What’s keeping you from trying golf for the first time or, if you have played in the past and strayed away from the most popular sport in Canada for some reason, seeing if you want to take it up again?

What if there was a fun, inexpensive and easy way to find out? It’s Get Golf Ready.

Dubious? Need some reassurance?

How about this overwhelming endorsement?  Last year, every single person—100 per cent—who participated in Get Golf Ready across Canada not only said they plan on continuing to play golf, but would recommend Get Golf Ready to their friends. Participants included men, women, children, couples and families.

Get Golf Ready offers five one-hour group sessions at a participating course or driving range at a recommended fee of just $99 for all five.  All equipment, including clubs and balls, is provided as is instruction by a PGA of Canada professional where available. Sessions include:

The Hole is the Goal

• How to get around the clubhouse and practice areas
• The many social benefits both on and off the golf course
• Suggestions on what to wear for golf fashion and comfort
• All about golf clubs and why there are different clubs in your bag
• Putting— the excitement of rolling the ball into the hole

Getting it Close

• Warm up, stretching and wellness tips
• The best ways to hold the club and get ready before you take a swing
• Getting the ball close to the hole—chipping, pitching and other shots from short distances
• Caring for the course

Swing, Swing, Swing

• Getting comfortable with the full swing
• Using your irons to get the ball in the air and onto the green
• Learn the “lingo,” like fairway, rough, tee box, green, divot, bunker, and more
• Having more fun using ‘It’s OK’ as the way to play

Driving School

• Swinging your driver and other big clubs to hit the long shots
• Starting your play from the correct tee markers – use Tee It Forward to have more fun
• Helpful shortcuts to save time while you play

Ready, Set … Go Golf!

• Linking all that you’ve learned to play a few holes
• Tips for playing in groups, on teams and other fun ways to play
• Getting you more comfortable on the course
• Review of basic rules and keeping score
• More opportunities for you to come back and play golf

“Get Golf Ready is designed to make people comfortable at the course, to help them get over that ‘intimidation factor’ that we all face the first few times we golf,” says Morgan Court, managing director of education for the PGA of Canada.

“I didn’t take up golf until I was in my late teens and I remember being a bit out of my comfort zone when I showed up at a course and had to ask some pretty basic questions. Get Golf Ready will answer those questions for a new golfer coming into the game now.”

The PGA of Canada partnered with the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada in 2010 to introduce the program to this county after it has been pioneered in the United States.

“Get Golf Ready is a tried-and-true program to ease anyone into the game,” says Nathalie Lavallee, NGCOA Canada’s chief operating officer. “It is especially welcoming for women who, for family or social or career reasons, want to see what golf is all about.

“To someone new to the game, a golf course can be an intimidating and confusing environment, and that has been a huge barrier in the past. This program helps everyone understand how to be comfortable in that environment. They quickly realize that it’s a fun and inclusive place to be.”

Participating facilities register for free and are provided with complimentary marketing, branding and resource materials and other support. “It’s a great opportunity for our golf professionals to connect with new or returning golfers,” says Court.

To find out more about Get Golf Ready, visit www.getgolfready.ca.

Just about everything about golf has evolved over the years—the equipment we use, the apparel we wear, even the Rules we play by. So, inevitably, have we— the golfers who play the game.

Originally, golf clubs were founded—and funded—by their members. When the clubs decided it would be beneficial to have someone organize and oversee things like interclub competitions, administration of the Rules, and so on, golf associations came to be. In turn, the clubs supported those associations financially.

In modern times, that model is evolving yet again. While golf continues to be the most popular sport in Canada, a large majority of golfers now choose, for any number of reasons, not to join a traditional golf club. They love the game, but elect to play a variety of our country’s awesome selection of courses, rather than belong to just one.

By no means does this indicate that these golfers are any less enthusiastic or supportive of the game than their counterparts who choose to join a club. Far from it. We are all part of the same incredible sport and care about its future. Golf Canada realizes this and has acknowledged this evolution with a new membership model, one which welcomes the millions of players from coast to coast to be part of “golf in Canada.”

