Anyone who knows me knows I love Christmas. Heck, I even own a Santa suit and still think my grandson believes I’m the real thing when I show up at his house on Christmas morning.

So, as you read on, please don’t label me the Golfing Grinch.

With that disclaimer, and I am sure I speak on behalf of avid golfers everywhere, spare us the trinkets and trash when buying a gift for us this year.

I don’t want another plastic clicker to count my strokes or a gopher headcover or a tee shaped like a martini glass or … You get the picture.

Actually, I didn’t know what I wanted until I read a tweet from Listowel Golf Club. “Merry Golfmas!” I shouted.

Gift card to a big box store? OK. You can buy stuff. Gift card to a Golf Club? WAYYY BETTER. You can buy stuff, play golf, rent a cart, buy lunch, buy refreshments, use them towards memberships, enter events….etc…etc… Buy them online at https://t.co/DXeg1f7AsN

— Listowel Golf Club (@lgc1920) November 23, 2020

“Golf clubs have the answer to the eternal question of what to buy the golfer,” says the tweet’s author, Brenden Parsons. Parsons, the club’s director of operations, says your local golf facility most likely offers a variety of gift options that will make for a very special Christmas for the golfer on your list — or yourself.

Here are a few examples. Check with your local golf facility to see what they offer.

Online Shopping

Listowel GC offers an online store featuring gift cards of various denominations, golf clubs, footwear and apparel. One unique option is the Christmas Date Night Box which, depending on which level you select, offers a variety of appetizers and even wine. Share it with your partner or even arrange a Zoom party where everyone enjoys their own “Date Night” selection at home. Call it a virtual office Christmas party. “Our food and beverage team came up with the concept,” says Parsons. “It somewhat offsets the fact that there will be no Christmas or New Year’s parties this year.”

Visit the Golf Canada online shop to select logoed gear ranging from apparel, footwear, bags and balls to mementoes of the association’s 125^th Many items are discounted for holiday shopping.

There’s a selection of top-level golf garb in FootJoy’s online Holiday Gift Guide and a dozen personalized Titleist balls is a perfect stocking stuffer.

Check out your provincial association’s website for golfy gifts. For example, a couple offer 2-for-1 cards for green fees and Golf Ontario hosts a “12 Days of Christmas” auction. Worth a look!

The wait is over – 12 Days of Golf is live‼️?

In support of @TheFirstTee and Junior Golf initiatives, the first wave featuring 28 items is now live on EBay! These items will be up for 5 days, with 2 more waves of items until the 18th.

Stay tuned⛳️?https://t.co/ecsjAlmAQo pic.twitter.com/eIPPVsnlbT

— Golf Ontario (@TheGolfOntario) December 7, 2020

Gift Cards

The ubiquitous gift card is put to good use by many golf clubs. The options range from cash value redeemable at the course to paying part or all of a membership and/or a cart package, packs of green fees, lessons, club fittings and other services. “This reinforces the value of the club professional,” says Adam Frederick, communications manager for the PGA of Canada. “They are great retailers and experts in instruction and club fitting. This is especially important if you are looking for a gift for a new or junior golfer. Get them started on the right track.”

Donations

Make a donation to the Golf Canada Foundation in the name of the gift’s recipient. The Foundation, a registered Canadian Amateur Athletic Association, raises and grants funds for the advancement of golf in Canada in five main areas: junior golf, collegiate golf, women’s golf, high-performance golf and heritage.

Members at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in Kingston, Ont., get a chance at an additional 20 per cent off their holiday purchase if they drop off a non-perishable food item at the pro shop.

Cataraqui in your Community! In the Spirit of Giving, @Catgandcc is accepting non-perishable food and personal care items or monetary gifts for the Kingston Partners in Mission Food Bank. @FoodBankKtown #catspiritofgiving #ygkhttps://t.co/6gCudLyqJb pic.twitter.com/NaiVdGvsJ9

— Cataraqui Golf & CC (@Catgandcc) December 6, 2020

Lessons

If you live in the Greater Toronto Region, how about a gift certificate for a one- or two-hour fitting session at the Titleist National Fitting Centre located at Eagle’s Nest Golf Club? (Call 905-553-8555 for details.) Specialty shops like Modern Golf, TXG, GolfTEC and others offer winter specials for club fittings, lessons and more.

Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto offers a variety of services including a holiday cooking class and their own label honey and chutney. Glencoe Golf and Country Club in Calgary has an online holiday marketplace.

Aside from providing great value, patronizing your golf club helps support the industry which, like us all, has suffered due to the economic downturn caused by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Another aspect of giving a gift certificate for future golf-related activities or purchases is that it provides a much-needed sense of optimism for a 2021 golf season full of promise, good health and lots of time outside on the course.

Merry Golfmas!

Garth Goodbrandson may have been employed by Golf Manitoba but his tutelage and knowledge of the game stretched across borders.

After 23 years with the Manitoba amateur association, the Winnipeg resident is calling it a career. As a coach of Western Canada Summer Games teams and the manager of the Maple Leaf Junior Tour in Manitoba Goodbrandson has crossed paths with many Saskatchewan juniors over the years.

Goodbrandson spoke with Golf Saskatchewan and recounted his time in the game, interaction with Saskatchewan players, the state of our game in the province and more.

The dates have been set for the 2021 individual provincial golf championships.

Leading off the season will be the amateur championships (women’s and men’s) as well as the mid-amateur (25 +) at Swift Current’s Elmwood Golf Club. The Men’s Saskatchewan Amateur Championship will be a 72-hole event once again next year with a cut after 54 holes. The Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Championship and Mid-Am Amateur Championship are three-day tournaments. Golf Saskatchewan Director of Sport and Championships Steve Ryde said Elmwood was a great host for the juniors this past season and wanted to have the marquee event at their club.

“The Elmwood hosted our girl’s and boy’s championships last year in a difficult season with fantastic success,” Ryde said. “The course, along with Sheldon (Reinhart) and Brennan (Rumancik) showed interest as early as last year wanting to bring the amateurs to their club as soon as possible and with the operation of the juniors we are excited to be heading back and know the course will be a tough test for the week.”

The championships begin July 6, the women’s and mid-am winner will be declared on July 8, the men’s amateur champion will be decided on the 9^th.

The Hillcrest Golf Club in Moose Jaw will play host to the 71^st Saskatchewan Junior Girl’s Championship and the 95^th Saskatchewan Junior Boy’s Championship from July 13 – 15. The Hillcrest last hosted a Golf Saskatchewan event in 2015 when hometown product Ken Bradley won the senior championship. The Hillcrest has a brand-new clubhouse built this past year that will accommodate the participants nicely.

Much like the Elmwood Golf Course, The Legends in Warman hosted an event this year with the amateurs being played at the Warman course. From July 27 – 29 the best senior golfers in the province will compete for the 58^th Senior Women’s Championship and 102^nd Senior Men’s Championship. The 16^th Mid-Masters (40+) Championship will also be played during the week. Ryde said The Legends and General Manager Davidson Matyczuk wanted to play host to an event once again.

“We always have great support from courses across the province when it comes to be hosts for our events and the negotiations are mostly seamless. When you have a course like The Legends come forward and offer their facility for four days in peak time of the summer we’re ecstatic to work with them and the golfers will be happy too as The Legends is a top of the line course in Saskatchewan,” Ryde said.

The 50^th Rosebowl and 22^nd Mixed Team Championship was left on the driving range in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shotgun format style of the events. Golf Saskatchewan is working with the board of directors on a decision for the tournaments in 2021. As of today, shotgun events would still be prohibited under public health guidelines. The season is months away and many things can change. The organization is discussing the potential of holding the events as tee time formats and hosting them in the new year.

Last season Katepwa Beach Golf Club and Candle Lake Golf Resort were slated to host the events. More details on those events will be released in the future. Overall Ryde said the line up looks engaging for the new year.

“We’re heading back to some familiar courses to our regular players and venturing outside the major centres so we’re hoping to potentially see some new faces in 2021. Golf is red hot right now and we expect to see some unreal golf and crown some very deserving champions,” he said.

Barbara Danahar is arguably the most decorated golfer in Saskatchewan history and potentially one of the nation’s most successful amateur players.

Danahar, formally known as Barbara Turnbull is a 10-time Saskatchewan amateur women’s champion and a five-time winner of the senior women’s five times. In total she was part of 40 Saskatchewan teams over her career.

