Golf Canada More About Funding Than Branding

Repackaging and rebranding are quite often tactics used by corporations and other groups to sell the sizzle without throwing a new steak on the barbie.

Newspapers, for example, will go through redesigns to offer a fresh, new look their readers or a company that sells sport drinks will funnel its product into new bottles with the expectation that consumers will do a happy dance, even if the contents are exactly the same on the inside.

In the case of the consumer facing or rebranding introduced yesterday by the Royal Canadian Golf – oops, Golf Canada – at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., a coat of paint has been slapped on programs that have been around for years, topped off with a new logo. Read more

Golf Canada Unveils…Golf Canada

Golf Canada has officially become the new public identity of the Royal Canadian Golf Association, a name that has been around since 1895.

“Our operating structure and the day to day operation of our business will remain the same, but going forward, we will be working under the new Golf Canada brand,” said Golf Canada executive director Scott Simmons.

“Adopting Golf Canada as our new brand is more than simply changing our logo – we are committing to a new brand promise of customer service and inclusiveness; working together with the entire Canadian golf industry to grow and shape the future of our sport,” he said.

The move to rebrand the RCGA to consumers has been public knowledge for quite some time, but the official launch took place on Thursday at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

“We are working to inform Canadians about the junior golf programs and player development initiatives that we believe are the blueprint for success to grow our sport and rebranding ourselves Golf Canada gives us a public identity that better aligns with our role and responsibilities as the NSO,” said Simmons.

“We want all Canadian golfers to feel like they are a part of Golf Canada and take pride in helping to support the future growth of the game,” he said.

“With more Canadian golfers joining our association, we’ll have the resources that are critical to maintaining our world leading golf participation rate per capita and also create more world class athletes in our sport,” added Simmons.

The RCGA worked with TBWA\Toronto on the Golf Canada brand and a promotional campaign featuring Canadian tour players such as Mike Weir, Stephen Ames, Lorie Kane and Graham DeLaet will roll out in a few weeks.

Also contributing was EthnoDialogue, a Canadian multicultural marketing and communications company brought in to communicate with a diverse population. Promotional materials will be produced in Canada’s two official languages and eight others, as well.

Along with the rebranding initiative comes a new membership drive.

“Our strategy in launching our new membership program was threefold — retention, renewal and recruitment,” added Simmons.

“Telling the story of Golf Canada to our current members and member clubs of how membership dues are supporting the game, while providing a tangible value proposition that encourages public golfers to join us,” he said.

“As the National Sport Organization for golf in Canada, we are committed to the growing excellence and participation in the sport, but that mandate comes with a cost and we need the support of golfers to make it happen,” said Simmons.

“Our story is simple; when you are a member of Golf Canada you are playing a vital role in helping to fund programs that are working to grow the game,” added Simmons. “We must educate and remind our members of the important role they are playing to help grow the sport in Canada.”

Five corporations – RBC Insurance, RIM/BlackBerry, itravel2000, Aeroplan, and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) – have come on board with the membership initiative to offer benefits to Golf Canada members and clubs.

Can We Bridge The Development Gap?

The Canadian Tour has released a discussion paper about bridging the gap between the time that a young player turns pro and the time he makes it to the highest level of the game.

I use the word “he” because the paper deals solely with male players, but points out that the status of women’s professional golf “merits similar discussion.”

If the point of this paper is to start a discussion, you can’t talk about one and not the other – men and women need to be addressed at the same time, especially with the 2016 Olympics coming fast, which makes development such a hot button issue, according to the paper.

The Canadian Tour has been a prime development ground for both Canadians and players from around the world with names such as Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet, Steve Stricker and others going on to careers on the PGA Tour. It could be argued legitimately that it’s one of the best at developing talent. Read more

Will You Get Involved With Golf Canada?

The Royal Canadian Golf Association, known hereafter to the public as Golf Canada, has called a press conference for Thursday at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., to launch a rebranding that we’ve all known about for quite some time.

The RCGA is hoping the media will deliver a splash by informing readers and listeners about the specifics of a program that were already discussed in the most recent issue of its association magazine – you guessed it – Golf Canada, which came through mail slots about a week before the presser.