“Seventy or 80 years ago, about 90 per cent of golfers in Canada belonged to a club,” says Karen Hewson, Golf Canada’s Managing Director, Membership and Heritage Services. “In recent years, that has totally reversed. Now, fewer than 10 per cent are club members.”

One result of this reversal is that only a small percentage of golfers feel connected to the game in a larger sense; part of golf’s fabric, so to speak. They’re not part of that traditional club-based linkage, a situation that Golf Canada is reacting to in a positive way.

“Everyone who loves golf should feel that they are an important part of its traditions and of its future,” says Hewson. “Things like handicaps and course rating and Rules are, and will always be, integral to the game and Golf Canada’s role in it. But we are very aware that a very real priority is to build relationships with, communicating with, and educating everyone who plays the game, regardless of where they choose to play.”

After extensive surveys and focus groups conducted with golfers and facilities across Canada, a new structure will be rolled out across Canada over the next three years. The three-tiered program is so innovative that it is being viewed with great interest by other national golf associations who are considering revamping their own membership methods.

“The primary objective is to be more inclusive, to welcome all golfers to be a part of golf in Canada,” says Hewson. “In fact, the basic Bronze membership is free.”

The secondary objective is to enhance golfers’ playing experience with new tools on mobile devices, current golf information, a rewards program, online score posting and access to instructional tips, along with (at the Silver and Gold levels) upgraded benefits including an identification system that minimizes the impact of lost, stolen or damaged equipment and a program that offsets the cost of replacing lost, stolen or damaged equipment (or golf carts).

For no cost whatsoever, Bronze members receive discounts on tickets, merchandise and more; frequent rewards and prizes just for playing golf; score posting; the ability to track a season-long “ringer” scorecard at one course; basic statistics tracking, health information; dynamic course search; Global Golf Post and E-Golf News.

A Silver membership (available in 2016) costs $24.95 and offers all the Bronze benefits plus better discounts on tickets, merchandise and more; better rewards and prizes just for playing golf; more online/mobile tools for tracking your game; Golf Canada magazine home delivery; golf club labels and access to the Golf Canada Equipment Identification and Retrieval System; and online access to a PGA of Canada professional to assist and direct you on how to get the most out of your game.

For $49.95, a Gold membership gets you all of the above plus the best discounts on tickets, merchandise and more; the best rewards and prizes just for playing golf; access to provincial, national and other sanctioned events; official handicap factor; equipment guarantee (reimbursement for replacement of lost, stolen or damaged equipment); enhanced game tracking; internationally recognized membership card; and cart damage coverage.

Let’s say, for example, you are a member at an 18-hole semi-private golf club. The new membership model offers your club a couple of options.

The club may choose to pay its facility fee (another new concept) and then turn over the membership aspect to Golf Canada. When you visit the Golf Canada Score Centre at www.golfcanada.ca to post a score for the first time, you will be asked which level of membership you prefer: Bronze, Silver or Gold. Silver and Gold membership fees can be charged to your credit card at that time.

Alternatively, the club pays its facility fee and purchases memberships for its members directly from Golf Canada.

In addition to the new strategy and benefits for individuals, the reworked Golf Canada initiative offers benefits for golf facilities as well.

“We want to be partners in the game with every facility, from driving ranges to public courses to private clubs,” says Hewson. “We also want to provide every golfer in Canada, and I emphasize ‘every golfer’, a more enjoyable golf experience, more choices, and a broader perspective on the game.”

If you’re a golfer, you can find out more at www.golfcanada.ca/join. If you are a golf facility operator, please contact members@golfcanada.ca.

What would it be worth to play one of the best courses in the country with the chance to qualify to take on Glen Abbey Golf Club the Monday after the RBC Canadian Open, experiencing the same conditions as the PGA Tour pros?

Just imagine if, at the same time, you were supporting junior golf programs in Canada.

For a golfer, it just doesn’t get any better.

