Regina’s Alex Schmidt is being recognized for a strong freshman year of golf at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC).

Schmidt, 18, admittingly didn’t turn to golf as her number one sport until her grade 12 year at Miller Comprehensive High School. Volleyball and basketball were her first loves, but the wins started to pile up and her path was paved to the National Association of International Athletics (NAIA) school in Lewiston, Idaho. Schmidt said her success on the course changed her focus.

“Last summer was my first start in tournaments and I kind of realized I was winning and I had some potential in golf,” she said.

With the advice of her dad, Schmidt began working with Pat Marcia at her club, the Royal Regina. Despite her self proclaimed late-blooming Schmidt won the Regina High School Athletic Association women’s golf championship four straight years. She said making the jump to college was a big step.

“The competition, just the push to be better. My team and coach have been a huge help for me. They were all close to help me boost my game and get out there more,” Schmidt said.

In four college tournaments this year Schmidt finished with a pair of top ten spots and one top five. She was named the Frontier Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and a conference second team all-star. She said those acknowledgements are special for her and her family.

“It’s super awesome, just knowing I have my parent’s encouragement and being able to show them my success and where their encouragement has gotten me is a proud moment for me,” Schmidt said.

Her rookie season has concluded but with snow being a rarity in her new home the team will continue to practice throughout the year. Schmidt will continue to focus on her education as well, she is going to become a nurse. Once her schooling is complete Schmidt said she may chase a professional career or give back and coach children. Schmidt is an advocate for girl’s golf and hopes the success of Brooke Henderson and Saskatoon’s Anna Young leads to higher numbers.

“That’s super amazing to me, I was hoping to play in the CP Women’s Open in Regina, but I left for school too early. For girl’s golf that’s amazing, especially in Canada I hope it gets more girls out there. I know the Royal Regina has a great program and I would love it if more girls got out there,” she said.

Schmidt will return to Saskatchewan in the summer and plans to compete in the Golf Saskatchewan women’s amateur championship and other tournaments across the province and Regina.

You can hear more from Schmidt who spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork.

On Oct. 23 and 24 in Moose Jaw, Sask Sport Inc. hosted a two-day inclusion and diversity seminar featuring guest speakers and stakeholders across amateur sporting agencies and other vested groups. The solely focused seminar was reportedly the first of its kind for a sports governing agency in Canada.

Sporting organizations under the Sask Sport umbrella, including Golf Saskatchewan have been working to increase participation in various sporting activities. According to Sask Sport several amateur sport groups were undertaking their own initiatives to increase numbers and diversity but last week’s event was the first collective session to discuss inclusion and diversity. Amy Shipley, the community development consultant for Sask Sport said Saskatchewan residents are searching for different activities.

“The population demographics in Saskatchewan are changing and the province is becomingly increasingly diverse. The conversations at the retreat started an important dialogue on how the system can leverage the strength of diversity in the province,” she said.

The objective of the conference was to inject enthusiasm into the diversity and inclusion dialogue. Ideas were generated on how to increase participation through individuals that brought different ideas to the table. Shipley said hearing from provincial sporting agencies was important to Sask Sport going forward.

“Roundtable discussions allowed members to share their thoughts and ideas on enhancing the system through diversity. Too often we look to outside sources and subject matter experts and forget that there is strength in our system to challenge difficult issues and find solutions that will create a stronger sport system,” Shipley said.

Golf Canada incorporated their own Equity Diversity Inclusion Policy in December of 2017. President Leslie Dunning Pictured above) provided a keynote address during the conference highlighting Golf Canada’s plan and ideas. Dunning said she was very impressed with Sask Sports’ enthusiasm towards diversity and inclusion.

“The fact Sask Sport is taking leadership and spending two days on this topic with their sports organizations is really impressive to me,” she told Golf Saskatchewan. “I am not aware of any other sports group across the country that have used an entire seminar over two days focused entirely on the issue.”

Dunning was pleased to see provincial tribal councils and Indigenous groups involved in the meetings as well.

Sask Sport will share the information generated during the conference to their members and ask the groups to answer a questionnaire and provide feedback. Potential “lunch and learn” meetings are being discussed to keep the momentum going. Dunning said Golf Canada had numerous discussions ahead of their organization settling on a policy for diversity and inclusion in their sport. She hopes Sask Sport can follow the same route.

“Accountability is part of it and annual reporting on what are the initiatives. Not just to make sure we are doing it but to share successes on what is possible. I think that’s important, build a policy into your plan, you have reports of what is happening, that keeps the topic in the forefront. My hope is it turns into action,” Dunning said.

