It is news the membership of Weyburn Golf Club (WGC) has been waiting to hear. The course announced last week on their Facebook page that they will install a Rainbird irrigation system on the front nine holes this year.

Club Vice-President Marshall Bakken has been playing the WGC for a couple decades and been on the board for four years. He said the news that the club will go ahead with the first phase of the renovations is very exciting.

“This has been talked about for probably 15 years,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “For the membership base this has been smoke and mirrors, talked about, talked about with nothing really happening. This was one of my goals in joining the board was to get this project off the ground and finally get it to happen.”

The project is expected to take about 40 days and will see the work done in August and September with a couple of holes being affected at a time during the construction. The new system will include HDPE pipe with approximately 300 sprinkler heads on the front nine of the course.

The club was busy last year and saw a revenue increase that allowed them to save some money for the project however the WGC still needed a loan. The membership needed to vote on borrowing the funds but was passed unanimously at their annual general meeting in March. Bakken said the excitement is evident and the course will see benefits for decades.

“We’ve been so dry down here the last couple years, with last year how busy golf was and our irrigation system giving us issues the last five to 10 years, especially the last few we’ve put a lot of man hours in to fixing it. With the dry conditions you lose green fee players and members because they do not want to play a course that is dried out. I think financially this is really going to help. Having constant irrigation on the course is going to be huge for our membership and green fee players,” he said.

There are several courses to play in the Weyburn area including TS&M Woodlawn in Estevan, Golf Kenosee, Whitebear First Nation, and Avonlea’s Long Creek. Bakken said he’d like to see a day where the WGC can be compared to Woodlawn again in the future.

“I compare us to Woodlawn and that course is in great shape since they’ve done their renovation in 2011 with a new irrigation system for Bob (Currie, superintendent) to utilize. You jst see the improvements they make there year after year and at the end of the day their membership has grown substantially because of that. I’d love to say in 10 years we’re comparable to Woodlawn for sure,” Bakken added.

The cost of the entire 18-hole irrigation system is estimated at $1 million which is why the board and membership decided to bite off a smaller chunk. The key now is to work this season raising funds. Bakken said they will sell the sprinkler heads and provide recognition on the course plus a tiered system of sponsorship that will be displayed in the clubhouse.

The goal is to have the whole course redone with a pumphouse in the next three to five years.

Kidsport is an organization that allows children to get into sports even though there could be financial barriers.

May has been designated by the Government of Saskatchewan as “Kidsport Month.”

“Sport and recreation play such an important role in the health and well-being for children and youth,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross said in a news release. “Participation in sport at a young age teaches life skills that will help our children in all aspects of life and has positive effects on both their mental and physical development. Thank you to KidSport for allowing children in our province to participate by assisting with financial barriers.”

Golf programming falls under the mandate of the Kidsport funding program. The organization won’t fund tournament entry fees or golf camps, but lessons and equipment purchases are eligible.

For more information on applying to Kidsport for funding, confidently of course can be found here.

In 2020, even with COVID-19 restrictions and the different look of many organized sports, KidSport Saskatchewan granted $656,050 to assist 3,751 children and youth in province to get off the sidelines and into the game. That’s in addition to the over $13 million raised and more than 150,000 kids helped since KidSport in Saskatchewan started in 1995.

“We’re grateful for the continued support of our partners, sponsors, donors and volunteers who help us to eliminate the financial barriers associated with participation in organized sport,” said Jerry Shoemaker, Provincial KidSport Committee Chair. “By giving kids the chance to experience the power of sport, we are providing them with the opportunities to learn skills and lessons that can help them throughout their lives.”

It is tough enough for Saskatchewan golf courses to make money, whether the club is a privately owned, top-level 27-hole facility or a nine-hole gem located in a small rural town the bottom line is watched with a keen eye.

What makes turning a profit more difficult is senseless acts of disrespect and vandalism of course property. The Carnduff Golf Club is dealing with a few “disappointing” incidents already this year according to President Kris Carley. He said the club is in the middle of a lengthy renovation plan as well trying to keep up with minimizing recent damage.

“A few years ago, we deepened one of our ponds and connected it with our dugout because when it was so dry, we needed more water storage,” he explained. “We have some dirt there for that work plus we have some root issues, so we have taken down some trees and moving dirt. We have a lot of seeding to do when the weather warms up, we’ve built a new tee box that needs seeding.”

Carley said they hate to lose trees on the course that have grown over decades, but the poplars’ root systems are overwhelming causing equipment damage plus the trees suck up too much moisture.