The new Golf Canada Foundation “Play Like The Pros Charity Challenge” gives you that “bucket list” opportunity.

As of May 10th, you can register your foursome at www.playliketheprosgolf.com to guarantee your spot in this incredible event. First come, first served!

Take your pick from this list of exclusive courses (as of May 9): The National Golf Club of Canada, Hamilton Golf and Country Club, Redtail Golf Course, Coppinwood Golf Club, Oviinbyrd Golf Club, Summit Golf and Country Club, Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, and London Hunt and Country Club.

To support this endeavour, each of these outstanding clubs has donated one hour of tee times—five foursomes. Each team will compete against the other four teams at their chosen venue using a Stableford format to qualify for an exclusive outing, complete with caddies, at Glen Abbey on July 27. Imagine watching the exciting final round of our Open on Sunday and then playing that same course, under the identical tournament setup conditions, the day after!

Even if you don’t win at the course you selected, you still have a chance to get to that special Glen Abbey outing.

Golf Canada CEO Martin Barnard explains. “The objective is to raise funds to support junior golf, so let’s say your team finishes second at the course you selected. You think, ‘Wow, that was so much fun, but wouldn’t it be awesome to play in the Glen Abbey event?’ Well, you can, if you are one of the five top fundraising teams.” Those five teams will join the winning teams from each of the qualifying venues on July 27 for the golf experience of a lifetime.

Thanks to sponsor TaylorMade adidas Golf, participants will receive a welcome gift when they register at their qualifying site. Those who go on to Glen Abbey will get more gifting, as will the top fundraising teams.

“I know it’s a cliché,” says Barnard, “but this is a ‘win-win’ for everyone who participates. The golfers get to play incredible courses, the courses and their members unselfishly support junior golf, and everyone is helping the future of the game in Canada.”

Don’t wait! Spaces are limited. Visit www.playlikethepros.com now to register your foursome.

To learn more about all of Golf Canada’s philanthropic initiatives, go to www.golfcanadafoundation.com.

It could be considered golf’s equivalent of “from the cradle to the grave.”

Officially known as “Long-Term Player Development 2.0,” this publication was released during Golf Canada’s annual meeting in February and its significance cannot be overemphasized.  In fact, PGA of Canada Technical Director Glenn Cundari says this country is already seeing “the fruits of our labours” from the first iteration of the plan on both the amateur and professional fronts.

“We started working on the first version in 2006,” says Cundari, who, along with numerous other experts, was an integral part of producing not only the guide itself, but also the ancillary materials that support it. He says his informal analysis shows that the success of Canadian male and female golfers started to curve upward not long after. Anyone who has been paying attention over the past few years can’t disagree.

While the latest version includes numerous refinements, he says the underlying intent remains the same as it was nine years ago. “We must create a culture of doing the right thing at the right time. We have to think long-term and that is a challenge for parents, tours, media, everyone … even the players themselves. Everyone worries about ‘right now’.”

To that end, shortly after Golf Canada was designated as the National Sports Organization for the game by Sport Canada in 2005, a team of acknowledged experts from various fields was assembled. With Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada leading the golf effort, people like Dr. Stephen Norris, vice-president of WinSport Canada, and Dr. Istvan Balyi, a world-renowned sports scientist with Canadian Sport For Life, were brought onboard to provide their proven proficiency in lifelong athlete development.

Balyi was on hand at the Golf Canada meetings to unveil the new Long-Term Player Development 2.0 Guide, along with Cundari and Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Jeff Thompson. As one of the architects of the long-term athlete development (LTAD) model, Balyi has served as an advisor for 50 sports in seven countries and facilitated the use of LTAD for more than 20 countries. So while he may not know golf per se, he sure understands player development.

That process, he said in a 2013 article in Active For Life, “involves a somewhat complex array of sport science and best practices in coaching to optimize how we develop athletes in Canada. But it really has one simple purpose: to get our kids doing the right thing at the right times under the right conditions during their development.”