With its long history and vast geography, Canada boasts many strange and spooky tales. There are haunted coal mines in Cape Breton, poltergeists in Calgary and even a pair of haunted boots in St. Vincent’s Newfoundland. It is no wonder, therefore, that golf courses across the country are rumoured to be home to some extraordinary spirits.

Haunted Lakes Golf Club

Winning the award for the Canadian golf course with the spookiest name is Haunted Lakes Golf Club in Alix, a town east of Red Deer, Alta. It is here an ancient drama plays out every winter along the third fairway, where Haunted Lake hugs the front right of the green.

Before Europeans arrived, native groups camped on the lake’s eastern shore. One winter, seven hunters camped there for the night. In the morning, they looked out across the lake and spied the magnificent head and antlers of a deer caught in the ice.

The seven headed off and upon reaching the creature, they started to chip away at the ice. The mighty animal, which was very much alive, gave a great heave and smashed through the ice. It swam for shore, breaking a path before it. The deer made it to shore and the safety of the woods, but the men were not so lucky. They plunged through the ice and all seven drowned.

It is said the seven hunters have haunted the lake ever since, giving the spot its name. Locals also claim that every winter a mysterious phenomenon can be observed as each year a huge fissure appears in the ice along the path the deer travelled to the shore.

Glen Abbey Golf Club

Several provinces east of Alberta you will find Glen Abbey Golf Course in Oakville, Ont.

The story says there is a house on the property which was built in 1937 by a mining engineer as his weekend retreat. The engineer, Andre Dorfman, was a leading figure in the Canadian mining industry at the time.

In 1953 Dorfman sold the house to the Jesuit Fathers of Upper Canada as a retreat. The property was sold again in 1963 to businessmen who opened a golf club. In memory of the Jesuits, the course was given the name Glen Abbey. Soon after the club opened, reports of a specter began to surface.

Within 10 years, they started talking about a ghost in the building. The story is that the ghost lives in the old mansion and walks up the back stairs and down the main hallway towards the library.

The mansion is a good example of the stately homes built in Oakville in the early twentieth century. It is constructed of stone with a red clay tile roof and features a wood-lined library on the second floor. Originally known as RayDor Estate House, the building has been designated as a heritage property. Prior to 1975 it served as the golf course’s clubhouse and currently is home to an investment company.

One of the rooms in the basement is actually made to replicate the ship in which the original builder came over from Switzerland.

The ghost in the old mansion is said to be male, and eyewitnesses agree that it resembles a Jesuit father.

Victoria Golf Club

Victoria Golf Club in Victoria, B.C., boasts both an impressive course history and a ghost or two of its own. The club is beautifully situated on a rocky point at the southern end of Vancouver Island.

The club dates back to November 1893 when local golf enthusiasts negotiated for permanent rights to play the rough fields of Pemberton Farm. Originally, golfers were prohibited from using the grounds over the summer, when cattle grazed what would become today’s fairways.

Like Haunted Lakes, the Victoria Golf Club may be haunted by early aboriginal inhabitants. One researcher suggests that some of its phantoms may be the souls of native warriors killed in battle centuries ago. However, these spirits pale beside the club’s other resident, the late Doris Gravlin, possibly Victoria’s most famous ghost.

John Adams is an expert on Doris, as she’s affectionately called by locals. A historian and author, Adams is best known as the proprietor of the “Ghostly Walks” tour, which explores historic courtyards and spooky places where spirits like Doris make their presence known.

“Doris Thomson was born in Blackburn, Lancashire in 1906 and immigrated to Canada with her parents,” recounts Adams. The Thomson family settled in Victoria where Doris’s mother worked at a private hospital. Doris became a nurse as well, until 1930 when she married Victor Gravlin.

Victor was a sports reporter for the Colonist newspaper, spending many happy hours golfing with his brother Walter, head pro at the Uplands Golf Club. The hours Victor spent with Doris would prove to be much less happy.

“When her husband began to drink heavily, Doris left him,” explains Adams, adding that Doris found work as a private live-in nurse.

“In mid-September of 1936 Victor delivered a letter to Doris,” Adams says. “Its contents were unknown, but are believed to have been a request for her to meet him to discuss reconciliation.”

Doris stepped out for a walk at about 7:45 pm on September 22, 1936; Victor left his parents’ house shortly thereafter. One observer saw them together on Runnymede Avenue, but after that, neither was seen alive.

