NELSON’S BAY, Australia – Kangaroos, poisonous snakes, world-class golfing and a championship win – it was quite a week for Brian MacLeod, one of Truro’s most prolific golfers.

MacLeod, who is fully blind, shredded the competition earlier this month in Nelson’s Bay, Australia, en route to winning the Australian Open. The title is yet another to add to MacLeod’s long list of wins, but it was only half of a doubleheader that didn’t pan out exactly how MacLeod had wanted.

Immediately following the Aussie Open was the 2014 ISPS HANDA World Blind Golf Championships, a bi-annual tournament that has eluded MacLeod thus far. “I really wanted to pick up a win in that one,” MacLeod said. “I played really well through the Australian Open, and tried to carry that over into the worlds.”

MacLeod came in to the worlds on fire, having won the Australian Open, as well as posting scores of 88 and 93 in tournaments in Arizona. The first day of competition at worlds, however, would prove to be a little more trying. After shooting an opening round of 120, MacLeod found himself well back of the lead, held by good friend and perennial competitor, Zohar Sharon. With a string of narrow fairways, the course quickly left MacLeod struggling to make up for his mistakes. “I got stuck in the trees and took probably three or four shots at it and I just couldn’t get out.” MacLeod would end up shooting back-to-back 10s, leaving himself in a hole he couldn’t dig his way out of. “From there, it’s pretty hard to battle back,” he said. “I just had to focus and try to get out of the round without too much damage.”

Heading into the clubhouse after the disappointing first round, MacLeod tried to keep a short memory and come back strong the next day. “I just didn’t want to have another bad day,” he said. “Everyone shot poorly, but I didn’t want to do that again. I just wanted to prove I could post a good score.”

And post a good score, he did. MacLeod bounced back with a round of 100, the lowest score posted by a B1 (totally blind) golfer all tournament. Despite the struggles in the opening round, MacLeod had placed himself back in the mix of things in the 36-hole tournament. He’d finish seven shots back of Sharon.

Read more about Brian’s win and his next tournaments here.

Earlier this season we shared the story of a Collingwood woman who recorded 2-holes-in one back in March at the Renaissance Golf Club in Fort Myers, Fla. 

Against all odds it happened again this past Thursday for a Victoria Man at Bear Mountain resort.

The 67-year-old Bear Mountain Resort member first conquered the 163-yard par-3 10th hole on the Valley Course with his 6-iron. Just four holes later, he brought the 135-yard 14th to its knees with an 8-iron, both struck crisply and witnessed by partners Keith Walsh and Gordon Barnes.

“It was an exceptional day today, I guess you can say – two holes-in-one in one day, in one round, is unbelievable.” said Swonell.

The odds of it happening are also astronomical. Back in 1999, Golf Digest reported that one insurance company placed the odds of an amateur making two holes-in-one in one round at 9,222,500 to 1.

The National Hole-In-One Registry currently has those odds at 67 million to 1.

Read more here from the Times Colonist >>

Golf in the Olympics. What once seemed unlikely is now a reality just two years away. Along with the excitement surrounding our sport’s return to the Games in 2016 are a lot of questions: What is the format? Where will it be played? How will the teams be chosen? Who will play for Canada?

