Alberta Golf Winter Warm-Up: Happy Holidays from Alberta Golf. Many of you may be getting away for a few rounds in warmer places this Winter, we hope this update provides warm reflections of the 2019 golf season and a look forward to 2020 and beyond. Please enjoy the material below and we look forward to seeing you in the Spring !

2020 Championship Sites

We are thrilled to announce our 2020 competition sites and are excited about the line-up of quality venues that will host Alberta’s best male and female amateur golfers next season.

FULL SCHEDULE HERE

The following players competed at a consistently high level over the course of the year leading them to finish as the top Albertan on the Golf Canada National Orders of Merit.

SEE THE WINNERS

Alberta Golf has unveiled it’s 2020 Sport Development Program to support athlete development throughout the province.

MORE INFO HERE

Over the winter we will be doing player profiles on our high performance athletes. To kick things off let’s hear from Pincher Creek’s Ethan Choi.

 FULL STORY AND VIDEO HERE

FULL STORY AND VIDEO HERE

FULL STORY AND VIDEO HERE

The award-winning Shaw Charity Classic saw the 2019 edition raise a record amount for youth-based charities across Alberta, bringing the total amount raised for charity by the PGA TOUR Champions event since 2013 to a staggering $48 Million.

STORY AND VIDEO HERE

This Fall we were happy to participate in the PGA of Alberta Buying Show, The World Handicap System Seminar, Golf Canada National Sport Development Meetings, The Iconic Turkey Bowl at Cowboys, The Mega 9 Club Black Friday Sale and the Alberta Golf Superintendents Association Conference in Canmore.

In 2019 Alberta Golf ran the first pilot program in Canada for Youth on Course. YOC is an American-based program designed to break down the barriers of cost and get youth aged 6-18 onto the golf course for $5 or less. 17 courses in Calgary, Edmonton, Central Alberta, Medicine Hat and Banff were involved and will expand in 2020 to other areas of the province. Youth on Course said Alberta was the most successful pilot program State/Province they’ve ever had with over 1,000 rounds played by Youth on Course members. In 2019 Alberta Golf saw a 26% increase in Junior Members (3230 in 2018 to 4070 in 2019) and a 673% increase in Junior “Public Player” members (53 in 2018 to 357 in 2019).

Golf Canada’s Incident Protection provides up to $2,500 reimbursement for damaged, lost or stolen equipment, among several other advantages you may not be aware of.

Alberta Golf (Calgary) – Over the winter we will be doing player profiles on our high performance athletes. This week’s profile is on MacKenzie Baustad of Calgary.

MacKenzie Baustad is a 17-year-old grade 12 student at Centennial High School in south Calgary. Growing up she played hockey, badminton and field hockey amoung other sports but her dad and sister got her into golf and it’s been her main competitive focus the past 6 years.

“There’s a lot of the same 10 or 15 girls that you see at every tournament so you get so close,” Baustad said. “At Alberta Golf tournaments you’re not playing against your friends you’re playing against yourself and the integrity of everyone at Alberta Golf has is just amazing and they’ve given me life long friends.”

VIDEO: Mackenzie Baustad in her own words.

Baustad is one of the high performance players who is thrilled to get funding from Alberta Golf.

“With how expensive the game is, travelling, equipment, coaching, it has helped so much,” Baustad admitted.”The funding has provided me with so many other opportunities.”

Speaking of coaches, MacKenzie has worked with Luke Workman for the past 3 seasons.

“He’s just been amazing,” Baustad said. “He makes me want to become a player, nothing is ever boring.”

Baustad came into her own this summer at The Ranch in Edmonton at the Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship finishing 3rd and making the inter-provincial team with champion Becky Martin and Stephanie Chelack.

MacKenzie Baustad, Stephanie Chelack and Becky Martin

Baustad has a number of opportunities to play NCAA golf next fall and hopes to make her decision soon. Until then she’ll continue to live her teenage life.