For evidence of his influence, you need look no further than how the Long-Term Player Development 2.0 Guide is organized. The 80-page spiral-bound booklet describes seven age-based “developmental stages of the competitive pathway” under the heading “Golf For Life”: Active Start, Fundamentals, Learn to Golf, Introduction to Competition, Learn to Compete, Train to Compete and Compete to Win. In tune with the “Golf For Life” theme, it starts at birth and theoretically continues to … well, you know.

This is not to say the Long-Term Player Development 2.0 Guide is the “be-all and end-all” when it comes to creating competitive golfers in Canada. It is, says Golf Canada’s Thompson, “the backbone, the blueprint, the framework from which to build programming. It is an ongoing process.”

Indeed, the Guide itself states that its purpose is to bring “a continued focus on working towards developing the potential of every golfer in Canada while simultaneously increasing participation in the sport.”

It also admits that these “lofty but attainable goals” will not be reached without buy-in by all stakeholders. That includes not only national organizations such as Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada, but club professionals, course owners, administrators and parents. “Synergies can result from positively harnessing the different roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in order to both ensure and progress the future of golf in Canada.”

While Cundari says his fellow PGA of Canada members have supported the LTPD concept, he admits that widespread awareness of the program leaves something to be desired. That should change, given the fact that the Guide can be purchased for a nominal cost from the Golf Canada web site where a downloadable PDF version is also available. An innovative mobile app has been developed and other supporting resources, including videos, are available at golfcanada.ca/LTPD, not just for accredited instructors and coaches, but for parents and other interested parties.

Those “interested parties” may include Community Golf Coaches, a new concept also unveiled at the Golf Canada annual meeting in February.

Community Golf Coach is a training program designed by the PGA of Canada in conjunction with the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) and Golf Canada to develop and educate individuals at the community sport level, particularly volunteers and parents.

The Community Golf Coach training, supported by CN Future Links, is a workshop is designed for the individual who works with children or youth to introduce the basic skills of golf to them. The program’s goal is to train volunteers to lead games and activities in a way that is suitable for children, deliver pre-designed Future Links lesson plans in an effective manner, deliver Levels 1-3 of the CN Future Links Learn to Play program, assist your local PGA of Canada professional to deliver Levels 4-7 of the Learn to Play Program, become a key volunteer for your provincial golf association, and be recognized by your provincial sport association as a trained coach in the CAC database. More details are available from your provincial golf association.

“We have to take the vision that everyone who cares about golf in this country has and make it a reality,” says Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “LTPD is one way that helps us achieve that reality. It is a cooperative effort and we need everyone involved in the game to adopt that vision.”

For all the talk in the past about a “golf community” in Canada, well, that’s pretty well all it was: Talk.

But the announcement last week of a joint campaign by an alliance of Canadian golf leaders to market the game in this country puts the lie to that previous statement.

“The campaign—Golf Canada Golf—is designed to inspire Canadian golfers through storytelling, inviting enthusiasts to share their stories and special connections to the game through a series of promotional activities across video, broadcast, print, online and social media,” according to a press release issued by Golf Canada.

So while the “community” aspect of having various Canadian golf organizations acting together for the betterment of the game is noteworthy, even more significant is the goal of the initiative itself: To create a true community, a cohesive network, of golfers from coast to coast.

“Among golfers, there’s always a story—memorable shots, a round with family, playing your favourite course, a golf trip with friends, witnessing first-hand the incredible skills of PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour players, or using the game to overcome personal adversity,” says Gavin Roth, Golf Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer and campaign spokesperson. “The Golf Canada Golf campaign invites Canadians to share their own experiences as well as read or watch other compelling stories to remind us what makes the game great and ultimately encourage enthusiasts to play more golf.”

The hub of the initiative is a new web site, www.golfcanadagolf.ca, where golfers can share their stories and videos. The site, which was officially launched last week, already is populated with several excellent long-form videos which Roth calls “mini-documentaries, in which golfers tell some heartfelt stories.

“The site will also feature a social media hub that curates stories using the hash tag #golfcanadagolf as well as resources for golfers looking to find a course, connect with a PGA of Canada professional or learn more about junior golf programs in their community,” the release says.