The competition in Rio will look significantly different than the last time golf was contested for Olympic gold.Only Canada and the United States fielded teams at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, Missouri and there were no female competitors. American teams swept all three medals in the team event, while Canadian George S. Lyon won gold in the individual match play competition. In contrast, players from more than 30 countries are expected to tee it up at the yet-to-be-completed course located in the Marapendi Environmental Protection Area. Medals will be awarded for individual play in both men’s and women’s divisions, each being contested over 72 holes of stroke play. As with many other high-profile sports, the debate over whether golf ’s Olympic athletes should be professionals or amateurs is long ended, if it ever took place at all. The biggest stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours will undoubtedly make the trip to Rio, along with their teammates chosen from golf ’s official world rankings. The top 15 players from the world rankings – with a maximum of four per country – will automatically qualify. Outside the top 15, a maximum of two players per country will be selected until the field size of 60 is filled. Just who will those players be? It’s nearly impossible to predict at this early stage. Consider that just two years ago the men’s world’s top 15 included the likes of Keegan Bradley, Lee Westwood, and Louis Oosthuizen. This year they have been replaced by Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia. While there has been considerably less movement at the top of the women’s world rankings, who knows what young superstar will take the world by storm, or which veteran will mount a comeback before 2016? A lot can change in the span of 24 months. For many fans, a Canadian golf squad without Mike Weir would be inconceivable. Yet at press time, the highest-ranked Canadian on the men’s rankings was Graham DeLaet, at number 28. He is followed by David Hearn (122), Brad Fritsch (276), and Richard Lee (701). On the women’s side, 21-year-old Rebecca Lee-Bentham leads the way at 193, with Alena Sharp (231), Lorie Kane (279) and Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (341) rounding out the top four. Lots of young Canadians are moving up the ranks in the NCAA and on developmental tours such as Symetra and Web.com. We can’t peer into a crystal ball to see which one might make it to the big leagues by 2016, but can predict one thing with confidence. More than six million Canadian golfers watching at home will wave the maple leaf and cheer on our Olympic team players with pride – whomever they may be.

My friend Clive Agran, a fellow golf travel writer who lives in East Sussex, England, prefers to put his own unique spin on things. When Clive first told me about the Atlantic Links, a brilliant collection of ancient courses scattered along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, I was keen to pack my clubs. While Clive undertook his Atlantic adventure by bicycling from course to course on two wheels (approximately 525km), I don’t necessarily recommend his method of transportation. I do strongly suggest that you put the Atlantic Links on your hit list. The courses are grand, the scenery sublime and there are plenty of other temptations along the way, including Devon cream teas, Cornish pasties and some remarkable villages and gardens. Burnham & Barrow An easy half-hour drive from Bristol is Burnham & Berrow Golf Club, originally laid out by Herbert Fowler with more recent tinkerings by Harry Colt and Alister MacKenzie. Dune-lined fairways heave and ho like the sea beyond and a few marsh holes create a memorable first impression. Number 10 requires a blind drive over a hill through a couple of striped goalposts. The 18th finale is a longish sweeping dogleg to a green surrounded by four daunting bunkers. The welcoming clubhouse serves terrific Thai fishcakes. England’s former reputation for bad food is long gone and West Country cuisine, we soon discovered, is worth the trip for its own sake. St. Ednoc We bade farewell to Devon and crossed into Cornwall. In the small hamlet of Rock, where the likes of Prince Andrew come to play and party, we found St. Enodoc Golf Club, designed in the early 1900s by James Braid. You can play 36 holes here, but if time is short, the fabled Church course is your best bet for a memorable 18. The quality of the links and the incomparable views of the nearby town of Padstow and the Camel Estuary make for an enchanting round. The first three holes are blind and there are plentiful oddities and obstacles, plus lots of walkers with their dogs, simply enjoying the stunning scenery. Number six boasts the Himalayas Bunker, reputedly the highest in Europe. Don’t miss a small detour to the 13th-century chapel tucked behind the tenth green. At this point, you might feel the need for a bit of divine intervention. The gravestone of Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, who penned beguiling verses about his beloved game of golf, is buried beside his favourite course. Recently, St Enodoc’s Church Course was included in Golf Digest’s inaugural ranking of the “World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses,” proving that shorter and quirkier (it’s a par-69 and just 6,557 from the tips) can be sweeter. After our round we took a quick ferry over to Padstow, a harbour town the locals have nicknamed “Padstein” because British restaurateur Rick Stein has opened several eateries here. For a splurge, book a table at his Seafood Restaurant. Or, go local with an award-winning Cornish pasty from Chough Bakery. Royal North Devon Wild and windswept Royal North Devon, also known as Westward Ho! is England’s oldest course, dating back to 1864. Originally laid out by Old Tom Morris, not much has changed today except the sheep are fatter. This is common land where the livestock get lifetime memberships. Hole number one resembles a petting zoo. You’ll have to let it rip to clear the massive Cape bunker on number four and don’t let that pesky creek on 18 ruin your score. Be sure to have a “cuppa” in the atmospheric clubhouse filled with antique golf memorabilia, mashies and featheries. Royal North Devon was the first club in England to have the title “Royal” conferred upon it by the Prince of Wales in 1866; it also became the first true ladies’ golf club in the world in 1868. Saunton We could have saved time by taking the M5 highway to our evening destination, Saunton Sands in Devon. Instead, we took the coastal route past idyllic villages and patchwork fields of green and gold. Often the roads were barely wide enough for Clive’s bicycle, let alone four wheels. We arrived at the white art deco Saunton Sands Hotel, with commanding views of a long golden strand, in time for an alfresco dinner of lamb Provençal and strawberries topped with Devon’s decadent clotted cream. We were booked to play the Saunton East and West courses the following day. North Americans accustomed to using carts (or buggies as they are called in the U.K.) should take note that these courses were meant to be walked. Make sure you have comfortable shoes and be prepared to shoulder your bag or haul a trolley up and over the dunes. Some clubs rent battery-operated trollies, which I highly recommend, especially if you’re tackling 36 holes in a day. We played the East course, built circa 1897, with members Danny and Ann Wallace. Here, as at all the other clubhouses, we were struck by the warm welcome we received and the pride local members take in their clubs’ pedigrees. Sir Nick Faldo once remarked that Saunton East was “the finest course never to hold an Open.” So lofty are the dunes, it feels like each fairway is your private playground. The East may be lovely, but it’s no walk in the park. Eight par-fours exceed 400 yards and the par-threes demand accuracy. The West layout is shorter and a bit easier, but still a worthy challenge for any golfer. Dinner at Squires in nearby Braunton lived up to its reputation for serving the best fish and chips in North Devon. How they get such a light crispy batter remains chef Mike’s secret. Trevose Our last round on The Atlantic Links was at Trevose, located high on a promontory overlooking Constantine Bay. We stayed comfortably in a self-catering cottage nestled just a pitching wedge away from the first elevated tees of the impressive Championship Course. We won’t forget the par-five fourth where the sea froths and crashes against the headland. This masterpiece, another by Harry Colt circa 1925, requires every club in your bag and the ever-present wind is a significant factor. Trevose’s Constantine restaurant, with its sensational sunset views and heavenly local scallops, made the ideal grand finale to our Atlantic Links romp — and a fitting place to toast “cyclopath Clive” for introducing us to this splendid collection of venerable links and some of the best scenery and hospitality to be found in England.

