It was a tweet that echoed ‘round the world.

Well, the Canadian golf world, at least.

“Leaving @RBCCanadianOpen after 34 tournaments and 11 as Tournament Chair. Melancholy moment thinking about all the memories of Glen Abbey. To @TheGolfCanada, thanks for all the wonderful experiences and friendships made.”

The author was Jim Clark (@cognashene for those of you on Twitter) and the accompanying photo showed him beside the RBC Canadian Open trophy as the sun set on this year’s championship on July 29.

Leaving ⁦@RBCCanadianOpen⁩ after 34 tournaments and 11 as Tournament Chair. Melancholy moment thinking about all the memories of Glen Abbey. To ⁦@TheGolfCanada⁩ Thanks for all of the wonderful experiences and friendships made. pic.twitter.com/qHpCxBcykY

— Jim Clark (@cognashene) July 30, 2018

Clark, 61, has been involved as a volunteer in our national men’s Open since 1984 when he joined the Caddies and Juniors Committee. The eventual progression took him through that and other committees until he was chosen to be the Tournament Chair at the 2002 championship at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

In 1984, Bill Paul was Golf Canada’s assistant tournament director, working under the legendary Richard “Dick” Grimm. Paul, now the organization’s director of professional tournaments, says Clark had a rare combination of qualities that made him the ideal volunteer.

“Jim was always interested in all areas of the tournament and was always trying to find ways to do things better. He was never satisfied with the status quo. He has a great personality, friendly and approachable. He listens to others and if he has an opinion, he explains it in a reasoned way.

“He’s the same when he was talking to the CEO of RBC as he was when he was talking to the volunteer marshal at the seventh hole at Glen Abbey.

“He was like the champion of the volunteers.”

It’s that last statement that will resonate most with Clark, without a doubt, because it echoes one of the many legacies of the late Dick Grimm, often referred to as “Mr. Canadian Open.”

Clark recalls the first time he saw Grimm. “I saw this large man lumbering through the parking lot and I asked, ‘Who’s that?’ ‘That’s Mr. Grimm,’ I was told. ‘He runs the place.’ He looked pretty intimidating, larger than life.”

But It didn’t take long for the two to become fast friends and for Clark to put his heart and soul behind one of Grimm’s core mantras.

“Look after the volunteers,” Clark says, doing a passable impression of Grimm’s gravelly baritone. “I can hear him saying that like it was this morning.”

According to Paul, Grimm would have been proud of how Clark carried out that legacy. Increasingly, the essential role of the volunteer (there were about 1,500 at this year’s RBC Canadian Open) can be overlooked, overtaken by the attention given to the necessary infrastructure, media, corporate presence, logistical realities and more.

Special thanks to over 1,500 volunteers that help make the #RBCCO a success

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— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) July 26, 2018

“You just don’t see what we had with Jim much in pro golf anymore,” says Paul. “He made it his mission to maintain Dick’s legacy of ‘the volunteer is king.’ In many ways, Jim was the man for the people, so to speak.”

Especially when the RBC Canadian Open is held at Glen Abbey, the role of the Golf Canada tournament chair is integral to the success of the event. Countless hours are devoted to finding the right people for the right roles for the more than 20 volunteer committees required to conduct the championship.

Once the planning is taken care of, then comes tournament week with its 18-hour days. But, says Clark, he would return to his “real job” in the computer industry on the Monday following the Open feeling “energized and exhilarated. It was such a great contrast to the other 51 weeks of the year, being around the best golfers in the world and some of the finest people I’ve ever met.”

When reflecting on some of the highlights, Clark harks back to the era of Jack Nicklaus (“my all-time favourite golfer”), Lee Trevino, Nick Price and their peers. “Guys like Price would duck into the caddie trailer to get out of the public eye, grab a beer, put their feet up on the cooler and just talk. Pretty cool.”

Being inside the ropes on the 18^th green at the 2000 RBC Canadian Open when Tiger hit that astounding shot on the 72nd hole was another great memory but four years later came one of the most unfortunate.

“I have to say the sadness of when Mike Weir lost in the playoff to Vijay will never go away. It was really heartbreaking.”

From the expression on his face in that July 29 photo, you can tell Clark was experiencing a bittersweet moment. And of his possible return to the volunteer ranks, as he says about the chances of the RBC Canadian Open returning to Glen Abbey, “never say never.”

With the 2019 CP Women’s Open coming up at Magna Golf Club near his Aurora, Ont., home, Clark, who remains a member of Golf Canada’s Governors Council, is “just a phone call away,” says Paul.

Never say never.

Possible Twitter alert?

When you get to be 125 years old, one birthday party just won’t do.