“We want to create a movement, provide the encouragement for Canadians to share their golf stories and to be inspired by other people’s stories and to be reminded, if they need reminding that is, just what a great game this is,” says Roth, who has already posted his own story on www.golfcanadagolf.ca.

If you love golf and you hear the PGA of Canada’s technical director describe it as “just another sport,” you may be, at the least, dismayed and, maybe, shocked.

But don’t worry. It’s all good, and for the betterment of the game.

Glenn Cundari has been integral in the development of the Long Term Player Development program (LTPD) for golf in Canada. And integral to the program itself is the new Community Golf Coach concept which was designed by the PGA of Canada in conjunction with the Coaching Association of Canada and Golf Canada.

“The previous Future Links Leader program was flawed and, as a result, largely unsuccessful,” says Cundari. “So we stepped back, had a fresh look, retooled the whole concept, and the result is pretty exciting.”

The LTPD’s Community Sport Stream is a phase of development where participants are being initiated into the game. The stream is aimed at supporting children from six to 12 years old. In most other sports, properly trained volunteers are core leaders in the early development of young participants. That’s what Cundari means when he says golf has to be addressed as “just another sport.” Now, in line with most of those other sports, golf has recognized that in order to be more accessible, volunteers must be at the heart of the model.

This grassroots level of leadership is open to individuals who are not members of the PGA of Canada. They must complete a two-day workshop with both classroom and outdoor components to enable them to deliver the CN Future Links Learn To Play program. As a result, they will play a vital role in supporting other volunteers and PGA of Canada members at club-level junior programs by assisting with the administration and/or delivery of the program.

“There are ideal candidates for this program right across the country,” says Cundari. “They are parents or other passionate people who likely are already helping out with junior programs at courses that may or may not have a PGA of Canada professional. The fact of the matter is that there just aren’t enough PGA of Canada professionals to successfully engage all the kids who want to play golf, so that’s where the Community Golf Coach comes in. Let’s give them proper training and let them facilitate that first step into a lifetime of golf.”

Becoming a Community Golf Coach incorporates the following:

• Reflect on Self as a Community Golf Coach
• CN Future Links Programming
• Growth and Development
• Teaching and Learning
• Safety and Risk Management
• Golf Equipment
• Technical
• Values
• Rules and Etiquette
• Ethical Coaching
• Activity Design
• Session Planning
• Activity and Session Implementation

Roll out of the new Community Golf Coach program has begun across Canada.

To find out how you can become part of this exciting new program, contact Matt Allen, the PGA of Canada’s education coordinator, at 1-800-782-5764 ext. 236 or email matt@pgaofcanada.com.

If you think your golf course superintendent hangs the “Course Closed” sign at the entrance as he heads out for a lengthy winter vacation in the sun, you are sorely mistaken.

But that is just one of many misconceptions about the role of the superintendent, including what they do during the off-season.

If noted novelist (and unintentional golf writer) Charles Dickens was writing this article, he might begin with the words: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. … It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”

Bill Green, superintendent at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont., has experienced a few winters of despair, notably the ice-related devastation in Southern Ontario during the winter of 2013-2014. Many courses lost some, if not all, of their greens and thousands of trees were damaged.

“There’s really nothing you can do when you get a winter like that,” laments Green, who says he is “cautiously optimistic” about the coming season (Dickens’s “spring of hope”) after an Ontario winter that brought its share of snow and cold temperatures but no disasters like the previous one.

During the off-season, which generally runs from the end of October to mid-April, he and his colleagues in most of Canada, east of the Rockies that is, have plenty to keep them busy. Green readily rhymes off a list.

“There are lots of winter projects like tree programs which you like to do in the off season so you’re not disrupting play. There are health and safety programs, continuing education like attending conferences and symposiums, establishing maintenance policies and procedures, interviewing and hiring and training staff, staying in regular communication with the members, meeting with the Board and committees, establishing a budget, refurbishing and painting golf course furniture, working with the mechanic to get all the equipment in top-notch condition … the list goes on. Oh, and you have to take some time for vacation with the family, too. You have a lot to make up for when you are away from them at the course for so many hours during the season.”

