The 2013 flooding of the Greater Calgary Area had the city fighting to get back on its feet. Among the thousands of citizens and local businesses affected include the top-ranked facilities at the Golf Canada Calgary Centre.

Following three days of flooding, insurance agents estimated the damage to the 15 acre property at $2.3 million. The driving range was fully submerged. The mini-putt course was deemed unrecoverable. The 500 square foot irrigation was destroyed. The list goes on.

Much like the rest of the city, the folks at Golf Canada’s Calgary Centre showed their resilience turned this disaster into an opportunity.

With the help of volunteers and CDT International, the Calgary Centre staff focused their efforts towards following an emergency disaster restoration plan.

Chad Rusnak, Director of Golf Operations at the Calgary Centre, is optimistic about the revival process and is eager to begin servicing the golf community again.

“Calgary golfers are flocking to the range to get a jump start in preparation for the 2014 golf season and you cannot put into words how delighted we are to see the return,” said Rusnak. “It truly is exciting to welcome our customers back and share the newly renovated clubhouse and our recent flood diverted traffic of loyal facility patrons.”

Still buried in paperwork, Rusnak and his team are hoping to have the revamped facility fully operational for the summer season. Currently, the driving range and pro shop are open for business, with the 9-hole, par-3 course set to open in the couple weeks.

“The golf centre plans to honour and provide a credit to all 2013 registrants in our leagues and Girls’ Club based on a pro-rated registration fee to off-set the shortened season in 2013,” stated Rusnak. “We intend to address and pay added attention to re-instating the standards and conditions of the golf course.”

As the healing from the 2013 floods continue, the team at the Calgary Centre is planning a  grand re-opening of the facility in early May – another example of Calgarians showing their resilience in what has been an extraordinary past year.

Visit the Golf Canada Calgary Centre online at golfcanadacentre.ca.

UXBRIDGE, Ontario – It is going to be a family affair for the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) entry in the 2014 combined event in Lima, Peru – The Manuel Prado Cup (Team) and Carlos Raffo A. Cup (Individual), April 20-26.

This year the GAO will be represented by Dave Bunker, who will be playing in this event for the sixth time, and his son-in-law Michael Rutgers, who will make his first appearance.

Bunker, 47, who ranked second in the GAO’s Mid-Am Order of Merit standings for 2013, resides in Woodbridge and is a member at Brampton Golf Club. He has won many Ontario Championships including: the 2008 Amateur; 2003 and 2010 Match Play; 2007 and 2010 Mid-Amateur; 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012 Mid-Master; and 2009 and 2010 Public Player. His best finish in Peru was in 2007 when he finished second in the individual competition and in 2010 when his team finished seventh. He will no doubt be looking to atone for last year when he was disqualified for signing a wrong scorecard.

“I wasn’t very happy last year, having to DQ myself after the first round. It was a long way to travel for that to happen. So, I’m looking forward to having some good things happen this year,” said Bunker. “This event is a really nice way to begin the competitive season. The golf course is a very strong test and the players are treated first class in every aspect during the tournament week.”

With the late start to the season, Bunker knows it is difficult to establish performance goals for the event, but he still has an idea of what he would like to achieve. “I’d like us to string together as many quality shots as possible and see where that takes our rounds. If both of us could manage to finish in the top 15 and we could get the team into the top five, then I think that would be a good week.”

As for Rutgers, 29, he was selected for the competition after top-ranked Mid-Am Garrett Rank declined the invitation. Rutgers was the third ranked 2013 Mid-Am in the province. He resides in Windsor and is a member of Erie Shores Golf and Country Club. Rutgers is a former pro that got his amateur status back before the 2013 season and went on to finish second at the Mid-Am last season. For Rutgers, it is all about taking advantage of the opportunity.

“I consider the opportunity to represent Ontario in Peru a privilege and am very excited to head to South America for the first time,” said Rutgers. “It will be a fun and great experience not only to visit a foreign country but also to compete against some of the best amateurs in the world.”

Rutgers is not only excited about the opportunity but also with the fact that he will be playing with his father-in-law.

“Playing with Dave is always a great experience. We always enjoy playing together, competitive rounds included. Dave has prepped me for Peru as best he can, offering his own personal experiences, hints and tips for managing the course. He is an excellent resource and always ready to help me prepare. Also, knowing that he has been there before is comforting, being that this will be my first time playing in this particular tournament.”

“I think we’ll make a great team,” said Bunker. “We have played together many, many times and know each others’ games as well as we know our own.”

The event, sanctioned by the Peruvian Golf Federation, is hosted by the Lima Golf Club and has been running since 1988. The tournament is open to players with three or less handicaps and draws amateur golfers from all across the Americas and Europe. The players will have two practice rounds (April 21-22) before the first of the four rounds begins on April 23.

