THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Nick Taylor has never been to the Masters. He already is motivated to get back.

Taylor is excited to be playing Augusta National in two weeks, make no mistake about that. The 32-year-old Canadian has only watched on television, often enough to have a good idea what to expect. And that’s what tempers some of the anticipation about his Masters debut.

He has seen it enough to know what he’ll be missing.

“When I won, you think of the Masters and what it’s going to be,” Taylor said. “And it’s not going to be that.”

No spring colours from the dogwoods and azaleas. The Par 3 Contest has been cancelled. The patrons will be at home, the same place Taylor has been all these years. That means no roars that echo through Georgia pines, as much a part of Masters lore as the green jacket.

For those who think Augusta National is the cathedral of golf, it probably will sound like one. The Masters without roars? That’s like having the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade without balloons.

Taylor is among 26 newcomers to the Masters, postponed from the first full week of April to Nov. 12-15 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine of those players, such as PGA champion Collin Morikawa, already have secured spots for the next Masters, presumably in April.

There is no guarantee when the others will return, if they ever do.

Taylor won as a rookie in 2014 at the Sanderson Farms Championship when it was held the same week as the World Golf Championship in Shanghai and did not come with a Masters invitation. He finally earned his invitation in February, playing with five-time champion Phil Mickelson at Pebble Beach and posting a 70 in blustery conditions to win by four.

“To get that invite for the Masters, that’s a tournament I’ve dreamt about playing my entire life,” Taylor said that day.

Just over a month later, the pandemic shut down golf. The Masters was postponed until November. Then came the announcement in August that it would be held without fans.

The anticipation is different now from what it was in February.

“I was two months away from all the perks, maybe going before (the Masters) to see it,” Taylor said. “Now all the news we’ve heard about it is a downer. No fans. No Par 3. It’s hard to compare. It’s not that I’m not excited, but certain aspects make it a special week, especially having never been there before. To not have those only makes me want to go back.”

Taylor is thankful to be playing again, like so many others. This is the 21st consecutive week of PGA Tour golf, with no shutdown, no slashing of prize money and no fans, no energy. For a sport that sees something new every week – Winged Foot, Shadow Creek, Port Royal this week in Bermuda – there is a sameness to each week without anyone watching.

And now the Masters.

“It’s easy to get negative about what’s going on the world,” he said. “But we’re playing golf. The reality check when we’re out there is how fortunate we are. We have our jobs. Everyone in my bubble is healthy. But when you think about what could have been at the Masters, it can get disappointing.”

Tyler Duncan knows the feeling.

He won the RSM Classic at Sea Island last November, beating Webb Simpson in a playoff, and he received his formal Masters invitation in the mail soon after.

When the Florida swing arrived, Duncan called the club and arranged for a practice round at Augusta National. His plan was to go there on the Monday after The Players Championship.

Golf shut down on Friday of The Players.

“That didn’t work out,” Duncan said with a wry smile. “And then the course is shut down all summer. Now they’re trying to limit play, and you have to play with a member. I’ve been trying to do that but haven’t had a whole lot of success. We’ll show up and figure it out from there.”

Asked what he think he would miss the most, the azaleas or the noise, Duncan didn’t hesitate.

“The noise, for sure,” he said. “I’ve watched it so many times. A lot of shots come to mind, and you think of that. But you hear all the roars on the back nine where the tournament is won.”

He doesn’t know anything about Washington Road. He didn’t even know John Daly sold merchandise from an RV parked outside Hooters. Duncan won’t know all he’s missing.

“It’s still the Masters,” he said. “It’s a tournament everyone dreams of playing.”

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will be hitting the ceremonial tee shot without people standing a dozen deep around the tee trying to hear what they say. The starter will announce each player with that familiar, “Fore, please.” There’s still a green jacket everyone covets.

But it won’t be the same. It won’t sound the same.

They’re still going to the Masters. And then the goal is to come back to experience the real Masters.

Brody Istace isn’t downplaying the fact he’s ready for a break from the college golf season due to many of his friends and competitors not having a chance to play but he’s ready for some time off.