Carlsbad, Calif. (May 13, 2014) – adidas Golf has announced the release of the new climachill apparel collection, featuring fabric technologies designed to keep golfers cool when temperatures rise on the course. 

Designed to help regulate body temperatures by delivering a cooling sensation upon contact with the skin. The climachill fabric construction utilizes woven titanium fibers that maximize surface contact with skin. Small aluminum dots are located inside the back neck, one of the warmest areas on the human body. Climachill fabric also draws heat away from the body and enables ventilation and evaporation.

adidas Golf Tour staff professionals Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia first debuted the climachill apparel collection at The Players Championship earlier this month, and the technology will be featured prominently in their scripting throughout the remainder of the 2014 PGA TOUR season.

The climachill apparel collection includes five men’s polos and three women’s polos. Available beginning June 1, visit adidasgolf.ca to learn more about climachill technology and to view the entire collection.

TORONTO, ON (by Brent Long) – Members at Markland Wood Golf Club are coming to appreciate the calm after the storm as they prepare to celebrate the club’s 50^th anniversary throughout 2014.

The storm first blasted many Toronto area clubs and homes last summer with torrential rains and flooding. Markland Wood’s 18 low-lying fairways and bunkers were flooded in July by an overflowing Etobicoke Creek. The course remained closed for nearly two weeks for clean-up before fully opening a month later with rebuilt bunkers.

