TORONTO – Red-eye flights, pre-tournament qualifiers and last-minute travel plans were often the norm for golfer Brooke Henderson in her first season as a professional.

At the start of the year, she hoped to post some decent results and use her rookie campaign as a learning experience. Henderson did much more than that in 2015 – she became the first Canadian to win on the LPGA Tour in more than a decade and rocketed into the top 20 in the world rankings.

Not bad for someone who just celebrated her 18th birthday a few months ago.

Henderson capped her impressive season Monday by winning the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as The Canadian Press female athlete of the year. She picked up 21 votes (37 per cent) in the annual survey of editors and broadcasters from across the country.

“I’m hoping this is just the start of a pretty long career, and one where I can chase after some bigger dreams and goals that I’ve set for myself,” Henderson said. “Really I think that there are no limits and I think anything is possible. My 2015 year proves that it’s true _ that anything is possible.”

Soccer player Kadeisha Buchanan was well back in second place in the voting with 10 votes (17 per cent). Tennis player Eugenie Bouchard won the award the last two years.

Henderson is the first golfer to capture the honour since Lorie Kane in 2000. Kane was also the last Canadian to win on the Tour until Henderson blew away the field at the Cambia Portland Classic in August to end Canada’s 14-year victory drought.

The youngster from Smiths Falls, Ont., needed to play in a qualifier just to enter the tournament field that week. She showed she belonged by finishing with a whopping eight-shot victory.

“A couple days I was playing there and I was thinking back to when I would just kind of daydream when I was little,” she said. “I was looking at my putt on the green and I could see the hole and the ball and I could see the fans around the green. They were kind of blurred and it was just exactly how I pictured it when I was little. I was like, ‘Wow, you know what, this is my dream.”’

Henderson, who also posted fifth-place ties at two major events last season, was granted immediate LPGA Tour membership by commissioner Mike Whan after the win.

“The LPGA Tour win – that was really the pinnacle of the season,” she said. “It was when I was playing my best and I was able to secure my LPGA Tour card and get my first LPGA Tour victory. (The year) as a whole was a result of a lot of hard work and it was just something where everything came together and I thank God for that.

“It was just a miracle year really.”

Henderson will be able to play a full Tour schedule next year and make her plans well ahead of time. Gone are the days of needing sponsor invitations or travelling overnight to make it to the course in time for morning qualification rounds.

“I wanted to play against the best in the world,” she said. “Most of the times when I was doing that, I wasn’t a member and I didn’t really have anywhere else to play. I was trying to make my way onto the Tour and trying to make my mark. It was something that I knew I had to do and it was exciting to know that I could have a chance to do something amazing.”

Henderson finished the season ranked 18th in the world – a jump of over 200 positions from a year ago – with over US$100,000 in official LPGA earnings and more than $700,000 in combined earnings as a pro.

“Already a top-flight golfer at such a young age,” said Red Deer Advocate sports editor Greg Meachem. “Proved she can compete – and be successful – against the best of the best in a global sport.”

Canadian women’s team coach Tristan Mullally, who has worked with Henderson since she was 14, said she’s a remarkably steady ball striker with the accuracy to be consistent on different types of golf courses.

“When you combine those two, that makes for a pretty potent recipe,” Mullally said.

Henderson hopes to start strong early in the 2016 season with a goal of cracking the top 10 in the world rankings. She’s also a virtual lock to play for Canada when golf makes it return to the Olympic program at the Rio Games in August.

“I still have many years ahead of me and I’m working hard for 2016 and the years after that,” she said. “But this award for 2015 is definitely something I’m proud of and I’ll be very honoured to accept.”

Brian MacLeod, one of the world’s best blind golfers, has passed away at age 56 after succumbing to cancer.

The native of Truro, N.S., and close friend Gerry Nelson founded Blind Golf Canada. MacLeod traveled the country and the world, claiming championships wherever he went.