The 20-year-old Kindersley product wrapped up his third fall season this week at Columbia International University (CIU) after competing in five events in a just over a month-long stretch. The season began on Sept. 23 and 24 with the CIU Rams hosting the first event. Istace finished in fourth place. He said if it wasn’t for his struggles on the greens a win was within grasp.

“It was pretty good,” he said to Golf Saskatchewan from the university in Columbia, South Carolina where Istace has been since Aug. 15. “I wasn’t really happy with how I played. I was happy with how I struck the ball; I just couldn’t get any putts to fall. That’s how my year went, I have been really struggling changing some things with putting. I had the yips. I have been hitting the ball well, but my putting isn’t where it needs to be to be scoring.”

Istace spent the summer in Saskatchewan working at the Kindersley Golf Club and practicing. He didn’t play any events so the fourth-place finish to start the year was a great way for the collegiate season to get underway.

“It was good, I was really confident going into the tournament. It was our home course and where I was at with my ball striking that I could have won it if I was putting good. I didn’t putt good enough to get it done. I made some simple mistakes coming down the stretch,” he added.

The flat stick struggles continued into his second event where Istace finished in 64^th place thanks to 83 putts over 36 holes at the Music City Invitational. He improved on that event on Oct. 12 and 13 at the AAC Fall Preview in Adairsville, Goergia shooting a 54-hole score of plus-16, 232 (80-71-81). He placed in a tie for 31^st and the Rams were seventh as a team.

The NCCAA Championship was played in Palm Coast, Florida on Oct. 19 and 20. Istace fired an 88 over the first 18 holes before back-to-back rounds of 79 for a three-round total of 246. He placed tied for 17^th and helped the team win a bronze medal. Despite being from Saskatchewan he said the coastal winds wreaked havoc on himself and the field.

“We were happy with how we finished but not really happy with how we played, that’s golf. The course is right on the ocean, it’s windy, it was tough to judge what the ball was going to do into 30 miles per hour winds. I’m telling you, my parents said I should be used to that but it’s not Saskatchewan winds when it’s coming off the ocean. I was blasting a four iron from 160 into the wind, it was crazy,” he joked.

The Rams finished their fall season on Oct. 27 at the Sea Palms Resort in St. Simons Island, Georgia for the Coastal GA Invite. Istace placed 43^rd at 23-over par. He carded rounds of 79, 75, and 82. As a club the Rams were eighth.

The Rams will take some time off before their spring season starts in late February. Istace will return to Canada on Nov. 12 and continue with classes online. Istace said despite the mixed results he’s happy to just be playing.

“Coming into the season not even knowing if we were going to playing little lone getting to play almost every week is definitely a good outcome for the week,” he said.

Istace said some trips to Saskatoon to work with coach Clinton Schmaltz will be part of his preparation for the new year.

Arguably one of Saskatchewan’s greatest golfers and perhaps the best amateur the province has produced, Jim Scissons still plays regularly at the age of 79.

Golf Saskatchewan recently sat down with the 2010 Hall of Fame inductee at the Riverside Country Club to discuss his start in the game, his tournament wins, the historic 1964 Willingdon Cup victory, his family, and more.

Golfers in Saskatchewan have a couple new options if anyone is looking for lessons or golf programs.

PGA of Canada members Patty and Phillip Jonas have relocated from Vancouver and settled in Saskatoon where they will both teach out of the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club (SGCC). The couple opened an academy in British Columbia 17 years ago but family connections to Saskatchewan has drawn them to the province. Originally from Prince George, Patty’s brother called Saskatchewan home while a member of the RCMP. Her parents made their way here and since July she also found a new home in the Bridge City. Combining the family closeness she said the need for golf teachers made the move a win-win.

“I see a gap in the golf business here in that there isn’t anyone just teaching really,” she told Golf Saskatchewan at the SGCC. “There is a couple people but there isn’t really anyone doing a lot of stuff. We want to junior stuff with outside people, we want to do junior stuff here, we want to do adults, we want to do seniors. There’s stuff we really can’t do in Vancouver and this facility is magic.”

