As the New Year continues to roll on, Alberta Golf is proud to announce the following items of change or renewed focus for 2025.

Women’s Competition Growth

In 2025, the Alberta Open will undergo a substantial change with the addition of a Women’s Division, which will be open to both female amateurs and professionals. This change will increase the field size from 120 to 140, with 40 spots reserved for the top female golfers in the province. These 40 spots will be reviewed each year based on feedback and demand. Invitations will be sent out to the top players in March, and registration will open for the remaining spots on April 1^st. Players hoping to register for this division will require a Golf Canada membership and a Handicap Index of 10.0 or lower. For any questions about this initiative, please email John Deneer, john@albertagolf.org.

In addition, Alberta Golf is committed to growing participation in the Women’s Amateur Championship and additional events around the province. We’ll be contacting golf clubs in the province to inquire about their Women’s Club Champions and will be inviting them to register for the Women’s Amateur for 2025. We’re also working on creating a page on our website to promote additional competitive events for women around the province.

 U17, U15, & U13 Championship

After careful consideration and feedback, the U17, U15, & U13 Championships are undergoing a major split. The U17’s will now have a stand-alone championship which will be three-days and WAGR ranked. This better aligns with long term player development and helps add another event for younger players to showcase their skills for college recruiting. The event will be held August 18-20 at Alberta Springs Golf Resort.

 The U15 & U13 Championship will stay as a two-day event and will help bridge the gap between the McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour and provincial championships. This again aligns with long term player development and helps remove some of the fear younger players may have surrounding a provincial championship. The host club and dates for this event are yet to be announced but will be held in late August.

 New Website

With an increased focus on communication in the digital age, Alberta Golf is proud to announce the launching of a new website in 2025. The website will mirror that of Golf Canada and other provincial bodies. While no official launch date is set, the new website grants new allowances and will ease navigation for users.

 McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour Experiences

With a focus of improving player experiences across the board, there are some changes to the AJT that will help improve experiences on the tour and help cement it as the #1 competitive onboarding junior tour in Alberta. A variety of merchandise items will be given away at events as prizes.

 To help promote rules education on the tour, a Level 1 Rules incentive program has been created.  Players who complete the Level 1 Certification process will receive limited edition McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour merchandise. This will help prepare players for their time on the course with rules knowledge and help prepare any of them for the jump to other tours and provincial championships.

Searching for Partnerships

Alberta Golf has identified two programs that are actively looking for partners.

• Alberta Open Championship: The focus of having a sponsor to help build the player experience.
• High-Performance Program: The goal of having a partner to have elevate our offering to our players within the program to achieve their goals in sport

 Long Range Scheduling

Alberta Golf has placed an increased focus on securing host venues for the 2026 season and beyond. While this move might not be felt immediately, players can look forward to having host venues lined up for coming years. This will help players plan their schedules in advance and ease demand on golf courses.

 Golf Development Pathways

Golf is the #1 recreational activity in the country and due to the pandemic, the sport saw major growth over the last three years. Alberta Golf is committed to working on continuing this trend and retaining our position in the sport. As part of this plan, we’re updating our long-term player development guide for juniors, our competitive roadmap to include new organizations and initiatives, and creating a LTPD for adults to help introduce them to the great game of golf.

 Work on all these initiatives has already begun. Keep an eye on our website to stay up to date on these initiatives and more!

Alberta Golf Hall of Famer, Betty Stanhope-Cole, with 2007 Women’s Amateur Champion, Nicole Forschner.

Alberta Golf, or formerly known as the Alberta Golf Association, has been around since 1912 running our provincial championships for over 100 years. Throughout our history we’ve seen many great champions whether it’s been Betty Stanhope Cole and her impressive record of 16 Alberta Women’s Amateur wins, or Bob Wylie, Keith Alexander, and Doug Silverberg’s historic amateur careers. We’ve had impressive young players blast on to the scene like Doug Lecuyer winning the Alberta Junior three times in four years, and the year he didn’t win he claimed the Alberta Men’s Amateur. We’ve had young people like Jessica Luciuk and Kareen Qually-Nelson who won everything Alberta had to offer and began representing Canada as part of our International Teams.

