Ada Dillon’s early start in golf isn’t any different than others, tagalong with mom and dad, start hitting shots, enjoying the game, and sticking with it.

This started for the 12-year-old Onion Lake resident at three years old at St. Walburg. Dillon said she started swinging her dad’s clubs but quickly realized she would be left-handed and needed her own. This year Dillon swung her lefty clubs at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Mini Tour National Championship in Tsawwassen, British Columbia. She said there are a couple factors aiding her enjoyment of the game.

“I really like meeting new people, competing, and being outdoors,” she said about her love of the sport.

Dillon decided to expand her experiences on the course and compete on the MJT Mini Tour for the first time this season back in June. She said playing in a tournament was a great learning experience but a positive one.

“It was fun, very hard, but I had lots of fun and met so many new people,” she beamed.

Overall, she played in five tournaments over the summer including the national championship where she competed in the 11-12 girls’ division, she shot 199 over 36 holes. Aside from being her first time on an airplane, the trip was a highlight of the summer.

“It was very, very, fun,” she said. “The golf course was very, very, beautiful too.”

Dillon added that seeing the ocean and the mountains were also favourite memories from her time in B.C.

She said that golf will continue for her, and she hopes to compete at the junior provincials in the future. She also has a message for kids in small communities when it comes to golf, or other sports and activities.

“Don’t be afraid to try new things,” she concluded.

One of the most decorated Saskatchewan golfers in history, Saskatoon’s Brad Birnie will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame on Sept. 18.

Birnie sat down with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork to discuss his illustrious career and the honour of being enshrined later this month.

The 50th installment of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship has come to a close in Bromont, Quebec.

Saskatchewan was represented at the event by Saskatoon’s Dianne Bethune, Shannon Scott of Regina, Rosetown’s Sue Skinner, and Robin Acton of Lloydminster.

Skinner led the locals with a 54-hole score of 35-over, 254. She tied for 21st.

Bethune, who plays out of Holiday Park Golf Course tied for 39th with a three-day score of 47-over par, 266.

Acton climbed 11 spots on the leaderboard Thursday in the final round thanks to an 86, her lowest round of the championship. She was 53-over par, 272, good enough for 46th.

Scott finished with a 91 in the final round at Golf Château Bromont. The Royal Regina Golf Club member was 54th at 57-over par, 276.

Nanoose Bay, British Columbia golfer Shelly Stouffer won the championship at seven-over par.

The complete results can be seen here.

*Golf Saskatchewan will hear from a couple of the ladies upon their return to Saskatchewan.

It was quite the summer to remember for 12-year-old Regina golfer Carter Schmidt.

Schmidt started playing golf when he was younger the same most do, going to the course with their parents and hitting a few shots here and there. He said the fact each day brings a different game is a big reason he likes the sport.

“I like that its all on me and that everyday is a new day,” he told Golf Saskatchewan recently.

A couple years ago Schmidt, who plays at the Wascana Country Club and Sherwood Forest near Regina, entered his first tournament at Sherwood. This year he played a couple junior events in Regina and Swift Current. What he also accomplished was not one, but two hole-in-ones. The first came back on May 18 at Wascana on the 98-yard, par-3, 11th hole.

“From the angle I couldn’t see the hole, I hit it well and said that might be in! My friend ran up to the hole and said, yes, it is in,” Schmidt explained.

His second ace was recorded on Aug. 21 at Sherwood on hole one. A par three, that was playing at 128 yards.

“I used an eight iron, as soon as it went in, I almost lost grip of my club,” Schmidt beamed.

Schmidt plans to keep playing competitive golf as he gets older but he’s also very fond of hockey too. Until he chooses which sport to play, he will compete in both. For now, he knows that he got fortunate this summer for the shots, the odds are 12,000 to one to record a pair of aces in a lifetime.

“It’s pretty hard, its just the luck of the game,” he said.

Justin Wood admitted he didn’t know what was in store for him at his first Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship that occurred Aug. 24 – 27 in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The former Unity resident, who now resides in Saskatoon said he made good decisions all week at the Fort McMurray Golf Club, and it paid off with the highest finish for a Saskatchewan player at the event since Tyler Wright was fifth in 2017. Wood never shot higher than two-over par in four rounds and secured a bronze medal for his efforts.

“I didn’t really have much of an expectation, good or bad,” he told Golf Saskatchewan this week. “I was just going to see what the course was like and see what happened. I’ve been hot and cold all summer, going into a couple tournaments where I was feeling like I was playing pretty good I didn’t play very well and then ones I was going in playing bad I played pretty well. I thought I would just go into my first mid-am and have some fun.”