The team competition takes the two members scores over the four days and the lowest aggregate is the winner. For the individual competition, the lowest score after 72 holes is declared the winner.

For more information on the event or for round by round results, visit www.limagolfclub.ore.pe.

In partnership with CN, Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada are pleased to announce some exciting revisions to the CN Future Links Learn To Play program.

Learn To Play is changing from seven levels to four stages and refocusing its programming to target a smaller age range.

This spring, PGA of Canada professionals will receive new lesson guides to help in the delivery of the program. Glenn Cundari, the PGA of Canada’s Technical Director, explained the reasoning for the change after five strong years.

“The changes to the Learn to Play program were needed to ensure that it remains relevant to PGA of Canada members, parents and junior golfers”, he said. The changes we have made have created much more meaningful benchmarks for every program module.”

Also new to the program is a revised progression system. Previously, CN Future Links participants were tracked through a numbered level system (Level 1, 2, 3, etc), but will now belong to one of four specific colour groups, much like the popular martial arts ‘black belt’ method. As a result, juniors will be able to clearly identify with one another in a friendly group atmosphere.

“The change from the traditional number level system to a colour-based system is not unique to golf – sports such as the martial arts have used it with great success for years,” explained Cundari. “We believe that the new colour system will be more appealing to junior golfer and will allow us to be more innovative with our incentive rewards.”

The target age group of 6-12 year-olds will now be rewarded with  colour-coded hats and gear provided by the program’s new apparel sponsor, Puma Golf. CN Future Links instructors will benefit by enticing juniors with the popular, vibrant Puma colours that have been made famous by PGA Tour stars Rickie Fowler and Canadian Graham DeLaet.

Teenagers outside of the Learn to Play age range will be encouraged to register for the new “Learn to Compete” program, which is being piloted this summer. Learn to Compete will feature programming that is tailored towards those looking to take their game to the competitive level.

Learn to Play is one of several programs offered under the CN Future Links umbrella, which includes a variety of options to appeal to every junior golf enthusiast.

For more information on CN Future Links, visit the website.

The Nova Scotia Golf Association will be hosting the first annual Women’s Learn to Golf Summit and luncheon at the beautiful Glen Arbour Golf Course in Hammonds Plains, N.S. on Saturday, May 24, 2014.

The Summit is designed for women who are new golfers or women who are interested in taking up golf. Participants will take part in breakout sessions that will include the following:

RULES & ETIQUETTE  101:

What to do and what not to do?

Participants will take part in an introductory rules session and that will provide you with a basic understanding of rules. The rules can be the most intimidating aspects of the game, but they certainly do not have to be.Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and gain a better understanding of the game.

EQUIPMENT 101:

Participants will be taught the attributes of the fourteen clubs that traditionally make up a golf set. There will be a discussion as to where and how these different clubs are used during the course of a round of golf. Having your clubs fit to your stature, ability and swing speed will be a huge factor in the success of your game. You will be shown what equipment is necessary to get started and what extra essentials are required to improve your skills and your enjoyment of golf in general.

FULL SWING 101:

Are you right or left handed?

This session will focus on teaching participant’s proper golf grip, posture and stance. Focusing how to maintain balance and create a flowing motion when swinging a club. This is where you’ll get to hit shots and give golf a try.

SHORT GAME 101:

In this session, participant’s will focus on the short game, around the green. Different situations will employ various techniques and clubs. You will learn the most common techniques of these so that you feel confident when you play. You will get a chance to experiment with putting and chipping – important skills in any golfer’s repertoire.

About the SUMMIT:

The day will be broken into a morning session and an afternoon. Space is limited to 30 per session. The morning session will run from 8:45am to 1:20pm and the afternoon session will run from 11:45am to 4:30pm. For a complete agenda for the morning and afternoon sessions please CLICK HERE.

Also included in the package: Each participant will also receive a free round of golf at the Glen Arbour Par 3 Course that can be used during the 2014 golf season.

Both the morning group and afternoon group will take part in a luncheon from 12:00pm to 1:20pm with fellow new golfer and Olympic Kayaker, Karen Furneaux, as the keynote speaker.

Cost: $40.00 (tax included) which includes all breakout session, a green fee to the Glen Arbour Par 3 Course and lunch with Karen Furneaux.

For more information or to register now please CLICK HERE.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Canada has qualified for the World Junior Boys Championship by capturing one of two available spots through a qualifier being held at Victoria Golf Club.

Collectively, the boys stormed back Wednesday to steal first place honours from Mexico with a final round combined score of 3-under par. As a team the boys finished 11-over par, two strokes ahead of Mexico, who slipped down the leaderboard with a closing round of 9-over par.

