Written by Kevin Smith, Global TV

Team AB TAPS into Talent

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

The last time I heard the word “TAPS”, I was a kid watching the 1981 movie of the same name starring Sean Penn and Tom Cruise. It was the movie debut for both actors and it certainly tapped into their potential that has since made both superstars. How does this relate to Alberta Golf 35 years later? Two coaches for Team Alberta have devised a new scorecard called “TAPS” to help Team Alberta junior golfers mature more quickly in both their golf games and in life.

Randy Robb, Alberta Golf’s manager of high performance sport, has been a Team Alberta coach for over a decade while Pinebrook Golf and Country Club junior coach, Luke Workman, joined Team Alberta last year. Robb and Workman have devised a program for their Alberta juniors unlike anything we’ve seen in Canada. “TAPS” or “Team Alberta Performance Scorecard” has 18 specific categories on a unique scorecard that helps each player assess areas of strength and weakness in his or her golf game.

The “TAPS” scorecard focuses on different aspects such as long game, short game, putting, tactical and technical skills, as well as physical and mental skills. If a category is an area of strength, the player earns a birdie or an eagle. If it’s an area of weakness, then the player chalks up a bogey. If it’s average, then the player gets a par.

Workman, Team Alberta junior girls coach, says he and Robb wanted to devise a more objective measuring tool for the juniors and their parents in the Team Alberta program. “It’s a feedback tool,” said Workman. “It helps us identify where players are excellent and areas where players need improvement to help them lower their scores. It will also help them become more well-rounded athletes and people for that matter.” The scorecard helps provide an individualized practice plan for each player and shows them how best to spend their time.

Robb points out that college golf programs often have as many players sitting on the sidelines each week as they do competing in tournaments. His objective is to help develop juniors that not only make college golf teams, but are leaders on them. “Our goal is to have them be successful at college, both in the classroom and on the golf course,” Robb said. “We’re trying to set it up so they have a better college experience.”

The eight girls and nine boys on Team Alberta will be the first golfers in the province using the “TAPS” system. Kehler Koss, 17, plays out of Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary and is one of the eight junior girls on Team Alberta. Koss sees the benefit of this scorecard as a learning tool.

“I love it,” Koss raves.

“It sets goals for you and everyone wants to be under par on the scorecard. It really helps athletes who want to take this sport seriously and to know exactly where they need to improve. This really sets the benchmark for athletes in Alberta.”

Koss has already found out she gets lots of birdies in categories such as school work and fitness, but some bogeys in her short game. She is already working harder on her 60-70 yard wedges and lag putting. “It’s really an honour to be a part of that program and be supported by Randy and Luke,” she said. “They really have their hearts set on the juniors developing into the best they can be. The “TAPS” program is one of the main keys that they use.”

Randy Robb has used many coaching techniques in his years with Alberta Golf, but he’s very excited to see if the “TAPS” scorecard becomes one of the best.

“We are just starting to use the “TAPS” program with the players this year, but in the future we’d like to see more and more kids use this concept.”

Robb and Workman will assess the effectiveness of the “TAPS” program once the golf season has ended to see if it did indeed ‘tap’ into the talent of these junior golfers.

Team AB TAPS into Talent

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Take the High Road

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

WE ALL KNOW THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF THE ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME FLOOD THAT DEVASTATED SOUTHERN ALBERTA IN JUNE, 2013. THE RECOVERY FROM WHAT WAS THE COSTLIEST NATURAL DISASTER IN CANADIAN HISTORY LINGERS TO THIS DAY.

Damage losses and recovery costs soared to over $5Billion. Over 100,000 people had to be evacuated. Five people died. The Highwood Golf and Country Club in High River was one of dozens of golf facilities in southern Alberta that suffered unbelievable damage in the flooding. Now, three years later, the golf course has bounced back and from July 5-7 will host the Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship.

“It was overwhelming and scary,” said Lane Neilson, the long-time superintendent at Highwood, which along with Kananaskis Country, was one of the province’s hardest hit golf courses.

“It was a real nightmare,” Neilson recalls. “The water came in so fast and from every direction. I have witnessed three significant floods during my time here, but this one was in a league of its own.”

At the time, many wondered if they could even save the golf course. Yet this summer, Highwood will play host to the best women amateur players in the province.

“It’s remarkable, unbelievable and a real honour,” said Highwood general manager Graeme Kreiner. “We were supposed to host an Alberta Golf event two years ago, but the flood wiped out all chances of that happening. It’s great to be back on the rotation.”

