From September 18–22, Golf Canada will be celebrating all those who donate towards a Golf in Schools kit this year during the second annual Adopt a School Week.

The week will represent a coast-to-coast celebration to mark the efforts of all Golf in Schools adoptions taking place during that week, in addition to all adoptions that occur throughout the year.

In 2016, 234 new schools were adopted, introducing an average of 120 students per school to the game of golf.

Since the program’s inception in 2009, adoptions have accounted for close to 50% of the over 3,200 registered schools delivering the curriculum. As a result, Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), and all provincial partners have aligned to celebrate the generosity of golf enthusiasts across the country.

“As partners, we recognize the value of Golf in Schools adoptions—getting Canada’s youth exposed to the sport of golf in the regular school curriculum is critical to the continued growth of our sport at the entry level,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “At the same time, adopting a school into this program presents a great business opportunity for facilities as well. Through the process of adopting a school, a connection is established between the school, its students and the golf facility. After experiencing golf at school, the natural transition to an established golf facility will ideally result in more young golfers.”

Every student should experience the wonders of golf. With each school adoption, facilities can help make this vision a reality. By adopting a school, the donor donates the full program kit which includes age-appropriate golf clubs and a teacher-friendly learning resource. Developed in conjunction with the PGA of Canada and Physical Health Education (PHE) Canada, the learning resource now incorporates Life Skills into the curriculum—placing added focus on transferrable skills both on and off the golf course.

Following Adopt a School Week, Golf Canada will be announcing all elementary, intermediate and high school adoptions conducted in 2017.

Find out more or adopt a school in your community at golfcanada.ca/adoptaschool

Discussions around the use of video evidence and viewer call-ins continue to evolve

In conjunction with the Rules Modernization Initiative, golf’s governing bodies have been discussing video evidence at length. In fact, a draft of language regarding video evidence and the use of such information was ready to be included among the proposed changes to the 2019 Rules of Golf.

Instead, a new decision to limit the use of video evidence was implemented immediately in order to address unintended consequences as a result of the increasing prevalence of technology in the game.

For some golf purists, who strongly stand by the game’s values of honour and integrity, this may provoke a negative reaction. It’s understood that players are responsible for knowing the rules and officials are there to assist and apply the rules.

Since the game is predominantly played without the supervision of a rules official, players are expected to report any violations and accept any incurred penalties from doing so no matter how severe.

Nevertheless the controversies at major championships, such as Tiger Woods incorrectly dropping from a water hazard at the 2013 Masters, Dustin Johnson’s golf ball slightly moving at the 2016 U.S. Open and Lexi Thompson misplacing her ball at the ANA Inspiration in April, continue to arise. These incidents, however, were only distinguishable through the use of video replay, which can be slowed down or zoomed in if necessary.

This new decision by the game’s governing bodies is intended to address that issue and outlines two standards for committees to limit the use of video. Firstly, when video reveals evidence that could not reasonably be seen with the naked eye, and secondly, when players use their reasonable judgment to determine a specific location, point or distance when applying the rules.

Golf’s governing bodies have also formed a working group of LPGA Tour, PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, Ladies European Tour and PGA of America representatives to immediately begin a comprehensive review of broader video issues, including viewer call-ins, which arise in televised competitions.

Ultimately the responsibility of any rules official and tournament committee is to protect the field and ensure everyone plays to the same standards. On the flip side, this mandate also protects the players and prevents microscopic details from determining champions.

To view the full text of the new Decision 34-3/10, click here.

This article was originally published in the Summer Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally helps with controlling your various wedge distances.

There is great debate around when specializing a child in a sport should occur. Most believe the earlier the better, but is that really best?

If you want your child to become a professional golfer, figure skater, or other high-performance athlete, when should they specialize in that one sport?

It’s a question that often generates heated discussion among coaches and sport parents. All too often, in most sports, children are pushed to specialize too early.

Too many coaches and parents push them to focus on one sport long before high school in the belief that they will miss out if they don’t. The thinking is that they need to “get ahead of the pack” by putting in the extra hours and staying away from other sports.

Meanwhile, research suggests that specializing too early probably prevents most kids from reaching their full potential in their sport. They might win the district championships for Grade 8 or Grade 10 basketball, but that will be their peak achievement. They won’t make the cut for the national team and go on to have success in their given sport internationally at age 19.

