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The Alberta Golfer Magazine

Grooming for Greatness

It’s Monday evening at the Collicut Siding Golf Club and hundreds of wide-eyed kids – many just three and four years old – are jostling around, wielding tiny clubs, and swatting awkwardly at practice balls. Whiffs, spin-o-rama swings, and Happy Gilmore-like techniques abound. Dozens of instructors, volunteers, and parents are helping the pint-sized golfers with their grip, stance, and swing. For many of these happy little tykes, the moment marks the start of their journey to competitive golf.

With over 1,000 kids enrolled, the junior golf program at Collicut Siding (located approximately twenty minutes north of Calgary in Crossfield) is the largest of its kind in Canada. It’s a wildly successful program – the brainchild of General Manager/Head Golf Professional, Lyndon King – and, deservedly, has been been the talk of the town for a number of years. (It started in 2009 with 56 kids!)

While many of the youngsters participating in the program will never reach the competitive ranks, some of them, most certainly, will. Some – thanks, in large part, to the support of their parents, coaches, teachers, friends, and so forth – will continue to expand their skills and grow in their passion for the game. They will get bigger, stronger, longer, and excel in competition. They will travel to tournaments, hoist trophies, feel the lows of defeat, and experience the highs of victory.

While there will be many commonalities in terms of how some of these junior golfers will “climb the ladder” to their lofty achievements, the specific road they take will be their own. There will be many factors, many unique circumstances, and many “intangibles” that will fuel their journey.

In other words, the recipe – for your child and millions of other young golfers out there, each with their own personality, their own skill set, their own DNA – for competitive success has many ingredients. And, without a doubt, it can be a difficult road to navigate.

Thankfully, there are many helpful resources (including, of course, some amazing junior golf programs at the local courses!) that parents can tap into. And these can make all the difference.

Parents can also go a long way by listening to the counsel, the professional wisdom, from some of the top junior coaches and instructors in the game. They understand “the system,” they’ve seen many kids succeed, and have a keen understanding of the pitfalls to avoid. We asked five of the top professionals in the coaching game to offer their top tips for training junior golfers. And here are some of those “nuggets” that, hopefully, will turn to “gold” for your aspiring young golfer!

Derek Ingram, BSC, ChPC

Team Canada Olympic Coach

  1. Play other sports. Do not specialize too early! Why put all your eggs in the golf basket too early and rob yourself of developing skills, habits, and abilities that can make you a MUCH better athlete? Never mind the fun you will miss!
  2. Make it fun. Laugh and joke around. Be creative and make mistakes. Then learn and repeat. If it’s not fun juniors will never fall in love with the game and put in the necessary time.
  3. Don’t over compete at a young age. Play, practice, train, and compete but don’t compete so much that the other stuff can’t happen. Golf Canada’s Long-Term Player Development Guide is a great resource that outlines all of this and much, much more.
  4. Find a good facility that is both close and available. Access trumps quality! There is some solid research that the top players do NOT grow up playing and practicing at the best, most pristine facilities. Bad lies and variable turf conditions actually help develop players.
  5. Find a coach. Someone who has time for you, is willing to learn with you, and genuinely cares about you and your game. In most cases, this should not be a parent.

Ryan Anderson

Head Teaching Professional, Glencoe Golf & Country Club

2016 & 2017 Alberta PGA Teacher of the Year-round

  1. As important as fun is, safety is paramount. Above all else, parents want their children to be safe. Safe in terms of the dangers of a golf club and ball, but also in terms of respect, etiquette, and trust.
  2. Fun and Games. A successful junior golf program is built around fun. If you start with “fun” and build your learning around it, you’ll have juniors wanting more. Games are a great mechanism to engage kids and a lot of learning can be disguised in them.
  3. Whenever possible, take advantage of the course for teaching and coaching. Juniors learn faster when it is in a real setting. A good rule of thumb when on the course is to start your junior from a spot on the hole where they can hit two perfect shots and end up on or near the putting green.
  4. Give them the right equipment. Junior clubs come in all sizes and flexes. Clubs that are too long and heavy hinder development.
  5. Start Position/Speed with Balance/Finish Position. Establishing a good setup position allows for the best swings to happen. Working on speed with juniors allows them to hit the ball further. More speed with perfect contact equals more distance and I’ve never met a golfer that doesn’t want to hit it farther! Finishing every swing in a balanced finish position shows they are in command of their swings and can replicate the movement.

