The season of giving has another reason to be cheerful. Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru raised over $425k for breast cancer research in 2018 thanks to the efforts over 13,000 participants at 175 events across the country.

Since the program’s inception in 2003, upwards of 120,000 women have raised over $6.7 million to date with all proceeds donated to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Over 140 women celebrated this year’s success at the 15th annual Golf Fore the Cure National Event at Thornhill Golf Club in Thornhill, Ont.

The National Event included 18 holes of golf featuring raffles, prizing, and games, followed by an awards dinner to thank and recognize the fundraising efforts put forth by 13,000 Golf Fore the Cure participants across Canada this year.

“Golf Canada is very proud to celebrate the success and growth of women’s golf in Canada through the Golf Fore the Cure program,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “The collective efforts from volunteers, site coordinators, and our partners at Subaru and Canadian Cancer Society continue to be a driving force behind the achievements of Golf Fore the Cure. We’re excited for the next season and hope we can accomplish raising over $7 million for breast cancer research.”

The top 20 fundraising events of 2018:

Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru was created in 2003 by Golf Canada to drive women’s participation in the game of golf through the use of fun, non-intimidating activities. Through a unique partnership structure with the Canadian Cancer Society (and Québec Breast Cancer Foundation), the program has women across the country participating in golf activities and raising money and awareness for a cause close to Canadian hearts—the fight against breast cancer.

In totality, Canada holds over 37,000 charity events at golf courses across the country which raise approximately $533 million annually for charity.

Subaru Canada has been a proud partner of Golf Fore the Cure since 2007.

Photos from the 2018 National Event can be viewed here.

To learn how to get involved with Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru, visit golfcanada.ca/golfforethecure

 

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Over 140 women on hand today at the #GolfForetheCure National Event @ThornhillClub to celebrate women’s golf and all the fundraising achieved in 2018 ?????‍♀️

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Sep 24, 2018 at 2:46pm PDT

Golf Saskatchewan has finalized the logistics to decide the province’s best golfers in 2019.

The provincial championship calendar will be highlighted by the 100^th Saskatchewan Senior Men’s Championship at the Royal Reginal Golf Club (RRGC).

Rick Hallberg will look to defend his senior championship at the RRGC from Aug. 6-8. The senior women’s provincial championship will take place at the same time. Jo-Anne Schiller will defend her title in Regina and Jason Mohr will defend his Mid-Masters (40+) division title.

Yorkton’s Kade Johnson will look to defend his men’s amateur title when the 54-hole event lands at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club from July 16-18. The men’s amateur will continue to play with the mid-am field as well. Mike Herperger is the men’s mid-am title holder.

Moon Lake Golf and Country Club will be the host course for the Women’s Amateur Championship, that will run July 3-5. Carla Odnokon is the defending champion.

The junior boys and girls’ championship are going to be hosted by the Evergreen Golf Club in Nipawin. Josh Nagy and Brooklin Fry are the reigning champions. The junior tournaments will take place July 9-11.

Golf Kenosee will be the site of the provincial Mixed Championship on Aug. 24 and 25 and the Lynbrook Golf Club in Moose Jaw will be the venue for the 49^th Rosebowl on Aug. 21 and 22.

Golf Saskatchewan will also be involved with the golf tournament at the Western Canada Summer Games in Swift Current to be played at the Chinook golf course, the Future Links event being held at Deer Park in Yorkton and the 2019 Tony Cote First Nations Games in Meadow Lake.

The cold weather in northern Saskatchewan isn’t stopping the progress of construction for the Loon Lake and District Golf and Country Club’s new clubhouse.

In June of 2017 the course’s clubhouse was destroyed by a fire. Construction on the new building began in June of this past summer. The new facility will feature a restaurant, lounge, proshop, meeting room and 85-seat banquet space.

In an interview in July with Proshop Manager Heather Schneider she said the new clubhouse should be ready for operation in time for the 2019 golf season.

The club posted an update on their Facebook page Friday.

If asked the question “How has technology impacted your game?”, most golfers automatically think of their adjustable driver, game-improvement irons, a ball that promises both distance and accuracy, foul-weather gear and footwear that protect them from the elements and, perhaps, a distance-measuring device that takes the guesswork out of approach shots or an electric trolley that saves wear and tear on their bodies during a round.