Shane Sutherland spoke with the Truro Daily News and reflected fondly on his friend.

Read the story here.

GUELPH, Ont. – A fierce competitor on the course. A warm and generous person off of it. “Outside of the ropes, I’m not sure I ever saw her without a smile on her face.” That is how Grace Glofcheskie was described by Brandon McLeod, the head golf coach at the University of Guelph. Glofcheskie played five seasons on the Gryphons varsity golf team (2010-2014) and this past Fall came back on a part-time basis to serve as an assistant coach and help out with some of the current student-athletes on the women’s team. Grace tragically passed away early Sunday morning at the age of 24.

When describing Grace’s impact on the Gryphons varsity golf program over the past half decade or so, there are several analogies that seem to fit perfectly. In basketball terms, she was the point guard of the team. An extension of the coaching staff both on the course and at the range; someone who worked hard on her own game, yet always found the time to offer help to teammates as well. To use a family analogy, she was the mother of the team. The one who was caring and welcoming to both rookies and veterans alike. The one who constantly put others before herself. And the one who provided the type of leadership qualities that ultimately led to her being described as “the glue of the team for the past five years” by her head coach.

Who is going to organize the team party at the end of the season? Grace.

Where’s everyone meeting up before heading to the year-end Athletic Banquet? Grace’s house.

When head coach Bob Wanzel announced he was retiring, who was the one who put together a picture book to give to him at his retirement dinner? Take a guess.

Grace Glofcheskie’s impact on and off the golf course will never be forgotten by all of those who were fortunate enough to cross paths with her. In 2010, Grace joined the Gryphons varsity golf team as an eager-to-learn rookie from Arnprior, Ontario (just outside of Ottawa) who was full of energy. “Even at that young age, you could already see she had a lot of great leadership qualities” said head coach Brandon McLeod. “She was a sponge for information and each and every year she took a few steps forward to get better.” While improving her own game and pushing herself to be her best was certainly high on her list of priorities, it wasn’t at the top of the list for Grace. That spot was reserved for the greater good of her team as a whole. Towards the end of her career, Glofcheskie battled injuries that limited her in both practice and in competition. Head coach Brandon McLeod recalls a forearm injury that resulted in Grace barely being able to grip a club. Coach McLeod told her that she should not practice and that it was ok if she missed out on the team’s competition the next day. Grace, who McLeod added “never complained once,” practiced anyways and was on the course the very next day. For her, it was simple decision to try to play through the pain…she did not want to let her team down.

On the course, Glofcheskie was hard to miss with her long blond hair and glowing personality. That same personality made her a tremendous employee in the Gryphons fitness centre where she worked as a Weight Room Supervisor from September of 2010 until December of 2013. Fitness Program Supervisor Lynne Skilton-Hayes adds, “We were truly blessed to have Grace as part of our team. She had an excellent work ethic, was reliable and had a very genuine desire to help people.”

The Grace Olivia Glofcheskie Memorial Fund has been established by Grace’s loving family to honour the memory of their daughter and sister. click here to to visit the Memorial Fund

Little by little, greatness drips away from elite athletes as they grow old. Nick Weslock, however, did his best to squeeze out every last drop.

In fact, when he passed away six weeks before his 90^th birthday in late October 2007 from an aortic aneurysm, the legendary Canadian amateur golfer had played a round of golf only a few days earlier, trying out a new set of clubs.

He still was searching for a more reliable swing well after a remarkable career that yielded more than 400 career victories. But he didn’t allow time to weaken his passion for the game nor diminish his skill.

For example, three of Weslock’s four Canadian Amateur Championship titles arrived in his late 40s and his final of 11 Ontario Amateur was celebrated four months before his 53^rd birthday.

“Nick probably played his best golf in the late 1950s and 1960s when I was playing some of my best golf,” said Gary Cowan, one of Weslock’s closest rivals on the amateur scene. “You knew if you could beat him, you had a good chance to win the tournament.”