It seems counterintuitive. How could specialization reduce your success? It’s connected to physical literacy and the need to develop a wide range of physical, mental and emotional skills within sport. When researchers look at top athletes across a range of sports, the majority of them are distinguished by broad athletic ability from playing a variety of sports as children. This kind of broad athleticism doesn’t happen when kids specialize in one sport from an early age.

(Please note: We haven’t even mentioned the problem of overuse injuries to tendons, ligaments and bone growth plates due to premature specialization. There’s enough research on that subject to write a book. Premature specialization is also linked to kids dropping out of sports early.)

Is early specialization wrong for all sports? No. But research shows very few sports where it helps. Sports and activities such as gymnastics, figure skating, diving and dancing generally require early specialization. To reach the highest levels of competition, your child needs to start young and spend most of their time practising that sport or activity.

However, sports such as golf, hockey, soccer, basketball, baseball and tennis are late-specialization sports. If you want your child to have a chance to go to the highest levels in these activities, the evidence suggests they should also play other sports until at least age 14. This is called sampling or early diversification.

When you feel the urge to make your child specialize early, remember that Steve Nash didn’t even start playing basketball until he was 13 years old. Wayne Gretzky started hockey young, but he also played baseball, lacrosse and tennis into his teens.

The debate between early specialization and multi-sport participation among children is one of the many topics presented in the Long-Term Player Development Guide for Canadian golf. Find out more at golfcanada.ca/ltpd.

This article was originally published in the Summer Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum held a press conference on Saturday at Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club during the third round of the 2017 CP Women’s Open.

OTTAWA – Cristie Kerr waved at her caddy to stop for a second on the 18th fairway of the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Mirim Lee and her bagman also held up.

Brooke Henderson, the third member of their trio for the final round of the CP Women’s Open, marched ahead with her sister and caddy Britt in tow, the standing ovation from the gallery theirs alone. Although Henderson had an even par round to finish at 7-under in a tie for 12th on Sunday, she was the star of the LPGA event all week and it was only fitting she had one last moment on the course with her legions of fans.

“It was amazing,” said Henderson minutes before accepting the Sandra Post Medal as the tournament’s low Canadian from the award’s namesake. “The crowds were incredible, and to have that support behind me from the very start of the week, Monday, when they were out here following me and cheering me on, it was so amazing.

“Today didn’t go quite as well as I would have liked, but still having that support around me was amazing, and I’m going to remember this week forever.”

South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park shot a 7-under 64 to finish at 13-under par to win the tournament, but she was almost an afterthought for the partisan crowd.

The 19-year-old Henderson, from nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., was on the covers of programs, played pro-ams, appeared on billboards, and did everything asked of her to be an ambassador for the event. On Friday, she almost missed the cut but birdied on her final hole of the second round to keep playing. The next day, Henderson fired a course-record 8-under 63 to rocket up the leaderboard and play in the second-last group in Sunday’s final round.

“She had so much pressure on her this week,” said Kerr, who played with Henderson in the first, second and final rounds. “You know, more than a major, I told her. I was joking around, but it was true. Look at the people out here for her, they all want her to do well, and she wants to do really well for them.”

Kerr tried to settle Henderson’s nerves when it looked like the younger player might miss the cut. When Henderson had a pair of bogeys in the front nine on Sunday Kerr was there again to cheer her up.

Then, of course, it was Kerr who insured that Henderson had one last moment in the sun at the Women’s Open, getting their group of golfers to slow their pace so the Henderson sisters could absorb the crowd’s applause.

What a week for the local favorite, @BrookeHenderson! ??❤️

Watch highlights from her final day #CPWO: pic.twitter.com/YbndLBqQWg

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 27, 2017

“She’s a role model, I look up to her,” said Henderson of Kerr. “To play with her three days this week really helped me. Just things like that, letting me walk up on to 18 and soak in the crowd and all those cheers, that was just really a class act.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was the only other Canadian to make the cut out of a field of 14. She shot a 2-under 69 to finish at 3-under par on the tournament. Marchand, who was a sponsor exemption that usually plays on the Symetra Tour, also drew some crowds.