But we got some revealing and unexpected answers when we ask experts from various sectors of the Canadian golf industry what technology they thought was most impactful on golfers.

“The smartphone!” responded Craig Loughry, Golf Canada’s director of handicap and course rating. You need only to look at the home screen on his phone for evidence. It’s plastered with the icons for multiple golf apps. Among GPS apps, he says Golfshot seems to be the most popular, but he’s enthusiastic about others, FunGolf in particular. Tracking your game stats has become simple, again thanks to various apps.

“Remember tracking fairways hit, greens in regulation and putts per hole? Well, that’s evolved,” said Loughry. “Used properly, these apps can actually show you what areas you need to focus on to improve your game.” There are lots of these apps available, both free and subscription-based, including the one developed by Golf Canada.

More exotic is “real-time game tracker” technology that fits on your club. “It records and tells you your swing speed, specific distance of each club, tracks your tendencies of misses, tracks your position on the course—all shot by shot, including your putts. It’s really amazing technology.” A couple of examples are Arccos and Game Golf.

Liam Mucklow is the founder of the Golf Lab, based in King City, Ont., so naturally he points to things such as launch monitors, 3D motion capture and force plates as advances that have improved the ability of instructors to help golfers become better through not only teaching but club fitting as well. “These three pieces of equipment allow me, as a coach, to measure the complete feedback loop from ball flight, club delivery, body movement, and ground reaction forces. In short, it helps me make golfers better faster than ever before.”

Among others interviewed for this story, Mucklow suggested high-tech “entertainment ranges” such as Drive Shack and TopGolf will encourage more people to try the real thing. A recent report by the U.S. National Golf Foundation confirmed that.

The folks who run the real courses where you play are also proactive to ensure they are delivering the best experience possible from communicating through social media and email to organizing and running events.

“As the golf industry changes, so changes the role of the PGA of Canada professional,” notes Adam Tobin, director of golf at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ont. “For example, I’ve noticed the increase in tournament operation software that allow for easy one-stop development of tournaments, events, leagues, and every aspect that comes along with them. But the main item that has progressed is the way we communicate with our members on a regular basis. Many clubs are employing full-time communication managers and in my opinion, it is one of the most important roles at a club.”

David Main, a PGA of Canada member and a club manager, can see the question from both perspectives. He cites data management as a major advancement that impacts the customer experience positively. While this technology is largely invisible to the customer, Main said it allows clubs to better shape their service performance on an ongoing basis.

As well, he says, “I see more clubs automating the guest experience in the future. Why have someone checking you in when you can tap your membership or pre-paid guest card and get access to golf? Why have servers when you can select menu items from a tablet and pick them up at a window or have a food runner deliver it? Why can’t I scan my fingerprint to get access to my club storage, use my member or pre-paid card to access a power cart? How about facial recognition software for security and tracking member usage?

“Stuff you thought was only in the movies will soon be part of the club world.”

That’s tomorrow and beyond. But today, the most important and yet largely overlooked impact of technology is evident when you step onto the first tee and survey the opening hole. Course architects routinely employ computer software to design and redesign holes and entire layouts.

“New computer technologies that create vivid photo visualization and 3D modeling of proposed redesign plans are invaluable,” says Toronto-based course architect Jeff Mingay. “These present club members, some of whom may have trouble interpreting traditional two-dimensional overview plans of a hole, with a real-life view of the proposed changes.”

Mingay, who is also integrally involved with the construction and grow-in of his projects, cites new strains of bentgrass discovered through modern research techniques as a major development. “Superintendents are better able to present more consistently smooth, fast putting surfaces that are healthier and can better handle drought, traffic, harsh winter conditions and other stresses than annual bluegrass.”

Kathryn Wood, chief operating officer of the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, reached out to her Twitter followers for answers to our original question. Thanks to the many who responded! (You can learn more from this recent USGA article)

“For the most part, I’m pretty sure most golfers don’t have even the foggiest idea of how technology is driving golf,” tweeted Brad Hutchinson, course superintendent at Ontario’s Warkworth Golf Club. “And almost every time I start to explain it, they get this glazed look like they’re thinking about putting.”

Shame on them.

Now focus! These turf professionals make every effort to make your round the best it can be.

