On October 19, 2015, Canadians decided it was time for change. Nearly seven million citizens voted the Liberal party into power and Justin Trudeau into the Prime Minister’s office.

Not only did they elect for a change in the House of Commons, they opened the door for change in the golf industry and for the more than 2,300 golf course operators across the country too.

That’s because a majority Liberal government provides a new opportunity for the National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA), which has unsuccessfully lobbied previous regimes for tax fairness. For many years Canadian golf industry leaders have met with close to 200 members of Parliament and senators, generating multi-party support to reform the dated Income Tax Act introduced in 1971. To date, the act has remained unchanged but golf continues to share its story.

Enforced by the Canada Revenue Agency, the Income Tax Act prohibits golfing-related expenses from being claimed against corporate incomes despite the sport’s standing as an arena for business-related outings. This has become an increasingly significant issue for the $14-billion golf industry, which employs more than 300,000 citizens from coast to coast.

“The vast majority of Canada’s 2,346 golf facilities are small businesses, owned and operated by entrepreneurs, who are competing on an uneven playing field right now,” says Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada. “We’ve had strong discussions with ministers and government officials to tell golf’s story.”

Not only would allowing deductions for corporate golf outings have an impact on current golfers, it could encourage more players and business people to take their meetings to the links. That would result in an uptick in rounds played and boost the bottom lines of many Canadian courses. It is why, in the eyes of Canada’s 2,346 golf course operators, this tax legislation is no longer a tolerable disadvantage.

“Virtually every other recreational or hosting option in this country is tax deductible — hockey games, baseball, basketball, football, ski resorts, theatre tickets; the list goes on and on,” adds Simmons. “Golf is one of the only things excluded. This isn’t about writing off annual membership dues. We’re simply talking about daily green fees spent when entertaining customers. Every day, business people are making choices of where to entertain clients, and golf should not be excluded.”

The game has proven to be more than a recreational sport, positively impacting our society (through health and charitable benefits) and a multitude of connected industries (through economic and tourism contributions). At a time when other sports are facing health and safety questions, golf offers a safe and fun alternative that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

With close to 200 new MPs on the job familiarizing themselves when it comes to dealing with national organizations and federal policy, NAGA leaders are hoping the latest change on Parliament Hill will aid the Canadian golf industry’s advocacy efforts.

But NAGA can’t do it alone. If you want to find out more or get involved, contact Golf Canada by emailing members@golfcanada.ca.

Asking for equality This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

Water is a touchy subject for golfers. The beauty they see in a sun-drenched pond or a swiftly flowing creek is often matched by the frustration they feel when their shot lands in unreachable territory. However, the issue of water features on the golf course extends beyond aesthetics and playability for superintendents. While the keepers of the course spend a large part of their time making sure the turfgrass is healthy, they also must have one eye on managing the creeks, ponds, lakes, rivers and marshes that sit on their properties.

Peering into a water feature is like opening the door to a world of information about the successful management of the whole golf course. At Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, all the water that falls on the 200 acres of turf drains into the course’s five ponds, via over 200 catch basins. This gives superintendent Dustin How and his team the perfect opportunity to measure how their inputs are affecting the property.

“Our pond health is an indication of the overall health of the golf course and our management programs,” said How, who has been at Southwood since 2009.

“Our pond quality is really an indication of how our fertility program is doing. If we were over-fertilizing or had some issues, everything runs into the ponds and we’re going to see it,” says How.

The story is the same at Legends on the Niagara, Battlefield Course, where superintendent Tom Newton frequently examines the site’s various large ponds and Usher Creek for red flags.

“Testing the water features helps us determine whether our management strategies are impacting the environment and if we are impacting it positively or negatively,” says Newton, who played a large part in helping the course become Audubon certified.

There are a few telltale signs that can help a superintendent determine if there is something amiss with the water quality. One of these indications is the appearance of algae blooms, says How. When he sees a bloom in a pond, it is usually a symptom of a larger problem somewhere else on the site. This allows the turf care team to begin searching for the problem and rectifying it sooner.