So Victoria Golf Club, which was founded back in 1893, is having a year-long celebration of sorts to mark its notable anniversary. The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, which will be played Aug. 21-24 on Victoria Golf Club’s spectacular seaside links, is a big part of that celebration.

“Our actual birthday is Nov. 7,” says head professional Lindsay Bernakevitch. “We are hosting a bit of a member’s tournament on that day or right around there, but that was the impetus behind us trying to get this national championship that we could host and celebrate our 125th with.”

In July, an outdoor gala was held with about 650 people in attendance. And earlier this month, Victoria’s putting green was the site of a special afternoon high tea.

Victoria Golf Club is the oldest 18-hole golf course still on its present site in Canada. It is also among the most beautiful anywhere.

It sits on a pristine piece of property on Gonzales Point in the seaside municipality of Oak Bay and offers stunning views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The course began as a 14-hole layout in 1893 and was expanded to 18 holes two years later.

In its early years, golfers shared the course with sheep and cows that grazed the property owned by the Pemberton family. In fact, early in its life the course was closed in the summer months.

“Golfers refrained from playing on the premises for three months each summer, leaving the fairways undisturbed for the animals,” Arv Olson wrote in his book, Backspin: 100 years of golf in British Columbia. “The putting greens were fenced to protect against hoof-prints. The members learned to adapt; they tolerated the hazards dropped by the voracious stock.”

Victoria’s most memorable holes are on the ocean side of the course. Those begin at No. 3 after crossing the road and continue through No. 10.

Its signature hole would be No. 7, which was once a long par 3 that has been converted to a par 4. The left side of the hole hugs the ocean and has a treacherous two-tiered green that tilts towards the ocean and has seen more than its share of three- and four-putts over the years.

In his only round at Victoria Golf Club, Ben Hogan managed to putt his ball right off the green and into the ocean.
“It was a par 3 in the ‘50s when he played,” recalls Mike Parker, Victoria’s former longtime head pro who now serves the club’s head professional emeritus. “He putted from the right edge of the green right into the water. In those days it was out of bounds, it wasn’t a lateral hazard, and Hogan said it was the only time in his career he putted a ball out of bounds. That’s kind of a neat story.”

Among Victoria’s most notable members over its 125-year history is A.V. Macan, who arrived in the B.C. capital from his native Ireland in 1910 and started a law practice. After winning his second straight B.C. Amateur Championship in 1913 at his new home course, Macan scrapped his law practice and began what became a prolific career as a golf course architect.

Victoria’s members are proud of their club’s rich history. For more than a century they have played an annual inter-club match with members of Seattle Golf Club. Apart from three years during the Second World War, the matches have been played every year since 1903.

“It is a friendly match, it’s like a friendly soccer game almost,” says Parker. “It is nice to win, everybody tries their best to win, but at the end of the day it’s really a social day to a great extent.”
Victoria Golf Club is, by today’s standards, a short course. Stretched to its absolute limit, it plays about 6,200 yards as a par 70.

“Typically, players look at the scorecard and say we are going to kill this course because it’s so short,” Parker says. “But in fact they don’t at all. . .It depends on the weather. There will be some good scores, some 65s, 66s that kind of thing. But not as many as people think.”

Back in 1993, to help celebrate its centennial, Victoria played host to the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. The winning score, by Australian Gary Simpson, was 281 or one-over par.

“On occasion you can go low here,” says head pro Bernakevitch. “I definitely have had low rounds. But the greens are tough here and especially if the wind blows a little bit, par is always a good score. You are never going to be far out of it if you shoot par. That being said, someone could have a hot week, you never know. But it is just one of those places that has enough quirks to it, that it always seems to hold its own.”

It should be noted that the wind almost always blows a little bit at Victoria. Sometimes, a lot more than a little bit.

Bernakevitch, a Saskatchewan native, is in his fifth year as head pro at Victoria and feels like he is one of the most fortunate guys in the business having landed at the club.

“When I quit the tour life and decided to settle down and get into the club side of the business, this is the place I wanted to be,” he says. “The funny thing is I did a goal-setting thing probably eight years ago and wrote this golf course on my list. I said I want to be the head pro at Victoria Golf Club, that is where I want to end up. So it is really surreal that it actually happened. It has been everything I have dreamed of. It is an awesome membership and just a fantastic golf course. I still pinch myself driving into work.”

It’s probably safe to say more than a few of the Mid-Amateur competitors will also be pinching themselves when they experience Victoria Golf Club for the first time. There has been a huge demand from players wanting to play the event at what is a truly special golf course. Bernakevitch says they won’t be disappointed.

“The course is beautiful right now,” he says. “The entire course is probably the best I have ever seen it. Everything from fairways to rough to fescue to greens is as good, as healthy and as perfect as I have seen it in my five years here. That is really exciting for us. Our members are having an awesome summer of golf and we are going to roll that into a big tournament week.”

