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

ClubLink Invests Heavily In RCGA

ClubLink Corporation has entered into a 10-year agreement with the Royal Canadian Golf Association to support several RCGA programs and services.

ClubLink will invest close to $4 million, including the use of its facilities, into the National Golf in Schools Program, Team Canada, CN Future Links, the RCGA Foundation, Canadian University Colleges Championship and the RBC Canadian Open.

ClubLink President and chief executive officer Rai Sahi said supporting Canadian golf, especially at the grassroots level through the CN Future Links junior golf program and National Golf in Schools, was a driving force behind ClubLink’s decision.

“This partnership is a natural progression of our longstanding relationship with the RCGA and, like them, ClubLink and our 18,500 members are vitally interested in helping to grow the game of golf,” said ClubLink president and chief executive officer Rai Sahi.

“ClubLink has always taken a long-term view and it is obvious from our commitment of almost $4 million over the next 10 years, that we wholeheartedly support the RCGA’s goals of broadening the interest and participation in golf in the country,” he added.

The relationship between the RCGA and ClubLink dates back to the RCGA’s sale of Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., to ClubLink in 1999.

Through its involvement with the Golf in Schools Program, ClubLink will sponsor a minimum of 11 schools per year as part of the program’s ‘Adopt a School’ initiative.

A ClubLink Scholarship of Excellence program will also grant two $5,000 scholarships per year to students attending a Canadian university, while the corporation will also become presenting sponsor of the RCGA’s University College Golf Championship.

ClubLink will also continue to contribute to the RBC Canadian Open’s through the Mike Weir Foundation, the event’s national charity.

For more on this story, see Hutch’s Blog.

Carroll Lands Key Role With RCGA

The timing of the announcement that Steve Carroll has been named director of membership and business development for the Royal Canadian Golf Association may lead to speculation that he had been recruited by the RCGA before announcing his resignation as executive director of the Canadian PGA.

The announcement of Carroll’s new position comes just a few weeks after his 22-year tenure with the Canadian PGA concluded at the end of October, but he says he didn’t even consider the RCGA job until his last few days at the CPGA.

“I resigned in August because I felt that I had done everything I could for the Canadian PGA,” said Carroll. “I looked very carefully with a career coach at opportunities inside and outside of golf and around the world. All of that activity was taking place in September and October.”

The turning point towards his new position, according to Carroll, came on October 19 at a National Allied Golf Association meeting that was being held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto.

RCGA representatives, including chief operating officer Peter Beresford and Ron Gardner, managing director of membership strategy, were speaking to NAGA about the association’s business development strategy, which features the Golf Canada branding effort to consumers that will have a big push in 2010.

“I had known about it,” said Carroll, who had served as NAGA chairman and had consulted with the RCGA on the effort. “They had brought in outside experts from corporate Canada. It’s a very bold vision for the RCGA.”

It was during that presentation that Carroll heard that the RCGA was looking for somebody to spearhead that effort, including the promotion of the Golf Canada initiative, which will feature merchandise with the maple leaf/golfer logo, to the golf industry.

“I thought to myself, I could be that guy. The next day, I called (RCGA executive director) Scott Simmons and I said, `Scott, I’d like to throw my hat in the ring for this person you’re looking for,’” said Carroll. “I’ve always had a great working relationship with Scott. It all came together very quickly.

“When we starting talking about the details of it, it just made nothing but sense to me to utilize all those contacts I have made in my 22 years, with not only golf pros, but throughout the industry, and not just in B.C. or Ontario, but throughout Canada.

“It just seemed like a really good fit,” he said.

Carroll, who spent 13 years as executive director of the British Columbia zone before taking the Canadian PGA executive director position five years ago, brings outstanding qualities to the position, according to Simmons.

”Steve demonstrated tremendous leadership during his tenure with the CPGA and, more recently, as NAGA chair and spokesperson for the recently announced Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study,” said Simmons.

“He holds a valuable knowledge of the RCGA, Canadian PGA and other golf associations in Canada and has gained an incredible level of respect through his proven record of career success in senior executive positions,” he added.

“We are confident that Steve is the right person to engage the Canadian golf industry and help create and articulate a bold new vision for the future direction of our sport in Canada,” said Simmons.

Carroll will assist with the development and execution of Golf Canada branded membership programs, as well as recruit, train and manage Golf Canada volunteers and increase the profile and awareness of Golf Canada/Team Canada in Ontario and Eastern Canada.

“What was also appealing to me was the idea that I wouldn’t have to, at this point in my career, be concerned with running an entire organization and just simply focus in on a cause and a project that’s a very exciting one and close to my heart,” said Carroll.

“I’ve always thought the RCGA could step into a role like Hockey Canada and like Basketball Canada and be the National Sports Organization in every way possible,” he added.

“Hockey Canada has done a great job in cementing that brand name in the consumer’s mind. There’s a good parallel here, that Hockey Canada is still technically the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, but nobody knows that anymore,” said Carroll.

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Joe Knows The 2010 Open

The way Joe Murphy sees it, the recent agreement that brings the nearby Islington Golf Club on board as the practice facility for the 2010 RBC Canadian Open is a good news story for several reasons.

“To have this more as a community offering is great, I think, for golf and it’s great for the local community,” said Murphy, the general manager for the St. George’s Golf and Country Club, the host site of next year’s Open.

“The really cool thing about it is that it gets more clubs involved and it gets them to participate in our national event. I think that’s the real coup here for the host club, which is us, the RCGA, RBC and Islington. I think everyone wins here,” he said.