John Deneer

Class A Teaching Professional

Junior Development Coordinator, Bearspaw CC

Nominee for 2017 Alberta Junior Golf Leader Award

  1. The most important factor for juniors looking to compete and be successful is a deep love of the game. This includes casual golf, grueling practice, great rounds, poor rounds, intense competition, and even simply being at the golf course.
  2. Having a strong support system is crucial. Parents, coaches, staff at the local golf club, friends – they all play a vital role.
  3. There must be good balance between playing vs practicing. Practice is necessary to achieve swing goals, ball flight goals, and short game consistency. But practice cannot replace time on the course. Playing develops course management skills, the ability to deal with adversity, and simply enjoying the game.
  4. Short and long-term goals must be set and the junior must show a commitment in terms of doing everything possible to achieve set goals. Goals can be breaking a scoring barrier, tournament results, attaining a university golf scholarship, and playing professionally.
  5. Fitness, nutrition, and sports psychology are all crucial for juniors who want to excel in competitive golf. They must be assessed, improved, and evaluated frequently. If you fail to do what your competitors are doing you will be passed and left behind. You MUST look at additional ways to improve your golf game away from the golf course.

Derek Baker

Academy Director, Derek Baker Golf Academy (Edmonton CC & Windermere Golf & CC)

2016 & 2017 Nominee for the PGA of Alberta Junior Leader of the Year Award

  1. Do not specialize in golf early on. If a junior specializes in golf too early there are many factors that can drive them out of the game before they see long-term success. Burnout and an inability to deal with adversity are often the consequences. Many of the best golfers were athletes first and golfers second. Don’t even think about specializing until they are in their teens.
  2. Use performance games instead of traditional practice. Traditional practice – hitting shots on the driving range until your hands bleed! – does not mimic playing the game. Performance games are practice but in a game format. They resemble what you’d encounter during play. A very simple example is having a “Canadian Open” where students count their total strokes in a chipping and putting course.
  3. Get students on the golf course early and often. Golf is comprised of many different individual skills and playing puts all of them into context.
  4. Make practice challenging. It’s easy to fall into the trap of making things too easy in hopes they will have fun and want to come back. Make it way too hard or way too easy and you’ll have an uninterested junior. There is a lot of research to support the idea that the best learning happens when a person is faced with a challenge that is just beyond their current skill set.
  5. Failing is an essential part of development. The best lessons are learned from experience…and this includes failing. Let them hit driver when they shouldn’t. Let them hit a flop when they should pitch, and so forth. Failures are not a reason to criticize performance or decisions, they are a way to motivate and improve.

Tips for Parents on the Competitive Junior Golf Pathway

Bill Murchison

Golf Professional

Golf Canada Calgary Centre

  1. Be unconditionally supportive. Regardless of how well your child plays, you need to stay positive! Showing negative emotion – either on the course or on the way home from a tournament round – can be extremely deflating to your child. Push performance when things are going well, as opposed to when they are not.
  2. Help with the goal setting process. If both the athlete and the parent commit to setting simple goals, such as “do your best and have fun,” you are well on your way.
  3. Monitor the level of passion and don’t push too hard. If they are not interested in practicing or playing on their own, pushing them too hard can easily backfire. Until they are in the “train to compete” stage, it really shouldn’t feel like work for them.
  4. Become as educated and well-informed as you can. Golf Canada’s Long Term Player Development Guide is a must read. The more you understand the process and key elements in the journey, the more likely you’ll be effective in your critical role as a parent. Alberta Golf’s website also has some great information under the “develop” tab.
  5. Work with or retain the right coach. If college golf or elite junior golf is part of your child’s goals, you will need the knowledge of a coach (as opposed to a swing instructor) sooner than you think. A coach who is regularly on the course watching and getting to know your child’s game is critical. Of the 550, or so, Alberta PGA members, less than 30 are trained and certified in coaching. Do your homework and obtain a certified coach.
  6. Be prepared for considerable costs. As your child enters the “learn to compete” phase, expenses can skyrocket. Alberta’s top junior players can expect an all-in budget for golf between $15,000 and $40,000. Some tournaments, like some of the larger events in the US, are not “musts.” However, having proper equipment that fits definitely is. Buying equipment they will “grow into” is not a good idea. You might get two years out of clubs, but for a growing athlete, one is more likely.
  7. Know where to play. For kids under 12, the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT) mini-series and Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) Linkster series are the best. The Alberta Bantam is an absolute must for players 14 and under. For the 13-16 age group, the McLennan Ross Tour is by far the best value. CJGA and MJT Junior events provide good multi-day competition for mid-level players. Once you are achieving success locally, follow the Golf Canada Order of Merit based on point value and work to get into American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events.
  8. Learn the merit system – Once the doors open up to nationally ranked events, getting good advice on your athlete’s schedule is critical. Staying on top of how Alberta Golf and Golf Canada rank players is critical. The Golf Canada order of merit is a great starting point to see where a college oriented player should be playing. Top colleges will primarily look at Junior Golf Scoreboard and AJGA results. Your best opportunity for college coach viewing/scouting is at the Canadian Junior Championship or AJGA events.