While six-legged pests are usually frowned upon in the world of golf course management, the team at Legends embraces them when it comes time to determine the health of their water features and, by extension, their turf. As part of his water management strategy, Newton and his environmental intern test for certain bugs in the ponds to tell them if the water is fit as a fiddle or in need of some love and care.

“There are different bugs or macroinvertebrates that tolerate different levels of pollution,” says Newton.

“You can use the variance of species to determine the health of the water features based on what you find. It’s just another tool we use to verify that what we’re doing is not having a negative effect on the water quality.”

Tracking water quality on the property is especially important to a site like The Rock Golf Course in Minett, Ontario where superintendent Deni Terenzio must monitor nine ponds and 12 interconnected wet meadows that drain in two separate lakes. These water features act as drainage basins for the course. They also contain isolation valves from draining the water that falls on the site to drain into the lakes, which is crucial in lowering the potential for negative effects on the environment.

“If those features weren’t there, we’d be free draining into the lake without any sort of buffer zone,” says Terenzio.

“We as turf managers place a lot of inputs on our turf and most, if not all, of those inputs are consumed before they exit our property by different types of plants that grow by the water.”

The wide range of plant life that grows around The Rock’s water features is a common sight at most golf courses. Water gives turf managers an opportunity to incorporate native species, which can be beneficial to the course, but it also gives Mother Nature a chance to sprout invasive species that wreak havoc. This double-edged sword adds a whole other element to managing large swaths of H2O for superintendents.

One of the major native species that grows around the ponds at Legends is called green arrow arum. The plant is not only an aesthetically pleasing feature, but it is also a very useful tool for the course maintenance team, says Newton.

“It’s a good plant that shows if you have healthy water features,” says Newton.

“Before the construction of the golf course, Usher’s Creek had very little of the green arrow arum in it and now it’s loaded with it. It helps us gauge the health of the water on the course and the other plant life in and around the water.”

Newton attributes the amplified growth of native species to the increased sunlight that now touches the creek.

The native species also help the team at Legends ensure a proper buffer zone around the course’s water features, further minimizing the chance of unwanted runoff into the ponds. On the road to Audubon Certification, this was one of the biggest steps for the Niagara site, says Newton.

“(Establishing the vegetative buffer zone) was a joint effort before me and the golf pro to implement the measure without affecting the playability and aesthetics of the holes too much,” says Newton.

“The biggest factor was determining how to implement it without ruining the golfer experience, but also ensuring a proper buffer.”

While it seems the more vegetation, the better when it comes to water features, that’s not always the case. Invasive species can cause more than a few headaches for turf managers who venture near their sites’ ponds, streams or marshes.

At The Rock, invasive species that flourish near the property’s approximately 20 acres of water can have a devastating domino effect on the course’s overall health. Bulrushes are the major worry for Terenzio and his crew, says the superintendent. The bulrushes grow tall and block light from reaching other, more beneficial plants around the water’s edge, while debris, such as dead leaves, can impede the flow of water through the course and cause a drainage backup.

“It’s important to manage debris, like leaves and fallen trees, because they impede proper flow,” says Terenzio, “and because the wet meadows are shallow, this will cause certain parts of the course to flood, which will affect the drainage system as a whole.”

Clearing the bulrushes and other material is a time-consuming task as it needs to be done manually. Terenzio says his team tries to cut all the bulrushes down to size by July and then monitor them until winter.

As much as invasive species can be a curse, native species and the water itself can team up to be quite the blessing when it comes to attracting wildlife to golf courses. There aren’t many other features of a golf course that make animals feel at home as much as a well-maintained pond or creek.

The wildlife that appears on a regular basis at Southwood would not be nearly as diverse without its multitude of water features, says How.

“We went from having a farm field here five years ago to having basically a small wildlife sanctuary,” says How about the water’s effect on drawing animals to Southwood.

Wild turkeys, deer, coyotes and a variety of ducks are just a few of the animals that How has seen flock to the water features within the property.