This week, the RCGA will expect the media to deliver this recycled news with a good-for-the-game attitude that ignores the fact that it has already put this news out there, with the obligatory happy face stamped all over the story. Read more

Don’t Hold Your Breath On Major Status

If you recall the concern about the future of the sponsor-less men’s Canadian Open a few years ago before RBC came on board, you’ll understand how speculation can result in rumours that don’t necessarily emanate from behind the closed doors where negotiations are taking place to renew a sponsorship deal.

In the case of CN, the railroad company that not only put the Canadian Women’s Open back on track but also elevated it to a penthouse view on the LPGA Tour, it looked for awhile that it may not be back, which would have been a disaster for the Royal Canadian Golf Association and the LPGA Tour.

Of course, there had been concern about the future of the Women’s Open prior to CN coming on board back in the fall of 2005, but in four events under its sponsorship, not including this year’s in Winnipeg, the tournament’s rise in stature has been meteoric. Read more

CN Returns As Title Sponsor

CN has returned as title sponsor of the Canadian Women’s Open, agreeing to a three-year deal with a two-year option that would carry it through to 2015.

The new agreement also includes sponsorship of the Canadian Women’s Tour development program and the Future Links junior program.

“Equally as important, our continued involvement with the event will provide a platform through the CN Miracle Match program to leave a lasting legacy at children’s hospitals in our event host communities,” said CN president Claude Mongeau.

“Each of these tremendous properties is making an impact through golf in local communities across Canada,” he added.

CN first came on board as title sponsor of Canada’s lone LPGA Tour event in 2005, with the first tournament under that sponsorship played the following year at London Hunt in London, Ont.

“In addition to their commitment to raising money for children’s hospitals in the name of the event, they have elevated the status of the CN Canadian Women’s Open and women’s golf in this country and are helping to support thousands of young golfers in communities across Canada,” said Scott Simmons, executive director of the Royal Canadian Golf Association.

CN coming on board once again as title sponsor is good news for the struggling LPGA Tour, which is playing a limited schedule in 2010, but the Canadian event will not receive consideration in the near future as a major tournament.

This year’s event will be played Aug. 26-29 at St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg and although the purse has dropped from 2.75-million to 2.25-million, it still ranks among the top five on the LPGA Tour.

RCGA Announces 2010 Schedule

A new format for the Canadian Amateur men’s event is among the highlights of this year’s Royal Canadian Golf Association championship schedule.

For the first time in the championship’s 106-year history, two courses will be used at the Canadian Amateur, allowing the field to be increased from 156 to 240 players.

The Amateur will be played at Redtail Golf Course and London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ont. The field will be cut to low 70 and ties after 36 holes, with the final two rounds played at London Hunt, which hosted the Amateur in 1930, ’38, and ’54.

“It’s important to have the best possible players competing in our national amateur championships and changing to the new 240-player, two-course format enables us to actively recruit top international, U.S. college and U.S. Walker Cup players in addition to Canada’s finest players,” said Brent McLaughlin, the RCGA’s director of rules, competitions and amateur status. “

“Our objective is to give these athletes a world-class competition with first-class hospitality. We plan to continue making enhancements in order to increase the international stature of our events and the overall player experience for those competing in our championships,” he added.

Here’s a look at the 2010 RCGA championship schedule:

CN Future Links Pacific Championship
Beach Grove Golf Club, Tsawwassen, B.C.
April 22-25

CN Canadian Women’s Tour
Quilchena Golf & Country Club, Richmond, B.C.
May 5-7

CN Future Links Ontario Championship
Sutton Creek Golf & CC, Essex, Ont.
May 27-30

Canadian University/College Championship
Kingswood Park, Fredericton, N.B.
May 30-June 3

CN Canadian Women’s Tour
Blue Springs Golf Club, Acton, Ont.
June 27-29

CN Future Links Prairie Championship
Rossmere Country Club, Winnipeg
June 27-30

CN Canadian Women’s Tour
Club de golf Rivermead, Gatineau, Que.
July 11-13

CN Future Links Quebec Championship
Club de golf Val des Lacs, Sainte-Sophie, Que.
July 11-14