At only 20 years old, it might be a bit too early to be talking about one’s legacy.  But when that person is Brooke Henderson and she has six LPGA Tour titles – including one major to her name – that is a topic which will inevitably come up for discussion.

In just in her third full season, the former member of Golf Canada’s national team program trails only Sandra Post – who captured eight LPGA Tour titles during her career – for most all time by a Canadian.

“The first chapter has only been written,” said said Lorie Kane, referring to the legacy Henderson is building through her success.

As an inductee to the Canadian golf hall of fame in 2016 and a member of the Order of Canada, Kane is very familiar with leaving a legacy and making an impact.

“She brings a great level of excitement to the game with her success,” added the four-time LPGA Tour winner about Henderson. “And she is growing the game.”

For her part, the 20-year-old from Smith Falls, Ont. has some kind words about Kane – who she regards as a mentor.

“I remember playing a practice round with her when I was fifteen; and later that week we held hands and waved to the crowd while walking up the 18th hole. That was a special memory,” said Henderson.

“She’s really paved the way for Canadian golf.  She’s such a great ambassador for the game of golf; and it’s been incredible to learn from her expertise and experience.”

Kane is quick to point out that the young golfing superstar benefits from having a great supporting cast.

“Brooke is the product of a very good upbringing from her mom and dad and sister Brit who carries the bag that supports her,” she noted.

“She has also benefited a lot from being part of Golf Canada’s national team program,” Kane added.

Henderson, who first joined the national team program at the age of 14, credits her time with the team for a significant part of her success.

“I got so many opportunities to compete outside of Canada and in the U.S. We played in the British and world amateur championships and all over the world,” Henderson said.

“So being on the team really taught me a lot.  Not only from the coaches – but golf-wise we had access to a nutritionist, psychologist, strength and conditioning. I learned about all the aspects of the game of golf and that’s been very important to my development.”

Today, as a six-time LPGA Tour winner and a bona fide star in her sport, the 20-year-old golfer is grateful to be living out her childhood dream.

“It’s always been a dream since I was a little girl to play against the best golfers in the world; and I’m now very thankful to be able to do that every week and travel the world,” said Henderson, who started playing the sport at the age of three.

“Having six wins I feel so blessed and grateful to have that and hopefully I can continue on that trend.”

In terms of continuing on the success she’s enjoyed, Henderson isn’t shy about declaring her goal of one day capturing the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

“This event is kind of like the sixth major out on the LPGA Tour and it means a lot to me. It would mean the world to mean to win this title in front of the Canadian fans.”

Looking at the bigger picture, the two-time CP Female Athlete of the Year is happy that her success has a ripple effect in terms of inspiring others to chase after their own version of greatness.

“I’m happy to be someone that the kids can look up to and be someone who inspires them to be the best person they can; so, they can chase after their dreams in sports, academics or whatever field of interest they may have.”

Henderson’s success has also provided her with a platform to address important causes close to her heart.

“I think its great to play on the LPGA Tour and play all around the world and be in a position where you can give back,” she said.

“And being a CP Has Heart Ambassador is one them. Just to see the difference this program is making and the lives they are saving is just extraordinary.”

Last year in Ottawa, the program raised $2M for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. This year, the funds raised through the program will go to support the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.

“I’m really happy to be an ambassador alongside Lorie Kane.  And she does a really great job in raising awareness and helping to raise awareness so I’m following her lead,” Henderson added.

Also, in early April, with the devastation left behind by the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, Henderson dedicated her victory at the Lotte Championship in Kapolei, Hawaii to the victims and their families.

“What happened was extremely tragic and I was happy that I was able to win it for them and I was glad to be able to honour them in some way,” she said.

As the Smiths Falls, Ont. native prepares to compete in Saskatchewan for the first time in her career, she hopes to be able to honour the victims one more time with a strong performance in the third week of August at the Wascana Country Club.

Besides building a legacy through her stellar results on the golf course – and chasing down records in the process – the mature 20-year-old understands that a part of that legacy will also be defined by how she uses her platform away from the golf course.

“In the big scheme of things, I’m playing golf for a living and enjoying every minute of it,” said Henderson.

“This is my passion and it’s what I love to do. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to give back and inspire others along the way,” she added.

“And everyday, I’m just trying to be a better golfer and a better person.”

To see Keith Creel in action is to see efficiency personified.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Pacific is committed to precision and to providing safe, efficient and reliable rail service that connects Canadian commodities with the world.

While his passion for railroading runs deep, his passion for golf isn’t far behind.

