The “Ice Bucket Challenge” has made it’s return to golf thanks to the sport’s two biggest superstars.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy took time Monday between filming “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and taking part in a Nike Vapor Irons launch event to dump ice cold water on each other.

Ice Bucket Challenge from Rory McIlroy on Vimeo.

Woods and McIlroy were called out by Mark Parker, President and CEO of Nike.

Woods and McIlroy are far from the first golfers to take part in the latest social media craze. In fact golfers have been doing it far before ALS assumed ownership of the campaign.

Here are a few others…

The “Ice Bucket Challenge” has made it’s return to golf thanks to the sport’s two biggest superstars.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy took time Monday between filming “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and taking part in a Nike Vapor Irons launch event to dump ice cold water on each other.

Ice Bucket Challenge from Rory McIlroy on Vimeo.

Woods and McIlroy were called out by Mark Parker, President and CEO of Nike.

Woods and McIlroy are far from the first golfers to take part in the latest social media craze. In fact golfers have been doing it far before ALS assumed ownership of the campaign.

Here are a few others…

LONDON, Ont—For Doug Alexander, the fact that much of Canadian golf has come together in Southern Ontario this summer is just happenstance.

Alexander, the president of Golf Canada, is an accountant by trade. So he knows what the numbers add up to, even if he says it wasn’t part of a master plan.

This week London, right in the center of Southwestern Ontario, will host the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. Earlier this year the city held Golf Canada’s annual meeting. In September PGA Tour Canada’s Tour Championship will be battled over at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club, just a few minutes’ drive from London Hunt, where Lydia Ko will shop up this week as two-time champ.

But it doesn’t stop there. The Canadian Women’s Amateur was contested at Craigowan in Woodstock, about 40 minutes east of London, and an equal distance west, at Maple City, Courtney Tolton won the Ontario Junior Girls title.

At the heart of it is the Canadian Women’s Open, rebranded the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open after the railway that came on as title sponsor.

Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada, says there are some real advantages to having such a large number of significant events in one area.

“Once you realize you have this critical mass of events and can market it around it by calling London the capital of golf this summer,” Simmons says. “The breadth of golf in that area makes it a hotbed of golf in Canada.”

According to Alexander, the decision to head to London for the event was made by CP CEO Hunter Harrison. He liked the market and the natural synergy it has with the Canadian Women’s Open. The tournament last appeared in London in 2006, the first year it was with CN, and drew record crowds. Mid-markets like London tend to draw enthusiastic fan support, and CP, under Harrison, was keen on revisiting the town and venue, London’s Hunt Golf and Country Club, where the 2006 tournament was met with such fanfare.

Mark Wallace, CP’s chief of staff and vice-president of corporate affairs, said the company was anxious to take the tournament to London, certainly with the recognition of the success the LPGA and Golf Canada had with it eight years ago.

“It presents a great opportunity,” he said at a press conference in London earlier this year.

Golf Canada works with the title sponsors to find locations that work for their respective tournaments both from a fan perspective, and strategically for the business, says Simmons. London, it turns out, is “good for both parties,” he adds.

“You want to work with the CP and make sure it achieves their goals,” he says. “And for London it is just a wonderful market for this type of event. That market always wraps around big events and it is a big market for CP. And then the quality of golf is great—you can’t do better than London Hunt.”

And so far this summer London has seen its share of high-profile successes. Smiths Falls, Ont.’s Brooke Henderson won the Women’s PGA Championship at Firerock Golf Club, just outside of the city, at the end of July, and turned up at the Hunt Club the next day to see the course in preparation for the CP Women’s Open. Who did she play with during her visit? None other than Doug Alexander, who also happens to be a member at London Hunt, and took Henderson and her father around the course as the 16-year old prepared for the tournament.

Alexander admits there are a lot of connections among the golf tournaments in the region, though there was never a grand design.

“In a funny kind of way everything has come together,” says Alexander. “Though a lot of it is really just accidental.”

That doesn’t mean it all works easily. There’s still corporate support needed for many of the events. And yes, CP has stepped up for the women’s open in London, and Freedom 55 has back the PGA of Canada’s Tour Championship, which is run by Golf Canada. But Alexander admits that corporate support can be a challenge in a community like London, which was hard hit by the economic downturn of 2008.

“This has been a tremendously generous community as far as golf goes,” he says.

