Amateur Golf

This past year, I had the privilege of serving as the 108th president of the Royal Canadian Golf Association. For some, my term will be remembered as the first time in the 116-year storied history of the association that a woman has served as president. While I am extremely honoured and recognize the significance of my appointment, it is another first from 2011 that I am most proud of.

This past year marked the first time that the Canadian golf industry came together to participate in a national government awareness campaign. Representatives from the National Allied Golf Association – comprised of the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada, the Canadian Golf Course Superintendents Association, the PGA of Canada, the Canadian Society of Club Managers, the Canadian Tour, the Canadian Golf Industry Association and Golf Canada – as well as our provincial association partners participated in government lobby efforts at both the provincial and federal level.

Golf has a great story to tell and our goal was to bring a face and a voice for the Canadian golf industry in front of federal and provincial government; educating legislators across Canada as well as the Canadian public that in addition to health and societal benefits, golf is a significant contributor to the economic well-being of hundreds of communities from coast to coast.

Canada is a golfing nation with close to six million golfers and more than 2,500 courses and practice facilities from coast to coast. As an industry, golf is worth more than $11 billion to the economy, employs more than 340,000 Canadians and results in $1.2 billion in property taxes as well as $1.9 billion in income taxes.

More than 25,000 charity golf events contribute close to $440 million annually to charity. From an environmental perspective, over 200,000 hectares of green space is managed by golf course operators, including 41,000 hectares of unmanaged wildlife habitat under golf course stewardship. As well, Canadian travelers make more than one million trips involving golf, spending an estimated $1.9 billion annually on golf-related travel within Canada.

For the first time, our industry was represented as one united voice speaking on behalf of our sport. Cooperation, interactivity and alignment – working together for the betterment of our sport. I was thrilled to take part in lobby days in my home province of Alberta as well as in Ottawa with federal ministers and legislators. I hope the government awareness campaign can be a catalyst for future collaborative efforts in Canadian golf.

Golf touches so many parts of our lives. I’ve been a proud member of the Highlands Golf Club in Edmonton for more than 40 years and like many Canadians, the sport is part of my personal and professional life. I believe in giving back. As I reflect on 2011 and the many years I’ve spent with Highlands Golf Club, Alberta Golf and Golf Canada, I’ve certainly gained a greater appreciation for what makes our sport so special.

For some, it’s a passion; for others a pastime. Ours is a game that can challenge individuals, instill values in our children and give family and friends a reason to get together. For all of us, golf can bring about a sense of community.

For Golf Canada, our strategic plan remains a rallying point for the association, providing focus towards the current and future direction of our sport. Those critical things we must do for the growth of our sport and the future health of the association. While we didn’t achieve everything we set out to accomplish, we learned a great deal in 2011, corrected our course where need be and continue to strive for excellence.

As the association evolves, so too has our relationship with the 1,500 clubs and 340,000+ members we represent from coast to coast. We also continue to work towards strengthening our relationship with the provincial golf associations and our national partners.

Efforts to leverage technologies and social media have allowed the association to tell our story like never before. Our website – golfcanada.ca – has become a powerful tool with which to build a connection with Canadian golfers.

The site has evolved into Canada’s premier golf website, an accomplishment that we are so very proud of.

As the National Sport Organization (NSO), Golf Canada continues to take a leadership role in growing participation and excellence in our sport. We also take our role as the authority on the Rules of Golf, handicapping and amateur status very seriously. Conducting world class Amateur and National Open Championships remains core to our mandate, and I was thrilled to attend several of those events and help crown our 2011 champions.

Golf Canada’s efforts in long term player development, working with the provinces, the PGA of Canada and many other partners on wonderful grassroots initiatives like Golf in Schools presented by Callaway and CN Future Links Learn to Play are paramount to our NSO mandate. So too are our continued efforts in high performance as we work to develop this country’s finest athletes – the future heroes and role models of our sport.

It has been six years since Sport Canada designated Golf Canada as the National Sport Organization. While tremendous progress in player development has been made in a relatively short period, we will need to continue working hard and investing in our sport if we are to meet the expectations we’ve set out in our role as the NSO.

As an association and as an industry, I believe we are doing great things for our sport. However, those efforts come at a cost. For Golf Canada, that cost is reflected in our enclosed financial statements, a black and white reminder that while we work towards the growth of our sport, we need to be mindful of operational efficiencies and search out new revenue models. The financial sustainability of this association is critical to our ability to effectively carry out our responsibilities as the NSO.

Golf Canada is fortunate to have the support of our members, member clubs, Sport Canada and many proud sponsors that believe in aligning their brand with golf. We are also thankful to the many donors and supporters that have included the RCGA Foundation in their philanthropic giving. We have accomplished great things within our current resources, and with more revenue sources, we can increase our investment in the game.

Ours is a sport fueled by volunteerism and I want to personally thank the tens of thousands of Canadians that give back to the sport they love. Whether they serve on boards, help conduct championships or clinics, take part in club events or simply lend a hand when needed, volunteers are a driving force in Canadian golf. Having the opportunity to meet and share in the experiences of thousands of volunteers across the country has been inspiring.

I want to thank the entire Golf Canada family including the Board of Directors, our governors and provincial partners as well as Scott Simmons and the staff at Golf House for their efforts, professionalism and leadership.

Serving as the 108th president of this storied association has been a personal highlight in my 25 years as a golf volunteer – a humbling honour and a reminder that whether you are a golfer, an administrator, an industry stakeholder or a volunteer, it is those that love the game that are helping to grow our sport. My enthusiasm for golf has never been stronger and I hope to continue giving back to this game that’s meant so much to me.