Several respondents reiterated Mingay’s opinion of the impressive advances in turfgrasses as well as a dizzying array of items such as TDRs (soil moisture meters that allow superintendents to precisely schedule irrigation cycles and hand-watering thus improving playability and more efficient use of water), sophisticated GPS-directed sprayers and drones, plant growth regulators such as Primo Maxx, new reel-sharpening systems for mowers, communicating course updates through social media, onsite weather stations, and more.

So the next time someone tells you that golf is stuck in the Dark Ages, recite some of the above. Until, that is, their eyes glaze over.

British Columbia’s Brian McDonald claimed the 2018 PGA of Canada Head Pro Championship Thursday in Arizona, but Deer Valley’s John Greenough used a great third round to finish with a stellar 10^th place finish.

The Deer Valley Golf Club and Resort professional saved his best round for last stroking a 68 at Wigwam Golf Resort vaulting himself from 29^th to climb inside the top-10. Greenough fired a three-round total of 215 over 54 holes. Greenough played better as the week progressed opening with a 3-over, 75 in round one and an even-par 72 on Wednesday.

Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club professional Jeff Chambers was as high as fifth at one point of the tournament finished in a tie for 25^th at 4-over, 220 (73, 71,76). Royal Regina Golf Club pro Dean Brown landed in a tie for 37^th at plus-7, 273 (73,73, 77) and Scott Knapp out of Regina’s Tor Hill Golf Course finished at plus-15, 231 (73,78,80). Knapp tied for 57^th place.

Victoria Golf Club head pro Lindsay Bernakevitch, who won the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Championship four straight years (2000-2003) playing out of Regina shot even par over the three days landing in a tie for 11^th.

The complete leaderboard can be found here.

Ontario’s Percy Gordon is leading the charge at the PGA of Canada Head Professional Championship, but several Saskatchewan golfers are seeking a potential top-10 finish.

Swift Current’s Jeff Chambers (Elmwood Golf Club) sits at even-par through 36 holes of the event at Wigwam Golf Resort near Phoenix, Arizona. Chambers followed his opening round of 73 with a 1-under, 71 on Wednesday. He is in a tie for 14^th place.

Regina’s Dean Brown (Royal Regina Golf Club) has carded back-to-back 73’s, his 2-over par is good enough for a tie in 21^st. John Greenough (Deer Valley Golf Club) is at 3-over after shooting par during round two. Greenough is tied for 29^th. Scott Knapp (Tor Hill Golf Course) fired a 78 on Wednesday, the Regina golfer is tied for 46^th at plus-7.

Four-time Saskatchewan men’s amateur champion Lindsay Bernakevitch, hails from the Regina area is now the head pro at the Victoria Golf Club is also in a tie for 14^th at even-par.

The third, and final round will take place on Thursday. Knapp will tee off at 8:57 a.m. Saskatchewan time. Greenough begins his round at 9:06 a.m. Chambers starts at 9:15 a.m. Brown hits his first shot at 9:42 a.m. and Bernakevitch will play in the 9:51 group.

You can see the complete leaderboard here.

A trio of Saskatchewan professional golfers are tied for 23^rd position after day one of the PGA of Canada Head Professional Championship at Wigwam Golf Resort near Phoenix, Arizona.

Royal Regina Golf Club pro Dean Brown, Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club professional Jeff Chambers and Scott Knapp from the Tor Hill Golf Club in Regina all shot plus-1, 73 during day one of the 54-hole event. Deer Valley’s John Greenough is in a tie for 45^th at plus-3.

Carleton Golf & Yacht Golf Club professional Percy Gordon leads the 88-player field at 6-under par.

The tournament continues Wednesday with round two. Chambers and Brown will play in the same group during the second round and tee off at 11:51 a.m. Saskatchewan time. Knapp is in the next group teeing off at 12 p.m. and Greenough will be the first Saskatchewan pro on the course with the 10:48 a.m. group.

You can see the tournament results here.

The signature number eight hole at Yorkton’s Deer Park Municipal Golf Course will have a new look by the year 2020 and there will be no hindsight.

Currently the hole plays at just over 100 yards from the back tee but with a heavily elevated box overlooking a protected green the par-three picturesque hole is tricky making it a favourite among members and visitors. However with a water hazard fronting the green flooding has been an issue over the years forcing the city to make changes. The new number eight will still feature an elevated tee box but the green will be about 10 feet higher to alleviate the early season water concerns. Men’s Club President Cliff Trombley said work is underway and the new hole looks enticing.