It’s also great – never mind remarkably amazing – what Neilson, his assistant Brett Lindenback and 1,500 volunteers were able to do to get the golf course into the condition it is today.

“With most of my time spent on paper work and meetings, Brett, who was in his first year at the club, took the bull by the horns and did a wonderful job,” said Neilson. “Without the volunteers we wouldn’t have been able to save the course. Most of the volunteers were actually from Calgary and ranged in age from 8 to 85,” Neilson said. “It was strangers working side-by-side.”

The volunteers had to remove debris that included thousands of rocks and splintered trees, but easily the hardest part was getting rid of a sea of mud and silt – in some places over three feet deep – that covered all 27 fairways and all but two greens.

Most of the silt and mud was shovelled, hosed and squeegeed off the greens by hand while some 17 acres of new sod was laid down on the fairways. “Then it was over- seed and water, water, water,” said Neilson.

The latter was a major obstacle all by itself given that the irrigation pond had to be dredged because the intake was completely clogged. “It wasn’t like the flood happened and it was done,” added Kreiner. “Everybody pitched in with volunteers helping out other volunteers. It showed what Canada is all about in this area.”

Highwood, which opened as a 9-hole course in 1958, eventually expanded to be a 27-hole layout. But the flood changed that. Now there are 18 very solid holes – many with mountain vistas – comprised of the Heritage and Mountain View nines.

The opening four holes on the Heritage side are completely new and a little more open than the original pre-flood layout. All 18 holes are now on the ‘dry’ side of a 3.5-metre berm. “Because of the raised berm, if there is another flood those holes will now all be safe,” said Neilson.

But that’s not all. The original four holes of the Heritage nine now form a practice loop while what was the Spitzee nine – the hardest hit of the 27 holes – has been converted into an executive-style six-hole course with three sets of tees, hazards and forgiving greens that will open later this summer.

“Spitzee was just about everyone else’s favourite nine because it was so peaceful down on the river banks. Fortunately, six of those holes were able to be saved,” said Kreiner. “For people without time to play 18 holes – or for golfers who believe 18 holes is just too much – this offers a nice alternative.

“Time is probably the biggest deterrent to golf. My wife is a perfect example. Even nine holes are too much for her. She gets bored after about six holes. Now, people like her can play the six-hole course in just over an hour. They are still six very good holes. I can go out there with a brand new golfer and we can both have fun and be challenged.”

The four-hole practice loop also gives Highwood additional options. “For bigger events like charity tournaments we can hold a 22-hole shotgun,” said Kreiner, who arrived this year from Golden, BC but who grew up on the Hinton course under head pro Doug Lecuyer.

For the Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur, the players will contest the Heritage/Mountain View layout, which will almost undoubtedly come down to the final three holes to decide a champion.

“No. 16 is a relatively short par-4. No. 17 is a drivable par-4 with water in front of the green and No. 18 plays as a par-5 for the ladies,” Kreiner said. “It wouldn’t really surprise me if somebody has a birdie- eagle-eagle finish.”

“At Highwood you want to get off to a fast start, hang on through the tougher middle holes and then finish real strong. All 18 holes are a fair test. What you see is what you get; there are no tricks.”

In 2002, Highwood achieved designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Three years after the flood, the course is finally out of the construction and rebuilding phases. The club is welcoming a lot of young families as new members and many former members are returning.

Environment Canada called the 2013 disaster “The Flood of Floods,” while the mantra of the relief program was called “Come Hell or High Water”. Highwood overcame the odds.

“There is a perception that our course is still damaged. But that’s not the case at all,” said Kreiner. “I’m telling people that chapter of our story is finished. We’ve turned the page. We’ve escaped to a new high road.”

Take the High Road

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

   A two-hour weather delay didn’t prevent low scoring, as the top players carded -3, 69, in the first day of the Alberta Men’s Mid Amateur Championship

PONOKA, Alta. (Alberta Golf) – The second provincial championship of the season commenced with the 2016 Alberta Men’s Mid Amateur Championship. The largest field of the year, 165 competitors, (including defending champion, Kevin Temple) took to Ponoka Golf Club, aiming for a low number under threatening weather for much of the day. Other notables competing included 2015 Alberta Mid Amateur interprovincial team members, Jeff Murdoch and Brandon Markiw. Past champions within the last five years Frank Van Dornick, David Schultz and Alan Stewart are also looking to claim another provincial title. However, it would be a few stand-out performances from Justin Butt, Alexander Ritson and Tom Mckinlay Jr. that stole the show in round one.

