If you think your golf course superintendent hangs the “Course Closed” sign at the entrance as he heads out for a lengthy winter vacation in the sun, you are sorely mistaken.

But that is just one of many misconceptions about the role of the superintendent, including what they do during the off-season.

If noted novelist (and unintentional golf writer) Charles Dickens was writing this article, he might begin with the words: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. … It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”

Bill Green, superintendent at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont., has experienced a few winters of despair, notably the ice-related devastation in Southern Ontario during the winter of 2013-2014. Many courses lost some, if not all, of their greens and thousands of trees were damaged.

“There’s really nothing you can do when you get a winter like that,” laments Green, who says he is “cautiously optimistic” about the coming season (Dickens’s “spring of hope”) after an Ontario winter that brought its share of snow and cold temperatures but no disasters like the previous one.

During the off-season, which generally runs from the end of October to mid-April, he and his colleagues in most of Canada, east of the Rockies that is, have plenty to keep them busy. Green readily rhymes off a list.

“There are lots of winter projects like tree programs which you like to do in the off season so you’re not disrupting play. There are health and safety programs, continuing education like attending conferences and symposiums, establishing maintenance policies and procedures, interviewing and hiring and training staff, staying in regular communication with the members, meeting with the Board and committees, establishing a budget, refurbishing and painting golf course furniture, working with the mechanic to get all the equipment in top-notch condition … the list goes on. Oh, and you have to take some time for vacation with the family, too. You have a lot to make up for when you are away from them at the course for so many hours during the season.”

As Green recites his list, looking out at snow-covered Cutten Fields, Dave Kennedy mentions casually that there were 190-plus golfers on his course, the Vancouver Golf Club, on a recent Sunday. Dickens might have called it A Tale of Two Countries.

In stark contrast to the majority of Canada, particularly the Maritimes, B.C.’s Lower Mainland has had an unusually mild winter, even for that region. As a result, there has been no “off season” as such for golf courses and their superintendents. No “Course Closed” signs here.

So, understanding that every superintendent across the country has to attend to all the items Green mentioned, how do Kennedy and his West Coast colleagues cope?

“A lot of things we normally do over the winter just didn’t happen this year,” says Kennedy, “so we have to try to fit them in and get them done before the heat of the season.”

In terms of “heat,” this summer brings significantly more than most, since the Canadian Pacific Women’s Canadian Open arrives Aug. 17-23. It will be the fourth time the LPGA has visited Vancouver GC. To Kennedy’s advantage, he was there the last time in 2012. Also working on his behalf are the mild winter and the less demanding requirements of an LPGA tournament versus a PGA TOUR event.

“Other than a few minor changes, the course will play almost the same way it usually does for the members,” Kennedy says, putting to rest the widely held belief that the arrival of a major event totally disrupts the normal routine of a course and its members.

With that misconception dispelled, Kennedy points out that many golfers vastly underestimate the role of the superintendent. “I don’t think many people realize just how technical our profession has become over the years.”

A visit to the web siteof the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association www.golfsupers.com will confirm that.

Like a goalie in hockey, superintendents seldom get the credit they deserve when things are going well, yet, when things go badly, they get far more than their share of the blame.

For the most part, that scenario plays out because the majority of golfers don’t understand the vital and ever-expanding role of the superintendent, not only during the golf season but also in the off season. Time to change that.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Tiger Woods will not be at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the second tournament he has missed since stating a month ago that he would not return to golf until his game was ready.

Woods still wasn’t ruling out the Masters in a brief statement Friday on his website.

“I’ve put in a lot of time and work on my game and I’m making strides,” Woods said. “But like I’ve said, I won’t return to the PGA Tour until my game is tournament ready and I can compete at the highest level.”

He said he spoke to Palmer on Friday to tell him he would not be at his tournament.

Woods is an eight-time winner at Bay Hill. This will be the second straight time he has missed the Arnold Palmer Invitational. A year ago, he had a back injury that led to surgery a week after the tournament, causing him to miss the Masters for the first time.

“I hope to be ready for the Masters, and I will continue to work hard preparing for Augusta,” Woods said in his statement.

Woods has fallen to No. 79 in the world, his worst ranking since the week before he won his first PGA Tour event as a 20-year-old in 1996. If he does not play leading up to the Masters, he will be out of the top 100 when _ or if _ he gets to Augusta.

Two tournaments remain before the Masters – the Valero Texas Open and the Shell Houston Open. Woods has not played the Texas Open since 1996. He has never played the Houston Open, and he has never played the week before the Masters.

The decision ramps up speculation on the state of Woods – his mind and his game – leading to Augusta.

He has played only 47 holes this year. Woods missed the cut in the Phoenix Open with a career-high 82 in the second round. A week later, he withdrew after 11 holes at Torrey Pines for tightness in his lower back.

