The Nova Scotia Golf Association will be kicking off the 2015 golf season Saturday, April 18, at the Brightwood Golf Club with an info session from industry leaders from Golf Canada and the United States Golf Association (USGA), who will discuss the latest industry trends and initiatives.

Mike Kelly, Director of Sport Development from the Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) will discuss some exciting initiatives that are available for member golf clubs across Canada. Mr. Kelly will be presenting information on Junior Golf Development Centre and how this program can improve the bottom line at any club.

Craig Loughry from the GAO and Golf Canada is an expert on the National Scoring Centre, as well as,Handicapping and Course Rating. Craig will demonstrate how to better manage your Score Centre and how it can be an integral part of any club’s operation.

The membership model of NSGA and Golf Canada will be changing over the next 3 years. Karen Hewson, Golf Canada Managing Director of Membership, and Christine Dengel, Golf Canada Regional Director, will detail these exciting changes.

Pace of Play – one of the biggest topics in the sport – will take centre-stage with representatives from the USGA sharing their findings. Hunki Yun, Director of Strategic Projects for the USGA will be here to present the latest trends and dispel myths about Pace of Play from around world. Mr. Yun will share how the latest technologies and innovations are helping golfers and clubs manage their time on the course.

This exciting day will begin at 10 a.m. at the Brightwood Golf Club in Dartmouth, N.S.

This event is open to NSGA Members and Clubs. Please note that space is limited. To register, please RSVP to jan@nsga.ns.ca or call 902-468-8844!

The complete agenda is available here.

When:  Saturday, April 18, 2015 

Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Where: Brightwood Golf and Country Club, Dartmouth, N.S.

Registration is FREE and open to all NSGA Members and Clubs.

One of the three clubs used for the British Open with a male-only membership policy has voted to allow female members for the first time.

Royal St. George’s, which last hosted golf’s oldest major in 2011, said on Wednesday more than 81 percent of the club’s full members took part in a ballot, and 90 percent voted in favor of women being eligible for membership.

“It is extremely good news going forward,” Tim Checketts, club secretary of Royal St. George’s, told The Associated Press.

The rule change will take immediate effect. Checketts said it usually takes a year to accept new male members, but the timeframe can be quicker for juniors, and that could be the case for women.

The resolution to alter the rules on membership at Royal St. George’s was passed following a general meeting on Feb. 14.

Royal Troon and Muirfield are the other host clubs of the British Open to have male-only memberships. Troon hosts the Open next year, and has already said the club was reviewing its membership policy.

The eligibility of female members in Britain’s leading clubs was a hot topic that was brought further into scrutiny in September, when The Royal & Ancient Golf Club voted to end its male-only policy after 260 years. That club’s corporate structure, the R&A, organizes The British Open.

Last month, seven women accepted invitations to become honorary members of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club, whose clubhouse overlooks the Old Course at St. Andrews and is among the most famous buildings in golf.

Darren Clarke won the British Open when it was at Royal St. George’s four years ago.

UXBRIDGE, Ont. – The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) has announce the 2015 team for the annual Can-Am Matches, March 21-22, against South Carolina at the Wachesaw Plantation Club in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, just south of Myrtle Beach.

The 2015 matches will mark the 17^th playing of the event and feature 16 of the top ranked junior golfers from Ontario taking on 16 of the top junior players from the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation.

Representing Ontario at the matches will be all of the current Team Ontario members. Joining them will be Golf Canada National Development Team members, and former Team Ontario players, Trevor Ranton and Grace St-Germain. Rounding out the girls’ side will be Eunice Hong, who finished the 2014 season 10^th on both the Golf Canada and GAO Junior Girls Orders of Merit.

The Team

• Trevor Ranton, 17, Waterloo and Whistle Bear Golf Club
• Max Sear, 17, Markham and York Downs Golf and Country Club
• Jason Chung, 15, Thornhill and Pheasant Run Golf Club
• Brendan Seys, 16, Port Lambton and Maple City Country Club
• Jackson Bowery, 17, London and Greenhills Golf Club
• Kyle MacDonald, 17, Burlington and Rattlesnake Pointe Golf Club
• Jake Bryson, 15, Dunrobin and Eagle Creek Golf Club
• Kelvin Lim, 13, Thornhill and Station Creek Golf Club
• Grace St- Germain, 16, Orleans and Hylands Golf Club
• Alyssa Getty, 17, Ruthven and Kingsville Golf and Country Club
• Monet Chun, 14, Richmond Hill and The Summit Golf and Country Club
• Madeline Marck-Sherk, 17, Ridgeway and Bridgewater Country Club
• Diana McDonald, 17, Kingston and Loyalist Country Club
• Isabella Portokalis, 13, London and the London Hunt and Country Club
• Chloe Currie, 15, Mississauga and Mississaugua Golf and Country Club
• Eunice Hong, 17, Thornhill and the Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto

This year’s team is filled with players who will make their Can-Am Matches debut. Only six of the 16 team members have previously taken part in the Can-Am Matches, including Ranton, St. Germain, Sear, Seys, Getty and Chun.