“It will change the look of the golf course, but it won’t change the way you play the golf course and that’s what we are trying to do,” he said.

The upsetting concern is golfers carelessly driving over unseeded areas or ramming golf carts into tree stumps causing damage among other occurrences.

“We don’t need the damage, we don’t need the screwing around or extra work,” he continued. “Some stuff might seem minor but it’s an absolute inconvenience. When our greenskeeper must go around and pick up 57 range balls that are laying all over the golf course, there is no reason for that.”

Carley said the golf course busy with newcomers last year and has had an excellent start to this season when the weather complied. He is the first to admit sometimes the etiquette on the course can slide with newer players, but clear disrespectfulness needs to stop.

“I went out Saturday morning and the greenskeeper handed me a great big divot that was taken out of hole nine right near the flagstick,” he fumed. “We want people to come, we want people to enjoy it, but they also have to be respectful. We are trying to put a nice product out there while doing renovations. We do not make much money if any at these courses and then you’re having to buy range balls every year or range buckets because they are getting smashed, fixing carts because they are running them over trees stumps. There is a serious last of respect.”

“There is a lot of people that put a lot of time into this place, not just now but in years past, this place is important to our community, our rink, or ball diamonds, it’s all built on volunteers, they are all important and we want everyone to enjoy them without the damage,” Carley concluded.

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is inviting Canadians and golf enthusiasts to help celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2021 by weighing in on the 50 most influential moments in Canadian golf.

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame enlisted the support of golf leaders, media, and historians to help create a list of the 50 most influential moments in Canadian golf history. The moments will be showcased online and Canadians are invited to share in the history and vote on their favourite moments.

The 10 most moments receiving the most votes will be showcased on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 during the RBC Hall of Fame 50thAnniversary Gala presented by Nike Golf. The virtual gala celebration will take place on what would have been RBC Hall of Fame Day during the RBC Canadian Open which was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Following the virtual gala, the top moments will also be celebrated through social channels through the end of the 2021 season.

“Canada’s storied golf history is marked by the signature accomplishments of so many talented legends of our sport and the Top-50 Most Influential Moments voting celebration invites Canadians to share in the moments they feel are most meaningful,” said Golf Canada Director of Heritage Services Meggan Gardner. “While we won’t be able to celebrate in person, the virtual RBC Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Gala presented by Nike Golf lets us pivot to invite more golf enthusiasts to be a part of the celebration.”

The virtual gala will feature a video showcase of the top-10 greatest moments in Canadian golf as well as interviews with golfers or individuals connected to the moments. The gala will be co-hosted by a pair of honoured members – TSN golf personality Bob Weeks and former LPGA Tour player Gail Graham.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, an online auction is currently underway to raise legacy funding for the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum through the Heritage Fund of the Golf Canada Foundation.

Founded in 1971, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame began honour the legends of our sport, beginning with the inaugural induction class that included Ada Mackenzie, George Lyon, Charles Murray, Marlene Streit, George Cumming, and Sandy Somerville. To date, 83 honoured members and their accomplishments as players and builders of the game are showcased in the Hall of Fame and Museum along with history, innovations, and standout moments through the storied history of golf in Canada.

JOIN IN CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CANADIAN GOLF HALL OF FAME –

To vote on the Top-50 Most Influential Moments in Canadian golf, click here.

To participate in the Canadian golf heritage online auction, click here.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Former Masters champion Mike Weir won his first PGA Tour Champions event Sunday when he held steady with pars down the stretch for a 4-under 68 and let John Daly made the last mistake in the Insperity Invitational.

Weir and Daly were tied going down the stretch at The Woodlands, which was reduced to 36 holes because of heavy rain earlier in the week.

Daly, playing in the group ahead of Weir, was posing over his 9-iron over the water to the 18th green when it came up a fraction short and splashed next to the bulkhead. He made double bogey for a 69 and had to settle for runner-up.

Weir, who missed birdie chances inside 10 feet on the 16th and 17th holes, watched it all unfold and knew what he had to do. He fired his approach to about 15 feet behind the hole, and pumped his fist as he walked toward the green. He wound up winning by two shots.

“J.D. played great. It was unfortunate for him on the last,” Weir said. “This means a lot. I played really well today. I’m still a little off with my putting. I made it hard on myself. But I hit the shots that I needed. It feels very good.”

Because of rain that washed out the opening round Friday, the first round wasn’t finished until Sunday morning and the tournament was reduced to 36 holes. That turned it into a shootout, and Daly and Weir provided most of the action.

Daly holed a 25-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th to take a two-shot lead, and it looked as though he was on his way. In the next group, Weir hit his approach to 3 feet on the 13th for a matching eagle to tie for the lead again.