His approach worked well, the 26-year-old finished at five-over, 293 (72, 73, 74, 74). He tied Alberta golfer Matt Williams for third. The winner, Charles Fitzsimmons won the championship at just one-under par. Wood said he kept the golf ball in play and never really got into trouble at the treelined course.

“I played really smart out there, I didn’t take any unnecessary risks for myself. I hit a lot of iron shots into the middle part of the greens or into the fat part of the greens and just tried to par the course to death. I knew the tough pins; I did a really good job of using the pin sheets and just knowing where to leave it. I didn’t make as many birdies as I needed to win but I definitely kept most of the big numbers and a lot of bogeys off the card,” Wood said.

He said the response from the Saskatchewan golf community has been fantastic, including his hometown of Unity and in Saskatoon. Now that he can look back on the accomplishment Wood said he’s proud of his performance and hopes to make a run again in the future.

“I appreciate it a bit more now that I can relax and don’t have to hit anymore shots,” he laughed. “It was a fun four days. I really think too much about where I was at in the tournament, I just tried to treat it like I was playing at the Sask. am, like I belonged in the final group. I was pretty nervous on the first couple holes in the third and fourth rounds being in the final group but after that I was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable I was in that position. Hopefully that leads to some more of that kind of stuff in the future. That would be awesome,” he concluded.

More from Wood below:

Another Western Saskatchewan born player saw his name near the contenders at the championship in Fort McMurray. Kindersley’s Kyle Wiebe shot 12-over par, 300 at the event and placed solo in 12^th overall.

“Going into Fort McMurray I was feeling alright with my game and then you get there and play a practice round and you see how tough it is, you are thinking this will be a true test of golf,” Wiebe said. “Luckily I was able to keep it together for the most part other than about five or six bad swings. It was a fun week.”

Wiebe opened with a solid 74, lost a little traction in the middle two rounds shooting 78 and 77 but he rebounded fantastically on the final day with a 71, one of just five players in the field under par in the last round.

“The last day, it came together on the range, I was like okay, we’re finally loose, feeling good to go. Mentally I was right into it for a final round performance, and I made it happen,” he explained.

Over the last few years Wiebe has climbed the amateur ranks in Saskatchewan, going from 47^th at the 2018 amateur championship all the way to a fourth-place finish in 2020. He said his showing in his first Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship last week gives him confidence to compete with the best Saskatchewan and the nation has to offer.

“I have had a couple people ask me that here, 12th that’s pretty good national wise. When you think about it, a lot of good players in that age bracket. It’s hard to put in words when you think about it but yeah, I am proud of what I did,” he said.

More from Wiebe below:

Among the 13 Saskatchewan players making the cut in Fort McMurray was Michael Smith from Saskatoon. A self-proclaimed late bloomer Smith has only been competing a few years. He said to make the Saskatchewan team this year and perform well at nationals was extremely satisfying.

“I went from, to be honest in my late 20’s I was a 10 handicap and then I started going to Clinton (Schmaltz) at The Willows and really worked hard on my game. I’d have never expected to make the team this quickly, its good. It is definitely a confidence booster,” he explained.

Smith started the event with an 87 and never predicted he’d be around for the final two rounds, however a 77 on day two kept him in the field after the cut. He finished with a 76 and 78 to conclude the championship at 30-over par, 318. He was 51^st.

“Fort McMurray is one of those courses where a guy from Sask. doesn’t have a lot of reps in terms of difficulty of the course and the pressure of playing an event like that. I hope to do well but it doesn’t always pan out that way,” he said.

He feels that with more experience (this is his second national event) he can compete in these tournaments and not just make cuts.

“It kind of motivates me to get better and just keep working on my game and hopefully eventually I can start contending in events like this,” Smith added.

More from Smith below:

For Birch Hills golfer, Jeff Whitfield, his first national appearance was also a very positive and eye-opening experience. He said Golf Canada made the event very welcoming and he enjoyed his time in northern Alberta.

“It was good, it was very good,” he said. “This was the first time I’ve been to a Canadian event, so it was well worth going. I didn’t play as well as I wanted to but it was a very good experience. It was well put on and all the other guys from Saskatchewan were really great guys to go with.”

Whitfield opened with a 77 before shooting 88, 86, 83 for a four-day total of 334. He said the Fort McMurray Golf Club had a layout not many Saskatchewan courses can emulate so making the cut was a goal he attained.

“You definitely want to make the cut, you don’t want to make it on the number, especially when the number is 21,” he joked. “The goal was to make the cut for sure and do as well as you can, it was tough. Coming from the prairie courses, Elk Ridge is probably the closest to that you’d see for tree lines. It was incredibly frustrating at times, but everybody had to play the same course. It was a good test.”