On July 9, he was front and centre, letting the country know CP had extended its agreement with Golf Canada and the LPGA Tour to continue to sponsor the lone stop on the LPGA Tour schedule for the next five years, as well as continuing to invest in a myriad of other Golf Canada programs as well as sponsor LPGA Tour winners Brooke Henderson and Lorie Kane.

“I’ve had history with this event for the last eight or nine years and there’s nothing that connects personally or professionally across the business in so many different areas with people and communities like golf does, especially in Canada,” said Creel, who also worked at CN Rail prior to moving to CP, the previous sponsor of the Canadian Women’s Open from 2006-2013.

Creel looks forward to the impact CP is going to have in the communities where the tournaments are played over the coming years. Saskatchewan, for example, is one of only two provinces in Canada that does not yet have a children’s hospital. With the estimated $2 million that will be raised for this year’s event, CP will play a starring role in making that a reality in 2019.

He also gets excited talking about the success of Henderson, who shot a tournament course record in 2017 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Saturday to get into contention.

“I don’t know if we’ll see anything like that again, and I hope I’m wrong because that was pretty special,” he said of Henderson’s run up the leaderboard.

Creel began golfing himself when he came to Canada in 2002 and started as “a hacker” in Winnipeg. Creel had some history at Magna Golf Club – the announced host site of the 2019 CP Women’s Open – having lived in the area previous and making fond memories with his family.

“I started to be a hacker and I loved hacking. I haven’t stopped since,” he explained with a smile.

At a time when corporate budgets are getting tighter and a stronger-than-ever business case needs to be made when it comes to be involved with programs or events, CP has doubled-down on their investment to be involved with golf in Canada.

Creel said both the “people return” and the “business return” of being involved with golf make a lot of sense to him, and the relationship with Golf Canada is one that is filled with synergies.

“The level of commitment and professionalism matches ours. It’s a good fit,” he said. “When you meet an organization that understands and gets you and they reflect the same thing it offers a very unique opportunities for partnership.”

Laurence Applebaum, who just celebrated one-year at the helm of Golf Canada as its CEO, says his personal relationship with Creel has been invaluable, as he’s gotten his feet wet in corporate Canada.

He calls him an “incredible partner and resource.”

“We’ve spent a lot of time together this past year,” said Applebaum. “You realize how broad of a business he’s able to manage and how balanced he is with his family life as well. Keith is intimately involved with golf at all levels.”

Applebaum said Golf Canada is thrilled to have Creel and CP as a key partner for Golf Canada for the next five years, as the railway will also be a financial supporter of the Young Pro Program, Golf Canada’s National Team, and the title sponsor for the CP Women’s Leadership Summit (debuting this year in Saskatchewan).

With a five-year agreement, Applebaum says CP is showing its commitment to the sport in Canada and it’s showing the marketplace where its priorities lie.

“These companies want to be long term committed partners and it helps us plan our business, engage our fans, and tell people what we want to do. It gives us a runway for success,” said Applebaum.

“It’s a wonderful thing to share… an overall commitment to a sport with a five-year term signifies to the market that we’re really partners.”

With the 2018 CP Women’s Open on track and starting next week, Creel said it’s full steam ahead. But it’s not just for this year. It’s for the years ahead as well.

Creel is excited to use golf as a platform for its business to connect with millions across Canada.

“If you can take a sport that connects people emotionally and use it to sponsor heart health in Canada and to give back to the communities we serve… it’s just fantastic,” he said. “It gives an event to a community, but it also creates an emotional connection with our customers and families. I just do not know of another venue that offers all those things other than golf.”

Having served on the executive team of the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) – and as it’s president in 1989 – Keith Rever has played an important leadership role in the growth of golf across the country.

With the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open being held in his hometown of Regina for the first time at the Wascana Country Club – also referred to in short as WCC – Rever sees it as an important step in promoting the game in his home province.

“I think it’s great that the tournament will be coming here for the first time and we get to see the best female golfers compete first hand,” said Rever, who served as a director of the WCC for 15 years and served as the club’s president in 1980.

“I’m sure seeing the best players compete will inspire more young girls and boys to pick up the sport,” added the Regina native.

According to his daughter, Susan Rever, the significance of the CP Women’s Open coming to Regina is recognized by the entire family.

“Our whole family is excited, as it is the first time Saskatchewan has hosted an LPGA TOUR event. We look forward to being a part of this,” she said.

Recently, Rever – a retired engineer – took a moment to reflect back on his journey as an architect for the growth of the sport in Canada.

Rever says he first developed a passion for golf when he took up the sport as a youngster.

“My mom and dad rented a house about five blocks from a golf course and I would walk down there in the mornings to play a couple rounds and hit balls during the summer; and if you hit enough balls, you start improving,” said Rever, who has been extra busy this summer helping his daughter with a home improvement project.