“I do live that typical teenager life,” Baustad admitted. “Golf is a huge part of my life as well, it has impacted my social life but I’m grateful for golf.”

The Association is proud to recognize the Top 100 PGA of Alberta Golf Professionals for 2019 as determined by the rankings in the Top 100 Program! The Top 100 list below is the top 100 point earners for 2019.

The Top 100 Program is based on a pre-determined measurable criteria designed to recognize Members who dedicate their time and demonstrate proven abilities in advancing the Association’s interests for the benefit of all Golf Professionals. The following areas where points are awarded are Education & Employment, Association initiatives and Tournaments.

“The Top 100 Program was an initiative introduced for the 2019 season and helped the PGA of Alberta identify and celebrate those Members who go above and beyond to make our Association one of the strongest in the country” said PGA of Alberta President Greg McGarry.

“The Top 100 Golf Professionals of 2019 are an impressive group of individuals demonstrating key qualities such as leadership, professionalism and dedication to their craft.  We look to grow on it’s success for years to come.”

Award Winner…
Congratulations to Sean Thompson of Cottonwood G&CC, winner of the Top 100 Award this year after accumulating the most points (91) to win by a margin of 10. Sean was the winner of the Award in 2017 (formerly the Professional Development Program) and has been ranked consistently in the top 10 over the last five years.

“I am incredibly proud to be the recipient of the inaugural Top 100 Award” said Sean. “Outside of doing a good job at our various facilities, I view it as our responsibility as Golf Professional’s to grow the game at every opportunity and to have an award that recognises Professional’s for developing their skills to better service the local golfing community is a great asset for our Association”

Sean Thompson at the 2019 Awards Banquet

Alberta Golf (Calgary) – Over the winter we will be doing player profiles on our high performance athletes. This week’s profile is on Stephanie Chelack of Calgary.

Stephanie Chelack grew up in Calgary watching her older brother Andrew compete at a high level and from a young age was around the sport of golf.

“My brother started playing competitively when I was 5 or 6,” Chelack said. “I would follow him around to practice and drag my little plastic clubs, hang around the golf course with him and my dad so I grew up playing it with my family.”

At the age of 10 Stephanie starting taking the game more seriously at the Inglewood Golf & Curling Club and took an interest in competitive golf. To this day she still loves how unique the sport is.

“You’re playing the golf course you’re not really playing the field, it’s you playing you,” Chelack admitted. “You’re trying to improve against yourself all the time which I think is really cool. And not something you can get with any other sport.”

VIDEO: Stephanie Chelack in her own words:

Growing up the sport has taken her across the U.S. and around the world as far away as Australia. The grade-12 student at Central Memorial High School says she’s always wanted to play college golf.

“You see everyone competing older than you going away to college,” Chelack said. “You’re like wow that seems kind of cool”

And that dream will become reality in the fall of 2020 when she starts as a freshman on the golf team at Eastern Washington University, where Calgary Stampeder Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell excelled at college football.

“It’s really exciting to be able to achieve that dream,” Chelack beamed. “Going to Eastern Washington, I’m super excitied.”

It’s also something her coach Jeff MacGregor and all the staff at the Inglewood Golf and Curling Club are very proud of.

It’s a very special day for Inglewood’s Stephanie Chelack. Congrats on signing with Eastern Washington! I’ve watched you put in the work and it’s only the start of big things! The grades are there and so is the game! 🙂 #happycoach #div1golf #Ladiesgolf #yycgolf pic.twitter.com/OMo2gcNR3c

— Jeff MacGregor (@jmacgregorpga) November 20, 2019

Chelack says playing in Alberta Golf events growing up and receiving high performance funding has been very valuable.

“I’ve been on the Ryder Cup team against Montana, that was super fun,” Chelack said. “Driving down with the team on the bus to Montana and playing a different style of golf was really cool and Alberta Golf has always run fantastic tournaments.”