CN Future Links Atlantic Championship
Bell Bay Golf Club, Baddeck, N.S.
July 18-21

RBC Canadian Open Qualifier
The Club at Bond Head – South, Bond Head, Ont.
July 19

RBC Canadian Open
St. Georges Golf & Country Club, Toronto
July 19-25

CN Future Links Western Championship
Pine Hills Golf Club, Rocky Mountain House, Alta.
July 19-22

Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship
Kingsville Golf & Country Club, Kingsville, Ont.
July 26-30

Canadian Junior Boys Championship
Richmond Country Club, Richmond, B.C.
August 2-6

Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship
Sawmill Creek Golf Resort, Camlachie, Ont.
August 2-6

Canadian Men’s Amateur Qualifier
London Hunt & Country Club, London, Ont.
August 9

Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship
London Hunt & Country Club/Redtail Golf Course, London, Ont.
August 10-15

Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship
The Royal Ottawa Golf Club, Gatineau, Que.
August 16-20

Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Senior Championship
Morningstar Golf Course, Parksville, B.C.
August 23-26

CN Canadian Women’s Open Qualifier
Elmhurst Golf & Country Club, Winnipeg
August 23

CN Canadian Women’s Open
St. Charles Country Club, Winnipeg
August 23-29

Canadian Men’s Senior Championship
St. Thomas Golf & Country Club, St. Thomas, Ont.
August 30- September 3

Making Life Easier For Junior Organizers

Winter tends to get in the way of golf at this time of year and so it was recently when I was scheduled to attend a Junior Golf 2010 and Beyond session held in partnership between the Canadian PGA, Royal Canadian Golf Association and provincial associations.

A winter storm prevented me from being at Old Ashburn in Halifax, but my lead assistant was able to make the session facilitated by Glenn Cundari of the Canadian PGA and that allowed me to pick up on the key points and objectives.

Much of the presentation and discussions were focused on the resources that the RCGA and Canadian PGA are making available to golf facilities across Canada.

Web-based applications allow a junior coordinator to input their players, track their results and set up full junior leagues. I tried one last year, but as an operator, it was tedious having to manually enter 160 juniors from our program and the league itself was a little bit limiting with only a match play format.

Things have improved significantly since then.

After receiving feedback from pros and coordinators, the joint partnership made the applications much more operator-friendly. We don’t have to type in the juniors’ information and the same goes for results of the junior skills competition. You simply upload your spreadsheet.

When I spoke with Glenn after the session, he mentioned that the online applications are a work in progress and they have people working on them all the time. If any pro or junior coordinator has feedback or would like to see something changed, they will look at it with the idea of making the site more effective.

That’s great news.

This is a great tool, so if you haven’t used it, give it a try or if you’re lacking in computer skills, have one of your assistants take it on. Either way, it’s much easier to use than in the past. Your juniors will enjoy watching their progress and seeing results over the course of a season.

You can get started by clicking here.

This provides a great added value to junior leagues and programs that will set your program apart and other topics were discussed at Junior Golf 2010 and Beyond. If you have a chance to catch one of these sessions in your area, it’s well worth the time.

Bauer Joins Team Canada

Ralph Bauer, a Class A Canadian PGA professional, has been named assistant coach of the Royal Canadian Golf Association’s national men’s team.

Bauer, the 2007 Ontario PGA Teacher of the Year, served as high performance coach for the Golf Association of Ontario for eight years before joining Team Canada.

Ralph will prove to be a valuable member of our Team Canada coaching staff,” said Jeff Thompson, chief sport development officer with the RCGA.

“His passion, experience and extensive golf knowledge will help to educate and inspire young athletes as they strive to excel in their amateur careers and beyond,” added Thompson.

Bauer looks forward to working with the team and coach Henry Brunton. “Henry is a great coach and mentor and I look forward to collaborating with him in the future to help further develop Canada’s best amateur golfers,” said Bauer.