“I became a junior member at the Wascana Country Club in 1956 and a general share holder in 1960,” he recalled.

“I won the club championship about five times. Its been a lot of fun out there. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people playing at the club.”

Rever’s natural talents on the golf course enabled him to compete at the highest level as an amateur.

He won the City of Regina Championship nine times and was the Saskatchewan Amateur Champion on two separate occasions.

In 1964, Rever was a member of the only team from Saskatchewan to win the Willingdon Cup – an annual team competition dating back to 1927 which features the top amateurs from each province.

“The winds were about 50 miles per hour and of course that gave us Saskatchewan boys a bit of an advantage because we were used to it,” he said with a smile about the Willingdon Cup win.

In 1971, that championship team – consisting of Rever, along with Alec Bland,  who was the non-playing captain, Ernie Greenley, Ed Ross, and Jim Scissons – had their accomplishment honoured in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

Willingdon Cup Champions

Rever also has his name enshrined in the Wascana Hall of Fame, as well as, the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame.

“His inductions are a reminder of his incredible achievements,” noted his daughter, Susan.

“My dad’s passion for the sport, and his lifelong commitment to improve his performance and the sport he loves so much is impressive.”

While he opted to pursue a career in electrical engineering instead of one as a professional golfer, Rever was committed to remaining involved with the sport in other ways.

“I was the president of the Saskatchewan Golf Association in 72 and 73 and back in those days each provincial association nominated a representative to serve on the Royal Canadian Golf Association,” Rever pointed out.

“They asked me if I would consider it; and so in 1976, I joined the board of the RCGA – which of course, changed it’s name to Golf Canada in 2010.”

At the national level, he was a governor of the RCGA from 1976 to 1985, and on the executive team from 1986 to 1990, with a one-year term as president in 1989.

Rever says finding a balance between his full-time career as an engineer and as a member of the RCGA executive team was a bit of a challenge.

“It was really difficult to balance the roles; and I think in retrospect it probably wasn’t fair to my family,” he said with a chuckle.

“But I’m thankful that they put up with me and supported me in every way and I really appreciated that,” noted Rever, who adds that his wife, Marianne, and his son, Scott, are also avid golfers.

Rever says one of the initiatives that he was proud to have supported during his tenure on the executive team was the integration of the RCGA and the Canadian Ladies’ Golf Association (CLGA).

“I think I may have been one of the first RCGA presidents to speak at the CLGA annual meeting.  Our team supported the idea of amalgamation and I was happy to see it eventually happen,” he said.

Rever also recalls one of his biggest thrills was inducting Jack Nicklaus into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1995.

“After I was president of the RCGA, I became chair of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame committee and I had the honour of being part of the team that inducted Jack Nicklaus,” he said.

“Jack was always very supportive of the Royal Canadian Golf Association and attended all the (RBC) Canadian Opens and spoke very highly of it; and regarded it as the fifth major in the world back in those days,” Rever noted about Nicklaus who was inducted in the builder category given his role in designing Glen Abbey.

“I remember the induction ceremony was held at the Glen Abbey Golf Club and there was over 200 people there; and it was just a great evening.”

While Rever speaks highly of Nicklaus’ contributions to the growth of the sport in Canada, he also speaks with high regard about Brooke Henderson and the significance of her success.

“I’m very impressed with Brooke. She seems like a very nice young lady who obviously has got a lot of natural skill and also very good work ethic; and her success is definitely inspiring a lot of young golfers in the country,” he said.

“So hopefully she’s going to do well when she comes to Saskatchewan. I spoke to her briefly but I didn’t get a chance to tell her to practice her shots into the wind – she’s probably going to need them,” he added with a smile.

“I’ve also met Lorie Kane; and I can tell that she’s a really classy lady. Both Lorie and Brooke are great ambassadors for the game in Canada and have done so much to grow the game,” he added about the two CP Ambassadors who have a combined 10 LPGA TOUR titles between them.

And while golfers, such as Kane and Henderson, have done so much to grow the game through their accomplishments on the golf course, Rever takes pride in knowing his efforts over the years off the golf course – particularly in the boardroom – has built the foundation for the success of the sport across the country.

“It was great to have worked with all the people who were so passionate about the game and wanted to see it grow. It’s also great to know that our efforts over the years have had a positive impact on the sport,” said Rever.

“I’ve also had a chance to meet the new leadership team at Golf Canada and I can say the sport is in good hands.”

With the CP Women’s Open set to tee off on August 23rd in his hometown, the self-described golfing enthusiast says he’s noticing a lot of buzz and excitement surrounding the tournament.