A thunderous weather delay rolling in shortly before noon halted play for over two hours, with the competitors restarting play in a light rain that promptly turned back to blue skies. While an abrupt suspension of play can often result in competitors losing focus and failing to complete a favorable round, the inclement weather couldn’t stop Justin Butt from powering his way into a three-way tie for first.

Butt, from The Canal at Delacour Golf Course, was pleased following his 3 under score on Tuesday. He stated, “usually I shoot even – maybe a few over – so to come in at 69 is pretty good.”

When asked if there were any changes or adjustments he would like to make to his game heading into round two, he laughed and replied, “I would like to shoot the exact same number tomorrow.”

Ritson and Mckinlay Jr., who each started their round after the weather delay had been lifted, played stellar golf and earned themselves a share of first. Ritson proved consistent throughout the late afternoon, lacing together three straight birdies. He felt the wet course after the delay contributed to his success and the way he approached his play, stating “it was definitely slower for us. I wasn’t worried about being bold above the hole.”

Veteran competitor Tom Mckinlay Jr., a three-time Alberta Men’s Mid Amateur interprovincial team member, will look to break free from the tie for first in tomorrow’s round.

TOP 10 LEADER BOARD  

For the full leader board, click here.

Round two begins tomorrow, with tee times starting at 7 a.m. A 36-hole cut will reduce the field to the low 70 and ties ahead of the final round to be contested on Thursday, June 30. For round two pairings,click here.

For photos from championship, click here.

Tyler Kemp
Coordinator, Communications
Alberta Golf
c 403.852.4954
(e) tylerkemp@albertagolf.org

Written by Todd Saelhof, The Calgary Sun

Veteran Bests the Young Guns

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

THE GOLF GODS HAVE OPENED UP NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR KEVIN TEMPLE.

Perhaps even a shot at one day playing in the RBC Canadian Open. At age 49, that’s nothing to sneeze at.

“That would be very good,” said Temple, chuckling at the thought of such a fantastic early 50th birthday gift from the sport he’s been playing since he was a teenager.

“My goal has always been to win the Canadian Mid-Amateur,” continued the Calgarian, a member of Country Hills Golf Club. “It’s a very big goal, but there isn’t a tournament I enter that I don’t think I can win.”

These days, such a dream is hardly out of reach for Temple. He’s the owner of three Alberta Men’s Mid-Amateur Championships – in 2007, ’10 and ’15 – each of which gave him an exemption to the national mid-am event later that same year. The winner of the annual Canadian Mid-Am earns a spot in the next RBC Canadian Open.

Armed with his trusty driver and the unconditional support of his wife Jennifer, who sometimes doubles as his caddie, Temple is arguably playing the best golf of his life.

His latest push to appear on the national stage saw him top not only the best of Alberta golfers aged 40 and over, but also talents as young as 25. Alberta Golf has lowered its age minimum to participate in the provincial mid-am from 40 to 25 to fall in line with the mid-am age eligibility of other provinces and governing bodies, including that of Golf Canada and the USGA. At age 48, Temple put together his best finish in beating all swingers – young and old – to capture the Alberta Mid-Am crown at Sundre’s Coyote Creek Golf & RV Resort last July.

Temple carded a final-round bogey-free 7-under-par 64, tying the course record. His 54-hole total of 12-under-total 201 was two shots better than both Brandon Markiw of the Edmonton Petroleum Club and Stony Plains’ Jeff Murdoch.

We sat down with Kevin Temple to ask him about his win last year.

Q: Looking at your scores of 70-67-64, you consistently got better as the week went on, and not a lot of guys there could say that. Did you feel that?
A: Yeah. I made my last bogey on the 27th hole there, and I seemed to find something on the back nine of the second day – I shot 29. And I just carried it on through the third day.

Q: So the old dog showed the young guys some old tricks?
A: It did come down to that. I was very aggressive. On the first hole, a par-5, I hit a good drive and then a hybrid from 230 yards over water to the back of the green and made a two-putt birdie. On second hole, a par-3, I hit it to three feet to start birdie-birdie.

Q: After making birdies on 11, 12, 13 and 15 in the final round, is that when you thought, ‘This is where I’m winning this thing’?
A: On the final day, we had to wait on the tee-box of No. 16, a drivable par-4, for about 15 minutes, and a lot of things were going through my head. I decided I would hit iron off the tee and try to make them catch me rather than me make a mistake and come back to the field. So that’s where I really started thinking about winning.

Q: So is that your crowning achievement in golf?
A: Previously, some people might say, ‘It’s a 40-and-over tournament, so it’s not that big of a deal.’ Now that it has changed it to ages 25-and- over, I think it is my best accomplishment.

