Amateur

Golf Canada to gather in Mississauga for 2015 AGM

Delta Meadowvale

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Golf Canada’s 2015 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place this week (February 12-14) at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel and Conference Centre in Mississauga.

The AGM will bring together Golf Canada’s Board of Directors, Governors Council and staff as well as representatives from Canada’s provincial golf associations and Canadian golf industry stakeholders. The group will assemble for three days of meetings in preparation for the upcoming golf season.

The Annual General Meeting will culminate with the appointment of Paul McLean of King Township, Ont. as our 112th President. The induction ceremony will take place during an official ceremony on Saturday, February 14th from 7 to 10 pm at the Delta Meadowvale.

Golf Canada will also present both its Volunteer of the Year Award, as well as its Distinguished Service Award(s). The service awards will honour a trio of individuals for their outstanding contributions to the game of golf.

Golf Canada will also welcome our international governing body partners at the USGA and R&A, who will make presentations on topics of interest to the international golf community on Friday, February 13 from 1-2:30pm. Hunki Yun, USGA Director of Strategic Projects and USGA Technical Director Matthew Pringle will discuss pace of play. David Rickman, R&A Director of Rules and Equipment Standards will present “Golf Today – an R&A perspective” with a report on the association’s activities in Rules, handicapping, golf development and sustainability, as well as updates on The Open and golf’s reintroduction into the Olympics.

Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Development Officer, will be joined by PGA of Canada’s Technical Director Glenn Cundari and player development expert Dr. Istvan Balyi for a 90-minute session on Friday, February 13 from 2:45-4:15pm which will outline the launch of LTPD 2.0 – the second iteration of Long-Term Player Development (LTPD) guide for Canadian golf.

Golf Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer Gavin Roth will outline the development of a unified marketing campaign promoting Golf in Canada on Saturday, February 14 from 8:30-10:15am. Roth will share the process undertaken with the National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) and provincial partners; the agency selected for creative development; and a taste of what to expect this year. He will also share the exciting new direction of golfcanada.ca, set to re-launch in April, and introduce the vendor that will help drive our digital engagement strategy. The session will also include an update on two high profile Golf Canada brand ambassadors and some new corporate partnership developments.

Canada continues to have the highest golf participation rate in the world, and it remains one of the most popular pass times among Canadians. However, the current Association membership has been shrinking steadily over the past 10 years. Why and how do we address this issue? Golf Canada’s Managing Director of Membership & Heritage, Karen Hewson, along with Regional Directors Blair Armitage, Chris Dengel and Remi Bouchard, will share the consultation and information that has led to the development of a new vision for membership within the provincial and national associations Saturday, February 14 from 10:30am-12pm.

These are only some of the highlights of Golf Canada’s 2015 AGM. Golf Canada Member Clubs interested in finding out more information about the 2015 Annual General Meeting can contact us at 1-800-263-0009 or members@golfcanada.ca.