“The wildlife we have seen on the property would not have been there five years ago when it was just an open field and it all stems from the bodies of water that we constructed.”

The influx of wildlife at Southwood extends to the water itself where flooding in the course’s first season after construction brought some unexpected house guests with it.

“The La Salle river flooded in 2009, which was the first year the ponds were in existence,” says How, “and with the water that backed up into these ponds came fish.”

The ponds are now full of species like jackfish and carp simply from the flood.

“It was really neat to create something and then see nature move in given the opportunity in such a short time.”

The march of wildlife to the water features at Legends is a similar marvel.

“The biggest thing we see from (the ponds) are the benefits they provide for the aquatic wildlife,” says Newton, “whether it’s a food source or a nesting area or a cover from predators.”

Newton says the list of wildlife that comes to the ponds is endless and includes deer, turtles and too many species of birds to count. Usher’s Creek is also home to a run of grass pickerel in the spring, which is a point of pride for Newton and his team as the fish is a species of special concern in Ontario.

Water features bring animal life, stunning views and benefits to the turfgrass, but they are also delicate parts of a golf course’s ecology. Lots can go right with ponds, creeks and marshes, but lots can also go wrong.

Newton’s biggest challenge at Legends is tweaking some of his cultural practices to match the oft-changing needs of one of his water features.

“We have one water feature that tests significantly higher for nutrient loads than the rest,” says Newton.

“It’s a challenge for us to determine why this is happening and where these inputs are coming from – whether it’s something in the soil to begin with or if it’s something we’re doing.”

Newton and his team have taken several steps to reduce the possibility of their contribution to this increased nutrient load. The first was to increase the buffer zones in the areas around the water feature. Newton’s crew has also raised the height of cut to three inches or more for the maintained turf around the feature. They also attempt to spoon-feed nutrients around that part of the course instead of going out with a tractor-mounted sprayer.

Maintaining the area around the ponds is also a tricky endeavor at Southwood where How and his crew must constantly track their activities around the water.

“The most challenging part about managing the ponds is making sure we’re maintaining our buffer zones. Those are the biggest things we keep an eye on,” says How.

Water features are as unique as the ways to manage them. Just as each water feature has its own special place on the course, its own wildlife, its own vegetation and depth, its own stories from unfortunate golfers and hardworking turf managers, each superintendent has their own advice on how to maintain these features best.

“Try to incorporate as many native grass and plant areas as possible to encourage wildlife,” says Terenzio on the words of wisdom he would give on managing water features.

For Newton, a keen eye and attention to detail are key to having a successful water management strategy at any golf course.

“The biggest thing is to establish baselines or understand what your features have to begin with,” says Newton.

“There are visual inspections, but there are other ways to get this information, whether it’s testing for macroinvertebrates or water quality testing. It sounds daunting, but a lot of the time it just means an investment in a meter and familiarizing yourself with how to use it.”

Newton also says that having a dedicated area to store and mix pesticides is critically important to ensuring the health of all water features, as well as the groundwater, at any course.

How has a unique perspective on the maintenance of water features, having been at the course when earth made way for water and the ponds were constructed out of a farm field. He says one of the most crucial aspects of managing any H2O happens before a drop of water even appears on the scene.

“It all starts with construction,” says How.

“It’s making sure that the ponds are built correctly and you have enough depth to get rid of issues like algae blooms before they happen. The shallower the water feature, the warmer it’s going to get and the more algae blooms are going to appear.”

Once the water features are up and running, or flowing, it’s important to have a controlled exit point, says How. This will help turf managers to ensure that if anything ever does go wrong, they can stop the water from exiting the property with potentially hazardous materials in it.

Despite the trials and tribulations of maintaining a pond, stream or marsh; the exact science, the murky depths and the careful observation; a golf course just isn’t a golf course without at least a little bit of water, says Newton.

“Missing that water feature is going to remove a lot of your wildlife and a lot of those natural elements in general,” he says.

“And I’ve always believed that golf is a game that’s played in nature.”