Temple then took his game to the 2015 Canadian Mid-Am at Abercrombie Country Club in New Glasgow, NS and finished tied for 12th with a 15-over 295.
But it’s the outright win he’s looking for to get him into the RBC Canadian Open.

“This year I’m hoping to qualify for the Canadian Amateur (with the winner also earning a berth in the RBC Canadian Open), so I’m going to play the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur in Innisfail for the first time since 2008,” Temple said. “I just want to see if I still have it at that level,” even though age just doesn’t seem to be an issue for Temple.

“Just like a fine wine, I guess.”

Veteran Bests the Young Guns

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Written by Wes Gilbertson, The Calgary Sun

A Resilient Love

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

THERE WAS NO RECAP IN GOLF DIGEST AND NO HIGHLIGHT PACKAGE ON GOLF CHANNEL’S MORNING DRIVE, BUT IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR WORD OF JAMES LOVE’S EMOTIONAL WIN AT THE 2015 ALBERTA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP TO SPREAD AMONG SOME OF THE BEST IN THE BIRDIE-MAKING BUSINESS. WANT PROOF? CHECK HIS IPHONE.

There was an incoming call from Saskatchewan’s Graham DeLaet, a close friend and arguably Canada’s brightest star on the PGA Tour. Love also received shout-outs from B.C. buddy Nick Taylor, who just months earlier had joined the exclusive list of guys from the Great White North to triumph on the PGA Tour, and from Ontario’s David Hearn, who a few weeks later would come oh-so-close to ending the lengthy home drought at the RBC Canadian Open.

There were many more messages, too.

“Just the texts and the emails that I got from guys around golf that I hadn’t talked to in a long time… It’s nice to know that I still have people in my corner that follow me and still care about me doing well,” Love said.

“Golf is definitely a lonely game and sometimes you feel like the game has passed you by or all your peers have moved on to bigger and better things. So when you can win any professional event, it means a lot when world-class players shoot you a text or call to say ‘congrats’ and ‘keep it up’”

Truth be told, it had been a long while since Love had received any congratulatory texts from his pin-seeking pals. The past couple of seasons have been a struggle for the Calgary-raised, Denver- based golfer. He was bothered by a nagging neck injury and his tournament results were often painful, too.

But during Alberta Golf’s marquee event last summer, Love proved he’s again healthy and still capable of leaving a lot of circles on a scorecard. He mixed three birdies and a bogey en route to a 2-under 69 in the opening round of the Alberta Open at Carnmoney Golf & Country Club in De Winton, leaving him two shots off the pace at the midway mark of the 36- hole shootout.

His only blemish during the final round was a double bogey on the second hole. He erased that damage – and then some – with seven birdies, including a string of five in a row, registering a grand total of 15 strokes from the tee box at No. 9 until he scooped his ball out of the cup at No. 13.

Just as important, Love drained a 60-yard shot to save par – he pulled his drive into a bunker and then chunked his second from a horrible lie into the water – on No. 16.

He had to sweat for a few minutes after missing a short birdie putt on the finishing hole at Carnmoney, but the contenders in the last group couldn’t force a playoff . Strathmore’s Dustin Risdon and Tyler Saunders of Glendale shared second, one shot shy of matching Love’s two-day tally of 7-under 135.

“It was a really good, fun couple of days,” Love said. “It was nice to win, obviously. It’s been a while since I had had a win. The one thing that just sticks out is that it was really cool to win an event in Calgary and have some family there to share it with.”

Unfortunately, his personal cheering section at Carnmoney didn’t include his biggest fan – his father. Rod Love, a prominent political strategist and right- hand man to long-time premier Ralph Klein, passed away in October, 2014 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

His son choked up outside the clubhouse at Carnmoney when a TV reporter asked how Rod would have reacted to his triumph. James later admitted, “He would have enjoyed it more than I would.” The 2005 Sun Life Financial Alberta Amateur champion is certain his proud pops would have enjoyed the victory party, too – a low-key family gathering at a nearby watering hole.

“We just went to a pub and had some beers and talked about the shots and talked about the tournament and how it transpired. That’s exactly what my dad would have wanted to do,” Love said. “He was my biggest fan. He never missed an event that I played in anywhere close to Calgary, and he was the first guy that I would call or email after any round – good or bad – anywhere in the world.”

Love called his parents, Rod and Charlene, immediately after working overtime to win the 2009 Canadian Tour Championship in St. Catharines, ON, defeating Brazil’s Lucas Lee in a playoff. Other notable names in his rear view mirror that week included DeLaet and James Hahn, all now regulars on the PGA Tour. Love, who turns 33 in July, is determined to join them.

