OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada and RBC are pleased to announce the final field of competitors vying for the US$5.8 million purse at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, July 20-26 at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

Defending champion Tim Clark will be challenged by a stellar field of PGA TOUR stars including World No. 3 Bubba Watson, World No. 6 and two-time RBC Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk, World No. 9 Jason Day, World No. 13 J.B. Holmes, World No. 15 Matt Kuchar, World No. 22 Brooks Koepka, World No. 26 and 2013 RBC Canadian Open Champion Brandt Snedeker, World No. 30 Ryan Palmer, World No. 44 Charley Hoffman, World No. 55 Graeme McDowell and World No. 64 Luke Donald, as well as, World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els.

Other notable additions to the field for the 106^th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship include 34-time PGA TOUR winner Vijay Singh, 20-time winner Davis Love III, 12-time winner Justin Leonard, 12-time winner Steve Stricker, eight-time winner K.J. Choi, seven-time winner Retief Goosen, six-time winner Rory Sabbatini and three-time winner Angel Cabrera.

Clark, who captured the 2014 RBC Canadian Open trophy at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île-Bizard, Que., will be joined by nine other former champions including Team RBC members Brandt Snedeker – who won in 2013 at Glen Abbey Golf Club – and Jim Furyk who claimed back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007. Other confirmed past champions include Scott Piercy (2012), Sean O’Hair (2011), Carl Pettersson (2010), Nathan Green (2009), Chez Reavie (2008), Vijay Singh (2004), and John Rollins (2002).

In total, 156 players will compete for the US$5.8 million purse next week in Oakville when Canada’s National Open Championship returns to Glen Abbey for a record 27^th time.

14 CANADIANS CURRENTLY SET TO COMPETE FOR THE NATIONAL TITLE

Leading the Canadian contingent will be World No. 80 Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., who recorded a fourth-place finish last month at the Travelers Championship, as well as, David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who will look to build on a playoff runner-up finish at The Greenbrier Classic.

PGA TOUR rookies and Abbotsford, B.C., natives Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor, along with Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., will also be in the field alongside Web.com Tour player Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont.

Team Canada will be well-represented with Young Pro Squad members Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont. and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., as well as, National Amateur Squad members Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas and Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont.

Connelly’s 2015 Pan Am Games Team Canada teammate Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., will be in the field after earning an exemption through his 2014 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur victory.

PGA of Canada professional Billy Walsh of Markham, Ont., earned his way into the 2015 RBC Canadian Open field as the No. 1-ranked player on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC.

Former Team Canada member Richard Jung of Toronto earned his exemption into the field by topping the 144-player field at the RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier in Ontario.

The Canadians in the field have their sights set on becoming the first Canadian to capture the national title since Pat Fletcher claimed victory in 1954.

Golf Canada also confirmed today that Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., has withdrawn from the event for personal reasons. Weir was slated to make his 25^th appearance at the RBC Canadian Open.

“The field is nearly set and we’re ready to tee-up the 106^th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship starting next week at Glen Abbey Golf Club,” said Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “We’ve got a tremendous mix of international stars and Canadian talents ready to compete and a family-friendly festival experience ready to welcome spectators of all ages to the 2015 RBC Canadian Open.”

In addition, the winner of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games Golf Competition will be granted an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open. The competition at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., began on July 16 and will conclude on July 19.

The top three players on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit following this week’s Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel in Thunder Bay, Ont., will also earn exemptions into the field for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open.

The final four exemptions into the field for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open will be handed out at the Monday Final Qualifier on July 20 to be played at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

Click here for the full list of competitors competing in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club from July 20-26.

MARKHAM, Ont. – Canada’s Austin Connelly shot a second-round, 3-under 69 at Angus Glen Golf Club to climb into medal contention in the Pan Am Games Golf Competition at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

Connelly, 18, battled wet conditions including periods of steady rain throughout his round to sit tied for fourth position in the men’s individual competition at 5-under through 36 holes. Connelly heads into weekend action three shots off the lead and a single shot out of second.