Grooming for Greatness

This article was originally published in the 2018 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Amateur

Brandon Markiw marvellous at the Mid Am

Brandon Markiw of the Edmonton Petroleum G&CC shot the low round of the day at the Glendale G&CC to finish five shots ahead of the nearest competitor. Markiw was the only player to finish the 54 hole championship in red numbers. He finished at three-under-par with rounds of 68, 75 and 70.

Markiw’s final round was highlighted by an eagle on the par five fifth hole. Markiw adds the Mid Amateur trophy to his collection of provincial hardware. He won the Alberta Open in 2004 as a 16-year-old. 14 years later he adds the province’s preeminent title for those aged 25 and over.

Jeff Murdoch claimed the Mid Master title by two strokes and will join Markiw and local Glendale member Phil Mckenzie on the Alberta Mid Amateur Interprovincial team who will compete later this August at the Victoria Golf Club during the Canadian Mid Amateur Championship.

Special thanks to our two host facilities, their staff and membership – the Glendale G&CC and Stony Plain GC.

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Amateur

Three tied at the top heading into the Mid-Am final round

Three are tied at the top of the 2018 Alberta Mid Amateur Championship after two rounds. Jamie Cartwright, Wes Chapman and Brandon Markiw all sit at one-under-par for the championship after battling tough, windy conditions today at the Glendale Golf & Country Club. Sixty-five players made the thirty-six hole cut.

Twenty-five quota spots are available tomorrow for the 2018 Canadian Men’s Mid Amateur Championship. The eventual champion and runner-up, along with the Mid-Master champion, will make up the interprovincial team.

Ken Griffith leads the Mid-Master contest for those aged 40 years of age and over. He sits an even par for the championship and will look to win the double tomorrow.

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Amateur

Markiw and Chapman tied for the Mid-Am lead

One hundred and fifty Alberta Mid Amateurs (those aged 25 and over) were split between the Stony Plain Golf Course and the Glendale Golf & Country Club as they embarked on their pursuit of the prestigious provincial title.

Stony Plain played nearly five shots easier on day one. Competitors will swap courses tomorrow as they look to make the thirty-six hole cut to the low 60 players and ties for the third and final round.

Wes Chapman of Lethbridge and Brandon Markiw of Edmonton both shot four-under-par 68’s to sit in a tie for first. Both men made five birdies and a single bogey at Stony Plain.

Day one photographs

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Amateur

Preview: 2018 Alberta Mid Amateur Championship

Edmonton –The 2018 Mid Amateur contest is set to begin Tuesday as 150 players of the age 25-and-over variety descend upon Stony Plain and Glendale to compete for one of the provinces top prizes.

Competitors will play 18 holes at each facility over the course of the next two days. The field will then be cut to the low 60 players and ties for the final round to be held at Glendale on Thursday.

“We are thrilled to be conducting the 2018 Mid Amateur on two tremendous golf courses. Both facilities are supportive of the dual host concept and are ready to welcome Alberta’s best Mid Am’s,” said Stephen Wigington, Alberta Golf’s Manager of Competitions and the Tournament Director for the Mid Amateur.