He said on Feb. 11 that his scores were not acceptable and that he would not return until his game was up to his standards.

Since back surgery on March 31 of last year, Woods has completed only two 72-hole events. He finished 69th in the British Open, 23 shots behind Rory McIlroy. And he tied for last in an 18-man field at the Hero World Challenge at Isleworth, a course he has played more than any other.

Most shocking about his debut in 2015 was his short game, a collection of bladed shots and chunks that have led to debate over whether he has the yips.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Adam Scott packed up his bags and headed to the next tournament, a common sight except for one tiny detail.

This was only Friday.

Scott missed four putts inside 5 feet in the second round and shot a 4-over 75 to miss the cut at the Valspar Championship, ending the longest active streak on the PGA Tour. Scott had gone 45 straight PGA Tour events – and 57 events worldwide – without missing a cut.

“It had to happen eventually,” he said.

Even so, Scott raised his cap and scratched his head when asked the last time he had a weekend off at a golf tournament. He finally remembered the Byron Nelson Championship in May 2012.

Scott used a conventional putter for the second straight week after having used a long putter anchored to his chest the previous four years, including his Masters victory. He tied for fourth in his 2015 debut – and his debut with a short putter – last week at Doral.

“It was pretty scrappy out there,” Scott said. “Some loose shots, and some loose lag putts and some loose short putts. There’s not many courses we play you can get away with that. I’ve got to tighten it up a little bit. Overall, I feel pretty good. There’s a lot of good stuff in there.”

Scott said no one should be surprised if he used the long putter at Augusta National, adding with a smile that “it’s nice to have options.” But he wasn’t alarmed that he ranked No. 141 out of 144 players at Innisbrook in the key putting statistic.

“I feel fine with it,” he said. “It can happen. You can miss some short ones. Obviously, it’s not what you want and there’s no excuse. But there’s a couple of things I’d like to make an adjustment with on different greens, different green speeds.”

He used the long putter in practice this week, and said it helps as a training aid. “I see myself practicing with it forever,” he said.

Scott couldn’t help but smile when he suggested one problem he faced this week at Innisbrook. He was a little tired, even though he had a three-month break. His wife gave birth to their first child, and he is in the middle of six weeks away from home.

“If you can blame fatigue after a layoff, in fairness, I feel like I’ve crammed more into my last month than I have in a year,” he said. “With the birth, spending nine days at home with a newborn, coming over and practicing and play in an event, all in three weeks … I feel like a lot has happened. I’ve been certainly sleeping soundly this week. I think it’s just getting back adjusted to everything.”

Scott came up just 97 starts short of matching the consecutive cut record held by Tiger Woods from 1998 to 2005.

“Just missed it,” he said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

He missed the cut, but the Australian didn’t miss a single autograph request for the next 15 minutes as he worked his way along a rail fence, signing Masters flags, golf balls and taking a half-dozen selfies with fans.

The active cut streak on tour now belongs to Steve Stricker at 35. Stricker has not played since the PGA Championship last August.

Victoria, B.C. native and Team Canada Development Team member Naomi Ko was named her home province’s Junior Female Athlete of the Year at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. She won out over cyclist Maggie Coles-Lyster and swimmer Emily Overholt for the honour.

An enthused Ko graciously accepted the award and recognized her loved ones for the important role they have played in her success. “I want to thank my family for always supporting me and giving me unconditional love. I’m really honoured to win this great award.”

Mother Adriana, father Tony and younger brother Ethan beamed with pride as the 17-year-old secondary student was honoured following a successful season on the links. Ko took home the 2014 B.C. Junior Girls’ Amateur Championship and was runner up at the B.C. Juvenile Girls’ tournament. On the national stage, she finished T40 in the Canadian Women’s Amateur, third in the CN Future Links Pacific Championship and topped the field at the CN Future Links Ontario Championship.

“I have been working with (national team coach) Ann Carroll and I am very proud to be a Team Canada member. I’ve had some good results and I think it all started when I made Team Canada,” said Ko. “My goals for this year are to compete in more women’s amateur events, both provincially and nationally.”

David Atkinson, President of British Columbia Golf and Kris Jonasson, Executive Director of the provincial sport organization nominated Ko for the award.

One of Ko’s next challenges will see her head south of the border for the friendly confines of North Carolina State. She joins a program which has shown an impressive pedigree in nurturing Canadian talent. “I know this year’s team has Augusta James and Vivian Tsui on it and I know that Brittany Marchand and Amanda Baker also did well there.”

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Brian Davis takes pride in his short game, which saved him from a rough finish Thursday and gave him the lead in the Valspar Championship.

Coming off back-to-back bogeys, Davis chipped in from 25 feet on the ninth green at Innisbrook for a 6-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead over past champion Sean O’Hair and Ricky Barnes after the opening round.