If that wasn’t enough, Mother Nature’s fury struck Toronto in December with a devastating ice storm, followed by the Polar Vortex’s flash freeze in early January that hit clubs across Ontario, Quebec and the North Eastern United States. Many courses in the Greater Toronto Area with poa annua (annual bluegrass) greens, including Markland Wood, were especially hard hit by a 4 to 8 inch blanket of ice over much of the course that severely damaged thousands of greens.

“You could say that Mother Nature has not been very kind to us, but the membership has really pulled together and turned these natural disasters into a positive outcome,” says Superintendent Owen Russell who has been dealing with the aftermath on a daily basis. Both private and public clubs across the GTA, and Ontario for that matter, continue to deal with the aftermath of the harshest winter in at least 25 years.

Since last summer’s storm, the club has spent close to $2 million to repair damage including; rebuilding all 65 bunkers with assistance from architect Cam Tyers, sodding 11 acres of fairway, installing a new irrigation system, cleaning up trees damaged by the ice storm and sodding 14 greens with 72,000 square-feet, or 8,550 rolls of Aggressor bentgrass. The remaining five greens will be re-surfaced at the end of season to ensure consistency for putting areas.

“I think the resiliency of the membership is quite remarkable and inspiring because they have been able to accept the circumstances and move forward very quickly,” he adds. Now there is sod shortage in Ontario and clubs are looking outside of the province and the country to try and make repairs. “When we fully open the course in June with the new greens our members are essentially going to have a new golf course to play on and that’s something they should be very proud of,” Russell says.

“While it was initially hard to see the silver lining through the devastation incurred, that dejection quickly turned to the realization of the opportunity to revitalize the golf course,” says Markland Wood GC President, Scott Peart. “We won’t be playing on the new greens for a few weeks, but I can already feel the anticipation building within the membership.  It’s going to be an exciting 50^thanniversary celebration with several member events in the works, a few great charity tournaments and the club is hosting the 15^thannual Toronto Star Women’s Amateur from June 23 to 26^th.”

The club is also publishing a book “50 Years of Fellowship” to commemorate the 50^th anniversary. If you have a chance to read it you’ll learn that the Markland Wood area goes back as far as 1810, when John Silverthorn and his family settled here along the Etobicoke River. They established a saw and gristmill that operated until 1870 when the flow of water diminished to the extent that there was insufficient power to drive the mill. The Silverthorn family then turned to farming, before selling it to developer Marc Cavotti in 1958. His associates lightheartedly referred to the property as “Marc’s Land”, which was the preamble to the area’s final moniker of Markland Wood.

After the initial plans for the Markland Wood community were prepared, it was discovered that the land adjoining the Etobicoke River was situated on a floodplain established by Hurricane Hazel, and not suitable for residential development. Being the avid golfers that they were, Cavotti and his associates decided this land would be an ideal place to put a golf course. The project was then turned over to architect Eric Hanson, who transformed the unique crescent shaped parcel of land into an 18-hole golf course. The Club officially opened with Bob Hope as special guest of Head Professional Al Balding, a member of both the Canadian and the Ontario Golf Halls of Fame.

The course plays from 4,763 yards to 6,285 yards, par-70 from five sets of tee blocks, but it is the narrow fairways, fast greens, strategically placed bunkers, mature trees and the ever present, Etobicoke Creek, that define its character and challenges players of every level.

Despite the steep repair bill, Peart says the club of 700 members remains in an excellent financial position having now completed a significant portion of capital work on the course without any assessments to the members. It’s a place where denim can be worn year-round in the lounge of a modern full-service clubhouse where families are encouraged to become friends with other families. The club’s slogan for this year is “Celebrating 50 years of Fellowship.”

“The Markland Wood residential community has the motto “a circle of friends”. This holds true for Markland Wood Golf Club as well,” Peart says.  “It is a tightly knit group of golfers who are proud of their golf course and support their fellow members.  As we turn the corner and prepare for the journey for the next 50 years I believe the club is well positioned for growth and prosperity.”

