I travelled to Nova Scotia in early May, just as many clubs were opening or had opened and still faced some winter weather conditions as winter dragged its feet transitioning to spring. Courses for the most part wintered fairly well considering the snow and severe cold of this past winter.
There are some exciting events and programs going on in this province to encourage more women to join in the fun of playing golf. Sara Wilson, a PGA of Canada professional, has started the Metro Ladies Golf Group and now has approximately 50 ladies ready to learn about the game from Wilson who will teach them swing skills and other components of the game such as scoring and tracking their progress with GolfFun, as part of a Golf Canada’s pilot project. They will also learn about playing the game at a club from the moment the women step out of the car to finishing and posting scores at the end of the round. It is time to take the intimidation factor out of this game and provide a great golf experience for women and an opportunity to meet women with like interests in taking up the game. During my visit, I had an opportunity to meet and speak with some of the prospective league players, and this league I believe will fill such a void in women’s golf. I look forward to hearing about all the fun and successes by these women this season. More information on the league can be found here via their website. They can also be followed on Twitter @LadiesGolfHFC.
On Saturday, May 24th the Nova Scotia Golf Association hosted a “Women’s Learn to Golf Summit” which sold out in a couple of days. The attendees passed through several learning stations encompassing swing skills and other facets of playing the game so that women will feel comfortable driving into a golf course to play a round. Karen Furneaux, 3-time Olympian, 2-time World Champion Kayaker, and relatively new golfer was on hand to share her experiences as an elite athlete, tips for success and taking up golf. Hopefully this Summit will be the first of many to expose more women to learn about the game and meet friends that they can enjoy the game with for life. Congrats to all the participants who braved the cold temperatures that keep reminding us it is just May.
I also had an opportunity to meet with several clubs during my stay onsite and through a focus group to discuss various topics around membership. I had a chance to make it up to the Northumberland coast for the first time and visited Northumberland Links and Fox Harb’r Golf Resort. Both clubs are built on beautiful rolling terrain with incredible coastal views. Actually, every club that I have seen boasts great geography and fine layouts. Great golf and seafood…sounds like the start of a perfect summer vacation plan.
In addition, the Nova Scotia Golf Association held their annual Spring Meeting on May 4th at Hartlen Point Golf Club. With the hiring of Andrew Noseworthy, PGA of Canada Professional, to head up sport development the NSGA players will be ready to take on this season with some fresh perspective. A new adult event, The Atlantic Championship, will be held at Bell Bay in August of this year with individual and team categories. It sounds like players will be eagerly gearing up to qualify for this event to take on New Brunswick, PEI, and Newfoundland. The NSGA is working diligently throughout the province to provide players with value for their membership and a great golf experience…why not be a part of it???