Doris and Victor were reported missing. A search ensued and days later, Doris’s corpse was discovered. Her body was later discovered amid the driftwood on the beach near the 7th green by a caddy looking for lost balls. She had been strangled and her shoes, belt and felt hat were missing.

Gossips maintained that Victor had escaped. But they were wrong.

“One month later a fisherman found Victor’s body floating in the kelp beds off the ninth fairway,” describes Adams. “A length of rope was found in his coat pocket, along with Doris’s missing attire. The police concluded he had murdered his wife then committed suicide by walking into the water.”

The discovery of two bodies on the grounds gave rise to the notion the club was haunted, and many sightings have been reported since.

“Typical manifestations are a fast-moving figure in white, a feeling of doom, a cold wind and a globe of spectral light,” says Adams. “Doris also plays havoc with motorists along Beach Drive, sometimes flying through open windows and even penetrating windshields as a cold mist.”

Most golf clubs across Saskatchewan have junior programs whether it’s through a local professional, a volunteer in the community or through the course manager. One draw back for parents or guardians however is lessons and programs come with a cost.

That’s where programs such as Kidsport or Jumpstart come into play allowing kids less fortunate to do that, play. Kidsport itself will assist in funding for almost 60 different sports and activities including golf. In discussion with the organization at their Saskatoon office they said funding is available for kids taking lessons and for people looking to start or continue youth golf activities.

Kidsport is a non-profit organization funded by stakeholders and events. Jumpstart is a program carried out by the Canadian Tire brand. According to the Jumpstart website, over 284,000 kids across Canada have been assisted getting into sports. For confidentiality purposes names aren’t released. A single mother from Humboldt benefited from the Kidsport organization. She was assisted by the local chapter with hockey fees for her eight-year-old son. She said the benefits go beyond the dollars.

“It eases my mind knowing that even behind the financial contribution that they offer to help with fees, they can help you find used equipment or a discount on new equipment at local stores. The cost of my son’s sports doesn’t stop at registration and team fees. There are also many road trips and tournaments, so the reoccurring costs can add up. Benefits from Kidsport allow me to better budget my money by providing a lump sum payment right when the season starts, which takes a great deal off my shoulders,” she said.

Anyone seeking information on the programs can find more on the Kidsport website and on Jumpstart’s page. Applications can be downloaded on both websites, again the process is confidential. Another single mother from the Prince Albert area said Kidsport was a huge help in her eight-year-old daughter’s hockey fees and her 11-year-old daughter’s gymnastic fees.

“I think Kidsport is a wonderful program. My daughters have a chance to play and participate in something they love and get physical activity. I may not be able to do on my own as a single mother,” she said.

For the past seven or eight-years Deer Valley Golf Club has been dealing with water issues in the Qu’Appelle Valley, over the years the public club has lost several greens and tee boxes but work to rebuild their facility are well underway.

John Greenough has been around the course since it’s inception in 2001. He has been the head pro since 2011. He said several holes have seen recent work.

“We had quite a few wet seasons in a row with a high water table,” Greenough told Golf Saskatchewan. “We had some movement along the hillsides effecting several holes. Number two we lost a few tee boxes, number nine we had a severe shift in the middle of our fairway and number 12 we had a shift in our fairway and a ripple that went through our 12^th green. Our 13^th hole, the tees and fairway were effected as well.”

The ninth fairway is now a two-tiered hole. The courses’ signature hole, number two now has seven tee boxes in play. The tees on hole 13 are also rebuilt. Deer Valley hired Glen Campbell to assist with the 12^th hole. Greenough said that work is currently underway.

“The membership was excited to see 12 was out of play and to see some work on it. I was gone for two days at the buying show and it’s amazing what he has done so we’re pretty pumped for next year,” he said.

The course had closed in early October due to poor autumn weather, but the club reopened until last weekend. Greenough was happy with the turn in the forecast, so the members and public could see the upgrades before they closed for the year.

“The weather was terrible so we closed and then we reopened so we got another week of golf in. The nice thing about this is the membership got to see sodded tees, they got to see the finished product. We received lots of positive reviews which is why we do it,” he said.

All the renovations will be complete for next year’s playing season. The 12^th green will be the last project completed, Greenough said June of next year is the projected date of completion depending on the weather. Although the hillsides of the valley have caused issues for the 18-hole course Greenough said their backdrop makes the club a picturesque spot to play.

“I think the reason people love coming here is the unique landscape for Saskatchewan. We have some elevated holes, more elevation than most courses. We’ve got a beautiful view in the valley and some of the most challenging greens that I’ve played in the province,” he said.