The 17-year-old is working hard on the simulator at Inglewood and is excited for the new adventures 2020 are sure to bring.

Alberta Golf (Calgary) – The award-winning Shaw Charity Classic saw the 2019 edition raise a record amount for youth-based charities across Alberta. At an event Monday morning at Shaw head offices in Calgary, a staggering total of just over $14 Million was announced to benefit 200 youth-based charities. That brings the total amount raised for charity by the PGA TOUR Champions event to $48 Million since it’s first year at the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club back in 2013. Shaw Communications CEO Brad Shaw says raising this amount of money for charity is a team effort.

“The Shaw Charity Classic has become a powerful example of what can be accomplished when family, charity, and community rally together for a common cause,” Shaw said. “Over the past seven years, we have seen the Calgary community support this tournament in ways we never could have imagined, and we are exceptionally grateful for their continued enthusiasm and generosity as we continue to grow the Shaw Charity Classic to help more kids and their families.”

VIDEO: SCC raises $14 Million for youth-based charities in 2019

Jim Riddell took over as Tournament Chairman last fall and is helping to build on his late father Clay’s legacy.

“It’s an absolute thrill for me to look back on another record-setting year and realize this spectacular tournament continues to have a tremendous impact on our youth, which was the core goal in bringing the event to Calgary,” Riddell said. “I firmly believe it takes an entire community to build a successful international event of this magnitude, so this accomplishment should be celebrated by everyone – from the more than 1,400 volunteers, to our generous corporate community, friends in the media, and all of the great citizens of this amazing city who came down to Canyon Meadows this summer.”

AltaLink President & CEO Scott Thon says the generosity of Albertans is overwhelming.

“In the five years since we helped launch the Shaw Birdies for Kids Presented by AltaLink program, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of Albertans in supporting hundreds of children’s charities throughout our province,” Thon said. “The incredible growth of Birdies for Kids means that more kids are getting the assistance they need for a bright future. We know that supporting kids today leads to a great community and province tomorrow.”

Six World Golf Hall of Fame members competed in the 2019 edition of the event including Bernhard Langer, Davis Love III, Retief Goosen, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O’Meara and Vijay Singh. Wes Short Jr. fended off two-time defending champion, Scott McCarron to take the title.

Shaw Communications announced their involvement in the tournament in Calgary through 2022 with the 2020 event slated for Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, August 24-30.

Alberta Golf (Calgary) – Over the winter we will be doing player profiles on our high performance athletes. This week’s profile is on Nicolas-Guy Landry of Calgary.

Nicolas-Guy Landry is a grade 12 student at Springbank Community High School and is part of the Global Sport Academy run by Terry Carter and coached by Darryl James and Riley Fleming.

Landry was born in the European country of Luxembourg and started golfing shortly after he started walking.

“I started when I was 18 months old,” Landry admitted. “My two older brothers played, so did my parents and my Grandma. My brother turned pro over in Germany earlier this year, I was born into the sport I love and I still love it today.”

After moving to St. Louis and Quebec, Landry and his Canadian parents settled in Calgary in 2018 and he’s enjoyed playing golf out of his home course Country Hills Golf Club and being part of the Global Sport Academy at Springbank High School.

“I have been able to find a balance between my school life and my golf life and my social life.” Landry said. “I go to the indoor domes during the week to make sure my swing doesn’t get super rusty during the offseason but as well make time for myself and hang out with friends and I have been able to find a way to deal with all of that stress.”

The 17-year-old has enjoyed playing golf in Alberta and is very appreciative of the scholarship grant he received from Alberta Golf.

“It’s been an awesome journey so far,” Landry said. “The scholarship grant is really great, it allows me to play the sport that I love with more ease and it’s really motivating.”

Landry is looking forward to a full season of competition and is in no rush after High School graduation to leave Alberta.