Santee, Calif. – California’s Cody Blick managed a 3-under 69 in breezy conditions on Wednesday at Carlton Oaks Country Club to take the solo lead through 36 holes at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

The 22-year old recent graduate of San Jose State University carded five birdies and two bogeys to reach 8-under par and lead by two shots over California’s John Chin and fellow Californian Colin Featherstone with two rounds remaining in the quest to earn Mackenzie Tour status for 2016.

“We’re only halfway there, so it’s the same thing as the first two rounds; I’m going to pick out targets, swing at ‘em and whatever happens happens. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I’m expecting gusty, high winds, so we’ll see,” said Blick.

With the sun just rising on his professional career, Blick said he was embracing the transition from college and learning the nuances of the professional game.

“It’s different. In college, if you lose by four shots in a tournament, you’re still in fifth. If you’re four back of the lead in a professional event, you’re 30th. Every shot is 10 guys, so every shot really matters,” said Blick.

Two shots behind Blick were Chin, who fired the day’s only bogey-free round (69) and is coming off a victory at a Golden State Tour event at Carlton Oaks last week, and Featherstone, who played collegiate golf at nearby San Diego State.

RICHMOND, B.C. – British Columbia Golf has announced the election of Patrick Kelly as the association’s new President. Kelly assumes the role from now immediate past president David Atkinson, who has held the position since 2013.

Patrick, who operates a consulting business, is a member of the Leq:amel First Nation (Sto:lo Nation.) and was elected their Treaty Representative for treaty negotiations, a role he held from 1998 to 2001. He has had a number of high level positions including a five-year term as Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of BC.

The Attorney General for British Columbia appointed Patrick as a Bencher for the Law Society of BC, to represent the public interest in the administration of justice and in December 2010, he was appointed as Governor of the Law Foundation of BC.

A member of the UVic Gustavson School of Business International Advisory Board and the UBC Sauder School of Business Ch’nook Indigenous Business Advisory Board, Patrick also serves on the Board of Directors of the Victoria Foundation.

In addition, he has been the Vice President, National Services, CESO; BC Director, Strategic Planning and Communications, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Manager, Cultural Relations and Corporate Training in BC Hydro’s Aboriginal Relations Department as well as having the role of Executive Director of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.

Joining Patrick as Directors on the Board are Victoria’s Barry Petrachenko, Vancouver’s Michelle Collens, Summerland’s Edwin Helgason, Fort St. John’s Jim McKinnon, Sechelt’s Helen Steeves, who was elected as Secretary, Duncan’s Grace Hui, Helen Jung from Maple Ridge, Fairmont Hot Springs’ Wilda Schab, Surrey’s Jasvinder (Jolly) Dhaliwal, and Adam Fritz from Vancouver. Immediate Past President David Atkinson of Vancouver rounds out the 12-person Board.

British Columbia Golf – a member-based organization governed by the British Columbia Golf Association (BCGA) – represents more than 57,000 individual golfers, in over 300 clubs at 261 member courses. As the governing body for golf in the province, British Columbia Golf acts as the voice for provincial golf affairs and functions as a resource centre for the golf industry. Through its affiliation with Golf Canada, the association is also involved in national golf affairs. British Columbia Golf as it exists today was formally established on October 1, 2004, following the amalgamation of the British Columbia Ladies Golf Association Golf Association (BCLGA) and the British Columbia Golf Association (BCGA).

I love the off-season. It’s the perfect time to develop and reinforce key techniques. But putting into a coffee cup can get boring after a while. Here’s a drill to try in your basement or living room. It is a bit risky but productive and exciting too.

Grab your 56- or 58-degree wedge and some small whiffle balls. Start with the ball in the middle of your stance (A). Then narrow your stance so your heels are closer together than your toes (B). Keep the shaft of your club perpendicular to the ground or very slightly leaned towards the target (C). Then reach down with your lead hand (left for right-handed golfers) and touch your left knee (D), as this will put your shoulders in a level position and your spine perpendicular to the ground.