In the end, Alexander says the biggest question about the Southern Ontario golf juggernaut is what the impact on the area will be once all the events have been completed. As the national sports organization in charge of golf, Alexander says there’s a real goal of improving the visibility of the sport at the elite level, something the region will have seen plenty of, from the elite amateur level through to the professionals. And when all is said and done, and the tournaments are over and the corporate tents have been put away, what’s key is the lasting ramifications of the tournaments and the people who connect with golf in some fashion.

“As a national sports organization you want to improve in any way you can the culture in your sport,” Alexander says. “This is the perfect opportunity. When we get to October, and all of these events are completed, there’s a real chance of increasing the interest in golf. And if we do that, we’ll have accomplished something.”

If you go:

What: CP Women’s Open
Where: London Hunt Golf and Country Club, London, Ont.
When: Aug. 18-24
www.cpwomensopen.com

What: PGA Tour Canada Tour Championship
Where: Sunningdale Golf and Country Club, London, Ont.
When: Sept. 8-14
www.golfcanada.ca/tourchampionshipofcanada

TORONTO – From soothing hot stone therapy in the state-of-art fitness wing to Friday movie nights by the family-friendly pool for children and teens, Donalda Club is anything but your average country club.

For the past decade, golf clubs across North America have been faced with a rapidly changing landscape as many chase new members to try and keep their rosters full. At Donalda Club, which sits at the southwest corner of Highway 401 & 404 in Toronto, it’s not so much the need for new blood, but revitalization from within and innovative programming that drives new growth.

“We offer our members a lot more than just a golf course, or even traditional country club activities like curling and tennis,” says Brett Mance, Donalda’s Membership and Marketing Director. “I believe that really sets us apart from other clubs and it is a model that some clubs are looking at. We have certainly had a few club GMs through our doors in the past few months and they have been impressed. The vision of the Donalda Club is to be the finest family-oriented, golf and multi-activity Club in Canada.”

While golf is the foundation that the club was built upon when it opened in 1960, Donalda Club now offers; 12 Har-Tru clay tennis courts, including six in the winter under a tennis bubble; four sheets of ice for curling, two international singles squash courts, a family-friendly outdoor swimming pool with slide and splash pad, a new fitness center with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the golf course that has been open for less than a year, a full-service indoor golf academy with four high-definition golf simulators, a junior lounge and varied dining options highlighted by; a wrap-around sports bar, outdoor terrace with BBQ kon tiki bar and fine dining in the Log Room, as well as elegant banquet and wedding facilities. There’s a new Men’s Locker Room and a $ 1.2 million renovation to the Ladies’ Locker Room is scheduled for this fall.

“It’s not just the golf course or the other facilities that make Donalda Club a special place, it’s the wide variety of social activities and programs that bring members together to create the Donalda family,” Mance says. To that point, the club offers weekly jazz nights and monthly five-course wine tasting dinners for foodies. In the fitness studio there’s everything from; Pilates, Yoga, and Aqua-Fit to Interval Training, Spinning and Cardio Kick-Boxing to name-drop a few of the classes; as well as a dietician, massage therapist and 20-plus instructors. For the children there’s; teen yoga, karate, swimming, golf, tennis and curling with amazing clinics, camps and specialized lessons for those ready to take their game to the next level. And let’s not forget the vibrant bridge section.

There is also a wonderful 18-hole layout that has been completely revamped over the past 20 years by architect Tom McBroom, including a course closure from August 2013 to June 28^th, 2014. They rebuilt the greens to modern USGA standards with a consistent new look and a weather-tolerant bentgrass turf, plus a few additional tweaks here and there. “Bottom line is that in my opinion, the new Donalda greens are amongst the best in the country for interest, detail and character,” McBroom says.

“Some of our members call Donalda Club their cottage in the city, others will tell you it’s their second home, some families have been here for two or three generations, others are just getting started,” Mance says. “Most of all they’re just looking for a place to relax and the opportunity to spend time with family and friends with a diverse array of fun activities to choose from.”

Since opening in 1960, Donalda Club has been family-oriented and continues that fine heritage today with a great reputation. The Club, which is nearing capacity of 700 families, remains unique in its membership structure as all three levels of membership provide a variety of family options.

Donalda offers a secondary Activity Membership, which allows families to access all activities with limited access to golf. A Dining Membership provides access to the dining & meeting facilities, the pool and bridge groups for the entire family. Total membership is hovering around the 3,000 mark, including about 1,100 members under the age of 26.

TORONTO – From soothing hot stone therapy in the state-of-art fitness wing to Friday movie nights by the family-friendly pool for children and teens, Donalda Club is anything but your average country club.