Weslock also overcame a serious gall bladder condition in the late 1960s to dominate the senior scene, winning six Canadian Senior titles and 11 Ontario Senior championships.

He particularly enjoyed testing his talents against the professionals. As a result of his four Canadian Amateur titles, he played in four Masters. He finished low amateur in the Canadian Open a remarkable 16 times, including a surge in 1947 that allowed him to finish third, four shots behind the winner, Bobby Locke of South Africa.

Weslock also won seven Ontario Opens against a field of mostly professional golfers he admired like his close friend Moe Norman. Yes, beating the pros always was special for Nick the Wedge, who earned the nickname because of his short-game prowess.

“Being an amateur and beating all the pros seven times was really something,” Weslock once said of his Ontario Open wins. “It gave me a lot of satisfaction.”

Weslock, who would have turned 98 on Dec. 13, also represented Canada more than 15 times at international team events like the World Team Amateur, the Commonwealth and Americas Cup, and played on 25 Ontario Willingdon Cup teams.

Born in Winnipeg as Nick Wisnick (he changed his name to Weslock in 1947), his family moved to Windsor, Ont. as a youth. It was there he fell for golf, caddying at the Essex Golf and Country Club. He liked to tell the story of how he once caddied for the colourful Walter Hagen, when the latter visited the acclaimed Essex layout.

After high school he worked in the then booming Windsor auto industry, learning the tool-making trade.

Weslock never turned pro. He had a successful business in Burlington, Ont. that made and developed components for assembly line systems, mostly in the automotive business.

As a result he had plenty of time to play golf and study the game. He had a library of film of the game’s best swings he devoured.

He loved to tinker with his equipment in his basement workshop. He also liked to talk to shop about his game with legends. A conversation with Masters champion and Canadian Open winner Gay Brewer or his close friend Moe Norman would send him to retrieve his little black book to jot down some notes.

He later turned all his log entries into an instructional book, Your Golf Bag Pro: Nick Weslock’s Little Black Book of Key Golf Secrets.

Weslock had game, and gamesmanship.

“He was like Mutt and Jeff on and off the golf course,” Cowan said. “He was much nicer to be around off the golf course. He had a win at all cost mentality.”

Welsock was opinionated, too. But most of all, he loved hitting a wedge close or softly landing a long iron or finding a secret with his putting stroke.

“You can’t play this game just on natural swing ability,” he once said. “You’ve got to think about it and put everything in place.”

Mr. Weslock did just that on many occasions.

Lee Westwood did his part in Thailand. The math took care of the rest, and he’s going to the Masters.

Westwood, who tied for second two weeks ago in the Thailand Golf Championship, will move up one spot to No. 50 next week in the final world ranking of the year, assuring him a place in the field at Augusta National in April.

Westwood is No. 51 this week, but with gradual reductions in points, he will go back to no. 50 in the last ranking of 2015. Chris Kirk, who will fall to No. 51, already is in the Masters from winning Colonial.

Among the 12 criteria for pros to qualify, Augusta National takes the top 50 in the world at the end of the year, and again one week before the Masters.

The addition of 15 players from the top 50 brings the number of active players to 89 going into the new year. The Masters has the smallest field of the four majors and prefers it to be under 100. It has not exceeded 100 players since 1966.

A year ago, 90 players had qualified at the end of the year.

Still to be determined before April is if the field will include four-time champion Tiger Woods, who has not played since Aug. 23 and has gone through two procedures in the same spot in his back since then. Woods said earlier this month he can only walk and has received no indication when the nerve damage will heal.

The only way for players to qualify for the Masters is to win a PGA Tour event (except for the Puerto Rico Open). There are 13 chances, starting with Hyundai Tournament of Championship in Kapalua. Five players in the winners-only field are not in Augusta National because they won before last year’s Masters or won opposite-field events, which do not count toward an invitation – James Hahn, Padraig Harrington, Alex Cejka, Matt Every and J.J. Henry.