“They’re always cheering you on no matter how it goes,” said Marchand. “It’s nice to have that support backing you, especially playing at home. Now that I’ve played two LPGA events at home, I’m getting more support than I probably would if I was just playing in the States somewhere.”

The crowds were so vocal for Brooke Henderson that even her caddy Britt drew cheers with people calling out her name, encouraging her as she lugged her sister’s golf bag or gave advice.

“The crowds were so great all week and it’s so cool to play this kind of tournament at home and have that kind of crowd support, even the caddy,” said Britt. “It felt awesome.”

Dustin Johnson faced long odds all day against Jordan Spieth until the longest drive led to an unlike playoff victory Sunday in The Northern Trust.

Johnson rallied from a five-shot deficit on the front nine. And on the final hole in regulation, after one of the most powerful players in golf chose to lay up from the rough, his 18-foot par putt swirled around the cup and fell in the back side for a 4-under 66 to force a sudden-death playoff.

So clutch. It’s been almost 2 hours and we still can’t believe it.@DJohnsonPGA on the 72nd hole to force a playoff … pic.twitter.com/K9DL8ZPT0N

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2017

Returning to the 18th hole, Johnson felt the wind switch and took on the lake with a 341-yard tee shot – the longest of the week on that hole – that left him a lob wedge that he hit to 4 feet.

Spieth, who already made his share of big putts along the back nine at Glen Oaks, hit 7-iron to the back collar and missed his 25-foot birdie putt. Johnson rolled in his short birdie putt for his fourth victory of the year.

Spieth, who closed with a 69, lost for the first time in six tries when leading by at least two shots. There wasn’t much he could do except take back that tee shot into the water on the par-3 sixth hole after building a five-shot lead. Johnson played bogey-free in the final round, and played his final 29 holes at par or better.

“I didn’t lose the tournament,” Spieth said. “He won it.”

The opening FedEx Cup playoff event featured two of the biggest names in golf who put on an amazing show on Long Island.

“I thought that was a fun show,” Spieth said. “I was hoping it wasn’t going to be that much fun.”

Johnson made up a five-shot deficit in five holes, and they battled along the back nine with big shots and big moments. They were tied on the par-3 17th when both hit into a bunker, and Johnson blasted out to 4 feet with an easier shot and angle to the hole. Spieth had 18 feet for par and knocked it in, like he always seems to do.

On the closing hole, Johnson showed the kind of golf I.Q. that belies his simple outlook on life. After he sliced his drive up the hill and into a nasty lie in the rough, he chose to lay up instead of trying to hammer a shot to an elevated green.

Winning approach.
Winning reactions.

Paulina Gretzky and the fans approve. ? pic.twitter.com/gN6SCPp1Qw

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2017

But he made it pay off with a par, that got him into the playoff after Spieth lagged a 75-foot putt perfectly to get his par.

They finished at 13-under 267.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., finished in a tie for 62nd place.

Johnson won for the first time since he wrenched his back during a spill down the stairs that knocked him out of the Masters and derailed his dominance in golf. He had won three straight tournaments against strong fields until that injury.

“I feel like the game is finally back in form like it was before the Masters,” Johnson said.

Of his 16 victories, this was the first time Johnson faced a must-make putt on the final hole, and he delivered a par putt that even Spieth thought was going to miss on the high side of the hole.

The Northern Trust never looked as though it would contain so much drama.

Spieth began with a three-shot lead. He two-putted from long range for birdie on the par-5 third hole when Johnson, from closer range but putting from off the green, took three to get down for a par. And then the fifth hole felt like a dagger – Spieth poured in a 30-foot birdie putt, and Johnson missed his birdie from 8 feet.

That gave Spieth a five-shot lead – no one else was closer than seven – and it seemed even larger because Johnson wasn’t making any putts.

A couple gutsy pars on No. 17.

We head to the 18th with Spieth, DJ still tied. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/MbqYLcxpPC

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2017

Five holes later, they were tied.

Spieth’s tee shot on the next hole banged off the rock wall and into the water on the par-3 sixth, and he made double bogey. On the ninth hole, Spieth took three putts from just off the left side the green, and Johnson made a 7-foot birdie putt for another two-shot swing.

Johnson began the back nine with an 8-foot birdie, and they were tied.