“We have some tremendously talented young golfers involved in the program and I am excited about building on the team’s previous success and utilizing my experiences in developing world class athletes.”

Player Development Is Intriguing

I’m intrigued to see the proceedings this weekend at Junior Golf-2010 and Beyond, being conducted by the Royal Canadian Golf Association and Canadian PGA this weekend at Old Ashburn in Halifax.

The main topic will be the player development side and I’m interested to see where they’re going with it. They’re calling it a junior seminar and they’re doing it across the Atlantic Provinces.

It will discuss separating your junior program from others and I’m taking a couple of assistants. I’m assuming there will be a fair bit of dialogue about what people are doing to make their junior programs stand out.

It’s supposed to be an interactive session to learn what is available to enhance and support junior programs and they want to expose people to the latest long term player development research that’s been done.

We’re working on hosting a Nova Scotia Golf Association player development camp this year and we want to get more involved in player development. We’ve had a couple of kids come out of here with great success who took part in our instruction and we’re looking at an invitation to 10 top youngsters from across Atlantic Canada.

I’m pretty pleased with the job that we’ve done with the introduction to golf for the general public, especially on the women’s side with our two-day golf schools and our introductory schools. We’ve also had great success with our men’s two-day schools.

I see what going on at the elite level of hockey and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same thing in golf.

I’ve spoken with national team coach Henry Brunton and several coaches here in Atlantic Canada have enjoyed success with elite golfers.

We have a great facility, we have a great golf course to train kids. We’re full-length, we can make it as tough as we want and we’ve got a great practice facility. Why not use it for development?

A step towards that goal will be taken this weekend in Halifax and I’ll let you know how it goes next week.

RCGA Begins Olympic Preparation

The Winter Olympics in Vancouver seem like an odd place for a golf scouting mission, but Jeff Thompson, chief sport development officer for the Royal Canadian Golf Association, will be in town starting Saturday to pay attention to behind-the-scenes activities.

Thompson is visiting the Games as part of the Olympic Familiarization Program conducted by the Canadian Olympic Committee to introduce personnel from sports coming into the Games, or people who have never witnessed operations behind the scenes.

“We’re going to see what’s involved from a security standpoint, which is important just trying to prepare the players for what they’re going to experience when they get there, and the accommodations arrangements – what do they look like, what’s the athletes village like, where’s the eating area,” said Thompson. Read more

Another Honour For “Mr. Canadian Open”

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Dick Grimm has received yet another honour, with his induction last week into the Oakville Sports Hall of Fame in Oakville, Ont.

Grimm, known as “Mr Canadian Open,” for his work on the national championship from 1965 to 1993, attended the ceremony in Oakville with his son Richard and two grandchildren.

As part of the induction, Grimm was presented with a silver plate by former LPGA Tour player and Oakville native Sandra Post, another member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. In typical Grimm fashion, he credited tournament volunteers for their work during his days at the helm of the Canadian Open.

Grimm serves as Open chairman in 1965 at the Missisaugua Golf and Country Club and would later serve as chairman in 1970, ’75, ’77, ’78 and ’79, while serving as president of the Royal Canadian Golf Association in 1974.

After serving as an RCGA governor from 1969-74, Grimm became an honorary life governor in 1975 before serving as the RCGA’s director of professional tournaments from 1983-93. He went on to become Canadian Tour commissioner from 1993-97.

Bouchard, Armitage Join RCGA

Remi Bouchard joins Blair Armitage as new regional directors of membership development for the Royal Canadian Golf Association and will play an important role in establishing the new Golf Canada brand.

Bouchard will be responsible for the growth of membership programs as well as managing allied association and partner relationships in Quebec and New Brunswick, while Armitage will have the same responsibilities in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Bouchard and Armitage will also assist with the development and execution of Golf Canada-branded membership programs. They will also recruit, train and manage Golf Canada Ambassador volunteers and help increase the profile and awareness of Team Canada.

Remi is perhaps the most well known native golfer to Quebec,” said RCGA chief operating officer Peter Beresford. “His experience, both as a touring pro and teaching pro make him one of the most recognizable faces in the Quebec golf community.”