“I think it’s a really good news story,” added Murphy. “Islington’s got lots to offer, particularly in terms of the setting and staging of the range.

“Their level of conditioning is similar to ours. There are a lot of synergies between the superintendents who can talk and make sure the putting surfaces and the tees and so on are similar to what they’re going to play here,” he said. Read more

Derek Ingram Named National Coach

Derek Ingram has replaced Dean Spriddle, who resigned last week, as head coach of the women’s national amateur team.

Ingram, a past winner of the Manitoba PGA Teacher of the Year Award, spent the past five years as assistant coach on the men’s national team and he has been involved with the Royal Canadian Golf Association’s High Performance Program for nine years.

“Derek has been a valuable member of our Team Canada coaching staff over the past nine years and we are pleased to have him take on the role of head coach for the women’s national amateur golf team,” said Jeff Thompson, chief sport officer with the RCGA.

“Through his passion and contagious enthusiasm, he has proven himself to be a world-calibre coach and gifted teacher with a tremendous ability to both educate and motivate high performance athletes,” added Thompson.

Ingram is also a former recipient of the Canadian PGA Teacher of the Year Award.

“Dean (Spriddle) is a great coach and has been an excellent colleague and friend, so I wish him the very best of success in his coaching journey and family life,” said Ingram.

“We have some tremendously talented young golfers involved with the national amateur team program and while Dean has left some big shoes to fill, I am excited about building on the team’s previous success and helping to develop world-class athletes.”

Islington Sees Benefits To Its Open Connection

Apologies to GNN reader TV who asked if members at the Islington Golf Club will only have 16 holes to play during RBC Canadian Open week at nearby St. George’s, when the Islington club will serve as the practice facility for the visiting PGA Tour players.

Due to a crazy schedule, it took me a couple of days to get back on that question, but it turns out that the front nine will be shut down with the practice facility located on the first two holes. Members will play the back nine that week.

To answer another question from TV, the Islington club is only a couple of kilometres from St. George’s, so a shuttle will only take a couple of minutes, especially with traffic shut down around the host course.

The original plan would have made Eglinton Flats the practice facility, but Islington is a better solution. That plan began to take shape in early September. Read more

National Team Coach Resigns

After 10 years as head coach of the women’s national amateur golf team for both the Royal Canadian Golf Association and Canadian Ladies’ Golf Association, Dean Spriddle is stepping down,

Spriddle said in a release that he planned to focus on family commitments in Lethbridge, Alta., and pursue personal business and coaching ventures.

“While it’s time for me to move in a new direction in my own coaching journey, I know that Team Canada will continue to get better and I wish them all the best. I am now looking forward to working with young golfers as well spending more time with my own kids teaching and playing the game that I love,” said Spriddle.

Jeff Thompson, chief sport development officer for the RCGA, said Spriddle will be missed.

“Dean has been a valued member of our coaching staff and major contributor to the growing success of Team Canada over the years and we wish him the very best as he moves on to the next stage of his career.”

RCGA Names New COO

Peter Beresford has been named chief operating officer of the Royal Canadian Golf Association.

A former senior global executive with the McDonald’s Corporation, Bersesford joins the RCGA after two years in an advisory role on the RCGA’s strategic planning and membership task forces.

Beresford will be responsible for the development and implementation of RCGA brand development and membership efforts.

“Peter is a renowned brand expert who has played an instrumental role in developing the McDonald’s brand globally, while his senior executive management skills will prove to be a tremendous addition to our senior management team,” said RCGA executive director Scott Simmons.

Tour Seeks Stronger Ties With RCGA

The story of the year in Canadian golf did not take place on the PGA Tour, which is seemingly the only place, in some people’s minds, that produces news stories of any consequence.

From a Canadian perspective, the story is not about what’s happening now on the PGA Tour, or the LPGA Tour for that matter, but more about what could be happening five years from now on both circuits.

It’s all about the future, not the present, with the fireworks set off in 2009 by Nick Taylor, Matt Hill, Jennifer Kirby, Samantha Richdale and Graham DeLaet, all of which could very well be familiar faces, among other Canadians, on the respective tours in the next decade.

That last name helps illustrate a point for Rick Janes, commissioner of the Canadian Tour, who watched DeLaet win two events and register four top-three finishes to lead the circuit’s money list. DeLaet is in Estonia right now with fellow tour player Stuart Anderson to represent Canada in a World Cup qualifier. Read more

CPGA President Sees Smooth Transition

Canadian PGA president Lindon Garron was in Prince Edward Island last weekend, trying to talk about recent events within his association, but his cell phone kept cutting out, likely due to the presence of Hurricane Bill.

Garron finally elected to use a land line and was able to state clearly that, unlike his cell phone, the Canadian PGA will continue to work despite last week’s resignation by Steve Carroll, the association’s executive director the past five years.

“We had been talking about it,” said Garron, of the resignation. “Steve has done a lot of things since he came on and I think he was just at a time when he wanted to make a change.”

Before he did that, however, Carroll wanted to complete some unfinished business, according to Garron, including the announcement of the economic impact study conducted for the National Allied Golf Associations, of which the CPGA is a part.

“There were a couple of things that were on the go that were pretty significant, including the economic impact study. He obviously wanted to finish those off,” said Garron as he pointed out that Carroll is hardly leaving the CPGA high and dry with his decision. Read more

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