The closest Johnson came to taking the lead was a 15-foot eagle attempt that narrowly missed. Spieth regained the lead with an 8-foot birdie on the 14th, and Johnson tied him again from 18 feet on the next hole.

It was great theatre, even before a crowd not nearly as large as other courses used in the rotation, and it lasted all the way until the end.

No one else really had a chance.

Jon Rahm ran off three straight birdies early on the back and briefly was one shot behind, though he had stronger holes ahead of him and fell back. Jhonattan Vegas was within two shots after playing the scoring holes.

Otherwise, it was a matter of who finished among the top 100 in the FedEx Cup to move on to the TPC Boston next week for the next playoff event.

Bubba Watson shot a 70 and tied for 10th, to become one of eight players to qualify for the second playoff event all 11 years of the FedEx Cup. David Lingmerth, who started at No. 103, overcame a 40 on the front nine for a 73 to tie for 29th and move into the top 100.

These players climbed into the #FedExCup top 100 and advance to next week:@HV3-Golf 123➡️91@bubbawatson 113➡️72@dlingmerth 103➡️87 pic.twitter.com/vD5T4VzXZp

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 28, 2017

Harold Varner III, not even among the top 125 going into the final regular-season event last week, made it to New York and then tied for 20th to crack the top 100.

The three players who moved into the top 100 were the fewest since two advanced in 2007 when the FedEx Cup began.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

Shannon and Brezovski take home the Novice championships

CLARESHOLM, Alta (Alberta Golf) – The 2017 Alberta Bantam & Novice Championships concluded today at the Bridges of Claresholm GC. On the boys side, day one leader Hunter Thomson backed up his impressive opening 67 with a steady, even par 72 in the final round to win by five strokes over a trio who finished at even par for the championship.

Thomson played solidly in the final round commenting that “today’s round was not that much different from yesterday. I just stuck with the same game plan that worked on the first day.” He made a closing birdie to cap off an impressive week and finish at five-under-par for the championship.

Thomson added that “this win really means a lot. To see Ethan Choi’s name on there twice and a few other successful golfers from Alberta… it really helps to have my name on there. It was a really good week. I am really happy.”

It was a come from behind victory on the girls side for Kaitlyn Wingnean of the Derrick Golf & Winter Club. Back to back 76’s was enough to win the Bantam Girls championship by two shots over day one leader Tillie Claggett.

Wingnean played well down the stretch saying after the round that “the front nine was not as good as I planned it to be, but on the back nine I stepped up my game.” She added that “this is my last year (of age eligibility). This is what I have been working towards. I really wanted to win the Bantam this year and am extremely happy I was able to accomplish that.”

Jace Shannon from Forestburg won the Novice Boys championship and Belle Brezovski from the Sturgeon Valley G&CC won the Novice Girls championship. Look for both next year as they compete in the Bantam championship.

TOP 10 LEADERBOARDS

MEDIA

• Full event information
• #ABBantam
• Flickr albums

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ABOUT ALBERTA GOLF
The Alberta Golf Association was incorporated as a society in 1912 and continues today as a not for profit Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) operating as Alberta Golf. As the PSO, we are commited to realizing the positive impacts of golf on individuals and communities across Alberta. Our vision is that through golf, Albertans will enjoy a high quality of life, improved health and wellness, a strong sense of community, economic benefits and personal fulfillment. Alberta Golf hosts 13 annual provincial championships in order to identify the best golfers in various age and gender catergories. A mix of nearly 1,500 pro and amateur golfers compete on high quality member facility courses across the province. Championships are hosted by a core team of staff and over 100 volunteers. The tournaments promote competition, build pride in the community, support charitable giving and inspire future generations of golfers. They also serve as an opportunity for golfers to qualify for national amateur championships.

CONTACT
Anthony Stirling
Tournament Coordinator
Alberta Golf
(p) 403-999-2615

Shannon and Brezovski lead the Novice Championships

CLARESHOLM, Alta (Alberta Golf) – Day one of the 2017 Alberta Bantam & Novice Championships proved to be a tough test as the field of youngsters faced difficult conditions at the Bridges of Claresholm GC. The field battled strong winds and several players shot very respectable numbers in what for many of the golfers was their first provincial championship round.