Of the 15 who qualified through the top 50, Sergio Garcia and Billy Horschel were the only ones to play a full PGA Tour schedule last year.

Australian Open winner Matt Jones (No. 54) and Ryan Palmer (No. 58) will end the year outside the top 50. Palmer, who father died in a traffic accident in West Texas in August, was No. 40 when he played his final event in Las Vegas in October.

Among those who will be playing the Masters for the first time are Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger and Emiliano Grillo from the high school class of 2011, along with HSBC Champions winner Russell Knox and Kevin Kisner, who had four runner-up finishes before winning the RSM Classic at Sea Island in final PGA Tour event of the year.

Richmond Hill, Ont. – The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is pleased to announce Michelle Kim as the recipient of the 2015 Helena Harbridge Sportsmanship Award.

Kim, an 18-year old CJGA member living in Surrey, B.C. is the first British Columbian to earn the honorable distinction for an award that recognizes sportsmanship, dedication, and commitment in the game of golf.

The award is named after Helena Harbridge, an outstanding junior golfer and CJGA alum that passed away in 2006 during her freshman year at West Georgia University.

“I’m extremely proud and honored to be named the recipient of the Helena Harbridge Award this year,” said a thrilled Michelle when notified of the award. “Junior golf has not only taught me goal setting, it has taught me honesty, patience, sportsmanship, and etiquette. It has brought out my inner competitiveness.”

Taking a similar path to that of Helena, Kim is a freshman at the University of Idaho. She is also a member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team, after spending one season on their Development Squad. Looking into the future, Kim sees herself turning professional after graduating university with the goal of playing on the LPGA Tour.

“I’ve always had big goals and dreams for golf. This game requires commitment and dedication, and golf has taught me both of those things.”

Kim has had an exceptional CJGA playing career amassing nine top 5 finishes and six top 10 finishes since 2011. She had a notable win earlier this year at the CJGA Western Canadian Junior Championship.

Winners of the Helena Harbridge Sportsmanship Award will receive an elegant custom trophy courtesy of Lorry Moffatt and Classic Awards as well as a complimentary life time membership to the CJGA.

2006 – Lauren Bowerman-Ritchie (Ontario)

2007 – Juanita Rico (Alberta)

2008 – Jocelyn Alford (Alberta)

2009 – Thea Hedemann (Saskatchewan)

2010 – Shannon Lee Greenshields (Quebec)

2011 – Marlies Klekner-Alt (Ontario)

2012 – Molly Molyneaux (Prince Edward Island)

2013 – Genevieve Stelmacovich (Ontario)

2014 – Bria Jansen (Alberta)

2015 – Michelle Kim (British Columbia)

—

Helena Harbridge Award

The Helena Harbridge Award is an award dedicated to the memory of Helena Harbridge, a CJGA alumna, who passed away in 2006 during her freshman year at West Georgia University.  The award exemplifies the traits that Helena exhibited throughout her career, both on and off the course: sportsmanship, dedication, and contribution to the game of golf. Each year, the Canadian Junior Golf Association selects one female junior member for this award.  The award recipient will be one that holds the same characteristics that Helena exemplified. The recipient of the award will also receive a lifetime membership with the CJGA.

There is no doubt Golf Canada is proud of the many accomplishments by Canadian golfers in 2015.

But the over-arching mandate of the association was succinctly summarized by Scott Simmons in his year-end message to members across the country.

“Golf Canada is committed to investing in the growth and overall health of the game,” said Simmons, the CEO of Golf Canada.

In 2015, perhaps more so than in any other previous year, Golf Canada demonstrated that long-term commitment through an initiative called “One Vision.”

As stated in Golf Canada’s message at its annual general meeting last February, One Vision (you can see the details here) aspires “to ensure golf maintains its status as the most popular sport in Canada.”