Connelly’s teammate, Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., bounced back from an opening-round 79 to shoot even-par 72, good for 20^th position overall. Rank was 3-under through 15 holes, but triple-bogeyed the 16^th hole at Angus Glen to finish his second round at even-par.

Felipe Aguilar of Chile shot a second-round 67 to sit alone atop the leaderboard at 8-under while Luis Barco and American Lee McCoy fired matching 68’s to grad a share of second at 6-under through 36 holes.

Click here to the see the complete men’s individual leaderboard

In the women’s individual competition, Canadian Lorie Kane struggled Friday with a second-round 83 to fall to 22^nd position at 18-over through 36 holes.

Sitting atop the women’s leaderboard is American Andrea Lee who shot a second-round, 4-under 68 to climb to 7-under for the tournament, good for a two-shot lead over Columbia’s Mariajo Uribe and Julieta Granada.

Click here see the complete women’s individual leaderboard

In the overall mixed team competition, Canada currently sits 11^th through 36 holes. The team competition counts the top male and female score each day from each of the participating countries.

Click here to see the complete overall team leaderboard

What they said:

Austin CONNELLY (CAN)

On his strong, 3-under back nine:

“Early in the back nine I started hitting some really good tee balls and really good second shots and I was gaining some confidence.”

On being part of the Pan Am Games:

“I’m not playing for a silver medal, and I don’t think anyone here is, and if you are you probably shouldn’t be here. I go into every event trying to win; it’s just another golf tournament with a couple of really neat things on the side.”

Garrett RANK (CAN)

On his strong front nine and disappointing back nine including a triple-bogey on 16:

“I was three under on the front and didn’t really hit it much better than yesterday. (I) just hit it far enough offline that I was away from the trouble. I managed it around nicely on the front and just made a couple mistakes on the back.”

On his overall play on Friday:

“It was a good day aside from one hole, just try and do that tomorrow and play eighteen good holes instead of seventeen”

Lorie KANE (CAN)

On her performance and lingering hip injury:

“I felt better today actually. My game is built on tempo and my timing has been off for the last few days. No excuses. My hip is a little sore but it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I’m just not seeing the shape I’m trying to hit. I’ve got a two-way miss going and you can’t do that.”

Former Masters champion Mike Weir won’t play in his 25th RBC Canadian Open and is taking an “indefinite leave of absence” from pro golf for personal reasons.

Weir said in a statement posted on Twitter and that he is taking time off to focus on his personal life and children.

I have decided to take some time off from golf competition for personal reasons. Thanks to my fans for their support. pic.twitter.com/hsfB6EXqNa

— Weirsy (@MikeWeir) July 17, 2015

He and wife Bricia divorced earlier this year. They have two teenaged daughters.

“Mike has recently endured some difficult times in his personal life,” agent Danny Fritz wrote in an email to The Canadian Press. “With everything that has been going on away from the golf course, Mike’s golf game has been impacted as a result.”

Weir withdrew from his last PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic, earlier this month after shooting a first-round 73. He missed the cut at his previous eight tournaments.

The 45-year-old said there’s no time table for his return.

“Family is incredibly important to me,” Weir said in the statement. “I love the game and will return when the time is right.”

Weir was expected to be one of more than a dozen Canadian players in the field for the RBC Canadian Open, which is set to begin Thursday at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. He was the runner-up to Vijay Singh in 2004 when he lost in a playoff at Glen Abbey.

That second-place finish came a year after he was the first Canadian golfer to win the Masters.

Weir, a native of Bright’s Grove, Ont., said it was “extremely difficult” to decide to miss the RBC Canadian Open because he loves playing in front of home fans.

“That’s unfortunate,” Golf Canada chief championship officer Bill Paul said in a phone interview from St. Andrews, Scotland. “I understand. We’ll wish him well and be watching him, and he’ll be back for his 25th sometime.”

Weir first played the Canadian Open in 1989 and has been the top Canadian four times. He’s tied for the tournament record for most consecutive rounds under par, a mark he set from 2007-2009.

Canadians Graham DeLaet and David Hearn are set to go right from the British Open to play at Glen Abbey.