Last year’s runner-up Hunter Thomson, of the Glencoe G&CC, distanced himself from the field in the first round with consistently strong play off the tee.

“My mental game was strong. I only missed two fairways, the driver was on. I did not miss many greens, and my putting was very good. No three-putts. I am overall just very happy with the round.”

Thomson only made one bogey on the day and holds a five-shot heading into tomorrow’s second and final round.

“I will go into round two with the same game plan. I am pretty happy with today’s round obviously and I am looking to continue that tomorrow.”

Thomson’s club-mate Marko Banic sits alone in second place. The third-place finisher last year bounced back nicely by making an eagle on the par five second hole, after opening with a double-bogey on the first hole of the championship.

Tillie Claggett, also of the Glencoe G&CC, leads the Bantam Girls Championship by one shot over the Derrick Golf & Winter Club’s Kaitlyn Wingnean. Wingnean made an eagle on the par five eighteenth, and when Claggett made double-bogey on the closing hole her lead was slashed by four strokes. That exchange will make for a competitive final round tomorrow.

Jace Shannon from Forestburg leads the Novice Boys Championship and Belle Brezovski from the Sturgeon Valley G&CC leads the Novice Girls Championship.

TOP 10 LEADERBOARDS

MEDIA

• Full event information
• #ABBantam
• Flickr albums

-30-

ABOUT ALBERTA GOLF
The Alberta Golf Association was incorporated as a society in 1912 and continues today as a not for profit Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) operating as Alberta Golf. As the PSO, we are commited to realizing the positive impacts of golf on individuals and communities across Alberta. Our vision is that through golf, Albertans will enjoy a high quality of life, improved health and wellness, a strong sense of community, economic benefits and personal fulfillment. Alberta Golf hosts 13 annual provincial championships in order to identify the best golfers in various age and gender catergories. A mix of nearly 1,500 pro and amateur golfers compete on high quality member facility courses across the province. Championships are hosted by a core team of staff and over 100 volunteers. The tournaments promote competition, build pride in the community, support charitable giving and inspire future generations of golfers. They also serve as an opportunity for golfers to qualify for national amateur championships.

CONTACT
Anthony Stirling
Tournament Coordinator
Alberta Golf
(p) 403-999-2615

Ty Steinbring representing Alberta at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

Canada finishes second in the 2017 Euro Junior Golf Cup, with the MJT Team Canada crew off to Finland

This month marks an exciting time for some Alberta junior golfers. From August 8th to 11th Richard Dou, Brady McKinlay, and Ty Steinbring travelled to Scotland to compete in the 2017 Euro Junior Golf Cup (EJGC). Team Canada took home silver medals through a retrogression match against Team Europe. With Team USA capturing first for a third straight year at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

“The whole experience was memorable. From traveling with the team, seeing Scotland (the home of golf) to playing and getting to practice on an old course, it was a great experience that I’ll never forget,” says Barrhead Golf & Country Club affiliate Steinbring.

Formerly known as the World Junior Golf Cup, the Euro Junior Golf Cup was developed in 1998 and is conducted on courses around the home of golf in St. Andrews, Scotland every year. The Euro Junior Golf Cup provides junior golfers with an opportunity to re-visit golf’s history and maybe make some of their own. Three countries participate each year – Canada, (Canadian Junior Golf Association), the United States (International Junior Golf Tour), and Scotland (Fife Golf Union). The tournament takes on a unique format with the three teams competing in singles matches over three days to determine a winner for the John Clark Trophy. Each team consists of six (U19) junior boys, two (U15) bantam boys and two (U19) junior girls.

Team Canada at the 2017 Euro Junior Golf Cup in Scotland

Also, taking place this month is the MJT (Maple Leaf Junior Tournament) Nordic Junior Team Matches in Vierumaki, Finland. Albertans Chris Horton and Brady McKinlay qualified for this year’s MJT Team Canada. They will compete against Finland, Sweden and Estonia from August 28th to September 4th, with Ontario teammates Bennett Ruby and Joe MacNeil.

“This will be an incredible life experience as well as an eye opener for the Canadian players,” said Trent Matson, MJT National Operations Manager, who is chaperoning the team to Helsinki.  “The Sports Institute of Finland is an excellent facility and this is a unique opportunity to play against very good juniors from three different countries in different conditions.”