Countryview Golf Club to host final CN Future Links Championship of the season
FAIRVIEW, P.E.I. – The 2016 CN Future Links season will come to a close with the Atlantic edition of the championship series from July 12-14 at Countryview Golf Club in Fairview, P.E.I.
Built as a nine-hole course in 1999, Countryview Golf Club earned the nickname “P.E.I.’s little Augusta” for its impeccable conditions and challenging design. Members would typically play back-to-back rounds, prompting an expansion to 18 holes in 2011. Competitors will have a chance to familiarize themselves with the course during a practice round on July 11 before tournament play commences.
“Countryview is an excellent venue for our final regional junior championship of the year,” said Tournament Director Dan Hyatt. “The course is in peak condition and the players will encounter a unique challenge in its design.”
The Junior Girls division will see the return of reigning champion Allison Chandler of Chester, N.S., and runner-up Laura Jones of Moncton, N.B. Chandler claimed a five-stroke victory at the 2015 edition of this competition at Gowan Brae Golf Club in Bathurst, N.B.
Port Williams, N.S., natives Meghan and Heather McLean finished T6 and T8 last year. The sisters will return to the East Coast having posted Top-20 finishes at the 2016 CN Future Links Québec Championship at Club de golf Beauceville in Beauceville, Que.
Calvin Ross will take part in the competition looking to defend his Junior Boys title. The product of Fredericton, N.B., was the only player under-par in 2015 and will look to build upon a T6 result at this year’s CN Future Links Québec Championship.
He will be accompanied by Woodmans Point, N.B., resident Stuart Earle. The 17-year-old stood alone in sixth at last year’s competition and is the only other returning player from the Top-10.
The top six finishers in the Junior Boys division will gain exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to be contested August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. In the case of ties, exemptions will be decided via hole-by-hole playoff. All players within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will each earn entry into this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, hosted by The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S., from August 2-5.
Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Atlantic Championship, including participants, start times and up-to-date results can be found here.
Kehler Koss and Brendan MacDougall claim playoff victories for CN Future Links Western titles
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club required extra holes before its winners could be crowned. Kehler Koss prevailed in a one-hole playoff to complete a wire-to-wire victory to capture the Junior Girls title. Brendan MacDougall persevered through two playoff holes to secure the win in the Junior Boys division.
Koss hung on following three double-bogeys in regulation play to send the championship to a playoff on the par-4 10th hole against West Vancouver’s Phoebe Yue. The Calgary product recorded her third birdie of the day to claim the title.
“It was really stressful today. I wasn’t striking the ball as well and I was missing a lot of three-footers,“ said Koss. “I was just trying to breathe in the playoffs and calm myself down because I was really shaky going into that. I don’t think I actually watched her [Yue] hit any balls.”
The 17-year-old Koss finished with runner-up honours at this event in 2015 at Goose Hummock Golf Course in Gibbons, Alta. With a CN Future Links title in hand, she now looks ahead to this summer’s National Championship.
“I’ve worked so hard to get to this point. Last year I three-putted on the last hole to lose by one, and that was heartbreaking. Today, it was nice to see that this hard work I’ve been putting in for the past year has really paid off.”
Yue carded a 1-over 73 to rally from a five-stroke deficit, but fell to Koss with a par performance on the extra hole. Calgary’s Kenna Hughes, the 2015 champion, finished with a bogey-free 1-under showing across her final nine holes to take third-place at 7-over.
As the Junior Girls division’s Top-6, Koss, Yue and Hughes alongside Calgarians Annabelle Ackroyd, Claire Emery and Taylor Stone have earned exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.
An eagle on No. 11 and four birdies through his final four holes propelled Calgary’s Brendan MacDougall up the Junior Boys leaderboard. The 18-year-old recorded his lowest score of the week – a 4-under 68 – to force second-round leader Chandler McDowell into a playoff with matching scores of 7-under 209.
The pair remained knotted following the first playoff hole, before MacDougall secured the championship title by making par on No. 9.