Former Canadian Tour Commissioner Joins Niagara Parks Commission – Golf News Now

Former Canadian Tour commissioner Rick Janes has been named manager of golf business development for the Niagara Parks Commission.

Janes has more than two decades of experience in golf, as well as communications, sponsorship and event marketing.
As commissioner of the Canadian Tour, Janes led talks that resulted in the launch of PGA Tour Canada in 2013.

He became chairman of the Canadian Tour board of directors in 2002 and managed a financial turnaround in 2005 in his first year as commissioner, rebuilding the tour’s profile. The tour also gained full membership in the International Federation of PGA Tours.

>> Read more here.

World #1 ranked golfer Inbee Park to play in Manulife

Financial LPGA Classic

WATERLOO, ON – Three more top players on the LPGA Tour join the field for the 2014 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic at Grey Silo Golf Course, June 4 to 8.

Joining previously announced No. 2 ranked Stacy Lewis, and No. 3 ranked Lydia Ko, is the number one player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Inbee Park. Park is a nine-time winner on the LPGA Tour, and first player in the modern era to win the first three major championships of the season (Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wegmans LPGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open) in 2013. Park was awarded Rolex Player of the Year in 2013, becoming the first South Korean in LPGA Tour history to hold this title. Park won the money title for the second-consecutive year and became just the second player in history to earn at least $2 million in back-to-back seasons.

Suzann Pettersen, the fourth-ranked player in the Women’s Rolex Golf Rankings, has won 14 tournaments as a professional, on the LPGA Tour. She is coming off an extremely strong performance in the 2013 season, notching four LPGA victories, including her second-career major championship at The Evian Championship. The Oslo, Norway native is currently in her 11th season on the LPGA Tour and is currently the highest ranked European player in the world.

Anna Nordqvist also joins the field for the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic. In 2013, Nordqvist recorded five top-10 finishes, and crossed the $3 million mark in career earnings after a T11 finish at the U.S. Women’s Open. Nordqvist, currently No. 5 in the Race to CME Globe, is up against previously announced Stacy Lewis, Michelle Wie, and Lydia Ko in the race for the top spot.

“With the announcement of the contract extension from our title sponsor Manulife, along with the support by the local community, and the competitive field we are able to attract, I am confident that this tournament will be a memorable one,” says Manulife Financial LPGA Classic Tournament Director Richard Kuypers.

For more information, including ticketing and volunteer opportunities, visit www.manulifeclassic.ca.

Carlsbad, Calif. – TaylorMade Golf has announced SLDR S, their newest SLDR model engineered to provide distance for golfers of all abilities and swing speeds through high-lofted metalwoods.

The SLDR S line features a low forward center of gravity (CG) placement wherein weight is re-located to the front of the head to promote faster ball speed, a higher launch angle and a lower spin-rate.

“It’s no secret that high launch and low spin maximize driver distance, but some players think that only Tour pros can benefit from lofting up with low forward CG,” said TaylorMade Chief Technical Officer, Benoit Vincent. “This is simply not true. By lofting up, you can generate serious distance regardless of swing speed”.

SLDR S fairway woods and Rescues feature a larger footprint and a shallower face compared to SLDR.

Each club in the SLDR S lineup is bonded. However, golfers will still enjoy four loft options as the driver is available in 10°, 12°, 14° and 16°.

“Historically on the PGA Tour, guys would de-loft their drivers in an attempt to achieve a lower ball flight and gain distance,” said Keith Sbarbaro, TaylorMade Golf’s Vice President of Tour Operations. “But when we introduced low forward CG, players started to see huge distance leaps from added loft. This has been a monumental shift in the way of thinking and a breakthrough in unlocking more distance.

The entire SLDR S metalwood family will be available at retailers starting May 16. The driver will retail for $359 CDN; the fairway woods for $259 CDN; and Rescues for $229 CDN. For more information, visit taylormadegolf.ca.