It was great to hear from his pals and peers after his victory at the Alberta Open Championship at Carnmoney, but he would prefer to be chatting with them on a weekly basis on the practice range or in the locker room at Colonial, Harbour Town or Torrey Pines.

“I think I struggled a little bit over the last few years, especially the years after everybody kind of moved on. I wasn’t really sulking but I was also not necessarily looking at it from the best perspective,” admitted Love, who made a dozenWeb.com Tour starts in 2012 but has mostly teed it up on what’s now known as the Mackenzie Tour- PGA Tour Canada.

“I should have looked at it as, ‘That’s how close I am.’ I wasn’t resentful, by any means, that they were there and I wasn’t. It was more like, ‘I should be there, too.’

“To be honest, it’s hard at times keeping the faith,” he added. “You’re only as good as your last round, but I know how well I can play. For whatever reason, over the last little while, it hasn’t happened for me in the events in which I needed it to. I’m still enjoying trying to get better and doing the things I need to do on and off the course to make it.

“The desire hasn’t gone away at all. It’s just a matter of doing it at the right time.”

A Resilient Love

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Written by Jefferson Hagen

An Early Start

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

It’s a bit of a twist on the old playground mantra: ‘Everything I learned, I learned in phys-ed class.’

Thanks to a burgeoning Golf Canada program, administered by Alberta Golf, students are getting exposed to the game at a young age in their classes. Launched in the province in 2007, the Golf in Schools program has since grown to include more than 320 elementary schools, more than 10 junior high schools and more than 35 high schools.

Matt Rollins, former executive director/CEO of Alberta Golf, spearheaded the program in the province. “All these other sports that were in physical education classes had a huge advantage over us. Kids were learning those sports at a young age and the teachers controlled the environment. We figured ‘why can’t we do that with golf?’

“As we improve the Golf In Schools program every year, students are going to continue to get introduced to golf in a positive way.”

In the village of Amisk, AB, with a population just north of 200, a number of youngsters have already hit the links at the nearby Hughenden Golf Club. Principal Colette Johnson, who is also the phys-ed teacher, set up the Golf in Schools program three years ago and now puts about 55 kids from Grades 1-3 through golf instruction each year.

“We teach them how to hold the club and we show them the swing and the stance,” she said. “We give them the basic skills and let them have a little bit of fun.”

The pay off came when the Hughenden Golf Club sponsored their classes for a field trip to the course.

While it’s tough for kids in the farming community to get to the course regularly, Johnson notes some former students have continued playing golf.

“A few of them have said they’ve talked their parents into taking them golfing.” Johnson claimed.

Jeff Thompson, chief sport officer for Golf Canada, noted that approximately 325,000 students are being exposed to golf every year in roughly 2,700 schools across the country. While the exact number of kids who go on to play the game regularly is tough to quantify, there are encouraging metrics to study.

“When a school comes to visit a facility on a field trip program or when a facility sends a golf pro into a school, we have provided our Golf In Schools passes to give out to the kids. The passes are redeemable for free buckets of range balls,” Thompson added, referring to last year’s pilot project.

“Just over 10 per cent of those passes were redeemed, and in most cases, the students coming back to the club weren’t by themselves but came with their entire family. That was really encouraging information.”

There are also options for schools to take field trips to local golf courses to learn more about the game. Golf clubs can apply for a grant, which allows them to invite a school in their area out for a tour, which may include practice time on the range, chipping and putting lessons.

Arlene Buchan, learning leader at Dr. E.P. Scarlett high school in Calgary, notes they’ve long been taking their classes out to area courses under sponsorship from the Calgary Board of Education. Most recently their classes went to Blue Devil Golf Club.

“They loved it,” Buchan said. “Some of the students had previously played golf, but there are a lot of students who had never held a golf club in their hands. It’s awesome.” Many Dr. E.P. Scarlett students are continuing on with golf after taking the program in high school.

“We see that because that’s the whole premise of our phys-ed program now,” said Buchan. “The Golf in Schools program really sparks their interest. One of our focuses is to foster lifelong learning and being active for life. Golf is one of the perfect sports for that.”

At the high school level the Golf in Schools program is primarily about skill development. The elementary school curriculum introduces the game much more through fun activities.

“The elementary kit is about physical literacy, basic motor movements and games,” said Tyler McConachy, Alberta Golf’s manager of youth development.