Hit a few practice shots from this setup with only your trail hand (right hand) on the club. Try to softly pitch the balls onto a couch four or five paces away. I love the feel of hitting one-handed shots with the right hand as it naturally allows the club to open and slightly hinge in the backswing before releasing naturally in the downswing. Finally, in your follow-through, the club head can overtake and pass the hands, allowing for soft pitch shots and great use of the bounce of the club.

Rotate hitting three balls with only your trail hand on the club and then three balls with both hands on the club trying to feel the same thing. Do this four or five times to really get the feel of the correct setup and how the club works. Then use both hands like you would outside on the course and hit pitch shots to different targets. Once you’re comfortable with the whiffle balls graduate to real golf balls.

Why do I like this drill? Indoors you will learn to soften up your hands and arms in a hurry, otherwise you will not hit high and soft landing shots. Plus the firmness of the floor under the carpet gives great feedback on how the club head is working along the ground. It should slide along the ground rather than crash down into it. This feedback allows for quick learning of solid contact, a shallow angle of attack and nice use of the bounce.

Learning to feel the correct pitch shot technique and enjoying some valuable indoor practice is the perfect type of preparation before golf season starts.

Sharpen your short game This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

Graham DeLaet’s beard care routine is nearly as precise as his pre-shot routine these days, as the 34-year-old golfer’s facial hair has quickly become the talk of the PGA Tour.

“I trim it every day pretty much,” said DeLaet from his home in Arizona. “I shampoo and condition, and I have oils and leave-in conditioner.”

Although the golf course isn’t exactly ideal conditions for DeLaet’s bristly beard – “It gets blown around a lot,” he said – there’s no chance he’s getting rid of it any time soon.

That could make Canada’s highest-ranked male golfer one of the more recognizable athletes at the upcoming Rio Olympics. DeLaet is in the midst of a two-week break before he gets ready for a “hectic” summer that includes a likely appearance representing Canada in Rio, where golf makes its Olympic return for the first time since 1904.

Although a handful of the world’s top golfers including major champions Adam Scott from Australia, Vijay Singh from Fiji, and Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel from South Africa have withdrawn their names from Olympic consideration, DeLaet said he would welcome the opportunity.

“All these guys are getting a lot of heat in the media, but when it comes down to it, they’re grown men and can make their own decisions,” he said. “I don’t really understand it, because I think it would be an absolute thrill to play for your country. For me, it’s something I’m really looking forward to and hopefully have the opportunity to do.”

DeLaet currently sits 119th in the official world golf ranking, 23 spots ahead of David Hearn. That pair will likely represent Canada in Rio, but the final standings aren’t confirmed until July 11.

DeLaet has earned just over US$756,000 in 13 events this year on the PGA Tour. His best finish was a tie for fifth in March at the Valspar Championship, when he entered the final round just one shot back of the lead.

A balky putter ended up being DeLaet’s demise.

“I played great but putted horribly, especially on Sunday. You can’t win golf tournaments like that,” said DeLaet. “But as poorly as I putted, I still finished fifth in the tournament. That spoke to how well I played otherwise.”

DeLaet said he recently took a putting lesson from celebrated golf instructor and analyst Peter Kostis at his home club in Arizona. But he said caddy Julien Trudeau (a “very very distant relative” to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to DeLaet) has been the go-to guy for his short game.

“He makes sure my lines are right and my hands are in the right positions. I had gotten a little sloppy with my set-up,” he said. “I got back to basics and squared everything up, and the roll coming off the putter has been a lot better.”

DeLaet will be in the field next week at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina before heading to The Players Championship in Florida and the AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas.

With so many tournaments in a row, DeLaet said the key is to stay mentally sharp.

“Physically I’ve been feeling really good this year, probably the best I have been while on the PGA Tour,” he said. “I’ve been able to practise more than I have been in the past. It’s more on the mental side that I need to stay ready.”

Although his life has changed dramatically after he and wife Ruby welcome twins Roscoe and Lyla in November, he said things have been “really fun” during his break.