Check out the 10 most memorable animal encounters on the PGA Tour, featuring Sammy the Squirrel, an iguana in Puerto Rico and the seagull at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Pacific Northwest Golf Association elects Ed Burke president

Ed Burke (PNGA)

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) has elected Ed Burke as its new president at their 115th Annual Meeting held April 26 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon. Traditionally, the PNGA president serves two consecutive one-year terms.

Ed Burke has been on the PNGA Board of Directors for six years, serving as vice president for three years for Zone 5 (Idaho). Burke brings a great deal of experience to his new role as PNGA president, having served as president of three other clubs; Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash. in the mid-1970s; Hayden Lake (Idaho) Country Club in 1997; and the Spokane Club in downtown Spokane. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Burke served in the Navy before starting a career in the FBI, and has been based in the Northwest since 1972. Retiring from the FBI in 1997, he then co-owned a sod farm near Pasco, Wash. which supplied turf to golf courses. He still lives outside of Spokane.

“My hope during my tenure is to have the PNGA continue to assist all the affiliate organizations within the golf industry in communicating a shared goal,” said Burke. “We all have the same desire to promote and sustain the health of the game, because of the tremendously positive aspects it brings to communities and to society at large.”

Ed Burke is replacing Robert Black of Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash. Black served a two year term as PNGA president and was instrumental in helping the PNGA become a more financially stable organization and helped lead the PNGA by assisting with the implementation of a strategic plan to carry out for years to come. Black will continue to serve on the PNGA Board of Directors as the Immediate Past President.

Also elected at the meeting was Scott Masingill of Scotch Pines GC in Idaho, who will serve as the new Vice President of Zone 5. Other Vice Presidents include Larry Giustina of Eugene CC, for Zone 1; Kent Brown of Dominion Meadows in Colville, Wash., for Zone 2; Ben Stodghill of Bellevue Municipal in Bellevue, Wash., for Zone 3; and Peter Fibiger of Olympic View GC in Victoria, B. C., for Zone 4.

Mary O’Donnell of Overlake G&CC in Bellevue, Wash. was elected as Secretary, and Robin Anderson, of Ellensburg Golf Course, is the Treasurer. Dr. Jack Lamey (former Immediate Past President) will now serve as an additional member of the PNGA Board of Directors.

The PNGA was founded on February 4, 1899.  It is a 501c3 charitable, international, amateur golf association dedicated to preserving the true spirit of golf by supporting its allied associations, conducting quality championships, and promoting activities beneficial to golfers in the Pacific Northwest. The PNGA employs a full-time staff of 14, headed by a CEO/Executive Director, with offices located in Federal Way, Wash. Under the direction of the Board of Directors and in conjunction with a number of standing committees, the staff administers the day-to-day affairs of the Association. PNGA territory is broken down into five zones, which are: Zone 1 – Oregon; Zone 2 – Eastern Washington; Zone 3 – Western Washington and Alaska; Zone 4 – British Columbia and Alberta; and Zone 5 – Idaho and Montana. There are approximately 220,000 individuals at over 720 PNGA member golf clubs.

The original purpose of the PNGA was to conduct a regional amateur championship for men and women. For 115 years, the Association has been a pioneer in developing competitions and services and its mission has grown and evolved. Today, the PNGA remains committed to being a truly “regional” organization providing benefits and services to its members and member clubs throughout the Northwest.

Visit www.thepnga.org for more information on the association.

HAMILTON, Ont – One of Canada’s oldest municipal golf courses, Chedoke Civic Golf Club, is celebrating a historic milestone in 2014.

Nestled into the rolling parkland landscape of the stunning Niagara Escarpment, Chedoke Civic Golf Club dates back to 1896 when members of Hamilton Golf Club first started to play the game in the city with hickory clubs and rubber wound golf balls.

It was 90 years ago that Hamilton City Councillors finally agreed to purchase the original Aberdeen Road golf course lands from Hamilton Golf & Country Club in a move designed to open golf up to the working man in a city that was quickly growing and modernizing.