Patty is a two-time amateur B.C. women’s champion, a three-time PGA of B.C. women’s champion, a former number one ranked Canadian women and was inducted into the B.C. Golf Hall of Fame alongside Phillip last year. Following her successful playing career that included a stint on the European LPGA and the now Symetra Tour she knew immediately teaching was her passion in the game.

“The first lesson I gave, this is way better,” she explained. “For me I knew immediately that I enjoyed teaching a lot more. I enjoyed the opportunity to help people get better. I would rather watch other people practice than practice myself. I enjoy watching people swing, I enjoy watching people practice. I knew right away teaching was for me.”

Phillip’s road to teaching is different from his wife of over 30 years. Born in South Africa, Phillip’s father was a course manager, so golf has been his passion his entire life. He won the IMG Academy Junior World Championships twice in the five years he travelled to San Diego for the tournament. He is a three-time South Africa junior champion. Following his junior career in his homeland Phillip attended Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. It was there he met Patty. Phillip went on to a 17-year professional career across several tours and won five times. He admitted he had a harder time giving up playing the game to teach but it’s grown on him.

“I really enjoy teaching seniors, my dad played until he was 93 but he was having lessons when he was 89. It kept him young. Whether he was going to get better or not, I don’t know, but he went to bed thinking man, tomorrow I’m going to hit it further. If I can do the same and help people play better golf, great, but also have a better life,” Phillip said.

Phillip spent a couple seasons on the European Senior Tour and has played in fields with 30 different major champions. His golf credentials continued to expand in British Columbia. He was named PGA of B.C. player of the year four times, the teacher of the year in 2012 and has won over 100 local professional tournaments.

While Patty was in Saskatchewan in July of this year Phillip stayed in B.C. to finish the summer with their clients there. He did visit the SGCC during the season and was very impressed with what he saw.

“I haven’t seen a better practice facility anywhere in the world,” he claimed. “I like the golf course but it’s more the atmosphere of the place. In those two weeks I knew that. The guys in the proshop have great attitudes and energy. The range always has kids on it. I liked that.”

The couple joked that Patty has wanted to relocate to Saskatchewan for about 25 years. Being from northern B.C. long winters weren’t a downside. Phillip on the other hand was harder to convince. Patty has been seeking potential opportunities for the pair for some time. The couple is friends with The Legends Golf Course professional Davidson Matyczuk as well as fellow South African Wayne Fairbairn formally of the Willows. In speaking with SGCC general manager McLaren Taylor after the hiring of professional Brennan Gee he said there is still an opportunity at the club.

“We had wanted to move here but we weren’t going to move unless there was an opportunity. The jobs that come about here are very few. I’ve kept an eye over the years and there’s just not a lot of opportunities. We went a different route and I said, here’s what we would like to do. McLaren thought about it said yeah, we think this could work,” Patty said.

Patty did do some lessons and programming over the summer but spent most of the uncertain season getting to know the membership and community within the club. Now that the Jonas’ are settled in a new home they feel 2021 will be officially year one.

“We certainly hope to have people look at this place for lessons and the majority of the membership want to take lessons from people that are here. Not just us but Brennen and Sloane (Harder). I have done a lot of ‘learn to golf’ classes in Vancouver and so wanting to get people outside the membership learning to play and then they get a membership,” she added.

The couple is setting up potential lessons in the GolfDome for the winter and hopefully one day visitors will be allowed into senior care homes again, Patty said she’d love to take golf to seniors to assist in their activities.

For more information on the Jonas’ you can visit their website here.

Danny Turner has been involved in the sport of golf for his entire life. He is now working in several areas of the game under the banner of Danny’s Golf Sales and Service in Delisle.

Turner essentially grew up on a golf course, his father Bill Turner was the superintendent and golf professional at the Saskatoon Golf & Country Club for four decades. Dan recounts the time of being around his father while building the third green at the city club.

“I was six-years-old, that was my first one,” he chuckled at his Delisle shop this week.

Dan has a wealth of experience in fixing carts, building clubs and maintenance of courses. He is combining all those factors into his business that opened in June.