“One Vision is easier said than done,” said Simmons, “but it’s not about one organization doing all of this on its own. It’s about all of us aligning to protect the game we all care about. Starting several years ago, Golf Canada saw the necessity of an industry-wide strategic plan, essential not only under its mandate as golf’s designated National Sport Federation, but in its ever-evolving role as a guardian, a champion, of the game.

One Vision contains four pillars:

• Grow Participation: Engage more youth, promote societal benefits and develop a connection with more golfers, increase access for under-represented groups
• Ensure Excellence: Implement programming for high-performance juniors, Team Canada and emerging professionals; develop coaches and certified professionals; host best-in-class national and international championships
• Expand Capacity: Develop sustainable funding and fiscal responsibility; uphold and preserve rules, handicapping, course rating, amateur status, and the history of the game; provide opportunity and training for volunteers and staff
• Foster Interaction: Collaborate with provincial golf associations, facilities, the National Allied Golf Associations, government and international partners; increase capabilities in digital and interactive technology; strengthen communication and brand awareness.

Golf Canada President Paul McLean elaborates.

“We work collaboratively with our partners at the provincial golf associations as well as PGA of Canada professionals, club managers, superintendents, manufacturers and golf course owners to ensure the heath and sustainability of our sport. It’s important that all golfers from avid to novice can experience the tremendous health, economic, charitable, competitive and social benefits inherent in our sport. Welcoming new golfers, increasing rounds played and delivering quality golf experiences is a goal shared by the entire golf community.”

“We are all golf,” said Simmons. “If we are going to move the game continuously forward, we have to be aligned. When we are aligned on a common vision, we can accomplish great things and achieve maximum potential through synergy.”

That synergy was demonstrated in many ways in 2015, perhaps most obviously by the Long Term Player Development Program (LTPD) 2.0 revealed at February’s annual meeting. Launched in 2006, the latest iteration of LTPD, developed in partnership with the PGA of Canada, has been recognized worldwide for its innovation.

In addition to providing a solid sport development framework, LTPD clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of every stakeholder including coaches, instructors, golfers, parents of golfers, facility owners and golf administrators. The goal is to create a player development blueprint to success that will serve Canadian golf for years to come.

In his year-end message, Simmons also provided some encouraging news for Golf Canada members on how their dues supported the vitality of the game.

• National Golf in Schools – 2,795 schools across Canada (2,501 elementary, 12 intermediate and 282 high schools)
• CN Future Links – Canada’s national junior golf program: 518 participating clubs in Canada. CN Future Links programming includes Learn to Play, mobile clinics, CN Future Links Championships, the Junior Skills Challenge, Girls Club, CN Future Links School Adoption Program, CN Future Links School Field Trip Program, PGA Junior League and Community Golf Coach.
• Golf Fore the Cure – 145 participating sites in Canada
• International, national, provincial and regional golf competitions
• Course and Slope Rating; Rules and Handicap seminars; coach training and certification
• Canada’s No. 1 website for golf – Golfcanada.ca – had more than 6.7 million views this year
• More than seven million rounds were posted the Golf Canada Score Centre by Golf Canada members

Also in 2015, recognizing the changing landscape of golf club membership, Golf Canada made a fundamental change to its membership model.

After extensive surveys and focus groups with golfers and facilities across Canada, a new structure is being rolled out across Canada. The three-tiered program is so innovative that it is being viewed with great interest by other national golf associations who are considering revamping their own membership methods.

“Seventy or 80 years ago, about 90 per cent of golfers in Canada belonged to a club,” said Karen Hewson, Golf Canada’s Managing Director, Membership and Heritage Services. “In recent years, that has reversed. Now, fewer than 10 per cent are club members.”

One inevitable result of this reversal is that only a small percentage of golfers feel connected to the game in a larger sense. They’re not part of that traditional club-based linkage, a situation that Golf Canada reacted to in a positive way.