As Green recites his list, looking out at snow-covered Cutten Fields, Dave Kennedy mentions casually that there were 190-plus golfers on his course, the Vancouver Golf Club, on a recent Sunday. Dickens might have called it A Tale of Two Countries.

In stark contrast to the majority of Canada, particularly the Maritimes, B.C.’s Lower Mainland has had an unusually mild winter, even for that region. As a result, there has been no “off season” as such for golf courses and their superintendents. No “Course Closed” signs here.

So, understanding that every superintendent across the country has to attend to all the items Green mentioned, how do Kennedy and his West Coast colleagues cope?

“A lot of things we normally do over the winter just didn’t happen this year,” says Kennedy, “so we have to try to fit them in and get them done before the heat of the season.”

In terms of “heat,” this summer brings significantly more than most, since the Canadian Pacific Women’s Canadian Open arrives Aug. 17-23. It will be the fourth time the LPGA has visited Vancouver GC. To Kennedy’s advantage, he was there the last time in 2012. Also working on his behalf are the mild winter and the less demanding requirements of an LPGA tournament versus a PGA TOUR event.

“Other than a few minor changes, the course will play almost the same way it usually does for the members,” Kennedy says, putting to rest the widely held belief that the arrival of a major event totally disrupts the normal routine of a course and its members.

With that misconception dispelled, Kennedy points out that many golfers vastly underestimate the role of the superintendent. “I don’t think many people realize just how technical our profession has become over the years.”

A visit to the web siteof the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association www.golfsupers.com will confirm that.

Like a goalie in hockey, superintendents seldom get the credit they deserve when things are going well, yet, when things go badly, they get far more than their share of the blame.

For the most part, that scenario plays out because the majority of golfers don’t understand the vital and ever-expanding role of the superintendent, not only during the golf season but also in the off season. Time to change that.

Timing and balance are vital in golf. Not just in the swing itself, but in the context of the future of the game.

That has been demonstrated recently at Golf Canada—from its anointment as the National Sport Federation for the game, to its rebranding from the Royal Canadian Golf Association, to its revamped governance model that has seen a more inclusive, balanced leadership at the Board level.

That was evident at the Golf Canada annual general meeting in February when Paul McLean was elected the 112^th president of the venerable association. McLean of King City, Ont., is known throughout the Canadian golf industry as co-founder and president of Maxium, one of the country’s leading privately held leasing companies, with assets exceeding $1 billion. A significant portion of that billion dollars is focused on approximately 800 golf courses, which Maxium supports through leasing, loans and mortgages.

In contrast to the past, where Golf Canada Board members made their trek to the top job through volunteerism at provincial associations and moved up through the ranks, the association also now identifies qualified individuals to join the Board to share their business acumen. McLean was invited to do so in 2008.

“It is a sign of the times,” says McLean, 57. “The association needed to capture a broader experience profile and varied expertise to balance the Board. As a result, we now have not only geographic balance but a balance of skill sets and perspectives. We have the breadth and depth we need going forward.”

There is no question that the timing is right to have McLean at the helm. A member not only of Golf Canada, but also of the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, he understands intimately the urgency of building bridges among all the stakeholders in the game.

“This is big business,” says McLean. “Golf has a $14.3-billion economic impact in this country. There are about 37,000 golf events in Canada each year, raising about $500 million for all sorts of charities. But we realize we have to address declining participation and other challenges. We need courage, focus, flexibility, energy, from every sector of the game to meet those challenges. Everyone is passionate about the game, but we have to harness that passion.”

“Passion” is a word that McLean uses frequently when speaking about golf. His passion for the game began when his Grade 7 teacher gave him three old clubs. When his parents decided that chipping and putting on the living room carpet was no longer acceptable, he moved on to a local driving range, then to a couple of executive courses. At 14, he graduated to a full-sized course where, if you waited until the end of June, you could get a junior membership for $35. “I think, given the number of rounds I played, it worked out to about 25 cents a round!”