While many people know the names of the winners, many don’t know the history of what they’re winning. Alberta Golf has had a variety of different championships over its history whether it was the Edmonton Journal Trophy, the original trophy for the Open, the Calgary Herald trophy for the Country Districts Championship, or the Pepsi Cola Junior Trophy. Over time lots has changed, been renamed, sponsors coming and going, trophy plaques and names being changed and removed. The two that have been remained the same from the start are the Men’s Amateur and the Women’s Amateur, and this is their story.

The Alberta Men’s Amateur, the highest prize in the province for the male amateur golfers has been around since before even the Association began. Before the AGA got its start there were two clubs, the Edmonton Country Club and the Calgary Golf & Country Club, who began hosting a competition to name the provinces top golfer. In 1908 the first ever Alberta Men’s Amateur was played at the Calgary Golf & Country Club and was won by hometown favourite Charlie Hague, an Alberta Golf Pioneer, who helped lay the foundation for the great amateurs to follow. Hague was a Calgary banker who despite his provincial success liked to stay out of the limelight. This would be out of his control in 1921, when he was the runner up in the Canadian Men’s Amateur. He quickly became a fan favourite as he came back in every match, he played including the final, where he was five down through the first 12 holes and rallied to force extra holes in the 36-hole match. Hague’s showing put Western Canada on the golfing map at a time when golf was ruled by the east.

Hague continued his winning ways in Alberta throughout the early years of golf in Alberta. He won three of the first four unofficial Men’s Amateurs. Officially in 1912, the Alberta Golf Association was founded by The Lethbridge Country Club, The Edmonton Country Club, the Calgary Golf & Country Club, Fort Macleod Golf Club, and the Calgary St Andrews Golf Club. It was with this event the Association named its first executive all of which are considered pioneers of the sport in Alberta. Coinciding this was our first official Men’s Amateur which was won by non-other than Charlie Hague of Calgary. This is the first mention of a cup of some kind being given to the winner, and it was named the C.W. Cross Cup.

The Cross Cup was the original cup awarded to the winner of the Men’s Amateur.The cup was donated by none other than Charles Wilson Cross. Cross was born in Ontario in 1872. He received a variety of education culminating in his BA and LLB degrees from Osgoode Hall. After articling at a Toronto law firm, he moved to Edmonton in 1897 and became a Liberal MLA in 1905 working in politics till passing away in 1928. Cross’s connection to golf was he was a member at the Edmonton Country Club during his time in Alberta. Cross donated the original Alberta Men’s Amateur trophy and his legacy in golf will be forever felt because of this.

The Cross Cup remained as the crowning achievement of winning the Men’s Amateur for the years to come and is still prominent as it sits atop the current base today. In 1976, the trophy base was changed and renamed to the Charlie F Scott Memorial Trophy after C.F (Charlie) Scott. Scott was a huge part of sports in Alberta generally speaking. Moving to Calgary as a baby, Scott played hockey, baseball, and football in his youth. He turned to golf in his twenties, where he played a part in the founding of the Inglewood Golf Club in Calgary and won two club championships there before moving to Edmonton after the Second World War. While in Edmonton, he became the president of the Edmonton Golf Association and helped create the first Edmonton Open in 1949. At the same time, he became the secretary of the Alberta Golf Association and held the position for twenty years. Through his time, he saw the rise of many of Alberta’s great champions including the junior careers of Silverberg, Wylie, and Alexander among others. In 1971, the Calgary Booster Club named Scott the Sportsman of the Year because of his work with golf, curling, and football. Scott resigned from his secretary role and in 1976, to honour a man who devoted his life to sport, the Alberta Golf Association proudly named its most coveted prize after him.

Today, the Men’s Amateur proudly boasts the C.W. Cross Cup on top of the Charlie F. Scott Memorial Trophy which will be once again handed out to the top male amateur in the province, with the winner’s name adding an additional chapter of history to one of Canada’s oldest trophies.