“In this town there is probably 20 percent that are golfers,” he explained to Golf Saskatchewan. “I didn’t want to go jump in a truck or run equipment because my shoulders aren’t good anymore after a couple surgeries. I just wanted to get back into something, so I got back into everything. I used to deal in Club Car in the 1980’s so I am working on carts. I want to custom build and repair clubs, I had a driving range when I was in the city and I did some instruction.”

Turner has a hitting net set up in one of the bays of the shop located just off Highway 7 in the community 20 minutes from Saskatoon. Turner said the town’s course is busy and a gem in the area but his net works to keep your swing in form over the long winter.

“I know it’s not like going to the GolfDome or a simulator but if you just want to keep your swing it’s perfect. One thing about the net, you work on hitting it solid and you don’t have to watch where the ball is going,” he said.

Turner’s father was also the icemaker at the Rutherford Arena in Saskatoon. The two careers overlapped so the eldest Turner got away from golf for a few years but eventually found his way back to the Wildwood Golf Course. Turner’s mother was the proshop manager while Bill was the greenskeeper and professional. Danny learned more about equipment during his mother’s tenure in the proshop.

“Fitting clubs is a niche market,” he said. “It’s easy to walk in to a store and get a set of clubs, but fitting is a different animal. You need to know the game of golf, a person’s swing. Lots of times a person doesn’t even need new clubs, just some adjustments on the range.”

Turner admits he’s not going to make a fortune in the golf shop or the industry. He loves the game and wants to assist any way he can and give back to the area and community he’s called home for 18 years.

“I get a lot of my work from out of this town and in the town as well. You always want more right? I am just out here to help people in the game of golf, and I want to make it more enjoyable,” he added.

If you need a cart serviced or are interested in details on fittings or any other golf related questions Turner can be reached at 1-639-433-0333.

Shell Lake’s Brooklin Fry is looking back on a fantastic experience after the 15-year-old took part in Golf Canada’s junior team camp.

The reigning Saskatchewan junior girls and women’s amateur champion spent five days at Bear Mountain in Victoria, British Columbia last week at an invite only camp for the nation’s best junior golfers. Fry said the first two days included three hours of drills covering all shots before playing a round at the national training centre course. The camp concluded with a three-day mini tournament. Fry said the week was a great venture.

“It was a really great experience,” she told Golf Saskatchewan. “It was obviously a little tougher for me to get my game back because I haven’t touched my clubs since the Lobstick, but it was a really good experience and I had lots of fun.”

Fry shot rounds of 82, 85, and a stellar 76 on day three. She said Bear Mountain can seem like a daunting golf course.

“Yeah, visually it was intimidating,” she said. “You had to play your shots perfectly.”

During the exit meetings the coaches praised Fry’s game and said she did well. She was also the second youngest player vying for a spot on the national junior girls’ team. Fry admitted she likely won’t be the first Saskatchewan player on the team since Jesse Gibson in 2010 but has a few years left of eligibility. Overall she said taking part in the camp was an amazing experience.

“There probably isn’t a word I could use to describe it. It was really cool to actually get invited,” she said.

Fry said the coaches will be reaching out soon to discuss the team in further details.

For now Fry will put down her clubs for a hockey stick preparing for her first season with the U18 AAA Prince Albert Bears that begin games in the first week of November.

PGA of Canada member Jennifer Greggain has been named coach of the National Junior Squads by Golf Canada.

Working alongside head coach Robert Ratcliffe, Greggain will help guide mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics and nutrition for the Canada’s top athletes. Coaching will be based at the national training centre at Bear Mountain in Victoria, B.C., featuring a centralized component from March through June which provides accommodation and education for athletes during their high school second semester.

Greggain, a resident of Chilliwack, B.C., transitions into the role after joining the national team program as assistant coach of the Women’s Amateur and Young Pro Squads in January of 2020.

Prior to joining Golf Canada, Greggain was the director of instruction at Chilliwack Golf Club, the assistant coach for the University of the Fraser Valley, and led the B.C. Summer Games Squad on numerous occasions. Before her coaching career, she was an accomplished player for more than 10 years on the LPGA and Symetra Tours.