“I’m probably going to take a gap year next year and make sure I’m not rushed into making any decisions that I will regret later on in life,” Landry admitted. “You don’t have to be a Matthew Wolff coming straight onto the scene winning golf tournaments, you can be older which relieves the pressure a bit knowing that I don’t have to be shooting 62 every day at 17 or 18 years old, there’s plenty of time for that.”

Landry points to his strong mental game as a huge strength and is working hard to tighten up one aspect of his game.

“If I had one thing that I would love to correct it’s my putting because if you’re making putts man are you ever good at golf.”

VIDEO: 1 on 1 with Nicolas-Guy Landry

Alberta Golf (Calgary) – Alberta Golf is hiring a full time Competitions and Event Manager. Application deadline is December 5th, 2019.

FULL INFORMATION HERE: Competitions and Event Manager posting

Alberta Golf (Calgary) – Over the winter we will be doing player profiles on our high performance athletes. To kick things off let’s hear from Pincher Creek’s Ethan Choi.

Ethan is a 17-year-old in grade 12 at St. Michael’s School in Pincher Creek and plays out of the Pincher Creek Golf Club. His father Sheldon got him into the game from as young as he can remember.

“Was a very young age, since I started to walk,” Choi said. “He was a big golfer back then and absolutely loved the game and he thought it would be a great game for me to play and tag along with him.”

Choi really started to make strides when he was 12-years-old.

“I went to the U.S. Kids World Championship down in Pinehurst,” Choi said. “I was actually in contention for a couple of days and there were some big named guys there and that’s when I realized I really want to do this.”

A couple years after that when he was 14 he shot an eye popping 59 during the Alberta Bantam Championship at River’s Edge Golf Club in Okotoks.

“It’s been crazy,” Choi admitted. “Even after 3 years I still get questions about it. Going forward I know if I have the ability to do that then anything is possible as long as you put in the work and believe.”

Choi recently signed his letter of intent to play U.S. Division 1 golf at NC State starting in the fall of 2020. Fellow Albertan and friend Carter Graf started on the team this fall.

“I’m blessed to play Division 1 golf down in the States, it’s been a dream of mine since I was in middle school,” Choi beamed after he recently returned from a trip to check out the campus of the NC State Wolfpack in North Carolina.

This fall Ethan is focusing on his grade 12 studies at high school in Pincher Creek where he also plays on the St. Michael’s School volleyball team that compete’s this weekend at provincials. As for golf he says his tee, iron and wedge game are very strong and he’s working hard to tighten up his short game.

Growing up away from the big city in Pincher Creek had it’s challenges but he says it’s been an amazing experience.

“It was tough because we were kinda isolated from the big city but Pincher Creek has meant so much to me, the people there have created such a good environment for me to practice in and grow as a player and as a person and I can’t thank them enough,” Choi said.

Keep an eye out for Ethan Choi at Alberta Golf events in 2020 as he prepares for the next exciting phase in his golf career.

1 on 1 with Ethan Choi.

WATCH:

OAKVILLE, ONT. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of the 18 athletes, male and female, who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2020 National Amateur and Junior Squads.

Nine athletes will compete for Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, consisting of five players on the men’s squad and four on the women’s squad.

Team Canada’s 2020 Squad members have competed and achieved impressive results at regional, national and international competitions, including medals at the Pan-Am Games, NCAA Tournament wins and victories at prestigious amateur competitions.

“Golf Canada is thrilled to welcome an outstanding roster of elite athletes to represent Team Canada in 2020—they are truly deserving as evidenced by their strong performances this past season,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer.

“The athletes selected represent a mix of returning team members as well as talented up and coming athletes who have come through provincial or regional high-performance programs. Each of them will be fantastic ambassadors representing Canada on the global golf stage.”