Fresh off a collegiate national championship team victory Melville’s Chloe Sies is being honoured by Sask Sport Inc.

Sies, 19, was named the Sask Sport Athlete of the Month for September by the amateur sports governing body on Oct. 23. She was the winner of the Alberta Collegiate Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women’s North Regional Golf Championship at the Lac La Biche Golf Club on Sept. 16.

Her team, the Red Deer Queens claimed their first national title this past weekend. Sies finished second on her team and sixth overall in the event in Medicine Hat.

Sies was nominated for the Sask Sport honour by Golf Saskatchewan.

A young Kindersley golfer is celebrating a championship season.

Keaton Cote is the 2018 Golf Saskatchewan under-13 Order of Merit (OMT) champion. Kote has been competing in tournaments for four years. He said claiming the OMT championship was a pleasant surprise.

“I was hoping to win once or twice, I played on the Maple Leaf Tour (MJT) and was hoping to get some good scores there,” he said.

Cote played four MJT events winning once. He placed second twice in his age group as well as picking up a third-place finish in the OOM Championship. The now 13 year-old placed 30^th at the Golf Saskatchewan Junior Men’s Championship. Cote is following in his older brother and father’s footsteps when it comes to the game. He said winning the under-13 division wasn’t expected.

“I was surprised because Darien Herlick played really well.  It was great to get the trophy, I’m happy I got it. Maybe I can do it again in a couple years,” he said.

Cote will play in the under-15 age group next season. He said he’s looking forward to steadier competition and longer rounds.

“I’m excited, it’s going to be difficult, it will be harder but hopefully I can gain a few yards over the winter and make my overall game a bit better,” he said.

Cote will visit the Golf Dome over the summer to work on his game, but hockey takes over his winter schedule.

The PGA of Saskatchewan is recognizing nine individuals who contributed to the sport of golf in the province this past season.

During the provincial PGA’s annual buying show in Saskatoon on Tuesday the organization held their annual awards reception that consisted of 12 honours. Swift Current’s Jeff Chambers led the way with a trio of awards. Chambers was awarded the professional development award, the junior promotor of the year and the coach of the year. Chambers said working with young golfers is important for him.

“Coaching has become a big passion, I’ve reformed my passion for coaching in the last couple years just from opportunities from working with people. When I’ve seen their success, it pushed me a little harder,” Chambers said after receiving the coach of they year award.

Tor Hill professional Kevin Dietz was a two-time winner this year. He was named the Class A assistant of the year and teacher of the year. Upon receiving the teacher of the year award Dietz deflected the credit.

“I wasn’t expecting to win this. I love teaching, this is more of an award for my students who show up, allow me to teach them and put in the hard work,” he said.

The big year continued for Royal Regina professional Dean Brown. Brown was inducted into the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame this year. The 46-year-old was named the PGA of Saskatchewan Professional of the Year to add to his trophy case.

“This is a team award,” Brown said during his acceptance speech. “We had a horrible year at the Royal Regina, nothing went right. You saw by the nominees that my assistance’s were nominated, obviously they did a great job at their jobs and that’s why I’m nominated, thanks guys,” Brown quivered.

Every year the PGA of Saskatchewan hands out 12 awards.

Sales rep of the year-Kyle Duffin

Frank Fowler Trophy and Peter Cushner Trophey-Jerry Christiansen

Bill Taylor Trophy-Conner Gill

Scott Knapp Trophy-Brennan Rumancik

Professional development-Jeff Chambers

Retailer of the year-Randy Volk

Junior leader of the year-Jeff Chambers

Teacher of the year-Kevin Dietz

Coach of the year-Jeff Chambers

Assistant of the year-CFR-Garrett McMillan

Class “A” assistant of the year-Kevin Dietz

Professional of the year-Dean Brown

Melville’s Chloe Sies capped her first year of collegiate golf with a personal best score in competitive play and a Canadian championship.

The two-time Saskatchewan junior women’s champion and the Red Deer Queens claimed the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title on Oct. 19 at Desert Blume Golf Club in Medicine Hat, Alta. The Queens earned a birth to nationals after placing second as a team in the provincial event they hosted a couple weeks ago. During the first of four rounds at the Canadian event Sies, 19, shot an 87. The weather improved for the rest of the tournament and so did Sies’ scores leading to a 75 in the final 18 holes. She said playing the best round of her life came at the right time.

“I shot a 76 at the Woodlawn in Estevan a couple years and I haven’t been able to break that, but I finally did. It felt great,” she said.