The Women’s Amateur trophy, just like the Men’s is seen as the epitome of amateur golf success in the province and has been around for just as long. The Women’s Championship has been competed for as long as the Men’s with the first winner coming in 1907 won by Mrs. W.N. Clark. This too was an unofficial championship until 1912 when the Alberta Ladies Golf Union was born. Refusing to join the growing the Canadian Ladies Golf Union as a provincial branch, the Alberta Ladies continued running their own Women’s Amateur championship for nearly a quarter century. While not much is known about this time, many of the winners of the ALGU’s championship are early pioneers of the women’s game of golf in Alberta like Janet Sparrow, Mrs. J.R. Henley, and Mrs. W.E Milner. At the time ladies were competing for the McKay Cup a coveted prize, which was donated by the Watson Bros Jewelry store. The Watson Bros. were a popular choice in the early 1900’s, even being commissioned to help create the temporary parliamentary mace in 1906. The Watson Bros commissioned a carpenter to create this mace out of wood, and while it was always going to be temporary the mace was used until 1956.

While the ALGU continued running it’s own championship for the province, the Canadian Ladies Golf Union was hard at work trying to create a chain of provincial branches of it’s own. Originally started by Florence Harvey, a Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member from BC, in 1913 the Canadian Ladies Golf Union was created to provide the women in Canada access to the British Ladies Golf Union and their handicapping system. Until this point, the RCGA was running a Canadian Ladies Amateur championship by themselves. In 1921, the CLGU met at the Canadian Ladies Amateur and decided to adopt their own constitution and began the process of recruiting provincial branches.

In 1928, the ALGU finally decided to join the CLGU as its Alberta branch. At this time, they needed a new trophy to represent their joining of the CLGU. In comes the trophy we have today, and often seen as the best trophy in the Alberta Golf trophy case, the Sheffield Cup. The Sheffield Cup was also donated by a local jewellery store known as Jackson Bros. Jewellery in Edmonton. This pioneer jewellery store was started in 1906 and closed in 1933. Being around for 27 years, the Jackson Bros. created a wide range of jewellery including war pins. The unifying piece in all their jewellery was their signature logo which is proudly displayed on the Sheffield Cup. There’s no clear connection between the three brothers who ran the store and the CLGU or golf in general, their insignia is hard to miss. While there’s still a lot of unknown about this trophy it’s still a coveted prize and was first won by Mrs. Milner and would be held by other golfing legends like Paddy Arnold, Irene Horne, Betty Stanhope Cole, and Rae Milligan Simpson throughout our history.

Today, the Women’s Amateur proudly and beautifully displays its own history with the Jackson Bros. logo front and centre for all to see. The next chapter in its history patiently awaits its next winner which will be crowned over July 1^st to 3^rd with a host club yet to be announced.

For International Day of Disability, Alberta Golf wants to showcase the work that’s being done by other organizations in the sports and recreation space. This is where the Alberta Sports and Recreation Association for the Blind (ASRAB) comes in. ASRAB supports Albertans, who are visually impaired, and want to live physically active lives and participate in competitive support programs.

The association runs a variety of programs each year, many of them introductory, in a variety of sports helping these athletes learn the basics of each sport, while promoting physical literacy. They’re most known for their involvement with Goalball which is a Paralympic Sport. ASRAB has been offering try-it golf programming for over 10 years, and it has since grown to almost all their major centres.

 Please enjoy this Question and Answer with ASRAB’s Executive Director, Linda MacPhail!

What is ASRAB? What is the mission of the organization? What kind of programs do you run?

 ASRAB is the Alberta Sports and Recreation Association for the Blind. The association’s mission is to support Albertan’s who are visually impaired with living active lifestyles and participate in sports. So, we work with children and teach them fundamental movement skills and introduce them to a wide variety of sports. We have a “Movement for Me” session going on right now where we teach the kids skills such as jumping, hopping, throwing and striking, so they develop some of those basic skills, and then take that into different sports. We’re working with educators to create modules for when children are in physical education classes, and assist the teacher or educator can work with the child and include them in a meaningful way in learning new sports skills. We also offer a wide range of recreational activities to expose participants to as many opportunities as we can, to see what they like and find a niche for them to be physically active. So, in a year we’ll have any number of different activities, anything we can think up that we can adapt for our members and introduce them to different sports.

 Goalball is the sport that we have responsibility for, and the one activity that we support recreationally and competitively. Goalball is a Paralympic sport.  It was created after the Second World War to keep soldiers that had lost their vision physically active in a competitive environment.  So goalball is the sport we do from playground to podium.  We teach children Goalball, we have youth Goalball programs,  junior teams and senior teams, coaches and officials.  Both of our Provincial Coaches were Paralympians, and one (Trent Farebrother) is the head coach for the women’s national team coach, and spent this last summer in Paris coaching the Canadian Women at the Paralympic Games.