The kit and curriculum includes all the equipment and a learning resource full of lesson plans to teach golf. “It’s a lot more unstructured, including exercises such as hopping on one leg or using the putter and a ball to wind their way through an obstacle course. It’s a lot more of a game.

“From there, the program transitions into the fundamentals of the sport, including more technical and structured play and practice,” McConachy added.

Golf Canada has added a new ‘Life Skills’ component to the program, in which students are taught skills such as perseverance, emotional regulation, teamwork, respect, honesty and goal setting. “We felt that the addition of life skills to the program was really important to demonstrate some of the core values of golf and what it delivers as a sport,” said Thompson.

“The first schools that took on the program were mostly ones that had teachers who were golfers or who had some affinity towards golf. We felt the addition of the life skills component could help attract other schools that were undecided about the program,” Thompson added. “We think that will resonate with the schools.”

“Our goal is to have one of these kits in every school at some point,” said McConachy. “Some schools haven’t been able to afford even the subsidized kit, so, starting this year, we’ve gone into full adoptions to make the program affordable for any school.

“We’ve been fortunate to receive a very generous fund allocation from the Shaw Charity Classic each year,” he added of $5,000 annually they receive from the PGA Tour Champions event in Calgary. These funds help Alberta Golf to provide subsidies or underwrite the full cost of the program to interested schools.

Alberta Golf sent a kit to Deer Meadow School in Olds, which has proven to be a big boost to the school’s golf program, said Principal Carey Collin.
“We have an academy program here with 42 different course offerings, including golf,” Collin explained of the junior high school.

“What we find is those life sports like curling and golf start to bolster some of the junior golf leagues and junior curling leagues in town. The membership increases at the golf course and at the curling rink,” he said.

Thompson noted that 60 per cent of schools that enter the program now obtain full subsidies from donations from individuals, corporations or even the local golf course itself.

“We see that as a good investment in the future of a facility,” Thompson said. “It helps cultivate the next generation of golfers.

“We’re excited with the solid numbers now in the Golf in Schools program. With more and more facilities delivering the Future Links program as well, wecan create golf communities where golf facilities have a relationship with the school,” Thompson added. “They keep getting the students from the school to the golf course — that’s the critical piece.”

An Early Start

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

Written by Ryan Laverty

She Swings She Scores

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

When the final buzzer sounds on a National Hockey League season, the players, almost to a man, trade in their skates and composites for a pair of soft spikes and a set of stiff shafts and begin their off-season pilgrimage to the local golf course.

And while that might be a bit of a cliché or a stereotype, it’s one that Alberta Golf is hoping to build on since launching its newest program in January.

After months of planning, the She Swings She Scores program officially began its campaign to turn more of Alberta’s hockey players into golfers, focusing on females and visible minorities, such as First Nations, between the ages of six and 12.

“Our goal, as an association, is to create as much awareness as possible and to grow the game,” said Tyler McConachy, manager of youth development with Alberta Golf. “We think She Swings She Scores is one program that will do both of those things.”

Following the lead of the Golf Association of Ontario, which started the SSSS program in that province in January 2013, Alberta Golf is making a concerted effort to target a demographic that has historically been under-represented in its own membership. While golf participation numbers have dwindled across the board over the past five years, female youth golfers has been an area that has been particularly hard hit – especially on the competitive side of the sport.

In 2001, Alberta Golf had 66 girls registered in the provincial championship tournament, but by 2015 that number had fallen to just 32.

“Part of the idea behind the program was to get athletes who are already competitive in hockey and expose them to golf,” explained Angela Cooke, SSSS program coordinator for Alberta Golf. “Doing it this way, in a team setting, makes it easier for girls to get exposure to the game and to make sure they are comfortable while they learn.”

The foundation of the SSSS program is a grassroots marketing initiative. Cooke and her colleagues from Alberta Golf have worked with their peers from Hockey Alberta to identify hockey tournaments, where competing teams were primarily girls and to directly market to that crowd.

Armed with pink toques, swag bags full of goodies and a pop-up driving range net, Alberta Golf representatives set up camp in arena lobbies in Olds, Camrose and St. Albert in February and March 2016. Despite benefiting from the insights of her counterparts at the GAO, Cooke said she wasn’t entirely sure how well the first few events would go, but the reception turned out to be even better than she could have expected. Players, siblings, coaches and parents alike all seemed to gravitate to their booth, she said.

“Defining success will probably be how we transition from the hockey tournaments to the golf course, but so far everyone has been really enthusiastic about it,” said Cooke.