Development Squad member Matt Williams was a model of consistency throughout the event, finishing at even par 210 (73-71-66). The 17-year-old Calgary native carded six birdies Wednesday en route to a 4-under 66 to finish as leading Canadian in 2^nd place.

Development Squad teammates Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué.), Carter Simon (Sutton, Ont.) and Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) also had strong final rounds. They finished tied for third, fifth and seventh respectively.

Team Mexico earned the second qualifying spot via the event. They were led by Alvaro Ortiz, who was the overall leading individual scorer with 4-under 206 (70-69-67).

Canada and Mexico will tee-it-up at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup this June along with 10 other nations.

For the full leaderboard from the qualifying event being held at Victoria Golf Club, click here.

VICTORIA, B.C. –Team Canada’s Development Squad bounced back from a disappointing opening round with a team score of 3-over par Tuesday in rainy conditions at Victoria Golf Club.

Tony Gil, a Vaughan, Ont. native, led the Canadian contingent by firing a 1-under 71 – sharing the low round of the day honours with Mexico’s Alvaro Ortiz.

Gil, 15, carded six birdies on the day – a welcoming sign after struggling yesterday with a 10-over 80.

Calgary’s Matt Williams came in with a 1-over 71. He currently leads all Canadian at 4-over par (73-71) and sits tied for third individually.

Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué.,  recorded a 3-over 73 – the third and final contribution to Canada’s overall score on the day.

Collectively, Canada sits in second place with an 11-stroke cushion over third place Trinidad & Tobago. They trail first place Mexico by 10.

The third and final round begins Wednesday. The top two teams earn entry into the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan this June.

For the full leaderboard, click here.

VICTORIA, B.C. – The boys of Team Canada’s Development Squad sit tied for second with Trinidad & Tobago after Monday’s first round of the  World Junior Boy’s Qualifier at Victoria Golf Club.

Calgary’s Matt Williams and Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. were the leading Canadians on the day. They both carded 3-over-par 73s, while teammate Carter Simon of Sutton, Ont. contributed a 5-over 75.

Collectively, the Canadian contingent sits at 11-over par – Tony Gil’s score was the highest on the day and therefore not calculated towards the overall total.

Mexico has a 10 stroke lead, with all three of their players sitting in the top five. Jorge Villar is 1-under, Alvaro Ortiz is at even par and Luis Gerardo Garza is 2-over. As a team, the Mexicans sit at 1-over par.

Trinidad & Tobago was led by WanJoo Le, who fired a 1-over 71 to help his team stay locked with Canada.

The second of three rounds goes Tuesday. The top two teams earn entry into the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan this June.

For the full leaderboard, click here.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta National not only has female members, on Sunday it crowned its first female champion.

Nine-year-old Kelly Xu of Santa Monica, Calif., was the first of eight youngsters to win the inaugural “Drive, Chip and Putt” contest. The skills challenge took place at the home of the Masters, even as Adam Scott, Vijay Singh and others were preparing for the Masters.

There were four girls and four boys from various age groups that won out of 11 players in each division – including Canada’s Remi Chartier (Beaconsfield, Que.) and Nyah Kelly (Bobcaygeon, Ont.) The last putt each faced was from about 20 feet on the 18th green, the same spot where Scott made birdie in regulation last year when he won the Masters in a playoff.

Kelly competed in the Girl’s 7-9 category. She finished with a score of 16.5 and tied for 8th.

Chariter competed in the Boy’s 12-13 category and tied for 4th with a score of 19.5

Here is the full list of winners:

Girls 7-9: Kelly Xu
Boys 7-9: Treed Huang
Girls 10-11: Lucy Li
Boys 10-11: Leo Cheng
Girls 12-13: Natalie Pietromonaco
Boys 12-13: Bryson Bianco
Girls 14-15: Hunter Pate
Boys 14-15: Patrick Welch

Full results can be found here.

To learn more about the Canadians who qualified for the Drive, Chip & Putt National Championship, click here. 

Did you know: CN Future Links runs an annual National Junior Skills Challenge where participants from active CN Future Links sites across the country compete on the Junior Skills Leaderboard for a chance to attend the World Junior Girls Championship at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont. where they will compete at the CN Future Links National Junior Skills Challenge against other top competitors in their age category. 

To find out more information on the CN Future Links National Junior Skills Challenge, click here.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Team Canada will be sending four boys from the Development Squad to compete in the World Junior Team Qualifier from Apr. 7-9 at the Victoria Golf Club.

Competing against Canada in the 54-hole stroke play event are teams from Mexico as well as Trinidad & Tobago. All teams will be vying for two available slots, given to those with the lowest total aggregate scores. Each day, teams will submit their three lowest individual scores to be counted towards their overall total.