For the past decade, golf clubs across North America have been faced with a rapidly changing landscape as many chase new members to try and keep their rosters full. At Donalda Club, which sits at the southwest corner of Highway 401 & 404 in Toronto, it’s not so much the need for new blood, but revitalization from within and innovative programming that drives new growth.

“We offer our members a lot more than just a golf course, or even traditional country club activities like curling and tennis,” says Brett Mance, Donalda’s Membership and Marketing Director. “I believe that really sets us apart from other clubs and it is a model that some clubs are looking at. We have certainly had a few club GMs through our doors in the past few months and they have been impressed. The vision of the Donalda Club is to be the finest family-oriented, golf and multi-activity Club in Canada.”

While golf is the foundation that the club was built upon when it opened in 1960, Donalda Club now offers; 12 Har-Tru clay tennis courts, including six in the winter under a tennis bubble; four sheets of ice for curling, two international singles squash courts, a family-friendly outdoor swimming pool with slide and splash pad, a new fitness center with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the golf course that has been open for less than a year, a full-service indoor golf academy with four high-definition golf simulators, a junior lounge and varied dining options highlighted by; a wrap-around sports bar, outdoor terrace with BBQ kon tiki bar and fine dining in the Log Room, as well as elegant banquet and wedding facilities. There’s a new Men’s Locker Room and a $ 1.2 million renovation to the Ladies’ Locker Room is scheduled for this fall.

“It’s not just the golf course or the other facilities that make Donalda Club a special place, it’s the wide variety of social activities and programs that bring members together to create the Donalda family,” Mance says. To that point, the club offers weekly jazz nights and monthly five-course wine tasting dinners for foodies. In the fitness studio there’s everything from; Pilates, Yoga, and Aqua-Fit to Interval Training, Spinning and Cardio Kick-Boxing to name-drop a few of the classes; as well as a dietician, massage therapist and 20-plus instructors. For the children there’s; teen yoga, karate, swimming, golf, tennis and curling with amazing clinics, camps and specialized lessons for those ready to take their game to the next level. And let’s not forget the vibrant bridge section.

There is also a wonderful 18-hole layout that has been completely revamped over the past 20 years by architect Tom McBroom, including a course closure from August 2013 to June 28^th, 2014. They rebuilt the greens to modern USGA standards with a consistent new look and a weather-tolerant bentgrass turf, plus a few additional tweaks here and there. “Bottom line is that in my opinion, the new Donalda greens are amongst the best in the country for interest, detail and character,” McBroom says.

“Some of our members call Donalda Club their cottage in the city, others will tell you it’s their second home, some families have been here for two or three generations, others are just getting started,” Mance says. “Most of all they’re just looking for a place to relax and the opportunity to spend time with family and friends with a diverse array of fun activities to choose from.”

Since opening in 1960, Donalda Club has been family-oriented and continues that fine heritage today with a great reputation. The Club, which is nearing capacity of 700 families, remains unique in its membership structure as all three levels of membership provide a variety of family options.

Donalda offers a secondary Activity Membership, which allows families to access all activities with limited access to golf. A Dining Membership provides access to the dining & meeting facilities, the pool and bridge groups for the entire family. Total membership is hovering around the 3,000 mark, including about 1,100 members under the age of 26.

Major golf PVR alert… Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will appear as guests on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Monday, August 18th in New York City.

McIlroy is coming off three consecutive victories, including his fourth major title at the PGA Championship on Sunday. Woods, who missed the cut at the PGA Championship, played in just eight tournaments worldwide this year.

Earlier this week, Fallon featured roasted PGA Tour players in his  “Tonight Show Superlatives” bit which including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and others.

To see what these players are ‘most likely to,’ watch the video below.

Rickie Fowler surprises a fan…

Rickie Fowler surprised high school golfer Jake Reddington from Moore, Oklahoma with a round of golf at the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open. Reddington’s family was displaced from their home after it was ripped to shreds by a tornado.

Major golf PVR alert… Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will appear as guests on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Monday, August 18th in New York City.

McIlroy is coming off three consecutive victories, including his fourth major title at the PGA Championship on Sunday. Woods, who missed the cut at the PGA Championship, played in just eight tournaments worldwide this year.

Earlier this week, Fallon featured roasted PGA Tour players in his  “Tonight Show Superlatives” bit which including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and others.

To see what these players are ‘most likely to,’ watch the video below.