MARKHAM, Ont. — The first day of golf at the Pan Am Games felt like any other tournament to Lorie Kane. That is, until she crossed paths with Austin Connelly between the first green and the second tee and the Canadian teammates shared a high-five.

“He’s on my team,” Kane said with some amazement. “I was like, ‘That’s different.'”

A year away from golf returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, the sport made its Pan Am debut Thursday at Angus Glen Golf Club. It was a rough start for two of the three Canadians in the field but a picture-perfect day to celebrate golf in international play.

“It was a cool experience and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” said Canadian Garrett Rank, who shot a 7-over 79. “I still can play really well the next three days. It’s just a matter of soaking in the experience.”

Connelly, an 18-year-old dual citizen from Dallas with parental roots in Nova Scotia, shot a 2-under 70, while the 50-year-old Kane matched Rank’s 7-over 79.

Those scores notwithstanding, Canadians playing on home soil could appreciate the history they were a part of.

“I’m excited to be here, I’m proud to be here,” said Kane, the only Canadian woman in the Games after teenage phenom Brooke Henderson withdrew to focus on her professional career. “This is a new thing for golf. I think we’re going to learn some things, and I think it’s going to just get better.”

The sun-soaked day with temperatures in the 20s and light wind made for almost ideal golfing conditions.

“The weather is perfect,” said Alejandro Tosti of Argentina, the first-round men’s leader with a 7-under 65. “It’s a little windy, but the temperature is perfect and it’s perfect to play golf.”

The team element involved, taking the best men’s and women’s score in each round, took some getting used to. Players have much more on their shoulders than just their own expectations and results, more to play for than themselves and sponsors, even if medals replace prize money.

“It’s completely different, but you just have to roll with the punches and kind of adjust on the go,” said Paraguay’s Julieta Granada, the women’s leader at 4-under 68. “It’s going back to junior golf where we get to represent our countries a little bit more then. It makes carrying your country’s flag a little bit more special than every other LPGA event.”

Because Henderson withdrew without an injury after the June 15 deadline, Canada was unable to replace her and lost a spot. It means Kane’s score counts in every round, and her first-round 79 essentially eliminated Canada from team medal contention.

Rank, an NHL referee from Elmira, Ont., cost himself in the men’s individual competition with two triple bogies, including one on the eighth hole when he lost his ball in the woods. Connelly wasn’t necessarily pleased with his showing but goes into Friday’s second round tied for fourth, five shots off the lead.

It’s too early to say Connelly is in medal contention, but he has a chance.

“They say you can’t win on the first day, but you can certainly lose it,” Connelly said. “I don’t feel like I lost it.”

Kane and Rank lost it with their struggles, but they were encouraged because they still get to play three more days of Pan Am golf.

“I’ve been preparing too hard to let this bother me,” said Kane, a Charlottetown native. “If we had a cut here, I’d be probably gnawing my arm off.”

Gnawing isn’t necessary, but Kane is champing at the bit to play one more international tournament: the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. As of now, Henderson and Alena Sharp would represent Canada on the women’s side and PGA professionals Graham DeLaet and David Hearn on the men’s side.

Kane would love to improve her world ranking enough to qualify for the Olympics, especially after getting a taste of this kind of competition at the Pan Am Games.

“It only makes me want to get to Rio even more because if this is the Pan American Games, I can only imagine the feeling when it’s the Olympics,” she said. “I need to stop shooting 7-over par.”

There is absolutely no doubt that RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin has a sense of humour. (For an up-close and personal view of McLaughlin, click here.)

But when he says, “This is not your parents’ RBC Canadian Open,” he is most definitely not kidding.

Just as golf in general is figuring out how to reach a younger audience, the RBC Canadian Open has tried to hit all the hot buttons when it takes place next week at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

The key buzzwords when speaking to McLaughlin about the Open include “family, innovation, engagement, interaction.” In summary, he says this year’s championship will be “a festival, a party, a celebration.”