“They have done a fantastic job of building that up and it’s going to be a beautiful hole,” Trombley said.

A company from Edmonton is contracted to perform the work. Trombley said one of the construction crew members has extensive experience working for Jack Nicklaus and his course developing staff. He added that there was some reservation among the course’s membership to the changes of their feature hole, but the progress has changed several minds.

“There was, even some of our men’s club members thought this was ridiculous but now that they see it,” Trombley said. “I think the big thing was they couldn’t visualize it.”

The current hole has a southeast facing tee shot, the new hole will be a northeast launch according to Trombley. The city of Yorkton is funding the hole eight project. The men’s club is providing their own funding for work across the main road into the 18-hole public facility on hole number seven. A new green is being built making the straight away par-five more challenging. Trombley said big hitters will have more to contend with once the green comes into play.

“We’ve moved it over and elevated it,” he explained to Golf Saskatchewan. “We have different angulations in it with sand traps in front of it, it looks very good. It’s going to have a dogleg, so you won’t just be able to blast two long shots.”

The upgrades are part of a long-term plan that was developed about ten years ago. The men’s club funded the architectural design at the time with funds raised during their weekly club nights. Trombley said the renovations on hole seven didn’t come without hesitation as well.

“A lot of our members were opposed to that as well until they sat down and listened to what we had to say. Until they heard the long-term plan and saw what we were trying to accomplish they bought in and said let’s do this,” he said.

Deer Park is going into their 99^th season of existence next year. The course did believe that 2019 was going to be their 100^th anniversary but according to city of Yorkton and Golf Saskatchewan records they opened in 1921. Trombley said they still have a couple years to plan the century celebration, but this upcoming season Deer Park will host a Future Links event on top of their regularly scheduled tournaments. He said the current format of holes will be available for the season coming up.

“That was one of the beauties of this construction is that it was all done after the golf season and it doesn’t take anything out of play, hole eight and seven will still be in operation,” Trombley said.

In recent years the men’s club has funded a new green and the lengthening of hole one, they spent approximately $15,000 to cure drainage issues between holes six and seven and updated the tee boxes on holes two and seven to the tune of over $72,000. Trombley said the club will continue to host their weekly men’s nights, that average over 110 golfers a week, to continue putting funds back into the course. He said the city has been very cooperative with the plans and the partnership should continue to work together in the future.

“We want to be able to demonstrate to our members and our community that we’re interested in the long-term development of Deer Park and following our long-term plans on that,” he said.

The final PGA of Canada national championship of the year lands next week in Arizona.

The PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy takes place December 3-6 at the Golf Course at The Wigwam in Litchfield, Ariz.

A 54-hole national championship featuring PGA of Canada head professionals, head teaching professionals, executive professionals and general managers, will undoubtedly feature stellar play from an impressive cast of players.

The field at The Wigwam includes:

• Past PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada winners John Cochrane, Danny King and Benoit Boudreau
• Past PGA Championship of Canada winners Dave Levesque and Eric Laporte
• Past PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada winners Phil Jonas, Matt Palsenbarg, Marc Girouard
• PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC highly-touted Scott Allred, Philippe Gariepy, Brian Hadley, David Zibrik, Lindsay Bernakevitch, Ron Kenesky and Gordon Burns
• PGA TOUR winner Ian Leggatt

“We’re very excited to be headed back to Arizona and even more excited to be going to the Gold Course at The Wigwam for the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada,” said PGA of Canada president and Harbor Golf Club and Resort Head Pro Mark Patterson.

This year’s field features many first-time players in the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy.

Designed by the master designer himself, the Gold Course was created in 1964 to rival another of Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s courses, the famed South Course at Firestone Country Club. At more than 7,430 yards, this long and winding par-72 course will challenge even the finest of golfers, leaving them with club choices that will either reward or reprimand their decisions. The course has previously hosted qualifying tournaments for the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur.

The Wigwam was originally built in 1918 as a gathering place for the Ohio-based executives of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company who discovered the West Valley of Phoenix as a prime location to grow cotton for rubber production. As the retreat grew in popularity, additional accommodations and amenities were added and in 1929 The Wigwam opened as a full-service resort with accommodations for just 24 guests.