Rickie Fowler surprises a fan…

Rickie Fowler surprised high school golfer Jake Reddington from Moore, Oklahoma with a round of golf at the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open. Reddington’s family was displaced from their home after it was ripped to shreds by a tornado.

You may use a lucky coin as your ball marker.  Jarrett Stoll has you 1-up… He uses the Stanley Cup.

Stoll, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, won hockey’s most coveted championship in 2012 and 2014 as a member of the L.A. Kings.

This past weekend the Melville, Sask. native brought Lord Stanley’s Cup to a local Saskatchewan golf course, where he used it as a tee and ball marker. Enjoy! I bet he did.

Jarrett Stoll getting ready for a round of Golf with #stanleycup @HockeyHallFame @NHL @lakingspr # HNIC pic.twitter.com/ptK7NmyhE5

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) August 4, 2014

Earlier this summer, Stoll and the L.A. Kings celebrated their latest cup win with a trip to an Los Angeles beach. Stoll brought his girlfriend, TV celebrity and sportscaster Erin Andrews, to the celebration.

#stanleycupchampions Jarratt Stoll and girlfriend Erin Andrews @KellyHockeyHall @HockeyHallFame @LAKings @NHL pic.twitter.com/MHXAbyEU37 — Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) June 18, 2014

Tricksots with PGA TOUR Canada

PGA TOUR Canada players Drew Evans, Darren Wallace, Justin Peters, Micah Burke, Ben Silverman and Will Strickler show off their best trick shots for the Web.com Tour’s Trickshot Challenge. Take a look.

Through the years the PGA Championship has been won by many great champions. Check out the 10 best players who never hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy.

A look at Dufner and Bradley’s unique pre-shot routines

Fellow PGA Championship winners and close friends Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley comment each other’s unique pre shot routines in this humorous video from the PGA TOUR.

During the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club, adidas Golf gave eight lucky spectators the opportunity to participate in a once in a lifetime golf adventure.

In addition to getting up close and personal with the Tours finest, including Canada’s own Mike Weir, wide-eyed fans were immersed in an afternoon of incredible experiences. Take a look at their best day ever.

TaylorMade Golf introduces three new premium putters

One year ago, TaylorMade Golf Company released the most stable putters the company had ever created – the counterbalanced Daddy Long Legs and the counterbalanced Spider Blade. Later, TaylorMade expanded its counterbalance putter offerings to include the Spider Mallet and the ultra-stable Ghost Spider Si.

Today, TaylorMade announces new counterbalanced models of the Daddy Long Legs, Spider Blade and Spider Mallet, each with Tour-inspired aesthetics.

Crafted with insights from TaylorMade Tour Professionals, the new designs feature an enhanced color scheme, including a luxurious black finish and white tungsten heel/toe weights, which frame the ball at address. A matte-black shaft and high-polish sole round out the premium aesthetics.

“The new tour-inspired cosmetic is visually stunning, while also delivering the ultimate in stability and performance,” said Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade’s director of iron, wedge and putter creation. “Each of these putters promote an extremely stable putting stroke, to help golfers deliver a consistent roll time after time.”

Daddy Long Legs is the most stable putter in the trio, with an MOI of more than 8,500. The high-MOI design resists twisting at impact to protect ball speed on off-center hits, promoting a reliable roll regardless of where the ball is struck on the face.

At more than 5,200 MOI, the Spider Blade offers the stability of a mallet putter in a blade shape to promote outstanding twist-resistance and distance control on off-center hits. All three models feature a heavy steel frame, and tungsten heel and toe weights, all designed to raise the MOI to deliver increased head stability.

TaylorMade Tour Staff pros who contributed to the development of these premium putters include Sergio Garcia, who finished tied for second at The Open Championship using the new counterbalanced Spider Mallet; Jason Day; Boo Weekley; and Troy Matteson.

To optimize counterbalance technology, golfers should grip two to three inches below the top end of the grip when assuming a normal stance, posture and address. By doing so, more weight is “above” the golfer’s hands, which is key for increasing stroke-stability. Because players should grip down, each new counterbalanced putter is offered in two lengths: 38” and 35”. The 38” is for players who traditionally use a 34”-36” putter, while the 35” option is for players who traditionally use a 32”-34” putter.

The new Daddy Long Legs is priced at $279.99 CDN, while the Spider Blade and Spider Mallet retail for $259.99. Each model is offered in a single bend 35” or 38” shaft. Retail availability begins August 1. For more information, visit taylormadegolf.ca.

Daddy Long Legs