies’ final round (18 holes). Third round of gentlemen’s championship.  Handicap competition.  Mixed foursomes (9 holes, medal play)
• Friday, Aug. 20 – final two rounds of gentlemen’s championship. Finals in second and third flights.  Prize presentation, 5:00 p.m.

Weather conditions were ideal for the tournament.  The Regina streetcar was only used that year for the four days needed to take people out to Wascana Country Club.  (Boyle, p. 37)

About 52 players signed up for the men’s amateur competition and Bill Laidlaw handily won the final 4 and 3 over J. Craig of Moose Jaw.  He was also a member of the winning men’s club team from Saskatoon.  The handicap event was won D.B. Winslow of Regina and a Regina couple won the mixed foursomes.

Mrs. G.B. Kingsley of Regina had a “rather easy victory over Mrs. W.D. McBride” to take the Parsons Cup for the Women’s Championship.

The executive of the Saskatchewan Golf Association consisted of:  Honorary President – Hon. Chief Justice Haultain; President – James Balfour; Vice-president – W. Laidlaw; Hon. Secretary-Treasurer – C. Wentworth Clarke.  The Executive committee consisted of W. Laidlaw, Saskatoon Country Club; N.C. Byers, Saskatoon Golf Club; H.C. Pope, Moose Jaw Golf Club; E.B. Jonah, Wascana Country Club; and J.W. Middlemas, Regina Golf Club.  (Reference:  Sask. Archives brochure S-G 372)

At its annual meeting the Saskatchewan Golf Association was pleased to report “a tidy balance on the right side” and elected Bill Laidlaw of Saskatoon the new president.

 1916: Saskatoon Golf Club, August 22-25

A record-breaking ninety-nine men paid a fee of $2.00 to enter all the competitions.  A lunch and supper menu offered daily by various chapters of the Daughters of the Empire raised funds for ‘patriotic purposes’.

Henry Bruce won the provincial championship on the 37^th hole over A.A. Weir of Netherhill, but Mrs. Bruce lost her championship match to Mrs. E.S. Martin.  The men’s team event was won with a score of 355 by a Saskatoon Golf Club team (Messrs. Laidlaw, Weir, Bruce, and Buchan) and the women’s team event was won by Riverside Country Club (Mrs. S. Martin, Mrs. Geo. Martin, Mrs. Coulthard, Mrs. Hettle).  The mixed foursomes event was won by the team of Mrs. Hettle and Mr. Cuthbert.  Forty-two men entered the men’s handicap competition.

At the annual meeting last year it was decided to start an open event for professionals and amateurs to compete together but this did not occur until 1919.

A.F. Angus of Regina was elected the new Saskatchewan Golf Association president.

 1917: Regina Golf Club, August 14-17

A friendly inter-city match led off tournament week as twenty men from Regina and Saskatoon played.  Ninety-two men and ten women registered for the provincial tournaments.  J.T. Cuthbert of Moose Jaw had a great week, breaking the course record with a 75 three times.  He decisively won the provincial championship 9 and 8 over A.A. Weir of Saskatoon, formerly Netherhill.

Mrs. H.A. Bruce relied on spectacular putting to win the women’s title over Mrs. Kingsley 7 and 6.  Saskatoon teams won both the team events: the ladies’ team of Mrs. Bruce, Mrs. Hettle, Mrs. Martin, Miss Macdonald and the men’s team of Messrs. Byers, Miley, Butler, Laidlaw.  Rev. Parker of Qu’Appelle won the men’s handicap event with a net 73.

The SGA annual meeting elected Harold Pope of Moose Jaw the new president.  The Calkins system of handicapping adopted by the USGA was to be used in future in Saskatchewan, as the par basis was considered much more satisfactory than the bogey basis.  Finances of the association were in good condition, and $100 was donated to the Red Cross.

1918: Wascana Country Club, August 6-9

Although it was Saskatoon’s turn in the rotation to host the provincial tournaments the greens at the Saskatoon Golf Club were not in good condition so Wascana was chosen.

Many spectators enjoyed following a match between two professionals: Bill Kinnear of Saskatoon Golf Club and E.H. Brinkworth of Wascana.  A close game ended with Brinkworth winning on the final hole.

Another game that received a lot of attention occurred after Alex Weir lost the semi-final.  The next day he played with Bill Kinnear and shot a new record for the Wascana course.  His 76 was one better than that scored by J.T. Cuthbert the previous week.  Although professional W. Stevens once scored 72, the amateur records were made on a longer, more difficult course.