The opening day features team best-ball matches followed by singles matches on day two. The scoring format for the matches is slightly different than a traditional match play event. In each match, there are 18 points available, one for each hole, ensuring that all 18 holes are played. If a hole is halved, each player or team receives half a point. The format stresses the importance of each player focusing on one hole at a time.

LAFAYETTE, La. – Team Canada Development Squad member Tyler Saunders fired a final-round 69 at the Louisiana Classics on Tuesday to finish runner-up at 7-under par.

Saunders, 19, totalled 13 birdies coupled with a second-round eagle at Oakbourne Country Club en route to his second top-three performance in as many weeks — the 6’6 Sturgeon County, Alta., native earned co-medalist honours at the Mobile Sports Authority last week in Moble, Ala.

The Texas State freshman shared a sense of boosted confidence following his impressive performance these past couple weeks.

“I felt like last week was just the start of something,” Saunders said. “I think I just now need to get my short game really good, but I feel like I’m swinging it really well.”

As a team, the Texas State Bobcats finished in second place behind champion University of Illinois. Saunders and the Bobcats have a week off before teeing-it-up again at the Border Olympics in Laredo, Tex.

Click here for full results.

Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru has opened registration to all women across Canada for 2015.

Now in its 12^th season, Golf Fore the Cure aims to add to an already impressive fundraising total, which surpassed the $5 million mark in 2014.

Last year, 13,000 women combined to raise over $360,000 through 170 events across Canada. Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru is hoping to one-up those numbers in 2015, shooting for a goal of 14,000 participants with over $500,000 raised.

Golf Fore the Cure encourages adult women of all skill levels to participate in fun-filled golf events while raising money for breast cancer research. Like years past, all funds from 2015 will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Register for an event by clicking here.

MOBILE, Ala. – Tyler Saunders of Team Canada’s Development Squad captured co-medalist honours at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate on Tuesday, earning his first win of his young collegiate career.

Saunders, a freshman at Texas State, shot rounds of 72-66-73 to finish at 5-under par for the tournament, setting the fifth-lowest score in school history in the process. He shared medalist honours with Auburn’s Matt Gilchrest.

“It meant a lot,” said the Sturgeon County, Alta. native. “I felt like I’ve been working pretty hard and hadn’t been getting the results I’ve wanted, so it’s nice to have that reward for how hard I feel like I’ve been trying to improve.”

The 19-year-old topped the field with 16 birdies, helping the Bobcats finish in seventh place overall.

Saunders and the Bobcats will tee-it-up again next week at the Louisiana Classic tournament in Lafayette, La.

Click here for full scoring.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Paul McLean of King, Ont. was inducted as Golf Canada’s 112^th  President during the National Sport Federation’s Annual General Meeting this weekend in Mississauga, Ont.

McLean succeeds 2014 President Douglas Alexander of London, Ont. while Roland Deveau of Bedford, N.S. becomes First Vice-President and Leslie Dunning of Calgary assumes the role of Second Vice-President.

“It is with great pride and humility that I assume the post of 112th President of Golf Canada,” said McLean. “It was an honour to have served as First Vice-President under Doug and to have witnessed first-hand his tremendous leadership and unequalled dedication to our game. I would like to thank him and the Board for their trust and I look forward to working with our members and stakeholders to further grow our game and promote excellence in our sport.”

McLean, Deveau and Dunning will lead Golf Canada’s 2015 Board of Directors which also includes Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que.; Liz Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont.; Dale Jackson of Victoria, B.C.; Rob MacDonald of Winnipeg; Don MacKay of Bracebridge, Ont.; Nick Marrone of Toronto; Pat Thompson of Kelowna, B.C.;  as well as immediate past President Douglas Alexander.

Dave Mills, Bob Weeks and the late Gordon Stollery honoured as Co-Recipients of Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award
Created in 1993, Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service award has been awarded annually to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the game of golf in Canada. This year’s recipients are former Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) Executive Director Dave Mills, SCOREGolf Editorial Director and television personality Bob Weeks, and the late (Arthur) Gordon Stollery of Markham, Ont. Click here for more information on Mills, Weeks and Stollery.

Diane Barabé named Volunteer of the Year
Diane Barabé of Granby, Que. was recognized as Golf Canada’s Volunteer of the Year for 2014. This marks the ninth year in which this initiative has recognized individuals in the golf community for their tireless efforts and dedication in helping to grow the game in Canada.