KEY INFO

Dates: June 26 – 28th

Courses: Stony Plain Golf Course & Glendale Golf and Country Club

Yards/Par: Stony Plain: 6,473/72; Glendale: 6,626/72

Field: 150

2017 champion: Neil Thomas (@TimothyTour)

Format: 54 holes of stroke play with a 36-hole cut to the low 60 and ties

Social: #abmidam

LOOKING BACK

The 31-year-old Neil Thomas, of the Edmonton Golf & Country Club, will look to defend his title. Thomas won the 2017 edition with a clutch birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole at the Grande Prairie Golf & Country Club to defeat Tom McKinlay Jr.

HISTORY

The Alberta Mid Amateur Championship was first contested in 1986. Originally designed for the best players aged 40 and over the championship transitioned in 2015 to include those aged 25 and over to align with other provincial, national and international Mid Amateur competitions. There is a Mid Master contest for those aged 40 and over.

2013 – Alan Stewart

2014 – Frank Van Dornick

2015 – Kevin Temple

2016 – Jordan Irwin

2017 – Neil Thomas

NOTABLES

  • Neil Thomas – Defending Champion
  • Kevin Temple – Champion (2007, 2010, 2015)
  • Floyd Kilgore – Champion (2003)
  • Brian Laubman – Champion (2005)
  • Senan Foley – Champion (2008)
  • Tom McKinlay Jr – Four-time Mid Amateur Interprovincial Team Member

FAST FACTS

  • Competitors will be playing for one of 25 quota positions in the 2018 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The national championship will be contested at the beautiful and historic Victoria Golf Club August 21-24th.
  • The 2018 Interprovincial Mid Amateur Team will be comprised of the eventual champion, runner-up and the mid master champion. The three-man team will represent the province at nationals.

ABOUT THE COURSES

Stony Plain Golf Course

Glendale Golf & Country Club

MEDIA

Team Alberta

16-Year-Old Ethan Choi among strong Alberta contingent at the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open

Three amateurs, including two juniors, received a call from the professional ranks with special exemptions into this week’s Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open. Daniel Pow from the Glencoe G&CC sits in a tie for 27th after the first round, leading all Albertans.

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Amateur Professional

Heffernan wins sixth SVR Alberta Open Championship

Wes Heffernan has won the SVR Alberta Open Championship for the sixth time.

That’s the second most all-time tournament victories only behind the legendary Stan Leonard who won the event nine times between 1937 and 1955.

The 41-year-old veteran closed with a 5-under stretch on the final seven holes to win by three strokes over fellow professionals Riley Fleming and Evan Holmes who finished in a tie for second place at 10-under-par.

“On the back nine we were kind of going back and forth. Every stroke was really important. It was pretty stressful but at the same time really fun. It’s awesome to have three guys in it until the end,” said Heffernan after the round.

Heffernan finished in style with a back-nine score of 31 highlighted by a closing putt made for eagle on the par 5, eighteenth hole to put an exclamation mark on the victory.

When asked about the host venue, River Spirit Golf Club, Heffernan said “the greens were fantastic. If you missed a putt this week it was your fault. Any time you play perfect greens you can shoot numbers like 65.”

The victory comes on the heels of a T6 finish on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada stop in Victoria, BC just over a week ago.

“Next week I have the PGA Championship of Canada in Ontario. I’m looking forward to that and this is a good step towards that. Hopefully I can carry this into next week”, added Heffernan. The PGA Championship of Canada runs June 25-29 at the Credit Valley G&CC.

St. Albert’s AJ Armstrong, a senior at Washington State, claimed low amateur honours and a trip to the 2019 Pacific Coast Amateur Championship.

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Professional

Shaw Communications and AltaLink Team Up to Help Shaw Charity Classic Make Greater Impact on Youth-Based Charities in Alberta

PGA TOUR Champions event sets fundraising goal at $10 million for 2018, names nine official charitable partners

CALGARY—The Shaw Charity Classic will take aim at raising $10 million for 182 children’s charities in Alberta, thanks to renewed support from its title partner Shaw Communications Inc. and AltaLink for the award-winning tournament’s Birdies for Kids program.

Shaw has announced it will become the new title sponsor of the charitable giving program, donating

$1 million to positively impact 182 charities from across the province.  Additionally, AltaLink extended its commitment as presenting sponsor for three more years. Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink will support more than 500,000 youth in the areas of sports, arts, health, development and counselling.