“I’ve actually never been happier in my life! This is my last CN Future Links event, so I’m pretty excited about that,” said MacDougall. “I’m pretty happy with the way I came back. I made a lucky par on ten and from there, I said ‘alright, I’m not out of it and I can come back.’”
In his final year on the junior circuit, MacDougall hopes to improve upon his T23 result at last year’s Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.
“I just told myself each round, ‘Brendan you’re good enough, you’re here, you know you can play well, if you play your game, you’re going to be fine.’ This will be my third time at nationals, so if I can improve the way I played last year, that would be great.”
McDowell of Springbrook, Alta., recorded five birdies on the day, including four across a bogey-free back nine. Team Canada Development Squad member Alexander Smith of Calgary collected four birdies to claim a share of third at 3-under alongside Thomas Code of Dorchester, Ont.
MacDougall, McDowell, Smith and Code will be accompanied by Kai Iguchi (Banff, Alta.) and Kade Johnson (Yorkton, Sask.) at the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship which will be contested at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. from August 1-4.
Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship can be found here.
Ko, Henderson look to carry rivalry into US Women’s Open
SAN MARTIN, Calif. – There is very little separating the top two women’s golfers in the world in Lydia Ko and Canada’s Brooke Henderson.
The two teenage sensations have won the past three majors heading into this week’s U.S. Women’s Open with the 19-year-old Ko taking two and the 18-year-old Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., following last month with a thrilling playoff victory over Ko in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Washington that could set the stage for a heated rivalry for years to come.
Fittingly, the two will be together when this year’s third major starts at the U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle on Thursday, less than 100 miles south of San Francisco. Ko and Henderson will play the first two rounds with 21-year-old Lexi Thompson, who is ranked fourth in the world, in the marquee group of the tournament.
“It’s great to watch them both on the golf course and their attitudes and just their demeanours on the golf course,” Thompson said. “They’re aggressive players, and just consistent overall. You can’t really even find a weakness in their game, and that’s why they’re so good.”
The top three ranked players in the tournament – third-ranked Inbee Park will miss the Open because of a thumb injury – will face stiff competition in the 156-player field that includes nine previous champions, including last year’s winner, In Gee Chun.
Other winners include Michelle Wie (2014), Na Yeon Choi (2012), Paula Creamer (2010), Eun-Hee Ji (2009), Cristie Kerr (2007), So Yeon Ryu (2011), Karrie Webb (2000, 2001) and Se Ri Pak (1998).
This will be the final U.S. tournament for Pak before she plans to retire. Her win at Blackwolf Run in Wisconsin 18 years ago helped spark the recent South Korean dominance of the LPGA Tour. Seven of the last 11 winners of the U.S. Open have come from South Korea.
“After I came and after I start winning, I have this great success, everybody was thinking, I can do that,” Pak said. “Giving a lot of confidence, built confidence for them. So they’re here, they make it a dream, they make it possible. So I think I was part of it.”
But when the tournament starts, much of the focus will be on Ko and Henderson, who hope to build off the drama they staged last month when Henderson tracked down Ko in the final round with a long eagle putt and a tough par before winning in a playoff by coolly stuffing her approach into 3 feet.
That gave Henderson her first career major as she tries to match Ko, who had won the previous two with her victory at the ANA Inspiration earlier this year after winning the Evian Championship in 2015.
“Lydia Ko is amazing,” Henderson said. “She’s an inspiration to all of us girls out here, and I think everyone in the world, basically. She’s done amazing things in her career and she’s only a couple months older than I am.”
Henderson followed that up with her third career tour win when she repeated as champion at the Cambia Portland Classic for her third career win and can surpass Ko as the youngest player with two majors with a win this week.
This marks just the third time the U.S. Women’s Open has been played in California and this is the highest-profile event to be played at the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed course that opened in 1999. The course, located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, plays as a par 72 over 6,784 yards, although it could be a bit shorter this week depending on tee locations.
The course finishes with a par-5, 528-yard hole that features a water hazard near the green and the possibility of trying to reach the green in two shots for players looking to close a gap on the final day.