“It’s a little extra work after golf, but it’s definitely better than being alone in the hotel room and having to FaceTime them,” he stated.

And do the kids like the beard?

“They tug on (it) every once and a while, but it actually hurts more when they tug on my chest hair versus the beard,” said DeLaet with a laugh. “With the beard they usually just grab a big chunk and pull.

“Not everyone is going to like the beard, but if you don’t like it, that’s fine with me,” he continued. “I’m not insulted if you don’t like my beard, I can take it.”

TORONTO – After a strong performance at the Winter Olympics, the Canadian Olympic Committee is sticking with a wintry theme for its Rio 2016 brand campaign.

The COC launched the “Ice In Our Veins” campaign Wednesday morning with the Summer Olympics just 100 days away. Tennis star Milos Raonic, sprinter Justyn Warner and diver Jennifer Abel are some of the athletes included in the spots, which were shot on a beach along Georgian Bay.

The campaign, which includes a 60-second, 30-second and series of 10-second spots, was unveiled on the Canadian team’s digital channels and via athletes’ social media channels.

With a narrator providing a dramatic reading and a tense sound bed running underneath, athletes can be seen walking and posing on the beach. A fire and ice theme runs throughout the spot, designed to highlight that the icy landscape helps strengthen will and determination.

“We want to inspire Canadians, our athletes, our partners,” said COC chief marketing officer Derek Kent. “We want people to rally behind Team Canada. They work so hard behind the scenes, out of the spotlight in between the Games.

“It’s time to start telling the athletes’ stories and that’s what this campaign does.”

The COC used a “We Are Winter” campaign for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Canada finished fourth in the overall standings with 25 medals (10 gold, 10 silver, five bronze).

Canada won just one gold medal at the 2012 London Games and finished with 18 medals overall (five silver, 12 bronze).

A wider campaign launch is scheduled for July 1. The Rio Olympics begin Aug. 5.

Golf returns to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904 in Rio. Players on both the men’s and women’s side of the game will be fighting for one of 60 spots in their respective fields.

Players will compete for their country in a 72-hole individual stroke play competition. In the event of a tie for first, second or third place, a play-off or multiple playoffs shall be conducted to determine the gold, silver and bronze medal.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has restricted the International Golf Federation (IGF) to an Olympic field of 60 players. The Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will be used to determine the Olympics golf rankings. The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. The qualification period ends July 11, 2016.

Building the new golf course in Rio de Janeiro in time for the Olympics once was considered the biggest obstacle.

Now there’s a new problem facing golf – getting some of the stars to play it.

The perception is worse than reality. It’s not like golf won’t have its best players in Rio the first full week in August because Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy have said they’re going, and they’re the best three players in the world.

Still, it didn’t help the sport’s pampered image when four major champions said they won’t be competing for gold, silver, bronze or even pride.

Adam Scott was the biggest name to drop out and the least surprising. The first Australian to win a green jacket, and the No. 7 player in the world, Scott has been lukewarm to the Olympics all along and has said for more than a year that it wasn’t a priority.

Louis Oosthuizen, the sweet-swinging South African and British Open champion at St. Andrews, said he wasn’t going because of family and scheduling issues. That enabled Charl Schwartzel to move into position to play for South Africa, but only for a day. Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, said he wasn’t going, either.

All are among the top 20 in the world.

The other dropout was Vijay Singh, who said the Olympics fell in a bad part of the golf schedule. That was more of a loss for Fiji, which won’t have a golfer in Rio because it doesn’t have any other players who have earned a ranking point in the last two years. Singh is a three-time major champion, former world No. 1 and a remarkable success story. He’s also 53 and hasn’t won in nearly eight years.

It’s easy to criticize these players because it’s rare in other Olympic sports for qualified athletes to stay home.

But golf isn’t like other Olympic sports, which is why it has been 112 years since it was part of the Olympic program. Canada’s George S. Lyon is the last gold medallist in golf and for years nothing more than a trivia question.