“Jennifer brings a strong background in competitive golf to compliment a wealth of coaching knowledge that will continue to fill the pipeline with high performance athletes,” said head coach Robert Ratcliffe.

She’s both TPI and K-Vest certified and last June she enrolled in the University of British Columbia’s Master of High Performance and Technical Leadership program. Greggain is the recipient of the 2018 PGA of Canada Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year.

The PGA of Canada Class ‘A’ member was also instrumental in guiding Golf Canada’s Women in Coaching program.

Greggain is a mother of two and lives in B.C. with her husband.

The Canadian golf community is saddened to learn of the passing of former Golf Canada President and Honorary Life Governor Findlay Young of Prince George, B.C., who passed away suddenly on Friday, October 9, 2020 at the age of 92.

Young was born in 1928 in Glasgow, Scotland, where he met his wife Nancy. They married in 1955 and emigrated to Canada in 1957.

He served as a director at B.C. Golf from 1961-1999 and was an honourary life director. He also served as president of the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) in 1993 where he was also named an honourary life governor.

In total, Young won 53 golf competitions, including 11 Prince George Golf and Curling Club championships between 1959 and 1970. He recorded eight holes-in-one.

Among his many accomplishments off the golf course, Young was a director for the Prince George Mohawks senior hockey team for 10 years and was inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

For many in the golf community, Findlay was a great friend and mentor whose passion for golf and contributions to the game left a lasting impact. His mark on our organization and our sport will not soon be forgotten.

Below is a message that was shared by the Prince George Golf & Curling Club and here is a link to the bio that was included with his induction into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame.

Always prioritizing junior golf, he successfully mentored many skilled amateurs locally, provincially, and nationally, including captaining the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Junior Teams. Findlay’s rules proficiency and diplomatic skills eventually led to the presidency of Golf Canada as the first ever elected from Northern BC.

As president he attended the World rules conference and served as Canada’s golf ambassador to the 1994 Masters and Canadian, U.S., and British Opens. A lethal wedge player and scratch golfer for many years, Findlay dominated golf in the Northern interior, holding 11 club championships at the Prince George Golf & Country Club, a record that will never be equaled.

“Fin” significantly influenced all aspects of our club’s development, and on behalf of the board, our condolences and best wishes go out to the Young family.

“scíth a ligean”

Respectfully,
Don McDermid
General Manager On Behalf of the Prince George Golf and Country Club Board of Directors

Regina’s Hunter Kutcher has a bronze medal from the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) Nationals last weekend.

Kutcher, 16, started playing golf at Madge Lake Golf Course after a family friend “built” him a golf club, problem was it was right-handed. Kutcher is a lefty. The Regina product eventually got a set of clubs. He became a member of the Royal Regina Golf Club at 12 years old and hasn’t looked back. He played his first MJT event the next year, he performed well and lit a fire for competitive golf.

“Yeah, it did,” Kutcher told Golf Saskatchewan. “I was really happy after that first tournament and how well I did. Man, if I work at this I could get pretty decent. I placed fifth in that tournament.”

Kutcher has since been a mainstay on the Saskatchewan MJT loop and the provincial championship. After respectable finishes in 2019 Kutcher was able to collect a couple top-5 finishes this past season. He said putting in work in the offseason was the key to his improved results.

“I was playing once a week at First Tee, sometimes twice a week. I did workouts at 1621 with Tanner White and I saw huge improvements with my strength and swing speed. That was a big part, with playing at First Tee, working on my swing and setting goals was a big thing as well. I set a lot of goals and I think I achieved all of them,” Kutcher said.

Kutcher’s season was noticed by the MJT organizers, so he received an invitation to attend their final event in Surrey, B.C. over the Thanksgiving weekend. Kutcher shot 79 and 78 in not so great conditions over the first two days. He posted a 71 on day three to jump up the leaderboard and earn a bronze medal. He said there wasn’t any expectations going into the event.