From about 1915 to 1919, the Club was used for military training and aviation purposes of the 120^th City of Hamilton Battalion, CEF. Hamilton Golf & Country Club abandoned the site in 1916 when it moved to a new Harry S. Colt designed layout in Ancaster. It was around this time that George C. Martin first suggested the City of Hamilton buy the Aberdeen Avenue golf course to turn it into a municipal facility, but the war put that plan on hold.

In 1921, Martin again proposed that the City buy the golf course from the Hamilton G&CC. The City balked at the idea and Martin and a group of others took out a one-year lease on the land with an option to purchase it if the club proved viable. It was very successful and on December 26, 1923, after months of negotiations, the land was purchased by the City of Hamilton for $90,000. The club opened with 750 members in 1924. Martin (1866 to 1950) was the first President of the Chedoke Civic Golf Course (1924-1943). It was his vision to create a golf club for the working man and it is his name which is on the original course.

“Chedoke Civic Golf Club has been a great spot for golfers young and old to learn and play the game of golf for many decades,” says Hamilton City Councillor Brian McHattie. “Our community is fortunate to have an affordable golf option where people can enjoy this wonderful pastime with friends and family members. It goes without saying that both courses at Chedoke also beautify south-west Hamilton, it truly is a green gem in our neighbourhood.”

In 1928, Chedoke Civic Golf Course purchased 26 additional acres west of the old course. Canadian golf course architect Stanley Thompson and brother Nicol, who lived a couple of blocks from the course on Homewood Avenue, drew up a plan for four holes on the new property, a new hole at the base of the Niagara Escarpment, the widening of several holes, 18 new clay tees and the grading of a new road from Aberdeen Avenue to the clubhouse. This work was done in 1929 under the supervision of Nicol Thompson and Superintendent Alf Sims. As time and funds allowed, both Thompsons continued to upgrade and make changes to the course. What we know today as Nos. 1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17 and 18 would be Thompson holes.

Chedoke’s second 18-hole layout, The Beddoe Course is named in memory of Harold Stewart Beddoe (1891-1969) who succeeded George Martin as President from 1944 to 1953. Work on the Stanley Thompson-designed Beddoe Course started in 1948. It opened for play in May 1950 using some temporary greens with 900-plus members at Chedoke. At the time, it was the only 36-hole municipal facility in Canada. By the spring of 1951, the entire course was in play and a new clubhouse opened. The Beddoe Course was significantly altered in 1961-1962 from par 71 to 69 when a 300 foot corridor bisected the parkland layout to create Highway 403. Architect K.M. Broman and green keeper Maurice Ducharme redesigned all but seven holes on the course at a cost of $124,000 with holes 11-17 essentially new. Today, architect Graham Cooke, who is based out of Montreal, oversees changes to all three City run courses as part of a long range plan for the facilities.

Golfers playing Chedoke will notice a walking/bike path that crosses through the parking lot behind the clubhouse. That path was originally the rail line for The Brantford & Hamilton Electric Railway (B&H), which operated a radial streetcar from Hamilton to Ancaster from 1908 to 1931.

In January 1964, Mayor Vic Copps opened a winter sports park at Chedoke with a 900-foot lift and a 1,900-foot ski slope. Chedoke was always a perfect learning hill, but when it opened it also boasted the third-steepest vertical drop of any hill in Ontario. It remained until 2003 when the money losing operation closed and the lift was taken down in 2009.

Rickie Fowler’s jaw dropping plane ride

Rickie Fowler took an aerobatic plane ride with two-time Red Bull Air Race world champion Kirby Chambliss. Fowler got a taste of the high speeds and high g-forces in this stomach turning video created by our partners at the PGA TOUR.

NGCOA Canada Retains SportBox Entertainment Group as Agency of Record for Consulting & Partnership Opportunities

Toronto – National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA Canada) has retained SportBox Entertainment Group to build, launch and manage a new model for corporate partnerships, delivering marketing opportunities for brand marketers in Canada.