Cuthbert defended his Saskatchewan amateur title, winning over H.S. Anderson of Regina.  Mrs. G.B. Kingsley, Regina, defeated Mrs. Hunt of Moose Jaw, 3 and 2 to win the women’s championship.  A handicap competition as well as mixed foursomes were played.  The prize presentation by Chief Justice Haultain and a windup dance originally scheduled for the clubhouse were rescheduled to the Assiniboia Club due to heavy rain.

 1919: Saskatoon Golf Club, August 4-8

Eighty-four players entered the men’s amateur championship.  The executive had the power to invite outsiders to the tournament and so reigning champion J.T. Cuthbert who had moved to Winnipeg and previous champion William Laidlaw, now in Montreal, received invitations to compete.

The newspaper report of the semi-final match between J.T. Cuthbert and Dr. Young described how a stymie was played on the first hole.  “Dr. Young overran the cup trying for a three, and stymied Cuthbert.  Things looked bad for the champion but by a wonderful shot he succeeded in turning the tables and forced the doctor to halve the hole for a five through hitting his ball.”  (Daily Star, Aug. 7, p.6)  In a repeat of the 1917 final, Cuthbert again defeated A.A. Weir and claimed his third straight provincial amateur title.

The new two-round Open event, including both amateurs and pros, was won by Alex Weir with 161.  Four Saskatchewan pros played two games on Thursday for a money prize: Kinnear of the Saskatoon Golf Club, Brinkworth of Wascana, Scott of Weyburn, and Smith of Moose Jaw.

Miss Effie MacDonald had moved from Saskatoon to Regina and was a guest of Mrs. H.A. Bruce for the tournament.  The two women met in the final match, with Miss MacDonald defeating her hostess 2 and 1.

As always, a lot of work goes into a successful tournament.  “George Underwood, the secretary, is and has been the busiest man in the city for weeks and is so immersed in executive details that he almost forgets what you putt with.  Jack Turnbull, president of the SGA, is a veritable live wire, and at all times likely to give a good account of himself.  D. McMillan of Regina, the umpire and referee is held in high regard throughout the province.”  (Morning Leader, Aug. 6)

Advice to golfers about the luck of the game was published in a newspaper column:

“You must learn to take luck as it comes.  A player should especially avoid mourning over the varying luck of the game while it is in progress.  If he wants to hold a post-mortem afterward in the clubhouse that is well and good, for that is part of the pleasure of golf.” 

(Saskatoon Phoenix, Aug. 11, p. 7, Chas. ‘Chick’ Evans Jr. column)

Golf Saskatchewan wishes to thank Lori Harvie for the historical data provided in this publication. 

Most golfers in Saskatchewan and many parts of Canada are forced to take long breaks from the game over the winter, the long layoffs can have consequences more than high scores if you aren’t prepared.

Injuries and ailments can derail a golf season with one swing if you aren’t prepared when you tee it up for the first time.

Tanner White is a certified physical trainer at 1621 Club in Regina. White has a degree in Sport and Exercise Science from West Texas A&M and he’s also a Level 3 certified Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) professional. White works with golfers all year round at the Queen City fitness facility. He told Golf Saskatchewan that if you don’t stay physically active over the winter months issues can easily occur during the early part of the season.

“Far too often, especially in Saskatchewan you have people that golf all summer and they become sedentary over the winter and then it warms up and they are just itching to get outside,” he said. “The first warm day of the year they go try and smash drives, right? That’s where some injuries fall.”

White said the number one injury he sees daily is lower back issues. He said joint ailments are quite common in the wrist and elbow regions. Abdominal injuries are also frequent for players who don’t take the proper precautions. He said some people are more fortunate than others and don’t have to put as much work in during the offseason, but that group isn’t completely off the hook.

“You can have someone who is in fabulous shape and their body is not going to make a whole lot of compensation, but you can have someone that has no back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, they know their body will move to produce a golf swing. That’s where I come in, I try to help them become more efficient with their body,” White said.

Preventing injuries goes back to being physically active during the long winters in Saskatchewan according to White. He said there are ways to alleviate back pain during a round if you do feel some discomfort. White cautioned people need to use proper methods of stretching.