 How did ASRAB start and how has the association grown since then?

We’re coming up to our 50^th anniversary.  It was a swim coach, Lorna Snow, who was working with a child with vision impairment in the pool, and was looking for other ways to support children with low vision develop physical literacy.  She and other like-minded individuals started the association. From there we’ve grown to where ASRAB is currently active with seven major centres:  Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat.

 Going back to the first question, it sounds like ASRAB runs a lot of introductory programming, besides Goalball are there any other sports that the association has a competitive pathway for?

The only sport that we have the technical expertise in to support high performance programming is goalball.  We’re experts at helping adapt sports and being inclusive and teaching sports but if somebody starts a sport and they become more adept at it and want to pursue it we’re here help get them connected with the correct people.

 Do you mind listing some of the programs that you ran this year?

As I said we’re now in seven different centres and they all offer different programming based on availability, but we run a physical literacy and fundamental movement skills for children program called “Movement For Me”, we’ve been working on educational and support programs for educators, and of course our Goalball programs.

Some of our introductory sport programming includes golf, curling, gymnastics, skating, hockey, snowshoeing, summer camps, walking Clubs, hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, cycling, tennis, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball. All our programming duration varies for each sport from one-day to ongoing programs as well.

 How did your organization begin your golf program and what does your golf programming entail?

 There has been active golf associations for the vision impaired for some time.  We knew about the Western Canadian Golf Association, and they offer competitive golf.  We were looking to introduce new players to golf, as it is a great sport for life, with a strong social component.  We began working with golf pros in Calgary and Edmonton to offer a try-it golf program to expose our members to the technical skills of the game.  Additionally, the City of Calgary and Gennie Liu have been helpful with a program for youth that we have partnered with.  Last summer we added programming in Lethbridge, and this summer Medicine Hat.

 What we try to do with our golf programming is introduce them to all the key facets of the game; driving, chipping, putting, and then hopefully finish it off with some time on the course whether that’s a three-hole loop or whatever we can do.

 What’s the age range and skill level of the participants in your golf programming specifically?

Our programming is introductory. We may have skilled players that start there, but most of our golfers are new. The age range is mostly youth, but we do have some adult participants. Again, our focus is the introductory and physical literacy for the kids, and then providing help to transition those more skilled players to a golf game or competition when they decide that’s what they want to do.

 We’re noticing an increase in competitive golf offerings for players that are visually impaired along with other disabilities, where do you think the game can grow in this department in terms of inclusiveness?

There is a lot of scope for growth.  Golf is a great game for life, with technical skill in a social environment out of doors.  For persons with low vision, we just need some adaptions and guided aid to support their engagement and enjoyment.

 You’ve mentioned a few organizations, but what other golfing organizations have you worked with in the past?

We’ve worked with a variety of organizations including Western Canadian Blind Golf Association, City of Calgary, and different golf professionals across the province. Again, we’re always open to different organizations and would love to collaborate with any of them to offer a complete pathway from the movement skills needed for golf to competitive opportunities.

 In all of your programming, what do you define as success?

Success for us is just about getting kids out and enjoying activity!   We want people to participate in whatever activity they wish, either recreationally with their family and friends, or to pursue competitive play.

 Specifically with your golf programs, what are some of the challenges you’ve faced?

The challenges that we’ve faced are just timing and availability, which isn’t unique to ASRAB. Golf professionals are always busy, courses are busy during the summer, and we’re a small group;, so finding people that are focused on helping is a big part of it. We’ve always been very fortunate that there are people out there that are willing to help.

 As mentioned, we’re seeing growth in golf in terms of inclusion and accessibility. What can associations do to help continue growing and making the game more accessible?

Just partnering and working with their local associations to help with instruction and development.  I think a great idea would be to initiate some skill competitions (such as the drive, chip, putt event) and a 3-hole event; which would help transition new players from the try-it skill sessions to playing a game of golf.

 For our golf programming, we want to continue our growth in all our centres. So, working with a facility, club, or professionals in all these centres to provide access and development would be our next goal.

 How can someone support ASRAB with their mission?

Just reach out. Our website is asrab.ab.ca.  We’re always looking for volunteers and we’re always looking to get more Albertans engaged in programming and enjoying a physically active life.