Danahar was inducted into the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame with the inaugural class of 2010.

Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork sat down with her at her home course of Riverside earlier in November.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Kevin Blue has joined the National Sport Federation as its new Chief Sport Officer.

A dynamic and accomplished executive, coach, and high-performance golfer, Blue joins the Executive Team of the National Sport Federation after serving nearly five years as Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, an NCAA Division I institute.

His responsibilities with Golf Canada as Chief Sport Officer include the oversight, management and strategic development of key functional areas including golf services with a focus on membership; high-performance player development; sport and junior programs including First Tee – Canada; amateur competitions; and governing body activities across the Rules of Golf, Handicapping, Course Rating and Amateur Status. Blue will be a lead contact with numerous provincial, national, and international stakeholders.

“Kevin brings a depth of executive leadership experience across business, education, coaching and high-performance sport, and we are thrilled to have him elevate our sport, golf services and player development activities,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “He is a transformative leader and passionate advocate for Canadian golf who will bring tremendous energy and enthusiasm to improving the golfer, facility and athlete experience at all levels.”

For Blue, born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, the opportunity to return to Canada to champion the growth of golf was an opportunity to apply his executive leadership experiences across the sport that has been a lifelong passion.

“Golf has impacted my life in extraordinary ways,” said Blue. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to return home and help to extend the reach of our sport to more Canadians. I’m also very excited to partner with our athletes, coaches, and many others in the golf community nation-wide to continue building Canada’s global prominence in the sport we love.”

As Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, Blue oversaw a $41M athletic department featuring 25 collegiate teams. He led record-setting fundraising campaigns at UC Davis that supported coaching endowments, athlete scholarships, and the construction of multi-million-dollar facilities including a $52M student-athlete performance centre currently under construction. In addition to facilitating all-time academic results for student-athletes and competitive success on the field of play, he implemented a formal diversity, equity and inclusion strategy for coaches and senior-level hires as well as mandatory implicit bias training for all employees.

Prior to joining UC Davis, Blue honed his executive management skills over three years as the Senior Associate Athletic Director, External Relations with Stanford University where he had oversight of key external business units including ticket sales, sponsorships, marketing, communications, business strategy, ticket operations, fan experience, and video. As a key member of the athletic department senior executive team, he contributed to strategic planning, policy, personnel, sponsor relations, and university integration in addition to launching the Pac-12 Network at Stanford. As a Lecturer at Stanford, he taught an introductory Sport Psychology course and constructed a curriculum that surveyed topics related to peak performance, talent development and mental health. He also taught a graduate level course on Strategic Management for Sport Business at the University of San Francisco.

Other leadership roles during his time at Stanford included three years as Associate Athletic Director and two years as an Athletics Department Fellow. Prior to Stanford, Blue was involved in high-performance golf, providing sport psychology and short game coaching to professional and elite amateur golfers.

An accomplished amateur golfer growing up in Toronto, Blue played in numerous provincial and national amateur competitions and spent time with Golf Canada’s National Junior Golf Team (prior to the formation of the Team Canada program) and represented Canada at the 2001 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. He attended Stanford University on a varsity golf scholarship where he earned his B.A. in Psychology, was a captain on the golf team, and was an NCAA Academic All-American.

He went on to attend Michigan State University where earned his Ph.D. in Sport Psychology and then completed an executive education program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Blue has authored a multitude of articles on topics related to sport, education, and business.

Blue will be returning to Canada with his wife Betsy and their four children and is set to begin his role as Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer in early January 2021.

NOTE: pictures of Kevin Blue are available here.

Canadians golfers are playing golf and adapting to new technology such as the Golf Canada App like never before.

In a year where record numbers of recreational rounds were registered with Golf Canada through June (1.2 million), July (1.6M), August (1.5M), September (1.5M) and October (618,500) embracing technology and new apps has become a way of life for most Canadians who have spent much of 2020 learning to deal with  COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing measures.

“It has been here for years, creeping into our lives, but the rapid spread of technology accelerated by the pandemic has led to a digital transformation like no other – even for golfers, who now book the vast majority of their tee times on-line, post their scores digitally and use a virtual scorecard,” says Vanessa Morbi, Senior Director of Marketing at Golf Canada.