The tournament is also the final one to determine who will qualify for the Olympics next month. The top 15 players in the world rankings will all be eligible with a limit of four for any country. South Korea is the only country with more than two players currently in the top 15. The rest of the 60-player field will be determined by world rankings with a limit of two players per country.
Among the players looking to qualify for Rio de Janeiro this week are Webb, who has extended her Hall of Fame career in hopes of making the Olympics. With Minjee Lee having secured one of Australia’s spots, Webb likely must finish at least in the top 10 to have any chance to pass Su Oh for the other.
Henderson a favourite heading into fourth U.S. Women’s Open
SAN MARTIN, Calif. — She’s just 18 years old, but Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., will be teeing it up in her fourth U.S. Women’s Open this week at CordeValle Resort.
She’s had some success: she was low amateur in 2014 at Pinehurst and rode a hot weekend to a tie for fifth last year at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa.
Now, as the second-ranked player in the world and coming off her third career win last weekend at the Cambia Portland Classic, where she successfully defended her title, Henderson will be one of the favourites this week.
She will be looking for her second major championship to go with the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship she won last month at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle.
“I’ve played really well in U.S. Women’s Open’s, and I played really well in major championships, because you really got to take a little bit of a different strategy,” Henderson said. “You really need to stay patient, which is something that I’ve worked on over the last few years. I’m really excited for this week.
“I think this course sets up really well for my game. You’ve just got to hit it in the right spots and know where to miss it and then just make lots of birdies. I think the back nine plays a lot tougher than the front nine. I think that’s where a lot of things might change, especially on Sunday afternoon. I really love the par-5s around here. I can get close to them or reach a lot of them in two, which is something that I like to think is an advantage over most of the field that I have.”
Henderson tees off at 5:03 p.m EDT time Thursday in the first round with the tournament’s power group with world No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand and No. 4 Lexi Thompson of the USA (world No. 3 Inbee Park is injured).
Kehler Koss and Chandler McDowell lead after 36 holes in Medicine Hat
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The CN Future Links Western Championship continued under sunny skies at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club. The second round saw Kehler Koss distance herself from her Junior Girls competitors, while Chandler McDowell broke through to take a one-stroke lead in the Junior Boys division.
The 17-year-old Koss continues to lead the Junior Girls division after extending her advantage to five strokes with a 1-over 73 performance. The Calgary native collected four birdies on the day, including a pair back-to-back on her final two holes to sit 2-under 142 in the competition.
A second-round 69 propelled Kenna Hughes of Calgary into second place at 3-over 147. The defending champion collected six birdies and went bogey-free through her final 12 holes to move past West Vancouver’s Phoebe Yue who is 5-over. Lauren Koenig of Redcliffe, Alta., sits fourth, while Calgarians Sydney Scraba and Annabelle Ackroyd are tied for fifth.
Chandler McDowell opened the day with four straight birdies to match his first-round 70 and take sole possession of the Junior Boys lead. The Springbrook, Alta., native sits one stroke ahead of the competition.
Thomas Code began the day tied for 11th, but a six-birdie 69 moved the Dorchester, Ont., native into a tie for second alongside Calgary’s Brendan MacDougall. Fellow Calgarian Alexander Smith, a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, recorded five birdies on the day to claim a share of fourth alongside Kade Johnson (Yorkton, Sask.), Chris Horton (Calgary) and Jordan Bean (Canmore, Alta.).
The top six players in the Junior Boys Division will earn entry into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. Exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff in the case of ties. All competitors within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls Division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be conducted from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.
The final day of competition will see the Junior Boys tee-off at 7 a.m. before the Junior Girls begin play at 10:10 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring is available here.
Brooke Henderson partners with Android Wear
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Brooke Henderson from Smiths Falls, Ont., has partnered with Google to become a brand ambassador for Android Wear. The 18-year-old who captured her first major at June’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is the first LPGA player to partner with a smartwatch platform.