“Everyone who loves golf should feel that they are an important part of its traditions and of its future,” said Hewson. “Things like Handicaps and Course Rating and Rules are, and will always be, integral to the game and Golf Canada’s role in it. But we are very aware that a very real priority is to build relationships with, communicating with, and educating everyone who plays the game, regardless of where they choose to play.”

Nowhere was that made more evident than by the launching of a creative, interactive campaign – Golf Canada Golf – which celebrated the game by inviting golfers to share the stories. The campaign was a collaborative effort among provincial and national golf association stakeholders.

“Among golfers, there’s always a story—memorable shots, a round with family, playing your favourite course, a golf trip with friends, witnessing first-hand the incredible skills of PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour players, or using the game to overcome personal adversity,” said Gavin Roth, Golf Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer.  “The campaign web site – GolfCanadaGolf.com – invites Canadians to share their own experiences as well as read or watch other compelling stories to remind us what makes the game great and ultimately encourage enthusiasts to play more golf.”

Innovative. Inclusive. Welcoming.

Not just with words, but with action, Golf Canada obviously is committed to reinforcing to Canadian golfers that we are all part of a community, not just for today, but for the future.

“Golf has a strong base with close to 5.7 million Canadians playing 60 million rounds annually at 2,346 facilities from coast to coast,” said Simmons. “Through our joint membership efforts with the provincial golf associations, we have a relationship with close to 310,000 golfers at 1,400 member clubs, so the opportunity to interact with a greater share of everyone who golfs is huge.

“The health of the game requires taking a customer-centric approach and searching for innovative ways to connect with golfers. Creating that meaningful engagement starts with introducing children through grassroots programming like Golf in Schools and CN Future Links. It continues at the club level through membership programs that welcome avid players and new enthusiasts.

“We also want golfers to feel inspired by the outstanding performances of our Canadian talents competing on the international stage. Golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016 for the first time since Canada won gold in 1904 will give Canadians another powerful reason to celebrate the game.”

2015 in Review – Part I: Canadian golf successes
2015 in Review – Part II: State of the game
2015 in Review – Part III: A focused vision

VAUGHAN, Ont. – Thornhill Golf & Country Club has announced the hiring of a new General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, an appointment that’s certain to attract notice across the country.

Thornhill Golf & Country Club, at the north end of the Greater Toronto Area, will welcome Joseph Murphy as its GM and COO, starting in March 2016. Mr. Murphy has served as GM and Chief Executive Officer at Toronto’s St. George’s Golf & Country Club for the last seven-and-a-half years, and other local private clubs prior to that.

“The members of our club are, basically, ecstatic with this appointment,” said Thornhill Club President Adrian Hartog. “We have been extremely fortunate to have had Michael Chadsey manage our facility for the last four years, and we wish him a long and happy retirement. We’re excited and confident that Joe Murphy will continue to build on a fine legacy and history, and take our Club to an even higher level of service in the years to come.”

Thornhill G&CC was founded in 1922, and remains in its original location on the west side of Yonge Street, north of downtown Toronto. It has recently completed a $5 million expansion and renovation project, augmenting and improving its facilities and services. The Club’s nationally-ranked 18-hole championship golf course was designed by renowned Canadian course architect Stanley Thompson.

Joe Murphy is certainly no stranger to historic Canadian golf clubs. In addition to two separate management stints at St. George’s, he has also served as GM at Toronto’s Scarboro Golf & Country Club, Islington Golf Club, and Clubhouse Manager at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ancaster, Ontario.

“I’m just delighted to be moving to Thornhill, and excited by the opportunity to maximize the new facilities and renovations at this outstanding Club,” Mr. Murphy said. “Leaving St. George’s will not be easy, but I’m sure the members there understand that new challenges are energizing, and most club managers know when it’s time to move on. This was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.”

Joe Murphy

While it is undeniable that golf in Canada, like any other business in these unpredictable economic times, continues to face challenges, there were encouraging indicators in 2015 for cautious optimism.