For the 40-year-old Davis, it was the perfect finish to go with what had been an ideal start. Starting on the back nine of the Copperhead course, he missed three birdie chances inside 15 feet and still went out in 30. There wasn’t a hint of trouble until a three-putt from 45 feet on No. 7 and a poor chip at the par-3 eighth that led to bogey.

And right when he thought he had hit a good approach on No. 9, he heard nothing.

“I expected a clap and nobody clapped,” he said.

His chip came out with more over-spin because of the grain in the grass and might have gone about 6 feet by the hole except that it struck the pin.

“Delighted,” the Englishman said.

O’Hair, the 2011 RBC Canadian Open champion, got even more evidence that his game is turning around by making eight birdies in the morning for a 66. Barnes, playing in the afternoon, was tied for the lead until he three-putted the par-3 17th from 35 feet and missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole.

Henrik Stenson, at No. 3 the highest-ranked player in the field, made his debut at Innisbrook by dressing in the same colors as the volunteers, though it wasn’t intentional, and none of the volunteers had matching pants to go with his periwinkle shirt.

He didn’t like the swing he had on the range, though he hit enough good iron shots early on to get by. Stenson hit wedge into the par-4 ninth for a final birdie and a bogey-free 67. He was in a group that included Justin Thomas and Puerto Rico Open winner Alex Cejka.

Thomas opened with nine straight pars, a bogey on the par-5 first hole, and then five birdies.

Stenson played with Adam Scott, who made four straight bogeys on his back nine that ruined a good round. He had a birdie on the final hole for a 71. Also in the group was Jordan Spieth, slowed by a double bogey in his round of 70.

“Fell asleep out there for about 30 minutes,” Scott said.

The Copperhead course didn’t have a lot of bite with its green, soft conditions. Thomas was among those who had mud on the golf ball, which led to his bogey at No. 1. It still was the sturdy test that makes it so popular. Even without much wind and a mostly overcast sky, the course average was about 71.4

“The golf course was there – no wind and fairly soft – so you have to try to make your score today if you could,” Davis said.

It wasn’t there for John Daly. He opened with a double bogey when he three-putted from 5 feet. He later four-putted for triple bogey on the 14th hole. A birdie on the final hole gave him an 81, but there was a sliver of good news at the end of his long day. He wasn’t selected for drug testing.

“No, that’s tomorrow,” said Daly, with a grin.

He said on his SiriusXM radio show Tuesday that night the PGA Tour didn’t have random testing because he has been picked at Innisbrook the last six years.

O’Hair won at Innisbrook in 2008, though he has fallen on lean times. He has had to earn his card at the Web.com Tour Finals each of the last two years.

“The last two years have been disappointing for me,” O’Hair said. “I lost really everything. I lost my ball-striking and kind of lost my mind, lost confidence as far as how I play the game because I like to hit a lot of different shots and I got very swing-oriented.”

Canada’s Adam Hadwin grabbed a share of 10th spot Thursday after an opening-round 68. He wasn’t the only Canadian to start off well.

Nick Taylor and David Hearn both opened with 70s and are tied for 28th.

PRETORIA, South Africa – Morten Orum Madsen of Denmark finished with a hole-in-one and an eagle for a 7-under 63 to share the first-round lead at the Tshwane Open on Thursday.

Madsen was joined by David Horsey of England, who was bogey-free with seven birdies around the par-70 Pretoria Country Club course.

They are a shot ahead of Wallie Coetsee and Brett Rumford at the last event of a three-tournament swing for the European Tour in South Africa.

Madsen, whose only win on the European Tour came in South Africa in 2013, had four birdies and a bogey before his remarkable finish.

He spun his tee shot back into the hole on No. 8, his 17th, for his ace. He then eagled the par-5 No. 9 after reaching the green in two with a pinpoint long iron.

“That was fantastic,” Madsen said. “For the last couple of weeks I’ve been hitting some shots that were really close and I said to my caddie that a hole-in-one was on the cards pretty soon.”

At first, Madsen didn’t realize he’d holed the tee shot on the short hole. He then threw up his arms and said, “it’s in, it’s in,” before high-fiving his playing partners.

Horsey made a late charge to match Madsen’s 63, picking up four birdies in his final seven holes. South Africa’s Coetsee and Australia’s Rumford share third.

Former Ryder Cup winner Edoardo Molinari is also competing in the South African capital and opened with a 66 for a tie for ninth. European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke carded a 71.

SUN CITY, Ariz. – Long-standing Team Canada member Brittany Marchand won her first professional event on Wednesday at the sixth Cactus Tour event on the grounds of Sun City Country Club.