“We had the Brier and also the Memorial Cup here in Regina earlier this year, so its taken a bit of time for the CP Women’s Open to gain traction but now we are hearing about it on the radio and seeing a lot about it in the news,” said Rever.

“So I think by the time this tournament comes around, everyone will be feeling a lot of excitement – I know my family and I will for sure.”

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. AND ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND – In an effort to thoroughly inform the Distance Insights project through the lens of the global golf community, the USGA and The R&A will engage with golfers and a wide range of golf’s stakeholders to gather perspectives on the potential causes and impacts of increased distance, beginning in September.

The Distance Insights project began in May as part of the governing bodies’ overall efforts to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sport. Primary and third-party research is currently being conducted to review historical data and ascertain the past, present and future implications of increased distance on how the game is played.

In this latest phase of the Distance Insights project, research will be conducted with a series of golfers and stakeholder groups worldwide, banded into 12 general categories. Each group will be asked a series of universal questions to elicit broad perceptions of distance in golf, as well as group-specific questions relating to their area of expertise. The findings of the global perspectives research are expected to be a vital component of the full Distance Insights report, scheduled to be released in 2019.

Take the survey

Sports Marketing Surveys, Inc., an independent and international full-service sports research consultancy, has been selected through a global RFP process to provide multi-layered research and insight expertise for this phase of the project.

Stakeholder categories are as follows:

• Championship committees
• Course Facility professionals/managers
• Facility maintenance providers, including superintendents/greenkeepers
• Golf administrative organizations
• Golf course architects/construction professionals
• Golf equipment retailers
• Golf equipment manufacturers
• Golf professionals/teachers
• Golfers
• Media
• Non-golf stakeholders
• Tournament golf spectators

The SMS Inc. research will be conducted throughout the world and in several languages, including Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish, and involving golfers and those working in the industry in both established and emerging golf communities.

The work will principally focus on gaining an understanding from various stakeholder groups into how distance in golf has impacted them over their full golf experience, if at all, and its projected impact into the future. It will include analysis of feedback received to date from the global golf community, following the project’s initiation earlier this year.

Information on the Distance Insights project, including frequently asked questions, historical data and general terms and conditions for submitting data, can be found atusga.org/distanceinsights or randa.org/distanceinsights.

Jennifer Chang has moved on to become a second-year member of the University of Southern California’s golf team, but her memories of participating in two World Junior Girls Championships remain fresh in her mind.

“This event is not like any other junior event,” said Chang. “The World Junior Girls is such an amazing event to play in and represent your country. I was lucky enough to compete in this event twice and so to have that opportunity to enjoy this with great teammates along with the captains makes it more special.“

Chang, of Cary, N.C., was named to the All Pac-12 First Team after her freshman year at USC. She was one of approximately 60 golfers who took on The Marshes Golf Club in Kanata (about 15 minutes west of downtown Ottawa) a year ago (finishing tied for 21st), and about 50 golfers who played at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in 2017 (where she finished runner-up).

This year the World Junior Girls Championships remains in Ottawa, and heads to Camelot Golf and Country Club in Cumberland, about 20 minutes east of downtown Ottawa.

There will be 63 golfers competing from 20 countries around the world, and in addition to the 72-hole team and individual golf competitions, there will be a celebration of the sport all week long.

The course is home to Golf Canada National Team member (and past World Junior Girls Championship participant) Grace St. Germain, and hosted the 2012 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, plus the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship and final qualifying for the 2017 CP Women’s Open.

This year’s World Junior Girls Championship runs from Sept. 9-14.

Greg Richardson is the General Manager of the club – established in 1991 – and he said Camelot would be leaning back to the set-up from the Men’s Amateur somewhat this fall.

However, the course underwent some “major” bunker work after that event and said those changes were very successful, which led to the course hosting a handful of other big-time events.

“It’s something different than what they’ve seen in the Ottawa area in the past,” said Richardson of his club. “It’s a bit of a different layout in terms of the front nine, presenting more as links-style… and then you move to the back nine and you get some elevated tees and elevated greens and some interesting layouts. There are different choices and risk/reward holes which will be a challenge for (the golfers) but also enjoyable.”

Richardson said his members have been thrilled at the opportunity to host some of the world’s best amateur golfers in a few weeks time.

About three years ago the members were presented with a strategic plan for the golf course moving forward, and part of that plan was to bring some of the best golfers in the world to experience what Camelot has to offer.

“If we’re going to be a championship golf course, then our definition of championship means we’re going to host championships,” said Richardson. “They’re excited about having them. There is a good volunteer base that is excited to come out and help. They enjoy seeing the course put in high esteem and have some of the country’s best – and in this case, the world’s best players – come to try to take the challenge on.”