“Blair is also incredibly well-respected for his club management expertise and proven record of success and will play a huge role in helping the RCGA to fully engage the golf industry in Western Canada as we drive our membership initiatives.”

The RCGA previously announced that it had hired former Canadian PGA executive director, Steve Carroll as its regional director of membership and business development for Ontario and Eastern Canada.

Bouchard has been a golf professional at Le Mirage Golf Club, in Terrebonne, Que. since 1992, and represented the club in competitions at both the provincial and national levels.

From 2001-2004, in collaboration with Sports Business International, Bouchard also helped develop and teach a business training program which uses golf as the teaching platform.

An accomplished professional golfer, Bouchard also has more than 20 years experience in sponsor relationships and recruiting.

He’s been named professional of the year five times by the Quebec PGA, has more than 70 victories as a pro over past 20 years and is a former Quebec junior and amateur champion.

Armitage recently served as general manager of the Quilchena Golf and Country Club in Richmond, B.C. Prior to working at Quilchena, he was GM of the Dalewood Golf and Curling Club in Port Hope, Ont.

He is also the immediate past president of the Canadian Society of Club Managers, Pacific Branch, and a director of the British Columbia Golf Marketing Alliance.

Armitage is a former elite figure skating competitor and coach, having competed in Canadian national events as well as the World Championships.

Expect To Hear About “Golf Canada”

This year was the focus when the Royal Canadian Golf Association launched its first rolling, three-year plan with the introduction of Vision 2010.

One of the stated objectives when the RCGA introduced that plan in 2008 was to eliminate the deficit under which it was working at the time.

“That was the goal to balance it by the end of ’10. I don’t think we’ll get there. We’re trying,” admitted RCGA executive director Scott Simmons, who believes investment using funds from the sale of Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., a decade ago will help balance the books.

“The main focus still has to be to balance the budget,” he added. “We’re still running a deficit, which we planned for because we don’t want to discontinue or cut any of our programs. We strongly believe in everything that we’re doing.”

Not cutting back on programs means raising revenues in order to balance the books and the RCGA plans to do that through the introduction of a new membership program under its new Golf Canada banner. Read more

More Canucks Up To Bat; Even More On Deck

Canada has twice as much to cheer about when the PGA and LPGA Tours get rolling in 2010 compared to this year when Mike Weir and Stephen Ames were the only homies on the men’s tour and Alena Sharp and Lorie Kane were the only Canucks on the women’s circuit.

Add Chris Baryla of Vernon, B.C., and Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., to the list of Canadians on the PGA Tour after Baryla got his ticket through the Nationwide Tour money list and DeLaet turned in a magnificent performance all year before earning his full-time card at Q-school.

DeLaet, in particular, seemed destined for the big leagues after two wins on the Canadian Tour and one in South Africa among other impressive finishes, including a trip to China after winning a World Cup qualifier with teammate Stuart Anderson of Victoria in Estonia.

Prior to doing the expected, DeLaet was a little more realistic about 2010. He surely would have been disappointed had he not made it to the PGA Tour, but he said playing on the Nationwide Tour would have represented at least a step in the right direction in his career.

Had it happened that way, would Canadians have been paying as much attention to DeLaet on the development circuit the way they will be now that he’s on the PGA Tour? Should we just wait for them to show up in the big leagues and complain when they don’t? Read more

ClubLink Expansion Could Be On The Horizon

It isn’t being overly cynical to discuss the business aspect of what is being presented as a good for the game, feelgood story with ClubLink Corporation contributing roughly $4-million in cash and use of its facilities for Royal Canadian Golf Association programs and initiatives (See the News Now story for more).

It’s the way of the world.

“We’ve got approaching 20,000 members playing golf and we obviously want them to continue to love and enjoy the game of golf,” said ClubLink president and chief executive officer Rai Sahi

“Since my involvement going back 10 years ago, at the time, there were only 6,000 members. If you keep going at the same rate, we could have 30-40-50,000 members, so obviously, it is in our interests as well as the game of golf continues to grow.” Read more

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