Marchand, 22, posted six birdies en route to turning in the day’s low score of 68, good for an 8-under finish and a one-stroke victory over California native Emily Tubert. The victory marks her first professional event win during her five years with Team Canada.

A week prior to the event, the fifth-year chemical engineering major at N.C. State set aside a chunk of her schedule for a training session—which payed off in full.

Women’s Head Coach, Tristan Mullally, shared his excitement with Marchand’s well-deserving win.

“I am very proud of Brittany, she continues to do her own thing while pursuing a dream to become a successful professional. Last week we worked hard technically and I knew she had the potential to go play well—this is a great win for her.”

Marchand was one of 11 amateurs in the field of 60—making for an even more impressive victory.

Other Canadians in the field

• Jessica MacPhee (Langley, B.C.) – T20, +6
• Melissa Mabanta (Langley, B.C.) – T23, +7
• Megan Chapman (Thornbury, Ont.) – T25, +8
• Dani Shap (Mission, B.C.) – 55^th, +29
•  Kimberley Risulmi (a) (Lloydminster, Sask.) – T56, +32

Click here for full scoring.

Amateur @Britt_Marchand -8 (208) comes from behind to defeat @etubert -7 (209) two others at -4 (212) #amsruleEH pic.twitter.com/oeobV5LtEw

— THE CACTUS TOUR (@THECACTUSTOUR) March 12, 2015

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – John Daly remains angry over what he claims to be an anti-doping policy on the PGA Tour that is not random.

Daly says he’s doesn’t mind getting tested for drugs and says he has never failed a test. But he was irritated because he says he gets tested every year at the Valspar Championship and that he has to keep from using the bathroom on the back nine.

On his SiriusXM radio show Tuesday night, Daly says PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and Andy Pazder – the tour’s chief of operations – need to get off their back sides and fix the problem. He says players know at which tournaments they will be tested.

Daly says other players feel the same way and that he took one for the team.

Following the debut of the AeroBurner™ Driver in January, TaylorMade Golf Company has announced the launch of the AeroBurner Irons, the AeroBurner Mini Driver, and the AeroBurner Pro Golf Ball. The additions – which complete the 2015 AeroBurner collection – are designed for speed, distance and power from tee to green.

AeroBurner Irons

The AeroBurner irons follow in the footsteps of the AeroBurner metalwoods. Built for distance through speed, the Aeroburner iron features an up-to-the-limit COR face design. A low center of gravity (CG) generates high launch and great feel throughout the set. The high-MOI head design provides enhanced forgiveness and stability on balls hit across the clubface.

Aesthetically, the AeroBurner irons feature a dark, matte head finish found most recently in the SpeedBlade irons. The darker finish reduces glare off the clubface. The set boasts a longer blade length, more offset and thicker topline.

The 8-piece set will be available at retail on Wednesday, March 18.

AeroBurner Mini Driver

The 253cc metalwood equipped with a 43.5” shaft Mini Driver is a new category from TaylorMade, delivering golfers 2 club options in 1; a driver alternative or a 3-wood replacement. Many of the same features engineered into the other AeroBurner metalwoods are now part of this new category. Like all of the AeroBurner metalwoods, the AeroBurner Mini Driver is “Made of Speed”.

The Mini Driver features a new aerodynamic shape, shallow face, raised center crown. Its new hosel fin was created to maximize clubhead speed during the downswing. With emphasis placed on low-forward CG, the Mini Driver is designed to deliver driver-like launch conditions off the tee. The Mini Driver’s open channel Speed Pocket is designed to increase the size of the sweet spot while reducing spin.

Aesthetically, engineers developed the crown of AeroBurner Mini Driver with a new matte white finish, a black PVD face and a linear crown graphic – features implemented to facilitate easy, accurate face alignment. The TP model is designed with a longer hosel, flatter lie angle and more open face angle.

The AeroBurner Mini Driver’s two models – standard and TP – will be at retail on March 27.

AeroBurner Soft and AeroBurner Pro Golf Balls

The Aeroburner Pro is a three-piece ball engineered for high ball speeds off the clubface. The spin control and soft feel come from the interface of TaylorMade’s SPIN MANTLE™ and proprietary IOTHANE® cover. The AeroBurner Pro will be available at retail on March 6.

For more information, please visit www.taylormadegolf.ca.

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. – The Grand Slam of Golf is moving to Trump National in suburban Los Angeles this fall.

The multi-year agreement between the PGA of America and the Trump Organization was announced Tuesday.

The event will be played Oct. 19-21 in its return to the U.S. mainland for the first time since 1993. It features the winners of golf’s four majors: the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship.

Trump National, whose owner Donald Trump attended the announcement, features a 7,242-yard, par-71 layout with lakes, massive bunkers, waterfalls and scenic views.

Golf Channel will air the event.

The course also will host the PGA Junior League championship on Oct. 17-19.