Google’s platform for smartwatches – Android Wear – offers several golf apps to help golfers; they can analyze their swings, keep scores and statistics, and track shots. Android Wear powers smartwatches by brands such as Motorola, Nixon, Michael Kors, TAG Heuer and Huawei.
“Whether I am practicing, working out or staying in touch with my family and friends back home, Android Wear offers me the best technology to be productive and organized while traveling the world,” said Henderson, the No. 2 ranked female golfer in the world. “As my calendar continues to get busier, I feel so privileged to use Android Wear to stay on schedule and make the most of every minute.”
On the golf course, Henderson will wear the Moto 360 Sport, which is built for training and sports. The Moto 360 Sport includes a built-in heart rate monitor, GPS, hybrid display that makes it easy to read outdoors, and a silicone band. In social and formal settings, she will wear the elegant Huawei Jewel, a premium fashionable smartwatch encrusted with 68 1.5mm Swarovski Zirconia.
Henderson, a Golf Canada National Team alum, won the 2015 Cambia Portland Classic as a 17-year-old to earn LPGA membership. In June, she became the youngest-ever winner of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major championship on the LPGA Tour. Last week, she won her third LPGA event by defending her title in Portland. In August, she will represent Canada when golf makes its long-awaited return to the Olympic Games.
Having fun with our new @AndroidWear watches – perfect to stay on top of things during #USWomensOpen! #newsponsor pic.twitter.com/BVlH8ngn86
— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) July 5, 2016
Hugo Bernard wins the Alexander of Tunis
Hugo Bernard had a quick turn around following his July 2 win at the Dogwood Invitational at the Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga. One day removed from his victory, the native of Mont St-Hilaire, Que., arrived at the Ottawa Hunt Golf Club to compete in the 67th edition of the Lord Alexander of Tunis Championship – the first stage of Golf Québec’s Triple Crown. The Team Canada National Team member put on quite the show to capture the prestigious event.
The 21-year-old tallied five birdies en route to a 3-under 68 to sit at the head of the pack alongside Ottawa’s Robert Mustard. Bernard followed his strong opening round by recording six of his seven second-round birdies on the back nine for a 5-under day to emerge with a two-stroke victory and an 8-under 134 final score.
Last year’s champion, former Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., finished runner-up at 6-under. Ryan Sevigny of Stittsville, Ont., was third at 142, while Étienne Brault (Mercier, Que.), Joey Savoie (Montréal) and Cullen Chung (Westmount, Que.) finished with shares of fourth with matching 143s.
Bernard, Papineau, Sevigny, Brault, Savoie and Chung will compete at the Royal Québec Golf Club in Boischatel, Que., from July 8-9 at The Duke of Kent Championship.
Golf Québec’s Triple Crown is comprised of the Alexander of Tunis, the Duke of Kent and the Québec Amateur Championship. The Top-3 golfers on the Triple Crown Order of Merit will form the provincial team that will represent Québec at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be contested at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que., and Eagle Creek Golf Club in Dunrobin, Ont., from August 8-11.
Time well spent
Ask Diane Barabé and she’ll tell you she’s not the biggest people person. She’s reserved, more than happy to do her thing and speak when spoken to. But on the golf course, the longtime volunteer rules official busts out of her shell. A proud member of the “Rulies” fraternity, Barabé is sociable and confident when in her element.
It stems back to when she first got involved in the game in the mid-1990s. The Granby, Que., native was voted onto the Board of Directors at her local Club de golf Miner — the first woman ever to be elected — and was thrust into a role demanding constant conversation right off the bat.
“I remember they put me in charge of disciplinary action,” recalls Barabé. “I said, ‘Great, I’ll have nothing to do’ but it was quite the opposite. I think I learned how to approach people and how to interact with different people. I like to be involved. If I’m going to be involved in something I don’t just want to sit back. You’re a volunteer because you’re a bit selfish, you like it.”