Weir fell back with a bogey on the 14th, but he caught a break when Daly missed his 3-wood into the par-5 15th and had to settle for par, and Weir made birdie to catch him again.

Weir fell back with a bogey on the 14th, but he caught a break when Daly missed his 3-wood into the par-5 15th and had to settle for par, and Weir made birdie to catch him again.

Daly couldn’t believe he hit into the water on the final hole.

“I caught a gust on 18,” he said. “I hit a 9-iron from about 155 and I hit a 9-iron from 141 there and I caught a gust and just got a bad break. But I can’t hit the ball any better. I’m excited about next week.”

The 50-and-over circuit plays the first of its five majors next week at the Regions Tradition.

Weir finished at 10-under 134.

Daly tied for second with David Toms and Tim Petrovic, who each closed with a 71. Bernhard Langer (69) and Bob Estes (68) tied for fifth.

LOS ANGELES (Canadian Press) – Brooke Henderson rallied to win the HUGEL Air Premia LA Open on Saturday for her 10th LPGA Tour title, chipping in for birdie on the par-3 12th in an early back-nine burst and getting up-and-down for par on the last.

Four strokes behind leader Jessica Korda and three back of top-ranked Jin Young Ko entering the sunny day at Wilshire Country Club, Henderson closed with her second straight 4-under 67 for a one-stroke victory over Korda.

The 23-year-old Canadian birdied the par-4 11th to take the lead at 15 under, hitting a 144-yard shot to 3 feet of the back, right pin. She holed out from 70 feet from right and below the green on 12, and made a 6-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 14th.

Henderson bogeyed the par-4 17th to cut her lead to two, then chipped inside 2 feet for par on the par-3 18th after her 8-iron shot rolled off the right edge of the green and into a low collection area.

The sixth-ranked Henderson won for the first time since the Meijer LPGA Classic in June 2019. She finished at 16-under 268 to break the event record of 14 under set by Minjee Lee in 2019.

Korda closed with a 72, missing a chance for her second victory of the year after leading after each of the first three rounds. She won the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in January for her sixth LPGA Tour title.

“You know, this game is incredible and it gives you so many great opportunities. The friends that I’ve made and the places that I’ve been able to travel are really crazy,” said Henderson, when asked about being a role model.

“I’m really grateful that my parents got me into the game and that my sister and I have been able to share this journey together.”

While Henderson made her move early on the back nine, Ko bogeyed the 11th and 12th in a 72 that left her tied with Australia’s Hannah Green at 14 under. The South Korean star was coming off a two-week break after finishing seventh in the ANA Inspiration.

Green eagled the 14th and birdied the par-5 15th in a 66.

Major champions So Yeon Ryu (68) and Angela Stanford (70) tied for fifth at 12 under.

Regina’s Alex Schmidt is wrapping up a terrific third college season at Lewis-Clark State College with the women’s golf team.

The Warriors concluded their regular season play this week at the Cascade Conference Championships in Caldwell, Idaho. Schmidt finished in eighth place overall while her team placed second, their fourth runner-up showing of the year. Schmidt said she wants round one back of the event but overall, her junior year was solid on the course.

“I was pretty pleased with how my season went,” she told Golf Saskatchewan this week. “I was pretty steady through the spring semester; I was able to place top-10 in four of five tournaments and then I had a couple top-5 finishes as well. I kind of wish I played better in my Monday round, I shot 82. I really just needed to make birdies, it was pretty tough, and I just didn’t make anything.”

Schmidt actually had a trio of finishes inside the top-four. That included a tie for second, a third, and fourth place. Her scores have been improving from year to year with a win in her sites. She credits her outgoing coach for the growth in her game.

“My game has grown a tonne and that’s due to my coach (Kyla Lien). She has put so much effort into my game, it’s been awesome, and I can’t thank her enough. She’s actually leaving this year so we will have a new coach next year so we’re hoping for the best,” Schmidt said.

The Warriors roster will see plenty of turnover this off season too, six players including leader Lauren Hamm will move on from the school leaving Schmidt as one of the leaders heading into her senior year. She said despite the season just coming to a potential close (they are still waiting on a national spot as a team) there is plenty of optimism going into her final campaign.

“I’m definitely very excited for my senior season,” she said. “I think we will have a pretty good team although we do have six girls leaving us after this year which is going to be a change, but I can’t wait. I am excited to see where the season takes us. I want to follow in Lauren’s footsteps and hopefully head to nationals like she did so we are pretty excited for her and can’t wait to cheer her on.”