The second phase of the program is to recruit a few teams, or at least a majority of those teams, to organize field trips to local courses for a more fulsome introduction to the world of golf. McConachy said he’d budgeted for three or four trips for the 2016 golf season, but based on interest it appears there could be many more requests than he could have hoped for, so he will be directing some interested parties to apply for additional field trip funding from Golf Canada, which typically provides $500 grants for these types of activities.

Burgeoning programs, such as this, can often stumble in the face of immense growth because of a lack of funding, but SSSS appears to be off to a good start. The collaboration between Alberta Golf and Hockey Alberta was a key driver in the decision by Alberta Sport Connection and Sport Canada to fund SSSS for its first four years of existence. From 2016 through 2019, Alberta Sport Connection and Sport Canada will provide $32,500 per year to the program with Alberta Golf funding an additional $10,000 through its own sources.

Aaron Lavorato, sport consultant at Alberta Sport Connection, said he expected there would be no shortage of corporate donors and other community supporters that would be interested in partnering with the program down the road, but his association was excited to help get the program off the ground for Albertans.

“For us, that collaboration was very important, but so was return on investment and sustainability,” explained Lavorato. “One of the biggest challenges for a new program is to find development dollars to get it off the ground, but all of the programs we funded have a great opportunity to align with other sources of funding in the future.”

Based on the overwhelming response to the program in Ontario, it appears likely Lavorato’s predictions should come true, but the support and collaboration will need to play a big role in the success of the program.

The GAO has benefitted from two years of learning at this point and has started to mature into a broader scale offering thanks to support at the local golf club and community level. Mallory Dayman, manager of sport development for GAO, said her association purposely partnered with local golf courses and professionals when attending hockey tournaments in Ontario and the results have been remarkable. In two full years of operations, the SSSS program in Ontario has led to the creation of 22 Girls Clubs golf programs in communities around the province adding close to 200 new female golfers to the game. Going forward, the plan within the GAO is to provide support to local communities with marketing collateral and equipment as required, but to allow their community ambassadors to more readily target hockey players in their areas with the SSSS brand.

“What we’ve found is that it hasn’t just been hockey players that have joined the Girls Clubs, because the hockey players are going home and getting their friends who play soccer or their friends who do gymnastics to come out and join them,” Dayman remarked. “The idea behind She Swings She Scores was just to grow participation in the game as a whole, but selfishly we’re looking for girls who are competitive, because if it can grow into more girls playing in our competitive tournaments then all the better.”

For Alberta, at least for now, the program will take baby steps in the direction of improving participation numbers and promoting physical literacy in our youth.

“A number of sports are looking at how, as national associations, we can cross-promote our sports,” explained Jeff Thompson, chief sport officer at Golf Canada. “The concept of physical literacy is something that everyone is very focused on and I think She Swings She Scores is a good example of organizations working together to promote that.

“The more kids we can get introduced to more sports, the better off we will all be down the road.”

In its first year of operation, the SSSS team set up shop at hockey tournaments in Olds, Camrose, St. Albert, golf shows in Calgary and Edmonton, and finally at Exshaw School where Alberta Golf team members provided girls between Grade 3 and Grade 8 with their first exposure to golf. The plan for next year, said McConachy, is to keep building the momentum.

“As of right now, it’s the more the merrier for the number of girls involved,” said McConachy. “The interest we’ve seen has been great and the girls we’ve reached already have that competitive spirit, so hopefully we can get that transitioned into golf as well.”

For more information on the program or to have the She Swings She Scores attend your hockey tournament, event or school next year contact Angela Cooke at (403) 236-4616 or by email at angela@albertagolf.org.

She Swings She Scores

This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of The Alberta Golfer Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.

– Partnering for an 8^th consecutive year, Kraft Heinz and TSN encourage Canadians to nominate a local recreation project at KraftHeinzProjectPlay.comfor a chance to win infrastructure upgrades –

– The Grand Prize winner will receive $250,000 towards a recreational facility upgrade, and the three second-prize winners will each receive $20,000 

– TSN’s James Duthie, Jennifer Hedger, Jason deVos, Milt Stegall, and Tessa Bonhomme rally behind this year’s Kraft Heinz Project Play campaign as new program ambassadors –

TORONTO (May 2, 2016) – Vibrant communities start from the ground up. From soccer fields to basketball courts to playgrounds, the places where Canadians play bring communities to life. That’s why Kraft Heinz Project Play, together with Bell Media’s TSN and RDS, are encouraging Canadians to start building a better future by building better places to play. Kicking off today, Kraft Heinz Project Play invites Canadians nationwide to nominate a local recreation project – be it new or existing – at KraftHeinzProjectPlay.com for a chance to win infrastructure upgrades. The Grand Prize winner will receive $250,000 towards a recreational facility upgrade, and the three second-prize winners will each receive $20,000.