The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2020 Amateur Squad:

Men’s Amateur Squad

Étienne Papineau | St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué. – Club de golf Pinegrove

Cougar Collins | Caledon, Ont. – TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley

Sam Meek | Peterborough, Ont. – Public Player

Brendan MacDougall* | Calgary, Alta. – Glencoe Golf and Country Club

Noah Steele | Kingston, Ont. – Cataraqui Golf and Country Club

Women’s Amateur Squad

Brigitte Thibault* | Rosemère, Qué. – Club de golf de Rosemère

Mary Parsons | Delta, BC – Mayfair Lakes Golf Club

Sarah-Ève Rhéaume | Québec, Qué. – Club de golf Royal Québec

Noémie Paré | Victoriaville, Qué. – Club de golf de Victoriaville

Click here to read full player bios.

The National Junior Squad—a U19 program—also features nine athletes (four women and five men).

From February through early June, the nine-member Junior Squad will practice out of Golf Canada’s National Training Centre at Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria—the third year that the program has provided centralized training, accommodation and education for athletes during the second semester of their high school year. Team members will be immersed in a focused centre of excellence, surrounded by world-class technical coaching staff and experts in the areas of mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics and nutrition.

The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2020 Junior Squad:

Junior Boys Squad

Laurent Desmarchais* | Longueuil, Qué. – Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu

Jace Minni | Delta, BC – Beach Grove Golf and Country Club

JP Parr | St-Célestin, Qué. – Club de golf Ki-8-eb Golf

Bennett Ruby | Waterloo, Ont. – Westmount Golf and Country Club

Malik Dao | Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Qué. – Summerlea Golf and Country Club

Junior Girls Squad

Emily Zhu* | Richmond Hill, Ont. – National Pines Golf Club

Angela Arora | Surrey, BC – Beach Grove Golf and Country Club

Angel (Mu Chen) Lin | Surrey, BC – Morgan Creek Golf Club

Monet Chun* | Richmond Hill, Ont. – Summit Golf Club

*Denotes 2019 National Team returning members

Click here to read full player bios.

 Team Canada Coaching Staff Announced

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the 2020 Team Canada coaching staff that will support both the National Amateur and Junior Squads.

On the men’s side, Derek Ingram of Winnipeg, Man. returns as Men’s Amateur Squad Head Coach. Robert Ratcliffe of Comox, B.C. will lead the Junior Boy’s Squad.

On the women’s side, Tristan Mullally of Dundas, Ont., returns as Women’s Amateur Squad Head Coach. Matt Wilson, from Newmarket, Ont., will oversee the Junior Girls’ Squads.

Wilson, who doubles as Golf Canada’s director of next generation performance, will resume leadership of the Junior Squad centralized program at Bear Mountain, alongside Ratcliffe.

.@coreconn spent seven years with #TeamCanada before going on to win on the #PGATOUR ?? pic.twitter.com/U5HBO6YCPM

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) November 18, 2019

The Men’s and Women’s Amateur Squads will each be adding an assistant coach to support the high-performance needs of the program and athletes. Candidates will be chosen in January.

“Derek and Tristan have had tremendous success with Team Canada athletes and the evolution of our national team program will see Robert and Matt continue in their significant role of leading the centralized training program at Bear Mountain,” added Thompson. “We look forward to expanding our roster of coaches and building on the success of Team Canada to help more of our elite level golfers realize their fullest potential.”

Mullally, Ingram, Ratcliffe and Wilson are all Class “A” professionals with the PGA of Canada.

Golf Canada expects to announce the selection of the 2020 Team Canada Young Pro Squad in December.

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., and ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (Nov. 4, 2019) – The World Handicap System (WHS) is ready to be launched in January 2020 and will provide golfers with a unified and more inclusive handicapping system for the first time.

Though many countries are planning to adopt the new system in January, the system will go live in other parts of the world throughout the year to accommodate different implementation plans and variations in the golf calendar.

Developed by the USGA and The R&A in close coordination with existing handicapping authorities, the WHS will provide all golfers with a consistent measure of playing ability, with handicaps calculated in the same way wherever they are in the world.