Whatever the cost, the payoff was worth it. A natural athlete, he quickly won the junior championship and then the overall club championship at the age of 16. He still carries an enviable handicap factor of 1.

As a tribute to his lifelong work ethic, he managed those accomplishments and maintained top grades while working at the family’s creamery. During the school year, he would rise before dawn to drive a truck to various dairies, returning in time to get to class. That discipline has stood him in good stead to this day.

After obtaining his bachelor’s degree and MBA at McMaster University in Hamilton, where he played varsity hockey and basketball and was a teaching assistant, he was hired by Xerox. There he learned the fundamentals of the lending business, which he used to found Triathlon Equipment Leasing, a steppingstone to Maxium.

In addition, he is a member of ownership groups at Coppinwood Golf Club in Claremont, Ont., and Oviinbyrd Golf Club near MacTier, Ont. It is a wonder he finds time to spend with his wife Carol and his two children, a daughter who attends McMaster and a son who is in the Professional Golf Management Program at Humber College and plays on their golf team.

“I enjoy everything I do,” says McLean. “I don’t need a lot of sleep and I have always been energetic.”

He will need all that energy in the coming year as president of Golf Canada. He cites the new membership model, which will be introduced over a three-year period, as a prime initiative.

“We have a lot of great programs, but we need to make every golfer in Canada aware of them. There is a mindset among a lot of people, a preconceived notion, of what Golf Canada was and what we did. We have to change that misconception and quickly. Those days are gone. We’ve come a long way in a short time. Now we have to get everyone on board.

“I don’t suggest by any means that this will all happen in one year, my year as president. But I am honoured to be part of the process and will do my best to help that happen.”

Get to know more about McLean by watching his Golf Canada presidential induction speech below.

Although “love” is a term more associated with tennis than professional golf, there will be a lot of Valentine’s Day cards being exchanged this week on the PGA Tour.

While we can’t overlook wonderful long-term relationships like Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, who will celebrate their 55^th wedding anniversary this year, there is a remarkable love story much closer to home for Canadians: Graham and Ruby DeLaet.

Married in 2008, the couple met when Graham, from Weyburn, Sask., was attending Boise State University in Idaho on a golf scholarship and she was working in the bank he patronized. They came face to face and it was love at first sight. Or maybe not quite?

“It was more like attraction at first sight,” recalls Ruby with a smile. “It didn’t take long, however, to know that we had something special. I think we actually told one another that we loved each other about one month in …. Graham said it first, by the way! My heart had never felt so full and that pretty much eradicated any concerns I could have had.  I know Graham was a bit concerned about his future profession and how that would affect our relationship but I reassured him it did not matter.  I would rather miss someone I loved than not love anyone at all.”

That resolve must have been tested during the early days of their marriage when Graham was paying his dues on lower-echelon circuits such as PGA Tour Canada, travelling from stop to stop alone. “I went to only three events in the three years he was out there, but when he received his PGA Tour status, it felt like a dream come true and it still does.”

Now the couple travel together and despite the occasional hiccup of lost luggage and missed flight connections, they continue to live that dream. “At the end of the day, we are together, happy and healthy, and that’s all that matters.”

And lest you think Ruby categorizes herself as a “golf widow,” be prepared to be sternly corrected. “That term is over-used and annoying!” she exclaims. “You avoid being a golf widow by simply not accepting to be one.  If a spouse really doesn’t see her husband enough that she feels like a ‘widow,’ then something needs to change.  I have my own work and hobbies, such as getting our foundation off the ground, to keep me busy.”

She is referring to the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation. Founded last year, the foundation’s central focus is on improving children’s health and wellness as well as developing junior golfers in Saskatchewan, extending the couple’s commitment to “health and happiness,” not just for themselves but for others less fortunate.