Like all the competitors, the response back in Saskatchewan was positive on their performances which included 13 of 16 players playing all four rounds. Whitfield reiterated the fact his home course was very proud of his representation at the championship.

“For sure, everybody was throwing congratulations that I talked to. I haven’t made it to a men’s night, I’m sure my score will come up. Its good. Everybody else sems to be from the big fancy clubs but there are some really great nine-hole tracks in Saskatchewan that get left out and Birch Hills is one of them,” Whitfield added.

More from Whitfield below:

Rosetown’s Sue Skinner is still in the top-20 at the Senior & Mid-Amateur Championships in Bromont, Quebec.

Skinner followed up her opening round score of 83 with an 86 on Wednesday in round two of the event at Golf Château Bromont. She sits alone in 20th position at 23-over par.

Dianne Bethune of Saskatoon is tied for 29th at the 54-hole championship. The Holiday Park Golf Course member shot 88 in round two, she carded an 86 on day one. She’s at 28-over par.

Regina’s Shannon Scott carded a 96 Wednesday, couple that with an 89 in round one she sits at 39-over par. Scott is tied for 54th.

Robin Acton of Lloydminster is 40-over par. She has a 91 and 95 on the leaderboard so far in the event. Acton is tied for 57th.

Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, British Columbia leads the championship at five-over par.

The full results can be seen here.

Bethune will tee off for round three at 6:20 a.m. Saskatchewan time Thursday. Skinner starts her third round at 7 a.m. Acton and Scott will be in the same group, they begin their rounds at 7 a.m. as well, they begin on hole 10, Skinner tees off on hole one.

Austin Nesbitt is just 10 years old but already has high expectations for his golf future.

The Wascana Country Club junior member said he started playing golf at three years old when “someone put a club in his hand” and he admittedly hasn’t put it down since. Four years later the Pilot Butte resident competed in a Drive, Chip and Putt event in the United States and now he’s a fixture on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Mini Tour. Nesbitt said there’s several factors that go into his love for the sport.

“I like challenging myself, pushing myself to be better than I was the day before. I like travelling and meeting new friends, stuff like that,” he explained to Golf Saskatchewan following his first MJT National Championship experience.

Nesbitt said competing in tournaments gives him a chance to see where he stacks up with other players.

“I like seeing how other kids play and seeing if my hard has paid off when I play with them,” he said.

Nesbitt routinely wins his age group within Saskatchewan on the MJT Mini Tour, but he placed tied for seventh in his age group at the national event at Tsawwassen Springs in Tsawwassen, British Columbia on Aug. 19 and 20. Nesbitt said he’s very pleased with his finish.

“That was definitely was one of the best things of the summer so far, not one of, probably the best thing all summer,” he said. “My goal was top-10, the first day I had lots of nerves and the second day I just played my game. I focused and shot one of the best rounds of the year. That’s why I am happy with it.”

Nesbitt shot 82 and 71 at the championship. While there he placed third in the Little Linkster Swing Contest and was given one of the MJT Booster Juice Bounceback Awards for best improvement in score in round two from round one.

The MJT Mini Tour is hosted at the Junior Tour venues over the summer and are one day events. Golf Saskatchewan hosted the Junior Junior Championship alongside the provincial juniors in Moose Jaw earlier this year. Nesbitt won his age group in his multi-day event debut. He said learning to play on consecutive days was important for his development.

“That was lots of fun doing a two-day event, I learned a lot from that experience, and it’s paid off,” he added.

Nesbitt said he is looking forward to playing more 36-hole events next year and has lofty goals ahead.

“I am definitely going to keep going with this. My plan is to play more junior events next year, the two-day events. I ultimately want to play college golf and make the PGA TOUR. That’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.

Nesbitt added that he has great coaches in his dad Jeff, and Jeff Chambers in Swift Current.

Rosetown’s Sue Skinner is off to a solid start at the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship in Bromont, Quebec.

Skinner opened the four-day championship with a 10-over, 83 on Tuesday at Golf Château Bromont. She is tied for 17th going into Wednesday’s second round. Skinner will tee off at 7:20 a.m. Saskatchewan time.

Dianne Bethune of Saskatoon also started on steady ground in round one. The Holiday Park Golf Course member carded an opening round score of 13-over, 86. She sits in a tie for 26th. Her tee time is 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday.

Shannon Scott, playing out of the Royal Regina Golf Club, is tied for 37th thanks to her opening round score of 16-over, 89. She starts her second round at 8:10 a.m. Wednesday.

Lloydminster resident Robin Acton played bogey golf in round one putting together a productive 18-over 81, she’s tied for 47th. Acton will tee off for round two at 7:10 a.m.

Clermont, Quebec golfer Marlene Desbiens leads the championship at three-over par.

The complete results can be found here.