Golf ticks just about every box for Olympic values and virtues, especially with its global appeal. It misses the most important box, however, when it relates to the significance of winning a medal. It’s not the pinnacle of sport. It’s not even in the top five this year (with respect to The Players Championship, we’re talking about the four majors and the Ryder Cup).

Was it worth golf getting back into the Olympics? Absolutely. It does far more good than harm.

Officials are touting how much this will grow the game by the sheer audience of the Olympics and with governments funding the sport in countries where it is seldom played. Heroes are born in Olympic competition, and there’s no reason to believe golf – in time – will be any different.

Problems were to be expected, whether it was the format or full participation. (Golf does not having a team competition, and it might have changed the minds of some players not going.)

When a tight schedule is cited as a reason for not going, the officials carrying the Olympic torch for golf – mainly the PGA Tour – share the blame.

They have produced a schedule that causes them as little disruption as possible. If the Olympics were so important, could they not have done more to space out the biggest events that mean more to the players?

Instead, golf’s two oldest championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open, along with a World Golf Championship are played in a five-week stretch. If that’s not bad enough, the PGA Championship in New Jersey starts 10 days after the British Open in Scotland.

And when the Olympics are over, PGA Tour players have one week before the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the $35 million bonanza that the PGA Tour billed as the “new era in golf” before it chased a spot on the Olympic program. That’s four big tournaments in five weeks, with the Ryder Cup right behind it.

Most other sports spend the entire Olympic year building toward that one big moment. For golf, the Olympics are plopped in the middle of big moments.

The cutoff to qualify through the world ranking is July 11, meaning someone like Phil Mickelson could win the British Open and PGA Championship and be shut out of Rio. Here’s another scenario: There likely will be players – Brendon De Jonge of Zimbabwe comes to mind – who risk losing their PGA Tour cards by playing the Olympics.

The Olympics will do just fine without Scott, Oosthuizen and Schwartzel, and even a few others who may decide not to play. The depth of talent in golf is such that it can do without every eligible player in Rio.

Golf in the Olympic will still get the attention it deserves.

About the only thing that could change that is if Tiger Woods decides to play the John Deere Classic the week of the Olympics.

No more pencils, no more books…it’s time to give golf a look.

At least, that’s according to longtime educators Jim King, of Nova Scotia, and Patti Christensen, of Alberta. For them, golf is a lifelong passion, almost equal to that of their desire to educate young people. And with the Golf in Schools program, both have been able to bring that personal passion into the classroom — all while following a curriculum that delivers on a number of educational benchmarks.

“I found it connected very well with a lot of the curriculum outcomes, especially in terms of the healthy active living outcomes,” says King, who is now a staff officer with the Nova Scotia Teacher’s Union. He was the principal at Atlantic View Elementary School for the past five years.

“I didn’t feel like I was implementing anything extra for the students; I felt like it was contributing to the students’ overall academic and physical literacy success,” he continues.

The Golf in Schools program, created by Golf Canada in partnership with the PGA of Canada and Physical and Health Education Canada, has been evolving since its inception, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the focus on the student. More often than not, the young people who become involved with Golf in Schools are students who may not have had the opportunity to try golf before.

“I’m in a school where the kids may not have been exposed to golf, and I was lucky to have the parent council purchase two kits for me,” explains Christensen, the principal at Kensington Elementary School just outside Edmonton. Christensen has been a principal at Edmonton-area schools for the past 13 years and involved with Golf in Schools since 2009.

However, she has played the game nearly her whole life.

“I think the most important thing for me is that I wanted to give back to a game that has given me so much,” she explains. “My parents taught me how to golf, and I wanted to share the love of something I had with the students.”

To increase awareness for the program, Graham DeLaet was named an ambassador for Golf in Schools in mid-2015. In a press release at the time, DeLaet said that he felt it was “important to introduce golf in schools so that kids can start learning the sport early, seeing more kids with clubs in their hands, and ultimately growing the game of golf.”

King adds that he is seeing examples of that first-hand with students.

“For some, the image of golf was that it wasn’t very exciting, but this (the Golf in Schools program) completely changed their perspective,” he says.