Barabé talks joyfully when describing how rewarding her volunteer experiences have been. Through stops at the Canadian Ladies Golf Association to Golf Québec to Golf Canada, she’s spent more than 20 years giving her time to golf and making countless friends along the way. Her commitment and service were honoured in 2014 when she was awarded Golf Canada’s Volunteer of the Year.
“There’s so many deserving people in the field, there’s so many rules officials that deserve the same honour and are so knowledgeable and give so much of their time,” she says. “I was just humbled by the honour and to be chosen from across Canada was unspeakable. I can’t explain how I felt.”
Annually committing two to three months of her summer to work tournaments, the Level 4-certified official has presided over every class of competition, including five PGA and LPGA Tour events. But for the retired college administrator, it’s the more active role at junior events that she enjoys most.
“You’re helping them out with the rules and you’re making them better golfers,” explains Barabé, who guesses she’s read the Rules of Golf at least 60 times. “You’re educating them and that’s the part that I like. It’s the helping part that I love the most.”
Barabé’s affinity for students, both in the fairways and the hallways, has been an impressive balancing act. For several years she was away for the first two weeks of the school year in order to volunteer for Golf Québec. Her absence was approved — actually encouraged — for its selflessness and dedication.
Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s director of rules, competition and amateur status, calls her a “team player” and has witnessed her passion firsthand for the past nine years.
“She’s so involved and always all-in,” describes Helmer. “I don’t think she’s ever missed a rules seminar or working eight to 10 events a year since I’ve known her. She’s always studying, always in the book. She’s got a great rapport with not only Canadian officials but internationally from the events she’s worked. They always have great, positive things to say about her.”
The accolades don’t end there for Barabé. Already a member of Golf Canada’s Rules and Amateur Status Committee, she will become the first female chairperson of that committee in 2017. Attendng the R&A Tournament Administration and Referee School and receiving a mark of distinction on the exam three years ago made her more than qualified for the role and resides as a career highlight.
“I get goosebumps just talking about it still,” she explains of the trip to Scotland. “All the stress of preparing to go there and do the referee school and stepping foot on the Old Course and getting to play it. To me, that was a cherry on the sundae.”
The visit to St. Andrews came as a pleasant surprise though. Golf Canada originally selected her for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in 2012 but Barabé had to decline since she had previously promised to babysit her grandson that same week. Luckily, she admits, another offer came around the following year.
It’s just one of many gifts the avid volunteer, despite all the time and energy she’s given to the game, is grateful for receiving. And the people she’s met throughout the years, and the relationships she’s developed, have been payment enough.
“This has made me a bit more outgoing and helped me communicate with other people. I’ve learned so much through the years and met so many wonderful people and made so many friends. So when I’m out there and doing this I’m just having a good time.”
VOLUNTEERING
CLUB DE GOLF MINER
- Ladies Captain – 1992-95
- Board of Directors Member – 1992-95
CANADIAN LADIES GOLF ASSOCIATION – QUÉBEC BRANCH
- Ladies Captain & Rules – 1992-99
- Rules Committee Member – 1992-99
- Executive Committee – 1992-99
- Board of Directors Member – 1992-99
- Rules Chair – 2002-04
GOLF QUÉBEC
- Rules Committee Member – 2004-15
- Rules Chair – 2007-11
GOLF CANADA
- Rules Committee Member – 2011-PRESENT
- Governor’s Council Member – 2015-PRESENT
CERTIFICATIONS
GOLF CANADA
- LEVEL 4 Certification – 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014
- Tournament Administration & Referee’s School – 2015
R&A
- Tournament Administration & Referee’s School – 2013
USGA
- Workshop – 2014
INSTRUCTOR
LEVEL 4 RULES SEMINARS
- French – 2010-12, 2014-15
- English – 2016
AWARDS
GOLF QUÉBEC
- Volunteer of the Year – 2011
GOLF CANADA
- Volunteer of the Year – 2014
ÉGALE ACTION
- Recognition Award, Gala Femmes d’Influence – 2015
TOURNAMENTS
GOLF QUÉBEC
- Spring Open
- Men’s/Women’s Amateurs
- Junior/Senior Championships
GOLF CANADA
- CN Future Links – 2005-PRESENT
- Canadian Men’s Amateur/ Women’s Amateur – 2005-PRESENT
- Canadian Jr. Boys/Jr. Girls – 2005-PRESENT
- Canadian Senior Men’s/ Senior Women’s – 2005-PRESENT
- Canadian Women’s Tour – 2005-2015
- RBC Canadian Open – 2014-PRESENT
- Pan Am Games – 2015
USGA
- U.S. Women’s Open – 2013-PRESENT
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Time well spent This article was originally published in the May 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left. |
Team Canada’s Alexander Smith sits T1; Kehler Koss tops Junior Girls at CN Future Links Western Championship
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Thunder and lightning forced a 44-minute delay to prolong the first round of the 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship at Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club. When the skies parted and the opening day concluded, Team Canada Development Squad member Alexander Smith emerged in a four-way tie atop the Junior Boys leaderboard, while Kehler Koss leads the Junior Girls division following a 3-under 69 showing.