We carry less cash – it is all about contactless digital payments. We go to school less – it is all about virtual distance learning. We do not go to work as much or see people face-to-face – it is all about remote working and Zoom meetings. So much for seeing your doctor in their office – we are now using Telehealth. Friday night at the movies or concerts have become almost nostalgic – it is now all about on-line entertainment and the increase of endless streaming services. We shop on-line like never before. We are ordering take-out like never before and we connect with loved ones using the internet much more than we ever would have imagined. The COVID-19 digital transformation is now part of the fabric of our lives and there is mostly likely an app for that or it is in the works.

“Many businesses across this land have been extremely busy creating and expanding digital platforms to maintain or grow their business, while connecting with old and new consumers in creative ways,” added Morbi. “The launch of Golf Canada’s bilingual app on August 1, 2020 was a perfect parallel with the smartphone app boom. It has hit a real sweet spot with Canadian golfers.”

Golf Canada experienced a tremendous 175% increase in net-new downloads of its app between August 1 and October 1. Monthly active users soared 77% over last year and monthly app sessions are up 67%. Score posting for handicap purposes has been hugely popular with users of the new app. Score posting for September 2020 was up 28% versus September 2019.

“In my books Golf Canada really hit a home run with this app and I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store for 2021,” says Frank Novello, a member at Dundas Valley G&CC in Ontario. “I love the new interface. It is so simple to use. I really like the new options and user experience. Everything is at your fingertips. It’s awesome actually.”

Golfers can enter their scores on the app as they play hole-by-hole or at the end of a game. Shot-by-shot GPS is also hugely popular. Golfers can track a variety of stats including driving accuracy, greens in regulation, putting strokes, sand shots and up & downs. You can also add friends and track those scores following their rounds.

“All my buddies at Dundas Valley use it. We have a little Saturday morning match for a beer and we use the app to keep track of how everyone did. It is a ton of fun,” Novello adds, noting that due to COVID-19, the club, like many others, eliminated traditional scorecards and pencils as a safety precaution.

In September, Novello went on a buddies’ golf trip. The two foursomes played Lora Bay, Batteaux Creek, Monterra and Cobble Beach in the Collingwood area.

“Once you start using the app it simplifies the game,” he added. “It was easy to determine our handicaps for each of the courses based on slope and course rating of each course and using the GPS feature on a course you’re not familiar with proved to be a real shot saver.”

As the 2020 golf season winds down, Golf Canada is delighted with the success of the app to date. During a time when Canadians have been separated and distanced from each other as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the app allowed golfers to better connect with the game they love and those they play it with.

The app is available for download for both iOS and Android mobile devices from the App Store and Google Play at no cost. Some benefits and features require a Golf Canada membership to use.

“COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of digital readiness, which allows business and life to continue as usual – as much as possible – during pandemics,” Morbi says. “The Golf Canada App was our leap forward during a challenging year. We are preparing to include exciting new features including Shot Tracer and gaming for 2021 to build on the momentum and create a more connected golf community among our 1,400 member clubs and those who play the game.”

To download the new Golf Canada App – a free tool for Canadian golfers to enhance their course experience and go digital with their game – click here. 

WINNIPEG – After 23 years with Golf Manitoba, Garth Goodbrandson will retire as the Director of Player Development at the end of 2020.

Goodbrandson first began his career with Golf Manitoba in 1997 after 16 years as a PGA of Canada club professional. The move into coaching and leadership as the Director of Player Development for Golf Manitoba made him the first full time coach hired by any provincial golf association.

During his tenure with Golf Manitoba, Garth introduced thousands of young people to the sport of golf through golf in schools and rural instruction programs. In addition to grassroots programming, Garth became one of the top high-performance golf coaches in the country with many of his athletes achieving success at the junior, collegiate, amateur, and professional levels.

Photo: Bison Sports

In 1999, Goodbrandson, along with co-founder Derek Ingram, had a vision to expand high-performance golf opportunities by establishing the University of Manitoba golf program. Since the program’s inception, Goodbrandson has coached every Bison team until his retirement in the fall of 2019.  During his 20-year career with the Bisons, Goodbrandson’s teams amassed over 30 wins with the most notable coming in 2014 when the men’s team won the Canadian University & College Championship.  In recognition for winning the national championship, Goodbrandson was named Canadian University Golf Coach of the Year in 2014 and received the City of Winnipeg Outstanding Achievement Award in the same year.  The golf team was names as a finalist for the 2014 Manitoba Sportswriter/Sportscaster Team of the Year.