“Bill Paul [previously the RBC Canadian Open’s Tournament Director for 22 years and now Golf Canada’s Chief Championships Officer] was at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and was impressed with the fan-friendly atmosphere,” says McLaughlin. “When he came back, we worked to create a similar atmosphere. We are proud that our Open is already considered among the PGA TOUR’s most fan-friendly events but we knew we could do much more to enhance that, to make it a must-see event for families and golf fans of all ages.”

The result of that determination is impressive.

As it hosts its record 27^th RBC Canadian Open, Glen Abbey remains among the best spectator golf courses in the world. Justifiably, this year’s field will feature some of the most exciting professionals in the world, including Bubba Watson, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell and Brandt Snedeker, who won the 2013 RBC Canadian Open when last played at Glen Abbey. A Canadian contingent of 15 is headlined by Graham DeLaet, Mike Weir, David Hearn and Adam Hadwin.

And now, thanks to some remarkable innovations, the experience outside the ropes will equal that reputation.

While the competition gets serious when the first tee shot of the championship is hit on the morning of Thursday, July 23, much more festivity precedes that.

On Saturday, July 18, the top-performing juniors from the nationwide CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge will compete in the national championship. The next day, they will play in a Ryder Cup-style event on the tournament course. On the Monday of tournament week, they will have a chance to caddie in the Golf Canada Foundation Pro-Am and, on Wednesday, they can walk with a pro inside the ropes. (All kids under the age of 17 receive free admission to the RBC Canadian Open all week long.)

“Recognizing some of the best junior golfers in Canada is a great start to Open week,” says McLaughlin. “Then some players start arriving and the excitement builds from there.”

Giant HDTV screens make it easy for spectators to follow the TV broadcast. Fans in the Molson Canadian 67 19^th Hole can almost reach out and touch players. Getting spectators as close as possible to their golf icons is just one indication of the new innovations.Boston Pizza has come on board to provide food services as well as one of three food trucks on the premises.

“We want to entertain everyone who comes out,” says McLaughlin. “We also want to underline the historic importance of the Open and Glen Abbey. As well, we want them to know that Glen Abbey is the home of Golf Canada and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum.”

To emphasize that, the Canadian Golf Museum and Hall of Fame is hosting a beer garden, speaker series and phone-charging stations.

“We hope there is something for everyone at this year’s RBC Canadian Open. We’ve tried to accomplish that,” says McLaughlin. “And if we haven’t, we want to hear about it. Our goal is to make the RBC Canadian Open the best and most entertaining tournament on the PGA Tour.”

For a complete list of all the exciting activities at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, click here.

To order tickets, click here.

Even though Garrett Rank has a full-time job, don’t call him a part-time golfer.

“It’s still serious, just not 12 months of the year like it used to be,” the 27-year-old says.

Rank, who will represent Canada in golf alongside 18-year-old Austin Connelly at the Pan American Games, doesn’t play as much competitively as he used to as a standout at the University of Waterloo and as a member of Golf Canada’s national team.

But the reason is a worthy one.

For more than eight months of the year, Rank works as a referee under contract with the National Hockey League.

The native of Elmira, Ont., worked nine NHL games this season, but spent most of the season with the American Hockey League. None of the nine NHL games were more memorable than his first.

“I settled in pretty well, but we had a video review on the first goal about five minutes in, and they reversed our call on the ice,” Rank said in an interview. “That was pretty funny. Looking back though, it helped settled me down.”

The players on the ice could not have been nicer, according to Rank, who had 250 friends and family in the stands.

“All the guys were first-class,” he said. “I got some signed jerseys from both teams, and a couple taps on the shin-pads from the guys. It was cool.”

Rank was offered an NHL contract in 2014. He couldn’t turn it down, especially after he put his goals on hold in 2011 to fight testicular cancer.

“As silly as it sounds, I never truly believed I had cancer,” said Rank. “I know I did, the test results showed that. But I thought to myself, ‘you’re a young athlete in great shape. You’re a good kid. You never did anything to deserve this.’ I always thought of it as a lie, or that it wasn’t actually true. That helped push me along.”

Now with a clean bill of health, Rank says he has “the best of both worlds” as he pursues his two passions.