Representing Canada are juniors Matt Williams (Calgary), Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.), Carter Simon (Sutton, Ont.) and Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.). The boys are fresh off some stiff competition at the Azalea Invitational last week in Charleston, S.C., where they matched up against some of the world’s top amateurs in preparation for the qualifier.

The winning teams will earn a ticket to play in the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan this June.  Each team will send four players, accompanied by one coach and one captain.

Live scoring of the qualifying event can be found here.

Every golfer dreams of walking Augusta National’s fairways and on April 6^th it will become a reality for two young Canadians.

For Remi Chartier and Nyah Kelly it doesn’t get much better – they not only get to go to the Masters, but they will be competing on its historic grounds.

Remi, 13, of Beaconsfield, Que., and Nyah, 9, of Bobcaygeon, Ont., are the only two Canadians who qualified for the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt Championship alongside 86 other participants.

“When I found out I qualified, I just wanted to hug my dad,” Remi said. “We watch golf together every week but the Masters is by far my favourite tournament and I’ve always wanted to go.”

Golf is a family activity for both players and each Masters bound group is busting with excitement. Remi spends a lot of time golfing with his father, Scott Chartier, at The Royal Montreal Golf Club, while Nyah picked up the game from her mother, Shana Kelly, who is a PGA of Canada professional at Kelly Glen Golf and Learning Centre.

“We’ve never been to Masters, it’s always been on our bucket list,” Nyah’s mother exclaimed. “Golf is a family sport, everyone plays. I hear from people when I’m not around that Nyah gives better lessons than I do, I think she’s picked up the most by watching and listening to me teach.”

The youngsters both qualified by winning their regional qualifying divisions at Drive, Chip & Putt sites in the U.S. Remi won the boys 12-13 division with a score of 132 at the New England qualifier, while Nyah notched 92 points for her victory at the historic Bethpage Black Course.

“I’m so excited about getting to the Masters with my family,” said Nyah who’s been preparing by hitting shots indoors when she gets a break from figure skating. “I think I will be nervous when I get there, but I’m just going to try to keep myself calm before and have fun.”

Nyah Kelly (Rich Schultz/ Getty Images)

Nerves certainly aren’t uncommon at Augusta, but both competitors said they feel like they are prepared for the challenge. Prior to Nyah qualifying, her family had converted her grandfather’s warehouse into an indoor facility where she works on her game in the winter. Remi keeps his game sharp by practicing with his school’s sport étude program at Collège de Montréal.

“I have a bit of confidence, the greens I practice on during the winter I think are faster than Augusta because they are made out of wood with carpet,” said Remi who posted the best score in putting at qualifying earning 60 points. “When I get there the greens might feel a little slow but it’s the Masters so obviously they will be fast.”

For both families this opportunity is proving to be about much more than just the competition. They are taking advantage of the golf trip of a lifetime by bringing along siblings and grandparents for the experience.

“Going down to the Masters, we’re looking at it as we’re going down to collect a prize because we’ve already won,” Remi’s father said. “That’s the victory getting down to step foot on Augusta and actually getting to hit some balls at the club.”

The championship final of Drive, Chip & Putt takes place on Sunday, April 6 and will feature 88 junior competitors from across North America. Remi and Nyah will compete against 10 other finalists in their divisions and will get two drives on a 30-yard wide fairway with the longest drive in their division receiving 11 points. In the chipping category, they will take two shots with the closest receiving 11 points. At the putting station, they will attempt 6ft, 15ft and 30ft putts with the closest cumulative distance from the three holes combined to crown the winner.

Remi Chartier

A perfect score at Drive, Chip and Putt would be 33 points and both players believe they have the game to do it.

“Driving is my best! No wait, actually chipping is my best!” Nyah, who scored 45 points in chipping at qualifying said with a laugh.

Asked if either hoped to meet any PGA Tour players during their Masters experience, Nyah was quick to exclaim she loves 2012 Masters Champion, Bubba Watson, while Remi chose last year’s winner.

“I like so many golfers but if I had to pick one it would be Adam Scott because I’ve always liked him,” he said.

The journey to Augusta will start early for the groups, as they both plan to arrive on site prior to the event to enjoy the atmosphere.

“I’ve driven by the gates imaging what it would be like to go inside,” Remi’s father said. “So the real trophy for this whole thing is getting there.”

Thanks to Remi and Nyah both families will get to see what Magnolia Lane is all about.

For more information on Drive, Chip and Putt, click here.

Did you know: CN Future Links runs an annual National Junior Skills Challenge where participants from active CN Future Links sites across the country compete on the Junior Skills Leaderboard for a chance to attend the World Junior Girls Championship at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont. where they will compete at the CN Future Links National Junior Skills Challenge against other top competitors in their age category. 

To find out more information on the CN Future Links National Junior Skills Challenge, click here.