Throughout his career, Goodbrandson has been recognized by his peers and numerous golf and sports associations for his dedication and commitment to coaching.

Some notable highlights include being inducted to the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame in 2016, awarded the PGA of Manitoba Coach of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and most recently, he was honored as the Sport Manitoba Male Coach of the Year in the spring of 2020.

“As the long-time coach of Golf Manitoba’s Development programs, Garth was a leader and pioneer in many areas.  Passion, dedication and care went into every program he developed but he was also extremely successful at the provincial and national level,” said Derek Ingram, Golf Canada Men’s National Amateur and Olympic Team Coach when reflecting on his fellow professional and long-time friend.

“Garth is an expert coach and has one of the best records over a long career, consistently punching above the provinces weight class. A lot of provincial and even national programs that exist now are an offshoot of Garth’s Golf Manitoba programs that he crafted. More important than his record, Garth is of the highest character, caring, thoughtful and loved by students, coaches, professionals and industry leaders alike.”

“Garth’s contributions to golfers in Manitoba are unmatched and we are thankful to have had him on our team for the past 23 years,” Golf Manitoba President Ken Warwick said, “He will be greatly missed.”

“Golf Manitoba owes a debt of gratitude to Garth for all he has done for our association and our golf community,” Golf Manitoba Executive Director Jared Ladobruk said. “Throughout his career, Garth has shown an incredible passion for coaching and has created many wonderful opportunities for young Manitoba golfers. He is a gentleman, a consummate professional and has been a tremendous ambassador of our association and of golf over the years. We are sad to see him move on but at the same time extremely happy for him as he begins this new adventure.”

Brad Phelps is a two-time (2008-2017) Saskatchewan mid-amateur champion, the Saskatoon product is now a member of the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame.

Phelps spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Director of Communications Saskatchewan Clark Stork this week to discuss the honour.

Melodie Lawrek took up the game of golf at the advice of her husband, and like all her passions she dove right in.

The Regina product and member at the Royal Regina Golf Club is one of five people inducted into the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame. Lawrek has worked several national and international events over the last 25 years and has also visited St. Andrews for a rules clinic.

She joined Golf Saskatchewan’s Director of Communications Clark Stork last week via Zoom to speak about the honour.

Pat Buglass started volunteering in the mid 1970’s and now her time has earned her a seat in the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame.

Buglass was born in Indian Head and got involved with the sport of golf at Katepwa playing with her parents. Once she moved to Saskatoon for university Buglass got involved with the executive at the Holiday Park Golf Course. Her tenure at Holiday Park included 20 years as the club captain. Buglass said she got involved because giving back was instilled in her growing up.

“I grew up with the idea that if you took part in something you contributed back to it,” Buglass told Golf Saskatchewan. “It was the family tradition; you didn’t let others be the ones to organize and do everything.”

Buglass went on to become the president of the Saskatchewan Branch of the Canadian Ladies’ Golf Association in 1998. She was in the role during the amalgamation of the men’s and women’s provincial golf associations. She was also heavily involved in many Saskatoon city championships and national events. She then got involved with course rating and contributed many hours towards clubs across Saskatchewan.

“About 1992 when the course rating changed to the slope system I took the course and I started volunteering. I enjoyed that because of the fact you got to go out to different golf courses across the province and work with some wonderful people,” she said.

Buglass is also a long-time rules official. She attended her first clinic in 1997 and is still a fixture at provincial events.

Buglass is an accomplished player as well holding a 30-year record as Holiday Park’s women’s and senior women’s champion. In 1994 she represented Saskatchewan on the senior women’s golf team and was also a representative for Saskatchewan on the provincial senior women’s curling team. Buglass said being recognized by the golf community is a great feeling.

“What it means is people appreciate the volunteer work that goes into making these golf tournaments and organizations viable. You are part of a larger society and they recognize people who do these jobs without any expectations of being honoured or rewarded in any way,” she said.

You can view Buglass’ bio here. You can hear more from Buglass in her interview with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork below.