“I love my job, but I love being able to come out here (the golf course) for four or five months and work on my game,” he said.

In 2014, Rank captured the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship to secure a spot in this summer’s RBC Canadian Open, which is scheduled the week after the Pan Am Games tournament. It will be his PGA Tour debut.

“I feel like I probably should have played a couple (Canadian Opens) before, but it just hasn’t worked out,” he said. “But I’m excited to get this opportunity, and I want to go there and do well. I want to see what professional golf at the highest level is about.”

Rank’s whirlwind summer began July 6, where he won a qualifier for the U.S. Amateur by six shots. If he makes it to the finals, which start Aug. 17, he’ll qualify for the Masters.

From there, he received a special exemption into The Players Cup, an event on Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada.

Next up is the Pan Am Games, which begins Thursday at Angus Glen, the same course where Rank won the 2010 Ontario University Association Championship.

“It’s kind of a home game, and seeing some familiar faces in the crowd will definitely be an advantage,” he said.

Canadian coach Derek Ingram says Rank has some “wicked natural ability.”

“Garrett is a lot of fun, and he’s an unbelievable team guy,” said Ingram. “Regardless of the results next week, we’re going to have a great time.”

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Laura Davies was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday, even though she wasn’t around to enjoy all of it.

A four-hour flight delay out of Philadelphia forced her to miss the induction.

In a rush to the University of St. Andrews, she at least watched the ceremony on Sky Sports in the car, but when her pre-recorded video came on, the signal went out and she missed her speech and that of Mark O’Meara. She finally made it to the reception, a surprise to hundreds of guests who thought she had abandoned efforts to get there.

“Everything that seems to happen to me is weird,” Davies said at the reception.

Not her place in the Hall of Fame. That was earned with four major titles, more than 70 wins around the world and becoming such a dominant force in women’s golf that she starred on the LPGA Tour and still took time to crisscross the Atlanta Ocean to support the Ladies European Tour.

Davies was inducted along with major champions Mark O’Meara and David Graham of Australia and architect A.W. Tillinghast, who studied under Old Tom Morris and created golf courses that hosted majors.

It was the first time the World Golf Hall of Fame took its ceremony outside the United States, and it created a scheduling problem for Davies.

The 51-year-old from England made the cut in the U.S. Women’s Open and tied for 47th on Sunday. And that’s when the fun began.

The heat in Philadelphia led to mechanical problems and a four-hour delay from the scheduled 10 p.m. departure. When it finally took off and reached Heathrow in London, the airport was so busy that her plane had to circle for about a half-hour.

And when she finally got to Edinburgh, her luggage didn’t make it. Davies had another bag that allowed her to wear something she considered presentable.

“I was quite upset,” Davies said. “At the end, it was getting quite distressing.”

She had a large group of family and friends at the induction, including the caddies of Justin Rose (Mark Fulcher) and Ian Poulter (Terry Mundy) who once caddied for Davies on the LPGA Tour.

During this saga, some of her peers on the LPGA Tour took to Twitter to express their outrage. Karrie Webb tweeted that her induction was a career highlight and the special occasion was taken from Davies through “terrible scheduling.”

Beth Daniel said she was “sad and sickened” that Davies couldn’t make the induction.

“Delayed flights from US. Lack of foresight by all,” she tweeted.

“As soon as her last putt dropped Sunday, the World Golf Hall of Fame and others onsite made every effort to get Laura to St. Andrews,” the Hall of Fame said in a statement. “Unfortunately, mechanical issues with her plane and other international travel logistics made it impossible for her to arrive on time.”

Previous induction ceremonies were held at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. The ceremony in Florida first was held in May 1998 and in recent years was moved to the fall.

Davies arrived at the Old Course Hotel about 7 p.m., changed clothes and headed to the reception. She was announced as she walked in the door.

“I was terrified,” Davies said. “I look in the room and see Arnold Palmer and Bernhard Langer and all these great faces. It was a bit intimidating.”