The Interprovincial Challenge Cup was the first interprovincial team championship conducted by the RCGA in 1882 and was far from a true interprovincial championship with only member clubs from Ontario and Québec playing. Five years later these matches ended abruptly. It wasn’t until 1927 that the event was brought back for good. In 1962, the Men’s Senior Interprovincial Championship got its start with only three teams playing in the event. Over the next 15 years the event would continue to grow and in 1977 the Phil Farley Memorial Trophy was created for the winning team of the event.

In the 62-year history of the event, two provinces have seemingly separated themselves from the rest of the field in terms of victories; Ontario and Alberta. Ontario was extremely dominant since the event began, until 1986 when Alberta’s newest crop of seniors arrived. In 1985, Bob Wylie won his first Canadian Men’s Senior Championship and in 1986, Alberta won its first Men’s Senior Interprovincial Championship. Alberta would finish 3^rd in 1987 and would then win the next 4 interprovincial championships and seven of the next ten. This was part of a historic run that saw the previous dominance of Bob Wylie, Doug Silverberg, Keith Alexander return on the Senior stage. This group would finish with 8 team wins and 8 individual wins from 1986-1995. The years to follow were ruled by Ontario, with provinces like Quebec, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia winning the occasional title or two.

1988 Men’s Senior Interprovincial Team Winners: Bob MacDonald, Len Brayton, Doug Silverberg, Bob Wylie

Alberta’s luck changed in 2005 with a second-place finish, which kickstarted a run of almost 20 years of podium finishes for Alberta’s senior men. Over the last 19 years, Alberta has two 4^th place finishes, one 3^rdplace finish, and nine championship wins including six of the last seven. The recent success of Alberta on the interprovincial stage at the Canadian Men’s Senior has been led by five players in Alberta with each team having some combination or inclusion of these players who have helped shape the current landscape of men’s senior golf in the province. The reason for their success; the culture at the Alberta Men’s Senior Championship, and an intense focus on the team event at the national event.

 Howard Broun and Frank Van Dornick are seen as trailblazers and leaders at the Men’s Senior Championship in Alberta and an argument against this is hard to come by with 14 interprovincial team championship appearances between the two of them. Howard’s team won the championship in 2006, the first since 1996, and describes the feeling of winning as one being extremely proud of your province.

 “It can almost feel better winning the team championship than the individual at times because you’re proud of the team and your province”

When asked about the recent success and how it seems to have started, Howard had a clear answer:

 “Frank. Frank (Van Dornick) has been so good for so long and we’re lucky to have him. He kind of dragged the rest of us along and elevated the field around him”.

 Frank Van Dornick is not a new name in Alberta, with a storied career including his induction into the Alberta Golf Hall of Fame. His addition to the senior circuit certainly helped boost the competitiveness of the field in the early 2000’s. Frank won five interprovincial championships with the Senior team from 2012 to 2019 and believes it’s a true honour to be a part of this championship story that he has helped create in Alberta.

“It’s terrific to watch truly. The guys I came with valued the team portion and we have a lot of pride within that. The guys put the team first and the competition second. The guys love it.”

 The team spot for a Canadian event is always a coveted position by any competitive golfer in Alberta. What separates the Men’s Senior Interprovincial team is the level of camaraderie that comes with the team. Brian Laubman who is another highly decorated competitive golfer in the province always comes to the tournament with the goal of making the team in his mind.

 “It’s just different at the Senior’s, guys don’t care as much about the team aspect at the Willingdon (Amateur Interprovincial Team). You can see the change at the Mid-Amateur level, but the Senior’s it goes the full way”

 As someone who has played at a high-level throughout his career, he discussed that compared to the Willingdon Cup team, where the players are a little more serious, and the Mid-Amateur teams where you start to get to know the guys but are not close friends yet. “The Senior teams are much closer as you’ve been playing with these guys for 40 years” Laubman explained “at the Canadians, all the Alberta players and their wives are hanging out together and coming together as a group”. He feels that the culture at the Men’s Senior level is what separates them and has helped build this legacy of success.

 Ken Griffith, who didn’t make the team this year but is no stranger to winning the Farley trophy, explains the culture that Laubman points out. “These are all my friends, and we might be competitors, but I’m happy and proud of them”, and he adds “I stayed and watch the groups finish up like others had done for me and I was one of the first people to go over and celebrate with them”.