“For there I’d recommend people stretching their hip flexors. Generally, people assume they need to stretch their hamstrings to help with their lower back but it’s the opposite,” he said. “You need to stretch the front side of your hips and strengthen the back side. Getting down on one knee and pushing your hip forward from your bottom knee, that’s going to help lengthen those hip flexors and alleviate the back pain.”

White added that the older generation, he said 65 plus should be much more cautious about how they deal with aches and pains. He works with that age group at his club too and focuses on their core areas to keep them safe and healthy on a course. He also has clients from across all levels of golf skill. He said their training regiments stay along the same lines.

“The 20 handicapper, like I worked with this winter, we’ve went through the proper steps and now their body is in a decent place so they can start working on their power and increase club head speed. That goes right back to the scratch golfer as well, I work with a tonne of scratch golfers and honestly, we stayed down in that level one where we are continuing to get that body more mobile and efficient. We’re slowly trying to get more into that power factor,” White explained.

White also cautioned against people practicing exercises that don’t work for a golfer. He said its positive people are being active over the winter but it’s important to work the same muscles used in golf.

“When it comes to golf, our body move in three plains of motion,” White said. “The exercises most people do in the gym generally are in one plain of motion. If they are doing it a lot they are hurting themselves more than benefitting themselves. If you are looking to get into a golf focused regimen then I would highly recommend someone who understands what the body needs to do to help connect the dots between a golf swing and a body.”

For golfers not located in a major market such as Regina or Saskatoon and don’t have access to a trainer or professional White recommends the 1621’s Instagram or the TPI website. He said they both include videos, tips, blogs, and other excellent information pertaining to golfers of all levels.

White provides much more insight in his interview with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork that you can hear below.

The Rules encourage prompt pace of play by all players as it has a huge impact on your group and everyone on the course.

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Although there is no historical data Unity’s Justin Wood could potentially be one of the youngest Hall of Famers in Saskatchewan, or perhaps Canada. The 24-year-old was inducted into the Unity Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Like many young golfers Wood got his start by going to the course with his dad who he said wasn’t an avid player but liked the “get out with his buddies.” Playing several sports growing up Wood eventually chose golf as his focus. He said taking the golf route wasn’t easy, but he stuck with it.

“I was pretty athletic growing up and golf is a tough sport to get into and be good at right away, so I think it was kind of frustrating that way. I just kept going and going and got addicted. I caught the golf bug,” he said.

Around the age of 12 Wood started taking part in local tournaments and having success. At the age of 14 he started branching out and participating in provincial Golf Saskatchewan events. Once he had finished high school Wood went on to Lethbridge College and played on their golf team. He won their conference championship and caught the eyes of schools in the United States. He went on to play at the University of Montevallo. He didn’t win any tournaments in the US but had several top five finishes.

He did win the one of the province’s most coveted trophy in 2016 at The Legends in Warman when he took the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship. He said that win was a highlight knowing the names that came before him.

“It’s kind of cool to have my name mentioned on the same trophy as Graham DeLaet,” he said. “Dave Stewart, Lindsay Bernakevitch has won quite a few times. Just to be mentioned in the same sentence is a good thing for golf in Saskatchewan. It’s been a cool journey. I have picked up a lot of different things from a lot of different people along the way and I still think I’m learning.”

As for the Hall of Fame induction in his hometown, Wood said the honour may be coming a little early but that doesn’t tarnish the achievement one bit.

“It was an interesting feeling seeing my name going in with some of the other people that have done good things for the sporting community in Unity. I think I have a long way to go and championships to hopefully win. Even outside sport there are a lot of things I can bring back to the community,” Wood said.

He was able to share the evening on Saturday with his parents and some friends. He was especially happy that his grandmother was able to attend from Manitoba.

“My grandma came from Brandon to take it in with me, that was really nice of her,” he said. They’ve made a lot of sacrifices for me taking me all over the province and the country. They’ve put a lot of resources and energy into my golf career, so it was nice to share that with them.”

Wood is currently working in an administrative capacity with ATCO Structures. He said it was a golf connection that landed him that position and is enjoying the role. As for the summer Wood will participate in a good portion of the Men’s Order of Merit Tour events and chase another amateur championship. He said having the sport and playing at a high level has helped him in every aspect of his life.

“I’m thankful I got recognized in my community, I love going back there. Golf Saskatchewan has had a big impact on my life as well. A thanks to you guys for all the work you do for golf in the province, we all appreciate it,” Wood concluded.

You can hear more from Wood who spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork following the induction.