The team will know on May 12 if they are ranked high enough to get a national spot. Schmidt is waiting on that news as she plans to head back to Canada to quarantine and get back on the golf course north of the border.

She plans to enter a few tournaments around the province and expand on her career that includes city and high school championships. She said those experiences have led her to her time in Idaho getting an education and playing golf.

“I encourage everyone to get down and play somewhere. Definitely joining into the Golf Sask. programs helped me a tonne. You must play as much as you can and get out there and hopefully someone notices your name. It’s been an awesome experience,” she said.

You can hear more from Schmidt below in her interview with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork.

A first of its kind mobile health bus that will serve seven First Nation communities within the Saskatoon Tribal Council is getting close to hitting the road.

Currently under construction by Crestline, the bus will have a paramedic, dentist and dental assistant as well as a mental health worker on board to perform work on site. A $2.4 million campaign led by Synergy 8 Community Builders out of Saskatoon will be completed this summer with funds raised through the groups annual golf tournament. Troy Davies, one of the Synergy directors said seeing the project nearing completion is rewarding.

“We’re extremely excited to be a part of this,” Davies told Golf Saskatchewan. “Without the partnership of the province and the Government of Saskatchewan to cover the operating costs [$2.5 million/five years] we wouldn’t have been able to do this, nor would we have ever taken this on. When we found out they were willing to partner with us and we had major sponsors step on with Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation (CDC) and Nutrien we knew we had the key players in place to move forward on this.”

Synergy is $900,000 short of their fundraising goal but Davies said that cost will be covered with the return of their Drive For Kids campaign golf tournament. The event was cancelled last year due to COVID, but the group announced this week that Aug. 31 at The Willows the event will return.

“Our primary goal would be to have our double shotgun on each tee box. The good news for us is that we have some time on our hands. With vaccines rolling out as quickly as they are and with our event not until Aug. 31 we’re hoping and anticipating that we will be able to run our normal golf event,” Davies said.

The star-laden banquet at Prairieland Park that accompanies the tournament is not going ahead this year. The group hopes to return to that format next year. Synergy has always highlighted their event with appearances of some of golf’s and sports biggest names. Davies doesn’t expect border restrictions to be lifted in the near future, so the group is focusing on special appearances by Canadian celebrities. Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear and Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo will be part of the day in August with more to be secured.

“We’ve got some additional celebrities we are going to announce a little bit down the road, we’re just finalizing. We’re still going to be able to go and that’s huge for us, we really want to celebrate this campaign that’s been two years in the works, and it is something we are excited about,” he added.

Once the bus is complete and on the road in early September it will serve the needs of 1,400 children plus other citizens in the communities. Davies said focus on First Nation incentives was important for the group. They also announced this week after it was passed by Saskatoon City Council was their involvement in erecting a statue of the late Fred Sasakamoose at Sasktel Centre. Sasakamoose was the first First Nation player in the NHL. He recently passed away due to complications from COVID. Davies said the announcement of the statue and the finalization of the bus will hopefully make lives better in many areas.

“It was such a solid campaign and it really focused on First Nation kids,” he continued. “Not only their mental health and health but insuring they have the confidence and self esteem to be successful in whatever they want to achieve and part of that is Fred Sasakamoose. He battled racism, residential schools, the loss of several siblings and was able to make that mark. Fred has been known in the First Nation community as a hero.”

The Dakota Dunes CDC and the Battleford Agency Tribal Chiefs assisted in the fundraising for the statue that will be unveiled along with the bus later this summer at the Sasktel Centre.

As an individual sport golf is different than others when it comes to opportunities and experiences, that is a large reason several parents of junior golfers are stepping up to create memories and moments for all kids involved in the game.

From this initiative Saskatchewan Junior Golf (SJG) was created as a sub-committee under Golf Saskatchewan. Rob Kozak is the committee lead of SJG and spearheaded the idea with other parents quickly jumping on board. Kozak said the idea came to light while volunteering for the local swim club in Yorkton.

“There were probably over 50 sports and activities at city-wide registration but, I made the realization at that time there was no sign-up sheet for golf,” Kozak explained. “One of the most popular sports in the world but no local association for young athletes to join. This isn’t just the case in Yorkton but all over Saskatchewan and Canada, there are no local associations for the sport of golf which has a negative impact on the growth of the game and development of young players. The solution we have come up with is to form a provincial body of parents, caregivers, and volunteers to help drive the development of the sport instead of a local association in each community. We can leverage the network of families across the province to help juniors reach their full potential.”