A five-birdie day gave Calgary’s Smith a share of the lead at 2-under 70 alongside Kade Johnson (Yorkton, Sask.), Marc Sweeney (Saskatoon, Sask.), and Chandler McDowell (Springbrook, Alta.). The quartet holds a one-stroke advantage over the field of 81 junior boys.
The crowded leaderboard has Medicine Hat’s Michael Valk tied for fifth at 1-under with Jordan Bean (Canmore, Alta.), Noah Kozack (Regina, Sask.), Kai Iguchi (Banff, Alta.), Max Murchison (Calgary) and Brendan MacDougall (Calgary).
Kehler Koss returns to the CN Future Links Western Championship after capturing runner-up honours in 2015 at Goose Hummock Golf Course in Gibbons, Alta. The Calgarian’s eagle on No. 10 and a trio of birdies gave the 17-year-old a four-stroke lead after opening with a 69.
Holding second-place at 1-over 73 is West Vancouver’s Phoebe Yue. The 16-year-old is followed by a trio of Calgarians with Claire Emery in third at 3-over. Annabelle Ackroyd sits fourth after carding a 77, while defending champion Kenna Hughes is one stroke behind in fifth.
All competitors within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls Division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be conducted from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S. The top six players in the Junior Boys Division will earn entry into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. Exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff in the case of ties.
The second day of competition will see the Junior Girls tee-off at 7 a.m. before the Junior Boys begin play at 8:30 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring is available here.
Share golf with the Take a Kid to the Course program
Golf is unique in that everyone can play the game together on a fairly level playing field. You are not likely to play on your kids’ soccer teams, but you can play golf with them and not simply watch from the sidelines. This experience sets golf apart from most other sports because it provides such valuable family time in some of the most amazing environments. It promotes a healthy, active lifestyle to which people of any age can relate.

Beginning July 4, everyone will have the perfect opportunity to experience all that golf has to offer through the NGCOA Canada’s Take A Kid To The Course program. Participating courses will offer a free green fee to kids under-16 with the purchase of an adult green fee. Courses across the nation have adopted the program and with key changes this year, the golfing community will have more opportunities to experience the game. New in 2016, golf facilities have the option to offer the promotion past the program’s traditional week and provide extra days and times as they see fit. Keep checking participating courses’ websites for more information. Also new this year are amazing prizes from TaylorMade Canada and Melia Resorts and Hotels. Instead of a single grand prize nationwide, every chapter will see two grand prize winners – meaning people that participate in B.C. will have the chance to win an all-inclusive Cuba vacation package courtesy Melia Resorts and a golf club package courtesy TaylorMade Canada.
With these exciting changes and close to 700 golf courses participating nationwide, it promises to be a busy year. Now in its 14th year with major support from Coca-Cola, Take a Kid to the Course has provided great golf experiences for over 335,000 youth across Canada. The program provides an excellent opportunity to help create and build family habits and to enjoy the sport together.
For more information on participating courses, contests and prizes, visit www.kidsgolffree.ca.