Although Chang was a top amateur in the United States over the two years she participated in the World Junior Girls, it was still a unique opportunity for her to indeed test her mettle against some not-so-familiar faces.

“When competing in tournaments across the (U.S.) you run into the same people, but at the World Junior Girls there were so many unfamiliar faces, and to have the chance to meet people from different continents was unreal,” she said. “You get to learn about the different cultures and languages from the girls. I had such a phenomenal time playing in the World Junior Girls definitely wish I could go back.”

Chang said between the camaraderie and the experience overall has been beneficial for her as she moved into her collegiate career and then, hopefully, onwards to the LPGA Tour.

Camelot will be a difficult challenge this September, but Chang said the most important thing for the participants this year is to just enjoy themselves.

“As golfers we always want to perform our best anytime we are playing, but sometimes we forget that you have to have fun,” she said. “That’s what this tournament is all about: having a once in a lifetime experience where not many golfers have the chance to compete, and enjoying the time with your team and other players.”

Click here for more information on the World Junior Girls Championship.

After a relaxing week off, four Canadian golfers enter the pressure cooker on Thursday.

Ben Silverman, Corey Conners, Nick Taylor and David Hearn have one last chance to get inside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup standings at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., the final event of the PGA Tour’s 2017-18 regular season.

Finishing inside the top 125 means a golfer is fully exempt on the PGA Tour for the following season, giving them the opportunity to choose their schedule.

Silverman, of Thornhill, Ont, spent most of PGA Championship week last week with his young family, going to Florida to register a car he won after a closest-to-the-pin contest at the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this year. However, his focus changes this week.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on (the standings) throughout the year,” said Silverman. “I probably need a top 10 ? but I’m aiming to win.”

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is exempt next year thanks to his win at the Valspar Championship in 2017, and sits 68th on the FedEx Cup. Hadwin was the only Canadian to play in the PGA Championship, but missed the cut at the final major of the year.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., sits 159th on the Cup list, but is good for next season as well thanks to his win at The RSM Classic in 2016.

But for Silverman (134), Corey Conners (128) of Listowel, Ont., Nick Taylor (129) of Abbotsford and David Hearn (156) of Brantford, Ont., this week should be a stressful one, based on what’s at stake.

Silverman and Conners, both PGA Tour rookies, are trying to look at the bright side.

“(It) should be a fun event. Obviously I’d like to be in a slightly different position ideally, but still have a good chance,” said Conners, who spent last week at home visiting friends and enjoying a rare week off.

“I feel like I don’t have any pressure on me right now,” echoed Silverman.

Conners played in the final group on Sunday in back-to-back events in March before fading in the final round both times.

He said having those results at the beginning of the season helped with his confidence.

Conners feels he has been playing good golf, but just hasn’t been able to score well. He missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open three weeks ago.

“I knew one good week could lock up my card and I haven’t been able to do that. It’s still alright, and I still feel good about things,” said Conners. “Overall, it’s been a successful year and hopefully I have one more good week.”

Both Silverman and Conners said if they finish outside the top 125, they still have a chance to play upwards of 15 events on the PGA Tour next season via a special membership category for golfers who finish 126-150th on the FedEx Cup standings.

Hearn was in that same category this year, and the Wyndham Championship will mark his 21st event of the year.

The rookies said they learned a lot this season.

Silverman had a noticeable improvement in his second year on the Web.com Tour _ including a victory _ and said he expects the same kind of improvement next season on the PGA Tour, although it remains to be seen what his schedule will be.

“Every first year on a tour has been a learning experience for me and I feel like I’ve got a little better with each one,” said Silverman. “I’ve had to learn a lot this year but I feel like I’ve been handling it alright.”

Conners, meanwhile, has another big life event to focus on after next week _ he’s marrying his longtime girlfriend Malory on Oct. 20.

He said he’s hopeful to “follow in the footsteps” of his fellow Canadians.

Hughes got married in October 2016 and won his first PGA Tour event the following month, while Hadwin won his first PGA event just two weeks prior to getting married.

“It’ll be a special end to the year and I’ll have some fresh mojo for the beginning of the next wraparound season,” Conners said.

If Silverman, Conners, Hearn and Taylor don’t get into the top 125 this week, they’ll presumably enter the four-event Web.com Tour finals _ where another 25 PGA Tour cards are up for grabs _ starting next week.

Entering the final week of the Web.com Tour regular season, Adam Svensson has all but locked up his PGA card for next season. The Surrey, B.C., golfer is 12th on the Web.com money list, with the top 25 graduating to the PGA after the regular season.

Ever since he traded in his hockey stick for a set of golf clubs, Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. hasn’t looked back.

With an pending transition to the professional ranks later this autumn, the national team member recently took a moment to reflect on his journey.