“With crumbling facilities, fields, and equipment, combined with growing financial pressures, our country’s places to play are in desperate need of upgrades,” said Joanna Milroy, Marketing Director, Kraft Heinz. “Kraft Heinz Project Play is a wonderful opportunity for us to rally behind communities, and leave a lasting impact on the vital places we play in our local cities and towns.”

Kraft Heinz Project Play is once again partnering with Bell Media’s TSN and RDS, marking the eighth consecutive year of their partnership. TSN and RDS will amplify Kraft Heinz Project Play by integrating the program across their industry-leading platforms, with TSN showcasing Kraft Heinz Project Play on SPORTSCENTRE – Canada’s most-watched sports news and information show, on TSN.ca, as well as on TSN’s official Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat accounts.

New this year, TSN’s James Duthie is joining the Kraft Heinz Project Play team as a Program Ambassador, alongside SPORTSCENTRE hosts Jennifer Hedger and Tessa Bonhomme, TSN soccer analyst Jason deVos, and CFL ON TSN analyst Milt Stegall. Through their passion for sport, TSN’s roster of Program Ambassadors will encourage Canadians to build better places to play in their communities, and will also be featured in a series of testimonial videos that will debut at KraftHeinzProjectPlay.com and on TSN’s social media in the coming weeks.

“It’s an honour to join this year’s Kraft Heinz Project Play as a Program Ambassador alongside my friends Jen, Jason, Milt, and Tessa,” said James Duthie. “As a dad of some very active kids, there’s nothing better than seeing them play outside. Kraft Heinz Project Play is all about building more places to play for our kids and for our communities, and that’s something I’m proud to be a part of.”

Over the past eleven years, Kraft Heinz has supported 157 communities, contributing more than $4.5 million dollars to play-based infrastructure projects across Canada.

Nominate Your Community Today!

Beginning today (May 2) through June 12, Canadians can nominate the places, spaces, and projects that keep our communities playing, active, and united at KraftHeinzProjectPlay.com.

The top four Kraft Heinz Project Play finalists will be announced July 8 on TSN. Canadians can then vote for their favourite community project at KraftHeinzProjectPlay.com beginning July 25 at 12 p.m. ET through to July 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The Kraft Heinz Project Play grand prize winner will be announced in August (date TBC) on TSN, winning a quarter of a million dollars ($250,000) for a recreation facility upgrade. Three second-prize winners will each receive $20,000.

Learn more, share your story, and encourage others to nominate their own towns and cities on Facebook and Twitter using #PLACETOPLAY.

On the score card, the game begins at the first tee box. For the players however, it starts long before that. Team Alberta has been performing phenomenally well to start the 2016 season. The CN Future Links Pacific Championship in Kamloops turned out to be one of the best all-around tournaments in recent history for Alberta players, and the PGA Junior Masters was won by Team Alberta members on both the girls and boys sides. All of this considered, it is easy to get lost in the magic that seems to be happening on the course during tournament play. Although, if you asked the players, they’d tell you that magic has nothing to do with it.

Christopher Horton (right) take a minute to read the green on 9 during the practice round at The Dunes at Kamloops.

Tournament preparation for the budding Alberta Golf Team starts long before tee time, days before in fact. Competing in national events means extensive travel, often times all over the country. For the CN Future Links Pacific Championship in Kamloops, it was an eight hour bus ride through the Rockies that brought Team Alberta to the tournament. Once the team arrives at their destination, their pre-competition routine has all but begun. The day before official play begins, the team is up with the sunrise and on course for an early shot gun start. During their practice round, players need to fine tune their game, discuss strategy with their coaches, and familiarize themselves with a course that is miles from home.

Randy Robb discusses strategy with two of his players during the practice round at The Dunes at Kamloops.

Team Alberta’s day is far from over when they step off the course. Team meetings, healthy meals, and an evening yoga session are awaiting them upon arrival back at the hotel. Amongst this extensive routine, the players find support in each other in order to relax and mentally prepare for the busy few days of competition ahead of them. Finally, last minute adjustments are put in place at early driving range and putting green sessions the morning of the opening round. With that, the game before the game comes to an end, and the competitors make their way to the tee box with the hope that all their hard work will translate to low scores for themselves and their teammates. The video (below) chronicles the events discussed above, providing a behind the scenes look into Team Alberta’s early success so far this season.