In its 100-year history, this Phoenix resort has hosted some of the world’s most recognized public figures and sports legends and maintains a reputation as one of the Southwest’s landmark resort destinations.

In 2017, John Cochrane captured the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy. The 56-year-old posted rounds of 72-69 at the TPC Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, Fla., bettering Brian Hadley and Jeff Mills by two shots.

This year’s championship will see a few changes—both on and off the golf course. Firstly, the low club professional will be recognized with a separate trophy and monetary bonus. Secondly, all competitors are encouraged to stay at The Wigwam to take full advantage of numerous evening festivities.

The PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy was played in Arizona in 2014 and 2015. Matt Peavoy captured the ’14 event at SunRidge Canyon Golf Club, while Danny King won in ’15 at Verrado Golf Club.

The Inter-Zone Team Championship, which is comprised of four players per zone (and three scores per team counting), is also handed out after 36-holes.

In addition to competing for the overall championship trophy, players in the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada earn much-coveted ranking points with hopes of moving up on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC. Players who are ranked inside the top 64 following the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada earn exemptions into the following year’s PGA Championship of Canada.

Former champions of the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada include Adam Chamberlain, Roger Beale, Norm Jarvis, Gar Hamilton, Bob Panasik, Yvan Beauchemin, Graham Gunn, Ken Tarling and Brian Hutton, in addition to the above-mentioned names.

Saskatchewan PGA members in the field include Scott Knapp (Tor Hill Golf Club, Regina); Jeff Chambers (Elmwood Golf Club, Swift Current); Dean Brown (Royal Regina Golf Club, Regina); and John Greenough (Deer Valley Golf Club, Deer Valley).

Click here for the full field.

Coming off “one of the better years in recent memory” Hidden Hills of Shellbrook is investing in their future.

Smaller scale golf clubs such as the 2018 Golf Saskatchewan Rosebowl hosts can rarely spend six figure amounts on course infrastructure, so they chip away year over year with needed but less celebrated improvements. Hidden Hills located about 30 kilometres Northeast of Prince Albert recently purchased new furniture for their club house and a new beverage cart. President Jason McComas said the restaurant upgrades were needed.

“The clubhouse furniture was long overdue to be upgraded and with the financial success we had this year we felt that this was an investment that could be enjoyed by all of our members as well as green fee visitors,” he said.

The purchase of the new cart has a special story behind it. McComas told Golf Saskatchewan a member of the course recently passed away and his family requested donations be made to the course. Along with funding from the men’s club they upgraded the beverage cart.

The Rosebowl was the first provincially sanctioned event hosted at the Shellbrook course. McComas contributes the tournament as well as other events as key drivers for the successful season.

“We continue to try and have a full tournament schedule with something for all types of golfers,” he said. “Our weekly men’s and ladies’ nights along with seniors’ days contribute greatly to our financial success. We also began a partnership with the Sturgeon Lake First Nation this season that focused on providing their band members with a course to play at, tournament sponsorship and a youth golf initiative.”

In a year where some courses struggled to turn a profit the success of Hidden Hills according to McComas comes with credibility. He has been a member for 20 years and a member of the executive for a another six. He was involved with the course when the nine-hole facility expanded about a decade ago. McComas says the par-36 track will test all calibre of golfers. A trio of trickier holes open your round, the middle three holes offer more links style and the options tighten again over the last third of holes. McComas said most of your bag will be needed during a round.

“Overall the course is a good mix of holes and styles that results in a good test for anyone’s game and usually leaves a person using most clubs in their bag. Under par is easily attainable for a low handicapper. For the high handicappers the course is a good enjoyable challenge,” he said.

The board is continuing to work on plans to enhance the facility. McComas didn’t pin point any dates but suggested expanding the parking lot and a new cart shed could be on the horizon. Basic clubhouse upgrades and maintenance are always critical for the board as well McComas said. Overall, he said keeping the sport affordable and accessible are important for the club’s continued success.

“We know golf can be an expensive game to play and we want to do everything we can as a board to make it a viable option for as many members of our community and surrounding areas as possible. Another area of focus is to try and increase our youth golf participation. These young golfers will become increasingly important over the next decade or so. This coincides with the cost of golf as well, as most parents only have a certain amount of disposable income to spend on their children’s activities. We want golf to be as cost effective as possible, especially during those years where kids are just learning the game,” he said.