 Griffith explains that the culture that has been created for the Men’s Senior Championship is a testament to “the work that Alberta Golf has done to grow our high-level competitions” and he sees the sport moving in a positive direction, especially at the Senior level.

 “Being on the team 6 years and winning 4 golds and one silver in that span, what an accomplishment to have multiple championships in this short period of time, it’s a memory I will hold on to for the rest of life.”

 Griffith adds that “Making any Alberta team at any level is a great honour, it’s a great accomplishment. It’s a great rivalry we have at our level because we’re all good friends.” Most importantly though Griffith knows it’s about the competition and enjoying the challenge.

“Going to Nationals and competing against the other teams and setting our goals so high is always a lot of fun. It’s an added pressure and we all enjoy the challenge.”

2023 Men’s Senior Interprovincial Team Winners: Ken Griffith, James Varnam, Brian Laubman

Senan Foley is one of the “new guys” at the Senior level and was informed eloquently by Howard Broun how different it is. “There’s more appreciation and thankfulness on the Senior circuit” he recalls Howard telling him. Senan made the team in 2021 and 2022 and was on it again in 2024. “Being on the team, it adds to the week because you’re there to represent something bigger than just yourself” he notes. The honour of a team spot is not lost on any of these players, as Senan puts it “There’s some added pressure for sure, but pressure is a privilege”.

 Looking to this year, the Men’s Senior team found themselves four back from Ontario after the first day. Laubman recalls calling a team meeting with Foley and David Schultz knowing that they had to get it done.

 “You don’t want to be the team that loses for the other guys before you, it’s about keeping that legacy going” Laubman explained. Foley expressed similar sentiment, “No one wants to let last year’s group down and we take it very seriously”.

 Led by an impressive 68 from Foley on Day 2, who was in so much pain from his elbow that he didn’t know if he could finish the front 9, and David Schultz who felt he had to rally around Senan’s hot hand, Team Alberta brought home their 4^th straight Phil Farley trophy.

2024 Men’s Senior Interprovincial Team Winners: Brian Laubman, David Schultz, Senan Foley

 David Schultz is another familiar name, as an Alberta Golf Hall of Famer and a decorated golfer at every level in Alberta, and he mentions how every year it feels like they have one of the best teams there.

 “You know if you come out as the team from Alberta, you know that we have a really good chance and should always be one of the favourites.”

 The culture at the Men’s Senior in Alberta seems to be the key to the success at the team event every year and all the players will tell you the same thing. Schultz mentions that everyone keeps in contact over the winter and how everyone is excited to see each other in the summer.

 In 2025, the camaraderie of the Men’s Senior Championship will once again be on display at Wolf Creek, as the men will begin the process of preparing to defend their title and continue the legacy that was created before them. Who makes the team in 2025? Can Alberta win five in a row, making it eight in nine years? What we know is the preparation has already begun, and the Men’s Senior Championship will bring camaraderie, excitement, and a winning tradition.

Alberta Golf  – 2024 was another successful golf season in Alberta with packed tee sheets and full tournaments. One of the biggest areas of growth can be seen in the amount of youth discovering the game, and a big reason is the Youth on Course program run by Alberta Golf. Youth on Course was established in 2006 at the Northern California Golf Association to break down financial barriers, offer life-changing opportunities through golf and bring diversity to the game. The concept is simple, if you’re aged 18 and under and you join Alberta Golf you can access 24 courses in the province (and over 2,000 golf courses across the United States, Canada and Australia) and play your rounds for $5 or less.

Alberta was the first province to bring the program to Canada in 2019 and a modest 1,000 rounds were played by youth in Alberta. In 2023 over 8,000 rounds were played by 1,400 kids while 2024 saw that number soar to over 16,000 rounds played by 3,000 kids. In the past year alone the number of youth using the program and the amount of golf they play has literally doubled! Some of these kids will eventually try our “learn to compete” McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour and follow the pathway to compete in our provincial championships while others will just keep enjoying recreational golf, but either way, by getting affordable access to the game many of these kids will be hooked for life.

24 courses were part of the program in Alberta in 2024 with the City of Calgary seeing the most action, accounting for 4 of the top 5 busiest courses.