There are approximately 70 million rounds of golf played in Canada per year. The NGCOA Canada owns properties that touch golf course consumers, such as consumer golf shows, junior player development programs, adult player development programs and publications. The NGCOA Canada also owns properties that serve the golf course owners, such as National trade events and an award winning publication.

SportBox has been retained to analyze all the assets and opportunities at the golf course level, and develop new strategies for corporate partners to connect with the millions of consumers that walk through the gates each year. As the agency of record for NGCOA Canada, SportBox will also represent the consolidated marketing interests of the NGCOA Canada in market.

“It’s our responsibility as the NGCOA Canada to identify new opportunities that will benefit our members,” said Jeff Calderwood, chief executive officer, NGCOA Canada. “Our alignment with SportBox will allow the NGCOA Canada to develop untapped marketing opportunities for our members. We are very excited to be working with SportBox on this project.”

The SportBox Consulting practice will lead the project, taking the NGCOA Canada and its members through a strategic analysis and planning phase to build a corporate platform with multiple touch points for brands, including experiential, events, and community investment opportunities.

“Through our discussions with the NGCOA Canada, we feel there is an opportunity to approach golf differently, as both a lifestyle and a sport,” said David Corelli, director, business partnerships, SportBox Entertainment Group. “When we look at the programs the NGCOA Canada manages and the sheer volume of consumers at the course level, we see great opportunity to develop integrated programs that not only provide corporate partners with value, but also enhance the experience for the golf consumer.”

SportBox Entertainment Group is a sports management and marketing agency. The agency’s focus is on talent representation, event development, consulting and representing the marketing rights of sports organizations and properties. SportBox represents 11 professional golfers, including PGA Tour stars Graham DeLaet, David Hearn and Mike Weir.

CARLSBAD, Calif.– adidas Golf  has announced the release of two all-new footwear models featuring proprietary gripmore technology, an innovation in golf footwear cleat design that combines the performance benefits of spiked and spikeless footwear into one revolutionary technology.

The evolution of golf cleats has seen little change in innovation over the course of the last century. From metal spikes to soft spikes and most recently spikeless models, cleat technology has remained stagnant with little advancement. The adidas Golf team set out to change the state of the footwear game, embarking on a mission to reshape the industry to create a groundbreaking category of shoe for all golfers. The result: adicross gripmore and pure 360 gripmore sport.

Unlike traditional spiked golf shoes that require receptacles to house cleats on the sole, gripmore cleats are directly injected onto lightweight mesh matting inclusive of hundreds of microspikes for even more traction and stability. In addition to unbelievable grip, both models are among the most green-friendly the company has ever created.

The first of two models to feature gripmore technology, the adicross gripmore utilizes 43 gripmore cleats and a total of 243 points of contact for a unique combination of versatility and performance.

Featuring premium sport-styling with modern aesthetics and colors and a premium full grain leather upper, the adicross gripmore line has outstanding comfort and casual crossover appeal that delivers the performance golfers of all types demand.

Justin Rose debuted the adicross gripmore at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March, where he praised the shoe’s crossover performance characteristics.

“I’m always looking for footwear that provides traction without compromising comfort, style or on-course performance,” he said. “With gripmore, I have the versatility of a spikeless shoe combined with the performance of a cleated shoe. It’s the best of both styles.”

With a more athletically-inspired design, the pure 360 gripmore sport features a waterproof mesh upper with climaproof®, 360WRAP technology and a powerband™ chassis for increased stability. Featuring 23 gripmore cleats and a total of 161 contact points, the shoe provides exceptional traction with the combination of comfort, protection and performance.

Available June 1, adicross gripmore will be available in three colorways: aluminum / running white / light scarlet, running white / running white / light scarlet and black/ running white / light scarlet.

Also available June 1, pure 360 gripmore sport will be available in two colorways: black / metallic silver / light scarlet and light onix / running white / light scarlet.

To view the entire adicross gripmore and pure 360 gripmore collections, visit adidasgolf.ca.