In July, the Golf Facilities in Canada 2015 report was published by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada in cooperation with the U.S. National Golf Foundation. The bottom line was that the game remains popular and accessible, with almost six million people playing at least one round annually. In total, almost 60 million rounds are played in Canada each year.

The report indicated that of the 2,346 golf facilities in Canada, more than 90 per cent are open to the public, putting to rest the misconception that the game is elitist and exclusionary. Those who worry about the length of time it takes to play will be interested to find out that nine-hole layouts account for close to 40 per cent of the country’s courses.

Golf, like any other business and recreational activity, is tied to economic factors and changing consumer behaviours. As such, it cycles periodically and unpredictably. In the past 10 years, 158 facilities across Canada have closed for various reasons. Since 2010, 29 courses have opened in six different provinces and 31 18-hole equivalent facilities are in various stages of development.

When the report was released, it also pointed out some inarguable facts about the vital role golf plays across Canada.

“The golf industry is worth more than $14.3-billion to the Canadian economy and represents more than one per cent of our nation’s total GDP,” the report summary stated. “The $5-billion in direct revenues generated by Canada’s 2,346 facilities are more than the revenues generated by all other participation sports and recreational facilities combined ($4.8-billion). The numbers reinforce the massive financial, charitable, and environmental impact that golf has in communities across Canada including hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions in taxes, and a major tourism driver both domestic and international. Canadian golf facilities are a channel for major charitable giving with close to 37,000 events at Canadian courses raising more than $533-million annually for worthwhile causes.”

And while it remains popular in the headline- and deadline-motivated mainstream media to question the current state of the game, those within the industry have a more comprehensive and long-term perspective.

“The evidence of golf’s popularity in Canada is not surprising to those aware of the sport’s economics, and the good stories don’t stop there,” said Elizabeth Di Chiara, Executive Director Canadian Society of Club Managers and President of the National Allied Golf Associations. “From environmental benefits to the charitable impact and tourism revenues, there are many reasons for the Canadian golf industry to be encouraged.”

In November, the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada released the first-ever Rounds Played and Weather Reporting data, which showed a 9.79-per-cent increase nationally in rounds played over 2014, with an average for 18-hole equivalent facilities of 25,199.

Rounds in Alberta were up 13.28 per cent, followed by Saskatchewan/Manitoba at 8.36, British Columbia at 6.45, Ontario at 5.95 and Quebec at 5.02.  The lone decrease was in Atlantic Canada, where rounds played were down 11.62 per cent.

“We started to track weather this year, rather than relying on anecdotal information,” said Nathalie Lavallee, the NGCOA’s Chief Operating Officer. “On a monthly basis, our members would input not only their rounds played, but they would post their specific ‘weather score’, on a scale from one to 10. We saw a lot of sixes and sevens, with the exception of Atlantic Canada, which suffered from a bad winter and spring from which it was difficult to recover.

“The better weather generally across the country, plus the improving economy, gives our industry increased optimism going into 2016.”

2015 in Review – Part I: Canadian golf successes
2015 in Review – Part II: State of the game
2015 in Review – Part III: A focused vision

Jordan Spieth returned to Augusta National last week for the first time since his four-shot victory in the Masters. He saw his name on the permanent Masters trophy. He was treated like an honorary member. And he checked out the new Champions Locker Room.

Augusta National has champions share a locker, and the 22-year-old Texan was curious.

“I walked up to see who I was with,” Spieth told Golfweek magazine. “And I share a locker with Arnold Palmer. So it was a very special moment there.”

He might have recognized one other thing in that locker room – his 60-degree wedge that he used to win the Masters.

The club asks champions to donate one club that was meaningful in their victory. That wedge is what Spieth used to hit a flop shot over the edge of a bunker on the 18th hole in the third round for an unlikely par save to keep his lead at four shots.

After next year’s Masters, the club will be brought down to the Grill Room with the rest of the clubs donated over the years.