A key objective of the initiative was to develop a modern system, enabling as many golfers as possible to obtain and maintain a Handicap Index. Golfers will be able to transport their Handicap Index globally and compete or play a casual round with players from other regions on a fair basis. It will also indicate the score a golfer is reasonably capable of achieving the next time they go out to play.

The table lists the estimated implementation timeframes for a selection of countries:

The WHS has two main components – the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System. The Rules of Handicapping are encompassed within seven Rules to inform administrators and golfers on how an official Handicap Index is calculated and administered, with some flexibility given to national associations based on how the sport is played and enjoyed in their region. The Course Rating System, based on the USGA Course Rating System first adopted nearly 50 years ago and already adopted on nearly every continent, sets out a consistent method of determining a course’s difficulty. Together, these components become the foundational elements in determining a golfer’s Handicap Index.

“When the golf community works together, everyone benefits,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA.  “We have seen the benefit that handicapping has provided for decades, providing greater enjoyment for all who play. To have a single set of Rules of Handicapping for the game will connect golfers from country to country, and we are excited to bring the best of all worlds together through this initiative.

“It is one of the many ways we are investing in golf’s future, to strengthen and foster growth of the entire game for years to come.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “The game of golf is transforming to meet the needs of the modern-day golfer; modernizing the Rules this year was an important step forward in that regard and the World Handicap System will be another.

“Our hope is that the launch of the WHS will be a catalyst for change; signalling the start of a new era of golfer engagement, being inclusive by embracing all golfers, whatever their level of ability, and broadening its appeal to a much wider audience.”

“Change also means opportunity and, managed appropriately, this can only be good for the game. It does mean there will be a period of adjustment, as we saw with the new Rules, but once it beds in golfers and golf clubs will benefit in many ways from the new system.”

In preparation for the launch of the WHS, more than 3,000 golf courses have been rated for the first time and an extensive education program has been delivered. By the end of 2019, more than 90 National Associations will have attended an educational seminar and a robust library of resources is hosted on WHS.com to support regional education.

Rules of Handicapping books are being produced and will be translated and delivered through national associations.

In addition, the USGA and The R&A have developed a series of golfer-focused materials, including videos, infographics and posters, which can be used by national associations and shared with golf clubs for the benefit of golfers.

This includes a promotional video which can be seen here featuring Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and voices of recreational golfers from around the world to encourage as many golfers as possible to obtain and maintain a handicap.

The materials explain the system’s key features, including:

• Flexibility in formats of play, allowing both competitive and recreational rounds to count for handicap purposes and ensuring that a Handicap Index reflects demonstrated ability
• A minimal number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap; with the number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap being 54 holes from any combination of 18-hole and 9-hole rounds (with some discretion available for national or regional associations)
• An average-based calculation of a handicap, taken from the best eight out of the last 20 scores and factoring in memory of demonstrated ability for better responsiveness/control
• A calculation that considers the impact that abnormal course and weather conditions might have on a player’s performance each day
• Timely handicap revisions
• A limit of Net Double Bogey on the maximum hole score (for handicapping purposes only)
• A maximum handicap limit of 54.0, regardless of gender, to encourage more golfers to measure and track their performance to increase their enjoyment of the game
• The formation of a World Handicap System was first conceived in 2011 between the USGA and The R&A in an effort to engage more golfers in the game and promote equity, no matter where golf is played. The effort unites six existing handicapping systems into one, while embracing the many ways the game is played across cultures.

Beginning in 2020, the new WHS will be governed by the USGA and The R&A and administered by national and regional golf associations around the world.

The existing six handicapping authorities, Golf Australia, the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU) in Great Britain and Ireland, the European Golf Association (EGA), the South African Golf Association (SAGA), the Argentine Golf Association (AAG) and the USGA, represent approximately 15 million golfers in 80 countries who currently maintain a golf handicap.

As an extension of their support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support the USGA’s and The R&A’s efforts to implement the World Handicap System.