“I played hockey for two years but wasn’t really good at it, so I decided to give golf a try,” he recalled with a smile about his humble beginnings.

“My dad introduced me to the sport of golf when I was nine years old.  We played at this small par three course down in my hometown,” noted Bernard, who is the youngest of three kids.

“I just remembered it was a lot of fun; and I basically taught myself from the age of nine to 16.”

The now 23-year-old says he scored breakthrough results at the age of 17 that opened his eyes to his true potential.

“When I was 17, I won the Quebec Junior Boy’s title. Then, after I came fifth at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.  After that, I was invited to join the national development team,” he pointed out.

“So from there, I was thinking if I can continue to improve my game I could be pretty good at it,” added the 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur Champ.

Today, as Canada’s top ranked amateur on the men’s side, Bernard credits his time on the national team program for taking his game to the next level.

“From the coach, Derek (Ingram) to the physio, and the mental coach, the program gives us everything we need to be successful. There’s also a nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach; and so it’s been great to have all these amazing resources and have that support,” pointed out the 23-year-old amateur standout.

“Also, through the program we have the opportunity to travel and compete around the world which has been a great experience and that’s done a lot to help me improve my game.”

National team head coach Derek Ingram is quick to speak about Bernard’s development during his time with the team.

“About three years ago Hugo was ranked in the 2000s and over the last three years he’s moved up into the top 30s; and is today he’s one of the best amateurs in the world,” noted Ingram.

“He’s made small refinements in every area of his game over the years that has allowed him to flourish,” he added.

“Hugo’s still got the U.S. Amateur and most likely the World Amateur; and then after that he’s going to turn pro and try to get his Web.com card……I think he’s got a bright future ahead and he’s got a chance to be a very successful PGA TOUR player one day.”

Bernard recently finished T41 at the 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Duncan Meadows Golf Course & Pheasant Glen Golf Resort. He’s one of 10 Canadians in the field this week at the U.S. Men’s Amateur at Pebble Beach.

Having recently completed an online degree at the University of Montreal with a major in business, Bernard says he is both inspired and encouraged by the success of recent graduates of the national team program.

“I look up to someone like Mackenize Hughes who went from the development program to the national amateur team program to the young pro program; and now he’s a winner on the PGA TOUR…….It just proves that if you follow the plan then you are going to have success,” said Bernard.

“Mackenzie is a super nice guy and always gives me a lot of good tips when I talk to him.   And as well, I’ve played play golf with Corey Conners down in Florida and he’s a great player and learned so much from him each time we play together.”

Both Conners and Hughes are pleased to know that their success as professionals have inspired the next wave of Canadian amateurs.

“It’s nice to be able to support one another,” Conners noted.

“I personally give a lot of credit to Golf Canada and their development programs and helping us get to this level; and there’s a lot of guys following kind of behind Mackenzie and I who will hopefully add more Canadians to the PGA TOUR in the coming years.”

Hughes echoes his the sentiments of his long-time teammate.

“I was lucky enough – and Corey as as well – to be part of those teams; and to think the resources that we have on those teams are second to none in terms of the quality and what you’re getting out of it,” said Hughes who won the RSM Classic in 2016.

“I don’t think that Corey or I would be here as fast as we got here without their help,” he added.

“So we owe a lot to that for all the Canadians coming through right now and the surge of Canadian talent.”

Besides the tips and encouragement from the recent graduates of the program, Bernard says he’s also received words of wisdom from 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir.

“I’ve talked with Mike Weir also – I mean, he won the masters – so I just pay close attention to what he tells me,” said Bernard.

“Mike went to Q-school eight times before he got his card  – he wasn’t the best junior and he wasn’t the best amateur – but through working hard, he got there and did something no other Canadian has done.  So seeing what he’s accomplished is very inspiring,” said Bernard.

When asked about his own game, the 6 foot 3 left hander believes he’s got the skill set to achieve a smooth transition into the pros.

“I’m a long hitter, I hit it pretty far.  My approach game is solid and my wedge game has been improving a lot since last year.  I can roll my putt pretty good…..So, I like my chances when everything comes together,” he said.

As he looks forward, the former hockey player turned golfer is clear about his future goals.

“In five years, I see myself on the PGA TOUR for sure.  My goal this year is to do Q-school and try to get my Web.com Tour card. Ideally, play one or two years on the Web.com Tour and then get onto the PGA TOUR,” he said.

Having received a lot of sound advice from the likes of Hughes, Conners and Weir, Canada’s top ranked amateur was asked what his advice would be for the young junior golfers aspiring to get to his level.

“Just learn from each experience and have a positive attitude and see where it takes you because that’s basically what I did,” he replied.

“As well, you have to have a plan and put in the work; and if you do that then you are going to have success.”