Especially for the younger students — who get to use modified equipment — because the program is another way to introduce them, at an early age, to a sport that is gender inclusive, promotes a healthy active lifestyle, and is one they can play for life.

“The nice thing about the program is that it’s safe for the kids,” states Christensen. “The equipment is safe, the balls are big and easier to hit for the younger kids. It can be set up to be successful pretty quickly.”

For King, he was able to set up some Golf in Schools activities for all students during end-of-year field days, so even then the students outside the Golf in Schools group were able to have some fun with the equipment.

“We had stations where everybody could use the equipment and try it for themselves,” he says. “We wanted to raise awareness of golf as a lifelong sport and a great way to enjoy the fresh air.”

Away from the schoolyard or gymnasium, Golf in Schools has a component where organizers can partner with a local golf course and its head professional for continual learning.

Christensen says she is going to have some of her students volunteer at a charity golf tournament this year, and is hopeful she will secure students a couple of memberships at that club.

Meanwhile, King has brought groups of students to learn from the staff at the Links at Montague in Dartmouth, N.S., for the past two years.

“Some of the young people went on to do their summertime clinics, and others joined golf courses,” King proudly states. “The reactions and the enthusiasm from when the students were involved in the program was always very rewarding.”

Because the program aligns with governmentally assigned teaching objectives, it’s easy to pick a curriculum that fits with a teacher’s existing lesson plan. But for Christensen, she says the non-golf parts of Golf in Schools are just as important.

“Incorporating life skills into the program is very important for me. That’s going to be highlighted very strongly,” she states.

But of course, the program is about having fun as well.

As King says, “The program has grown to the point where now students will ask in September, when they come back from summer vacation, ‘When are we going to do Golf in Schools?’”

Golf in Schools

Divided into different programs by age groups, the Golf in Schools program has been implemented at close to 2,800 schools and involved more than 306,000 students. It is the single-most concentrated opportunity to get kids of all backgrounds and demographics introduced to the sport.

What’s it all about?

For teachers, the Golf in Schools program comes with instructional manuals not unlike other curriculum documents. Teachers can easily assess students’ physical proficiency with a variety of fundamental movement skills. Golf in Schools now integrates a ‘Life Skills’ component to each lesson plan, which are selected for their relevance to golf.

What life skills are learned?

The life skills component, developed through a partnership with the University of Ottawa, emphasizes core values — perseverance, focus, goal setting, emotional regulation, honesty, teamwork, respect and sportspersonship — which are transferable on and off the golf course.

Where do students go next?

If students are showing an interest in the sport, Golf Canada in partnership with the PGA of Canada and provincial golf associations are proud to run CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program. Parents can find junior-friendly clubs in their community that offer free clinics geared to young golfers.

More information can be found at golfinschools.golfcanada.ca

Best in class This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

Santee, Calif – Danville, California’s Cody Blick and Rancho Santa Fe, California’s Ryan Burgess shot a pair of 5-under 67s on Tuesday at Carlton Oaks Country Club to share the first round lead at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

Blick and Burgess are beginning their journeys as professional golfers this week, having completed collegiate careers at San Jose State and Southern Methodist University, respectively. The pair were one shot ahead of a group of five players at 4-under following the completion of round one.

Blick carded nine birdies in his early morning round to offset four bogeys, and said he knew he would need to take advantage of the good conditions before the wind picked up in the afternoon.

“The wind always picks up in the afternoon, so these morning rounds are crucial to take it low and see what you can do,” said Blick. “It seems like a ball strikers’ golf course, and so my swing coach and I just picked out our targets and stuck to it. We got it around the course pretty well today.”

Burgess, who recently completed his collegiate career at Southern Methodist University, posted the low round of the afternoon to match Blick for the head through 18 holes and credited a level-headed approach for his score.

“I kept the ball in front of me mostly and just stayed patient throughout the round. I left a couple out there but I know I gained a couple too, so that’s probably right around where I thought a good score would be,” said Burgess.