“I didn’t have any expectations, that was the biggest tournament I have ever played in. I put absolutely no pressure on myself. I went into it with the mindset, let’s play some golf, play your own game and have some fun,” he said.

After day two he was in eighth place and knew he had a low round in him on a “scoreable” course. He knew where he stood at the turn on day three and felt a podium finish was possible.

“On the range I was hitting it really good. I stepped up to the first tee and I was confident. I had that feeling that I was going to go low. I told my parents when I left clubhouse I have a low round in me. I went out there, I striped it up the fairway, I hit it onto the green, two putt par. I got rid of the nerves off the first hole and it was smooth sailing or the rest of the round,” he explained.

Kutcher ended up seven strokes behind the winner of the juvenile boy’s division. He said bringing home the bronze medal is still sinking in.

“I was in shock, going into the week I didn’t even expect to be top five. When I found out I was top three I was so happy. I don’t even know how to explain it. I was with my friend and he was so proud of me, that made me happy. I was just in shock,” he said.

Kutcher is a grade 11 student at Riffel High School in Regina. He will continue to work at the game and hopes college golf is in his future after he graduates in 2022.

The Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) has announced their players of the year across the nation including here in Saskatchewan.

Buena Vista’s Elias Haukeness is the peewee boy’s player of the year. Haukeness, 12, never finished lower than third in any Saskatchewan MJT event this season. He won the last three events he competed in as well. He said the season exceeded his expectations.

“I just wanted to beat my personal score in MJT, but I came out provincial player of the year which was a total shock to me,” Haukeness said. “Thank you to all the MJT people for keeping this competitive golf season going through the pandemic. It feels fantastic that I was named MJT provincial player of the year. I’m am very proud that all my hard work and dedication has gotten me where I am today.”

Haukeness placed second in his age group (under-13) at the Saskatchewan Junior Boy’s Championship and won the provincial Order of Merit (OMT) trophy for the same age group.

Weyburn’s Darien Herlick (above) had a great season earning the 14-year-old the bantam boy’s player of the year. Herlick won the first MJT event of the season in Swift Current. That was followed by a third-place result in Regina. A pair of second place finishes preceded a win in Warman in late August.

Herlick placed second in the provincial OMT race in the under-15 division.

16-year-old Chase Pochylko (above) won his age group (juvenile, 15-16) twice this season on route to the division’s player of the year. The Saskatoon golfer picked up victories at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club and TS&M Woodlawn this past summer.

He finished in a tie for 6^th at the provincial junior championships helping him place 6^th in the OMT standings in the under-19 age group.

Theoren West (above) of Wawota enjoyed a breakout summer on the course. The 17-year-old Golf Kenosee player picked up two MJT wins and the MJT junior boy’s player of the year. West said winning a couple of events and climbing near the top of the junior field in the province were his goals going into the summer.

“I met my goals,” he said. “I wanted to be the best player in Saskatchewan and to win two tournaments which I did. That was my biggest goal for this year. It feels great, I worked really hard and that was one of my goals for the year was to be the best player in Saskatchewan by the end of the year so it was awesome.”

West placed 4^th at the junior provincials and 3^rd in the OMT standings.

Yorkton’s Ella Kozak (above) entered four events this year in the under-15 girl’s category and won all of them.

The victories made the 14-year-old Deer Park Golf Course member a shoe in for player of the year. She was victorious in MJT events in Swift Current, Regina, and Warman. She was also the under-15 provincial girls champion and the U-15 OMT winner.

Sarah Grieve had a busy season and a successful one. The 17-year-old Saskatoon golfer won the MJT 15 – 19 girls age group three different times, picked up a second along the way and is the 2020 player of the year. The Willows Golf Club member said her hard work paid off this summer.

“My goal this season was to lower my scoring average into the 70’s, so earning the 75.88 scoring average definitely exceeded my expectations. I worked hard to play my best golf as soon as the golf courses opened, so receiving this award was a big achievement. It feels great to win this award in my age group this year,” Grieve said.

She placed third at the junior provincials and won the under-19 girls OMT championship.

For more details on the awards visit the MJT website.