Paul Hemstreet is the Volunteer Coordinator for Golf Course Operations for the City of Calgary and says the amount of kids enjoying the game on city courses has been inspiring.

“The City of Calgary Golf Courses are so proud of the impact Youth on Course has had at our facilities,” Hemstreet said. “Our management, staff and patrons have enjoyed seeing the affordable access that the program has provided kids of all skill levels. We are thrilled to continue growing the game of golf with our youth in Calgary and Alberta.”

Youth on Course is now expanding across Canada, there are over 100 participating golf courses offering Youth on Course in Canada and there are plans to grow that number next year with the expansion into Quebec, making the program operational in every province. Michael Lowe is the VP of Programs for Youth on Course in the United States and says he’s proud of how Alberta has paved the way for the program to expand across Canada.

“Witnessing Youth on Course continue to grow in Alberta is inspiring,” Lowe admitted. “Many thanks to Alberta Golf and the community of course partners who work together to ensure golf, and all of the opportunities it provides, are accessible for all.”

Youth on Course is a subsidy program and Youth on Course Alberta is the charity partner of the ATB Classic at Northern Bear Golf Course on PGA Tour Americas. In the past 2 years Youth on Course Alberta and the ATB Classic have fundraised over $100,000 to help keep the program viable for years to come in Alberta.

Alberta’s roster of courses for 2025 will be announced in the spring in what should be another successful season for Youth on Course across the province.

LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUTH ON COURSE ALBERTA HERE

The leaves are changing in Alberta as the fall is in full effect, but the golf season is still very much upon us as golfers in the province continue to enjoy the nice weather that we’ve continued to enjoy over the last few years.

 October is often the time that courses are getting ready to close and golfers are still trying to squeeze their final few rounds in, the question must be asked when are you supposed to stop posting scores? The answer to this is never, but there are limitations to every province that stops scores from being a part of the handicap index calculations and these limitations are known as the “Active Posting Season”.

 What is an Active Season

An “Active Season” is the set period when acceptable scores from that specific geographical region can be submitted for their handicap purposes. It is the responsibility of each provincial golf association to declare the active and inactive seasons, and the Rules of Handicapping then stipulates that it’s the players job to submit all their scores from courses that were played during their active season.

 In Alberta, the active season is defined as March 1^st to October 31^st of every year. This is because some clubs in the province can open and close later than the other courses in the province. These courses are often found in the south of the province including Desert Blume, Paradise Canyon, and a handful of others.

 The rest of Canada observes the following active season dates:

 BC =     Mar.1 – Nov.15
SK =     Apr.15 – Oct.31
MB =    Apr.15 – Oct.31
ON =    Apr.15 – Oct.31
QC =    Apr.15 – Oct.31
NS =     Apr.15 – Oct.31
NB =     May.1 – Oct.31
PE =     Apr.16 – Nov.14
NL =     Apr.1 – Nov. 30

 Posting Outside of Active Season

The reason for having these active posting seasons is because if a player plays a round at a course that falls inside the “Inactive Season” the course conditions likely will not be consistent with the Course Rating and Slope Rating that were determined for the golf course. This can then impact a players Handicap Index and ultimately would be an inaccurate representation of the golfer. This is why scores posted to a course during the “Inactive Season” are not used in handicap calculations.

 What are you supposed to do if you travel somewhere else that is still in their active posting season and your club is not? Players are still responsible for posting their scores from their travels if the course played is in their active season and their home club is not.

 A prime example of this would be the lucky snowbirds that travel down south to places like Florida, which has a year-round active season. Players that do travel and play these courses are still responsible for posting this round to their Golf Canada Score Centre account to be included in their scoring record.

 For those that also have memberships at a year-round facility, they’re additionally responsible for posting their scores to their USGA accounts as well as their Golf Canada accounts. The Golf Canada Score Centre has tools that allow the Canadian and USGA accounts to link together to ensure scores posted to one account are automatically posted to the other. For more information on this please contact stephen@albertagolf.org or members@golfcanada.ca.

 For a complete list of the inactive and active posting schedule for the United States, click here.

 To learn more about Course Rating, click here. For more information on Handicapping, click here.

 As the season winds down, make sure you’re still taking advantage of your active posting season, and when the winter comes make sure your account is set up for any travels you might take!

 TO START TRACKING YOUR HANDICAP, JOIN GOLF CANADA HERE!