The 2021 Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) made its final stop in Saskatchewan over the weekend at Warman’s Legends Golf Club.

Wawota’s Theoren West was the low shooter of the 36-hole event which caps the 18-year-olds season with another victory. West shot 70 during round one on Saturday before he blistered the 6700-plus yard set up to the tune of a 66 on Sunday. He edged Regina’s Will Blake by three strokes for the win in the junior boys category.

Blake was a shot lower than Kindersley’s Cort Tunall at 139 in second, Tunall carded a 140 with back-to-back 70’s to claim bronze.

Juvenile Boys

Tommy Danielson of Saskatoon was the winner in the juvenile boys division with a score of 137. Danielson shot 70 on day one and 67 in round two. He held off Weyburn’s Darien Herlick by three shots.

Herlick carded a 71 and 69. Saskatoon golfer Max Regier placed third after a pair of 71 rounds.

Bantam Boys

Dane Giesbrecht used his home course advantage to give him a leg up and another MJT title.

The 14-year-old shot 75 Saturday and 70 on Sunday for a 36-hole total of 145, a two shot victory over Elias Haukeness. The Buena Vista product shot 77 in round one, a tidier 70 on day two.

Russell Quinn of Wainwright, Alberta placed third in the division with a score of 152 (78, 74).

Peewee Boys

Saskatoon’s Aricin Franklin is making a name for himself on the MJT this summer. The 12-year-old Saskatoon golfer picked up his third win of the summer in the peewee boys age group.

Franklin posted a 79 in round one and a 73 in his second round. His 152 was three shots better than fellow Saskatoon golfer Lucas Sturgeon. Sturgeon went 77, 78 at the event to claim the silver medal.

Rounding out the top-three was Jayden Chernoff of Estevan, he finished with a 158 (82, 76).

Under-15 Girls

Tayla Perry of Regina has found herself at the top of the under-15 girls leaderboard several times this summer.

The 12-year-old ran away with the age group win with rounds of 83 and 88 in Warman on the weekend. Her 36-hole score of 171 gave her a 12 shot victory over Chloe Wills of Kyle.

Wills shot rounds of 86 and 97.

Niya Friesen of Swift Current was third at 185 (90, 95).

15-19 Girls

Saskatoon’s Sarah Grieve will cap her MJT season within Saskatchewan’s borders with a win.

Grieve carded a 76 in round one and a 74 on Sunday to secure a seven shot victory over Symone Ripley, also of Saskatoon. Ripley posted scores of 80 and 77.

Hallie Crozier of Regina was third at 175 (89, 86) to round out the top-three.

The complete results can be found here.

The MJT National Championship will be held in Surrey, British Columbia from Oct. 8 – 11.

All photos courtesy Jeff Chambers.

The top female Canadian amateur golfers over the age of 25 will head to Golf Château Bromont in Bromont, Que., from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 for the 50th installment of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship.

In the 85 player field are Saskatoon’s Dianne Bethune (Holiday Park Golf Course), Royal Regina Golf Club member Shannon Scott, Robin Action of Lloydminster and Sue Skinner of Rosetown. Bethune will start her first round at 7:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Acton will tee off at 9:20 a.m. Skinner begins her round at 9:50 a.m. and Scott will be the last local player on the course at 10:40 a.m.

The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship is a 54-hole stroke play event, with a 36-hole cut to the low 70 players and ties. In the event of a tie at the end of three rounds, there will be a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following completion of 54-holes. The Mid-Amateur division will run concurrently with the Mid-Master division for players 40 and older, the Senior division for players 50 and older, and the Super Senior division for players 60 and older.

The field includes eight of the top ten over-25 women on the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), including top-ranked Canadian and defending champion Judith Kyrinis. The Thornhill, Ont., product also won the event in 2016, both times claiming the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior titles and was inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in 2019.  She became just the seventh USGA Champion from Canada when she won the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore.

Other notables in the field include Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member Terrill Samuel, who won the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship in 2015, where she too claimed the Mid-Amateur, Mid-Master and Senior titles.

The field also includes Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mary-Ann Hayward, a four-time Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion (1993, 1996, 1999, 2004), a three-time Canadian Women’s Senior Champion (2010, 2011, 2013), and the 2008 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion. On the international level, Hayward was also the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion in 2005.

The course, designed by architects Howard Watson and Graham Cook, features spectacular views of Mont Bromont. The course layout for the championship will be played at a maximum length of 5,965 yards, par-73.

The winner of the Senior division will receive an exemption into the 59^th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Alabama from September 10-15, 2021 and the 4^th U.S. Senior Women’s Open at NCR Country Club (South Course) in Kettering, Ohio from August 25-28, 2022.

Additional information, including the full field and tee times, is available here.