Click here for more information on Barabé.

Mike Carroll appointed as Honorary Life Governor
Congratulations to Mike Carrollof Vancouver on being named an Honorary Life Governor with Golf Canada. Carroll served as Golf Canada’s 110th president in 2013.

Annual Report & Strategic Plan
Click here for Golf Canada’s 2014 Annual Report including a recap of the past season as well as the association’s 2014 Financial Statements.

Click here for Golf Canada’s One Vision Strategic Plan, outlining the key activities that Golf Canada is focused on as the National Sport Federation and governing body for golf.

Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting has historically been an important week in the lead up to the coming competitive season. In addition to appointing its new president and members to the Board of Directors, the association presents details of its strategic plan and gathers with key stakeholders from the provincial golf associations as well as a number of national association partners.  The AGM also celebrates key accomplishments from the previous year and provides the association a forum to discuss issues and opportunities facing the Canadian golf industry.

Ever seen the keeper of a treasured trophy, let’s say the Stanley Cup, for example, handle that icon? White gloves, measured steps, polishing… all while moving it from place to place, exposing it to more and more admirers.

Picture Doug Alexander in that figurative role during his tenure in 2014 as the 111th president of Golf Canada.

“My priority was to move Golf Canada’s plan forward during my year as president, not to put my fingerprints all over it,” said Alexander as he prepared to make way for his successor, Paul McLean of King Township, Ont., at Golf Canada’s annual general meeting in February. “It wasn’t about Doug Alexander’s game plan. It was about what was best for the organization, furthering Golf Canada’s vision to ensure the vitality and sustainability of golf.”

Talk to some who have held similar top positions in other organizations, and you get “picture postcard” memories: where they’ve been, who they’ve met, what they’ve seen. And while Alexander has his share of those, they are less “postcards from abroad” than potential building blocks for the game in this country.

Even though he was fortunate that several championships—the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, the PGA TOUR Canada Tour Championship, the Canadian Women’s Amateur and the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada—were all held in his hometown of London, Ont., he still was on the road for many weeks. Call them working vacations, with the emphasis on “working.”

“Highlights have to include going to all the national amateur events and The Masters and the Open Championship and, certainly, the World Amateur in Japan,”

Alexander recalls, “but [Golf Canada CEO] Scott Simmons and I made an effort to use them as great opportunities to meet with our counterparts from the provinces and from all over the world—the U.S., Scotland, Ireland, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and others. So we really learned a lot about what these countries were doing, sharing initiatives and best practices.

“But we were also happy to discover that they were just as interested in what we do here and I now have a greater appreciation of what we are accomplishing here in Canada to improve participation and performance. We have a very good framework here and now we have to strengthen the linkages among all concerned to move the game forward.”

Doug Alexander with 2014 RBC Canadian Open champion Tim Clark (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

Alexander comes by his abiding passion for golf naturally. His earliest memories are of playing as a young lad in his native Scotland. “I played with my grandmother as often as I could and with some people who are still my closest friends today,” he said as he accepted the presidency in 2014. “I would go out and play nine holes in the evening with my mum and dad. Fifty-plus years later, I still view golf as a game that at its heart and soul is about camaraderie and friendship.”

You can hear echoes of those childhood rounds in Alexander’s Scottish accent. Even more clearly, you understand how much he cherishes the friendships and connections he has made through golf, as an outstanding player and volunteer over many years, not only as president of Golf Canada.

“It was such a pleasure to meet [outstanding players such as] the Brooke Hendersons, the Corey Conners, the Taylor Pendriths, and to realize the quality of those young people, not just as athletes but as well-rounded people. For example, at the World Amateur, many people came up to me and said, ‘These are really nice kids. You should be very proud.’ And I was, as our whole country should be.”

During his tenure, Alexander remained very cognizant not only of his role as an ambassador for the game both within Canada and around the world, but as the president of a national sports organization for a game that is undeniably facing challenges not just here at home, but worldwide.

Repeatedly, he advocated making golf courses more playable, enjoyable and affordable, as well as imploring the industry to be more welcoming to families and youngsters. He understands this requires a massive initiative involving all stakeholders in the sport, from the ground up, literally.

“This is not something that is accomplished in a year. As an example, I love what we are trying to do with National Golf in Schools, but we need good linkages. How do we get the professionals and the clubs to create a pathway for those kids to follow their interest in golf, to get them and their families on the green grass?

“We’ve been building that program and others over the years and now we are reaching a critical mass where we have to work with all our partners to move the game to the next stage.”

When Doug Alexander accepted the presidency of Golf Canada, he vowed to be “a vocal advocate for the sport.” There is no doubt he has been one since those early rounds in Scotland, not just during his 12 months as president, and will continue to be one for many years to come.