“We are touched by the work of so many people associated with the Shaw Charity Classic to create a foundation of giving and support for the charities that are working tirelessly to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of children, youth and families across Southern Alberta,” said Brad Shaw, CEO, Shaw Communications. “We have set a high bar for the tournament this year, and we are eager to work with all of our partners to do even more for the organizations that work every day to make the lives of more children and youth better.”

Building on the title partner’s leadership, it was the tournament’s relationship with AltaLink around the creation of the unique Birdies for Kids program in 2015 that has sparked tremendous growth in the Shaw Charity Classic’s fundraising efforts.

“We are incredibly proud to be the presenting sponsor of the Birdies for Kids program since its inception in 2015 and to announce we are enthusiastically signed on for three more years,” said Scott Thon, President and CEO of AltaLink. “Increasing the number of eligible charities will only help make a greater impact for kids across Alberta and we look forward to working with Shaw Communications to grow this program even more.”

Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink gives corporations and individual donors alike the opportunity to give to the partnered children’s charity of their choice. On top of those donations, the charities will receive a match of up to 50 per cent of each contribution through a tiered matching program.

Having raised a total of $22.1 million over the event’s first five years, Birdies for Kids has flourished from impacting 90 charities with $2 million in 2015 to having raised $6.9 million for 159 charities last year after welcoming donations from more than 2,400 Canadians in all corners of the country. Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink hopes to raise $9.6 million by the time the 2018 champion is white-hatted on the 18th green on September 2.

“The tournament’s charitable spirit is rooted in the generous support of these two community leaders: Shaw Communications and AltaLink,” said Clay Riddell, Tournament Chairman, Shaw Charity Classic.

“Never could we have imagined that year-after-year our tournament would shatter records for charitable giving on the PGA TOUR Champions, but this is not possible without a shared passion we have with these incredible partners for watching the greatest names in golf come to Calgary, and a commitment to helping our youth. I know we will continue to have a tremendous impact on the lives of Alberta youth through the continued support of this program.”

The Shaw Charity Classic also announced nine official charitable partners for the sixth edition of the Shaw Charity Classic, including: Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, Calgary Police Foundation, Classroom Champions, Horizon Housing, Junior Achievement Southern Alberta, Kids Cancer Care, KidSport Calgary, and The PREP Program. In addition to participating in the Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink program, each of these nine official partners will receive an additional donation through the tournament.

To mark the occasion, tournament officials paired a representative from each of the nine charities with a community personality for a five-hole team golf competition at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on Wednesday. The winning team received $1,000 for its charity, representing the first official donation of 2018.

Companies and individuals can begin pledging their donations to Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLinkby visiting www.shawcharityclassic.com for full list of participating charities. All donations qualify for a charitable tax receipt, and 100 per cent of every donation goes directly to the selected participating charity.

Amateur Professional

Fleming gunning for third SVR Alberta Open title

Riley Fleming won the event as an amateur in 2013 and backed it up as a professional the following year. He will shoot for his third SVR Alberta Open title tomorrow at River Spirit Golf Club. Hot on his heels and only a shot back of the lead is five-time champion Wes Heffernan who continues his strong play on home soil. 2016 Alberta Mens Amateur champion Evan Holmes is tied for second place with Heffernan and is looking for his first win as a professional.

In the race for low amateur honours is 2014 Alberta Mens Amateur champion Tyler Saunders at five-under-par. He leads by two over St. Albert’s AJ Armstrong. The amateurs are playing for a 2019 Pacific Coast Amateur Championship team position.

The field was cut to the low 60 players and ties after today’s second round. The cut fell at +13 with 64 players left to compete in tomorrow’s final round. Final round tee times can be found here.

 

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Amateur Professional

Ryan Werre leads after round one of the SVR Alberta Open

With a strong field of contenders at River Spirit Golf Club, there are two past champions sitting one stroke back of first-round leader Ryan Werre from Redcliff, Alberta. Werre had a bogey-free round including three birdies in a row putting him on top of the leaderboard. The Team Alberta alumni leads the field of twenty-nine professionals competing for the $18,000.00 purse.

Michael Harrison of Camrose, Alberta shot a three-under-par sixty-nine to lead the group amateurs in the field. A 2019 Pacific Coast Amateur Championship team position awaits the low amateur at the conclusion of the event.

Click here for photographs from the first round action.

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