“Graham and I have a lot of fun when we can work on something as a team.  Being able to provide funds and services to those in need is so rewarding.  Establishing the foundation provides a platform for us to get the word out and build recognition for charities near to our heart.  The fact that we get to do it together is icing on the cake.”

And while they haven’t been able to spend a lot of Valentine’s Days together, there is one that stands out, although not for the reason you may expect.

“The first year we started dating, Graham had been traveling for a college golf tournament and got home on Valentine’s Day.  I had made a calendar for him of pictures of us and was so excited to give it to him! He flew in really late and, by the time he got home, he was so tired he couldn’t even stay awake to look through it.”

So, despite that, if you’re looking for some romantic inspiration this Valentine’s Day, you need look no further than Graham and Ruby DeLaet, whose love for each other is not only demonstrated day in and day out, but envelopes many others through their foundation.

To follow Ruby on Twitter, go to @The_Rubes. To support the foundation and follow Graham and Ruby on Tour, go to www.grahamdelaet.com.

Talk about having big shoes to fill.

When Bill Paul worked his first RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club 38 years ago, his boss, the tournament chairman, was a man… no, a legend … known as “Mr. Canadian Open”—Richard (Dick) Grimm.

At the time, Paul was a Grade 12 student in Oakville, Ont., and was painting for Grimm’s son, Bob. Dick asked Bill to consider working at the first Canadian Open in 1977. He pounded in stakes, strung gallery ropes, hung signs and did all the other grunt work. When Paul, a varsity athlete, graduated from University, he declined an offer from the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League and came on board full-time at Golf Canada, learning the ropes (excuse the pun) about every detail of conducting a PGA Tour event under Grimm’s tutelage.

When Grimm left his post in 1992, Paul assumed the role of tournament director. Since then, he has indefatigably overseen much more than the convoluted logistics involved in putting on Canada’s only tour event, Canada’s national open championship. Starting in the mid-1990s, he ran our country’s first entry on the Champions Tour for several years, was the Tournament Director at the World Amateur in 1992, and ensured the LPGA Tour  went off without a hitch when Golf Canada took on the event in 2001. As golf grew, so did the scope of his job. Pounding stakes and stringing rope became the least of his worries. It was a whole new world with millionaire players, TV contracts, partnerships, sales, venue changes and more.

Now, four decades later, Paul and Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons have determined that another transition is in order. As Chief Championship Officer, Paul’s evolving responsibilities have become enormous: liaison with players, the tour, sponsors, government, clubs, arranging for future tournament venues, assisting with business development, and much more. Inevitably, the ground-level logistics of both the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open needed more constant and consistent attention.

Bill has played such an important role in championships and with our organization for so many years; now we have an opportunity to focus his experiences towards strategic activities that can impact the long term success of our championships,” said Simmons. “Succession planning is important and what allows us make this change with confidence is the quality of experts within our championship division ready to take on a larger role.”

“About 10 years ago, I saw that Brent McLaughlin was the one to succeed me in those responsibilities,” said Paul, 56. “He conducted himself so well with clubs and volunteers and has great attention to detail. He was the ideal choice.”

And so, in an orderly, seamless and predetermined transition of responsibilities, McLaughlin has been tabbed to be responsible for the successful operation day-to-day of both the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, an LPGA event. Big shoes to fill again.

For McLaughlin, it is a natural progression. For the past 15 years, McLaughlin has proven himself invaluable in various portfolios including Rules, amateur championships and handicapping, and for the past two years, has been Tournament Director for the CP Women’s Open.

“Conducting world class golf competitions is a big part of Golf Canada’s mandate and I’ve been fortunate over the past 15 years to tap into some incredible expertise,” said McLaughlin. “It’s an exciting time; we’ve got a solid tournament operations team in place ready to continue a legacy of championship excellence driven by Bill and Dick Grimm before that.”

For McLaughlin, this evolution means Paul will continue to mentor him in the increasingly demanding role of conducting professional championships. For Paul, it means he can take a longer-term view of these tournaments.

But no matter how big the shoes, there is no doubt that all concerned have hit the ground running.