The Hall of Fame selection process was overhauled to eliminate the independent voice of the writers and turn the voting over to a nominating panel and a 16-member board to vote on finalists. Both bodies consisted of a majority of golf administrators.

O’Meara won 16 times on the PGA Tour, including the Masters and British Open in 1998 when he became at age 41 the oldest player to win two majors in one year. He also won the U.S. Amateur and titles around the world.

Graham won three majors – twice at the PGA Championship and the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion when he putted for birdie on every hole in the final round.

Tillinghast was inducted posthumously and perhaps was overdue. He designed more than 250 courses, including Winged Foot, Baltusrol, Bethpage Black, Ridgewood and San Francisco Golf Club.

The next induction ceremonies will be in 2017 at the World Golf Village, and then in 2019 during the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

VICTORIA, B.C.  – Team Canada Development Squad member Michelle Kim may be running out of room in her trophy case.

The 17-year-old Surrey native won her second straight British Columbia Golf event with an overpowering final day at Cordova Bay Golf Course. Kim shot a (-4) round of 69 to finish at (-4) 288 to beat 12-year-old Akari Hayashi by nine strokes.

A visibly nervous Hayashi managed to hold it together to shoot a (+5) round of 78 to finish at (+5) 297 to claim solo second place and a spot on the BC team going to the Canadian Junior Girls in Saskatchewan next month.

Surrey’s Hannah Lee finished with a (+2) 75 final round to finish at (+7) 299 to claim the third and final provincial spot.

“I still can’t believe it,” said Kim, who received her trophy from Shirley Nasheim, the 1952 winner of the BC Junior Girls title and the first winner of the trophy. “It feels amazing, especially since I won last week and I’ve played this tournament so many times.”

Kim thanked her family, including her father, who coaches her and her mother, who walks almost every hole with her. But the biggest thanks go to older sister Taylor, who Michelle beat at last week’s BC Women’s Amateur.

“Taylor gave me a really big hug before I came here and told me ‘Go get that trophy. I know you can.’ It’s the only trophy we don’t have in the house.”

For the second week in a row, Kim received a water shower from her friends Gloria Choi, Alisha Lau and Hannah Lee, who rushed the final green to spray Kim.

Kim entered the final round tied with Hayashi for the lead and after both players made nervous bogeys on the first, they also matched birdies on the par-5 second hole. But Kim gained the upper hand she would never relinquish by making another birdie on 3 while Hayashi made bogey.

When Kim made birdies at 5 and 7, and Hayashi made bogeys at 6 and 7, the lead was up to six and it was just a matter of time before Kim was lifting the BC Junior Girls trophy to go along with the Flumerfelt Cup she won last week at Duncan Meadows as the British Columbia Women’s Amateur Champion.

Hayashi made seven bogeys on the day, but saved her best for last, making birdie on the final hole as a large crowd cheered her on. “I am really happy,” said Hayashi. “This is my first time getting into the top 5 or top 10. I’m really happy.”

Hayashi was happy she finished second and got a runner-up trophy with her name on it. “I was really nervous,” she said. “There are so many good girls. I had so much pressure. . . There were so many people on the back 9, I was surprised.”

Kim, Hayashi and Lee comprise the British Columbia team at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, SK from August 4-7.

For full results, please click here.

OAKVILLE, Ont. — Golf Canada, in partnership with the PGA of Canada, has released Golf Facilities in Canada 2015—the definitive report on golf facilities and development in Canada.

Golf Facilities in Canada 2015 is the result of a collaborative effort between Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and the National Golf Foundation (NGF), a golf industry knowledge research firm which delivers independent and objective market intelligence, insights and trends.

The report identifies all existing public and private facilities in the country; and defines supply by province, type and number of holes. The report also includes information on facility openings and closings, as well as the number and type of facilities currently in development.

“Canadian golf facilities are the foundation for major sport participation, economic impact, tourism, charitable giving and environmental stewardship and the Golf Facilities in Canada 2015 report provides a comprehensive breakdown of the golf courses and projects that form that Canadian golf landscape,” said Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “Canada represents 7 per cent of the total world’s supply of golf courses and this first ever Canadian report offers an in-depth summary of national and provincial data.”