Sies said the wind gusted upwards of 60 kilometres and hour during the first round, she didn’t blame the elements for the slow start but admitted the changing conditions helped lower all the scores.

“All four rounds could have been better of course,” she said. “It got progressively better, I was able to wear shorts one day. The weather was super nice the last three days.”

Her four-round total of 323 was good enough for sixth overall in the 24-player field. Sies finished 25 strokes back of champion Emily Romancew of the John Abbott Islanders. As a team, the Queens ran away with the gold medals finishing 24 shots better than the second-place Medicine Hat Rattlers. The championship is the first for the Red Deer school in the Alberta Collegiate Athletic Conference (ACAC). Sies said the reality of a national title is starting to sink in.

“It’s taking a while to sink in for us, we couldn’t really believe it,” she laughed. “It’s been surreal for the last couple days, now it’s starting to sink in, people are starting to say congratulations in the hallways. It’s starting to get more real.”

That concludes Sies rookie college season. She won her first tournament earlier this fall and placed second at the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Champion this summer. She said the central Alberta courses are still open for a couple days so she hopers to play a couple more rounds. The college has indoor hitting nets for the athletes to continue to work at their game over winter. The team will travel to British Columbia for a camp in March to prepare for next season.

Bill Newis first visited the Holiday Park Golf Course in Saskatoon in 1962 after graduating from the University of Saskatchewan. The course had just been constructed and Newis knew the property was the perfect site for a tremendous club.

Newis graduated with a degree in engineering and calls Priddis, Alberta home but for 26 years he has had a vested interest in Holiday Park. In the early 1990’s the city of Saskatoon asked the 2016 Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame inductee to draw out a long-term redevelopment plan for the 27-hole course. In 1994 the plan was initiated by the city and work began on the course. Newis said the process has been ongoing a long time.

“We’ve worked whenever the funds were available since 1992 to slowly and progressively move through the plan. I keep telling them if you guys keep going at this pace I won’t see the result,” he joked this week from his Calgary area home.

When first built in the early 1960’s, “thousands” of trees were planted around the course including oak and willows. At the time Newis visited the course he described the “wooded ornaments” as “scrawny.” He didn’t return to the course until 1992 when the trees had become full grown. Newis said the trees will play a factor in the redesign of holes 14 and 17.

“The tees will be a major undertaking because they are in a hillside and you will have to destroy a lot of the tree growth on there to get step down tees,” he said. “A couple of major trees on the course will have to be trimmed up or removed to open up the view to the greens and then two new greens will go in.”

The most recent upgrades to the course included four new tee boxes and greens on the regulation course plus another hole revamping on the nine-hole executive course. The renovations included irrigation work at various points on the facility and a water feature. According to the city of Saskatoon’s Andrew Roberts the recent work cost upwards of $1.5 million. Newis pointed to Holiday Park’s par-three holes and how they enhance the playing experience.

“Everybody has the opportunity to get a hole-in-a-one, it doesn’t matter what type of golfer you are. Everybody gets excited when they step up to the tee on a par three. The have some really strong, attractive par threes here with big rolling greens. They really stand out on the golf course,” he said.

Over 100 full grown trees have be relocated at the course as well in recent years. Newis said when the work is done Holiday Park will be a premier club in Canada.

“When it’s done in my view it will be one of the finest public 18-hole courses in Canada. There has been lots of changes to the course since 1962 and I’m convinced when it’s done it will be one of the best,” he said.

Roberts, the manager of special use facilities and capital planning for the city of Saskatoon explained the funding for the renovations has been generated by green fees. Newis and city officials follow the plan and complete the upgrades in stages when they are feasible.

“Once the funding has reached a level we feel we have enough funds to do a significant project that will have minimum impact to the golfers and provide the best benefit we will start the process,” Roberts said.

They meet with the architects, they look at what’s left on the development plan, what should be tackled next, the scope of the project, develop a design, tender out for a construction and proceed. Roberts said the next project is likely five to six years away. Newis estimated without the redevelopment plan in front of him that five greens and three tee box replacements are still left on the public track and one hole revamping remaining on the executive course. Roberts echoed Newis’ thoughts on the end result when the work is complete.

“It’s always been in a great location, it’s got lots of forest type parkland setting, the river is viewable from several holes. I would agree with that assessment that it will be a very good golf course. Saskatoon itself is very lucky, we have an abundance of quality golf courses based on our population and I’d count Holiday Park as one of them,” Roberts said.

Roberts estimates the final work will come in two or three stages.