Through fundraising from both the committee and players themselves, either beginners or highly competitive players under 19 years old or competing with college golf programs and be a Golf Canada member Kozak hopes to grow the game. He spoke of hockey and other team sports that travel to events, they travel via bus with their friends and teammates creating more memories than just the results on the ice or field. He wants those experiences not only for his daughter Ella who has been competing in junior golf for seven years but her friends and other golfers.

“One of the main functions of a local association is to fundraise to help offset the cost to practice and compete, golf not only doesn’t have a framework to fundraise for families it has an additional barrier as the Rules of Golf has stipulations on money raised by amateur golfers. We have developed a framework that will not only allow us to fundraise as a group but also as an individual to help offset costs for development. In addition to fundraising, we also want to create a sense of team with group training and competitive opportunities for players to form friendships in an otherwise predominately individual sport.”

Steve Ryde has worked closely with Kozak and the committee on launching the program. Ryde is the Golf Saskatchewan manager of sport and development. He said the initiative is exciting.

“This is a huge step in the right direction for junior golf in Sask. We have a large province with a small population of competitive players. I hope that this fundraising initiative helps open the flood gates for years to come,” Ryde said.

The program is open to anyone under 19 as mentioned with an annual ‘membership fee’ of $10. College golfers can be eligible up to the age of 24. The membership fee is used to offset administrative costs including but not limited to bank fees, membership cards, online and technology hosting costs, etc.

For more information on the SJG visit the Golf Saskatchewan website, or contact Ryde at 306.975.0834 or Kozak at 306.621.5047.

With the college spring golf campaign heading into their postseason in the United States Kade Johnson is looking back on a five-year “journey” at Southern Arkansas University (SAU).

His career is not quite over yet however as Johnson and teammate Roman Timmerman have been selected to play in the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional in Kansas City, Missouri on May 6 – 8. He played his last regular season college event his week placing in a tie for 20^th overall at the GAC Men’s Championship in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Recruited out of Yorkton and Deer Park Municipal Golf Course, Johnson reflected after his last scheduled event this week.

“It’s been kind of a crazy journey,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “Getting recruited out of high school in Saskatchewan is tough because you are not seen as top potential recruit from all these coaches because you only play golf six months of the year so your scoring average might not be as good as the guys in Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, anywhere in the south. Your game can definitely still be there so you kind of have to be taken a chance on in a way to be given an opportunity to have 12 full months of golf. I was very fortunate for Coach (Ben) Sanders to give me that opportunity.”

Johnson’s career with the Muleriders is plastered with awards, high finishes, a tournament win, and records for the school that has seen it’s golf program elevate during his half decade at the university. Johnson said from playing “catch up” for the first two years he has exceeded all his expectations.

“I think I exceeded all my goals to be honest,” he said. “I didn’t know how college golf was going to be or what it was going to be like. My first year here I had a 77-scoring average. I knew my game was better than that but compared to the other players that’s where I was. Here we are five years later I have a win, a couple all GAC first teams and to cap it off with player of the year this year is pretty special.”

The announcement of player of the year for his conference came after his final regular season event.. He said etching his name in history with other high-end players is something he will cherish.

“For the first few years here seeing these guys in our conference that won these, just seeing them miles ahead of my game at the time. Like really good, polished games and now to be able to win it myself on the way out is really special. I worked really hard for it, it is pretty awesome,” he said.

As Johnson prepares for regionals in May and a potential national tournament appearance, he admitted the last five years have come and gone quite quickly but he would not change anything.

“I am really happy how it went. I came down here and had a great team for all five years and Roman coming down during my second year, being able to do with him too is pretty sweet. We got a bunch of team wins, we got up to 20th in the country at one point. I don’t think I’d change anything, I’m really happy with how it played out,” he said.

Johnson will graduate on Friday and then head to Kansas City for the tournament. Once his college career is over he will return to Saskatchewan, seek a second amateur title, play the Glencoe in Calgary if its held plus go to nationals if he qualifies. Once the summer is over he plans to head back to the United States and chase a professional career. He said none of that would have been possible without college golf and wants to encourage aspiring junior golfers to push for a collegiate career and more.

“If you have an opportunity to go down south you have to take it. Playing maybe at a more competitive school in the north in my opinion is not going to get you as far as playing at a less competitive school in the south. Just being able to play outside all year round and being able to go to a school that you can play every single tournament at is huge. You are going to go to these tournaments against other players who are very good players, it doesn’t matter what level you are at, there is good players at every single level, in every single conference, at every single tournament,” he said.

You can hear more from Johnson below as he spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork following his final regular season event.