“The PGA of Canada in partnership with Golf Canada is excited to present this captivating study of golf facilities in Canada compiled by one of the world’s leading research firms, the National Golf Foundation,” said PGA of Canada CEO Gary Bernard. “As the second oldest and third largest professional golf association in the world, the PGA of Canada and its 3,700 members are proud to be a driving force at golf facilities from coast to coast.”

A snapshot of data captured in Golf Facilities in Canada 2015:

• Canada is home to 2,346 public and private golf facilities; ranking it third in the world in total supply.
• Seventy-seven per cent of the total golf supply is located in Canada’s four most populated provinces—Ontario, Québec, Alberta and British Columbia.
• While course construction has slowed during the past several years (a trend mirrored in many mature and developed golf nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom) golf remains extremely accessible in Canada. A little more than 90 per cent of the country’s supply is open to the public.
• Of the 2,126 public facilities in Canada, half are located in Ontario and Québec, which together account for 61 per cent of the country’s total population. Furthermore, the two provinces are also home to 73 per cent of Canada’s 220 private clubs.
• Nine-hole golf accounts for almost 37 per cent of Canada’s total supply, which outnumbers 18-hole supply in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In Saskatchewan, 18-hole courses are outnumbered 3 to 1 by 9-hole courses.
• Canada features nine 12-hole facilities (six of which are in Ontario) and three 6-hole facilities.
• Resort golf, though a small segment of Canada’s overall supply, is a significant contributor to tourism in several provinces. Countrywide, 167 facilities (or approximately 7 per cent) of total supply are connected to a resort or a resort/real estate operation.
• Course construction peaked in the 1960s with the opening of more than 420 facilities. A second significant growth spurt occurred in the period between 1990 and 1999, when more than 310 courses—13 per cent of total supply —opened. The growth was highlighted by the opening of 257 facilities in the four largest provinces: Ontario, Québec, Alberta and British Columbia.
• Since 2010, 29 facilities have opened in six different provinces. In recent years, Canada has seen only moderate growth, and currently has 31 18-hole equivalent facilities in various stages of development.
• Of those facilities in various stages of development, 17 have broken ground including seven in Alberta and four in Nova Scotia. Nearly 60 per cent of new projects are tied to a real estate development.
• In the past five to 10 years, 158 facilities have closed. One in five of those closures were located in Ontario, which is home to 35 per cent of the total supply of Canada’s facilities. Three of Canada’s 10 provinces have seen fewer than five facility closures during the past decade.

The complete Golf Facilities in Canada 2015 report including national and provincial data is available for download here.

The Golf Facilities in Canada 2015 report aligns with the Canadian data featured in the World Facilities Report released earlier this year by the R&A in partnership with the NGF. The world report revealed by the end of 2014, there were 34,011 golf facilities in 204 countries around the world. It shows that nearly 80 per cent of these facilities are located in 10 countries: the United States, Japan, Canada, England, Australia, Germany, France, Scotland, South Africa and Sweden. The world report also revealed by the end of 2014, Canada ranked third* in total number of golf facilities by country behind only the United States and Japan (*The UK combined has the third-most course in the world overall, however when viewed as separate countries, Canada is third and England is fourth). For more on the world report, visit www.randa.org.

The golf industry is worth more than $14.3-billion to the Canadian economy and represents more than 1 per cent of our nation’s total GDP. The $5-billion in direct revenues generated by Canada’s 2,346 facilities are more than the revenues generated by all other participation sports and recreational facilities combined ($4.8 billion). The numbers reinforce the massive financial, charitable, and environmental impact that golf has in communities across Canada including hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions in taxes, and a major tourism driver both domestic and international. Canadian golf facilities are a channel for major charitable giving with close to 37,000 events at Canadian courses raising more than $533-million annually for worthwhile causes. Canadians are passionate about the game of golf with a participation base of 5.7-million Canadians who enjoy more than 60-million rounds annually. For more information about the robust impact of golf in Canada visit www.canadagolfs.ca.