Golf is hard. Everyone that has played the game knows that. But now a program offered by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada is making learning the game for newbies much easier thanks to an expanded coaching program.

Participants in the Community Golf Coach program can lend knowledgeable assistance by becoming competent in the skills required to give kids a great start in the game of a lifetime.

While there are many goals within the program, the main ones focus on growing the game by teaching youngsters the right way to step into the sport. They include topics such as safety and risk management, rules and etiquette, equipment, life skills, and ethical coaching.

Bill Murchison, the Director of Instruction at the Golf Canada Calgary Centre, who is an instructor with the Community Coaching program, said it’s a key part to ensuring young players get the proper start in the sport.

“The thing is with the golf professionals is as many as there are, this just gives us that many more people that are able to help at an entry level situation,” he noted, adding kids that reach high levels in hockey or other sports have generally started out with this same sort of community coach volunteers at the younger levels. “If we can expand the number of (trained) coaches we have, we’re obviously going to get to help more kids earlier.”

Alberta Golf, the provincial governing body of the sport, buys into the Community Coaching program in a big way, said the association’s executive director, Phil Berube.

“As an avid golfer, if you’re able to, and willing to give back the time, the program is awesome. It’s not meant to replace qualified instruction but rather complement qualified instruction. That’s the way we’re going to grow; it’s an approachable way to penetrate the market. It’s been embraced by the PGA members who have gotten involved with it,” along with the community coach volunteers.

One of those community volunteers is Lois Gilbertson. She has helped an untold number of youngsters get early hands-on training through unique ways outside of simply picking up a golf club and swiping away at hard-to-hit objects.

“Anybody can help anybody when it comes to coaching,” she began. “There are lots, and lots, and lots of kids out there,” who are looking for something to fill idle time. Gilbertson noted she just recently completed the Community Golf Coaching program and has worked with “probably over a thousand kids in just the last year.”

A course like this gives the youngsters a solid learning platform from the start and it’s done in a fun way so they don’t lose focus while learning, she continued.

“The way they do it now, it’s fun. The kids show up and they’re hitting (oversized) balls into nets with velcro on them, they’re doing whatever to get them involved. Most of the time it’s just wonderful. The kids just love it!”

“I used to think to myself, ‘Ah, I don’t know about that (sort of teaching idea). I teach golf. You use real clubs, real golf balls. Now, you just let them swing and have fun. It’s not a real club but as they get older you change,” to standard golf gear as skills improve.

As for what this gives the instructor, Gilbertson suggests that feeling of accomplishment for a coach in watching a young person’s love for the game grow is worth the weekend it takes to become recognized as a trained Community Golf Coach.

“It’s very exciting. When these kids actually know they can hit a ball it’s thrilling for them… but it’s even more thrilling for you! To see the smiles on their faces, like ‘Wow! I can do this!’ They love it and they want to come back and that’s very exciting!”

In closing, Murchison said the importance of this program to the club pros who have community coaching trained volunteers is indeed priceless.

“It’s so valuable. The club pro, by nature of the way the job has always been, there are never enough hours in the day to do what they love to do. And their favorite thing is to be out there with the kids because it’s so rewarding. The bottom line is they just don’t have enough hours so if they can have some people around that have a trained background, their support is just a bonus.”

Get Involved as a Golf Coach

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

Brett Hogan had just blasted a punch-shot from the trees during a playoff at the 2017 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship and since a few of the spectators around the green — folks with a better view than he had — were “freaking out,” he figured the end result was pretty darn good.

Still, he wasn’t expecting this.

“Max (Sekulic) was dead-middle of the fairway, and he hit a great shot in there,” Hogan said, reflecting on that soggy sudden-death session at Ponoka Community Golf Club last July. “That green is kind of sloped down, so we couldn’t see which ball was which. I hit mine to three feet and he hit his to about 10 feet, but we didn’t know.

“He was up a bit ahead of me and he looked at my ball, and then he kept walking to go mark his ball. And I just couldn’t believe that I had hit it inside of him with that punch-shot.”

By that point, Hogan should have been expecting the unexpected.

It’s too bad that Golf Channel wasn’t filming the action that day, because this see-saw between Hogan and Sekulic was an instant classic.

“Even the last couple of holes before the playoff were pretty crazy,” said Hogan, a smooth-swinging member at Glencoe Golf & Country Club in Calgary and now a two-time winner of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship.

“Max hit a terrible shot on the second-last hole, a Par-3, and then he hits this unbelievable recovery to probably two feet and saves his par. I was plugged in a bunker on that same hole, and I saved my par.

“And then I remember on the last hole, I had about a five-footer to win because he’d just made this crazy 30-foot birdie putt to tie me if I missed. And I ended up lipping out my putt, so we had to go that playoff.

“Then, on the first playoff hole, he hits this unbelievable flop-shot to, like, two feet again when I thought he was dead and he ties me on that hole. And then, finally, I hit the punch-shot to three feet and somehow win that way.

“So it was a crazy finish. It was a lot of fun.”

Of course, the winner will always say that, but Sekulic also has fond memories of what turned out to be a near-miss.

“It was awesome. I mean, how many people get to experience that, where you get to play in the heat of the moment and knowing what’s at stake — a Pacific Coast Am spot and all this stuff that comes with it?” said Sekulic, who won the provincial junior title last summer at Coal Creek Golf Resort and carried that momentum into the Alberta Am the following week in Ponoka.

“It’s so much fun to play for all that. In the end, Brett hit better shots and ended up the winner. He got what he deserved there. But I didn’t give it to him. He earned that ‘W.’ So it was a lot of fun.

“In 2015, I think I missed the Alberta Amateur cut by six shots. So to be in a playoff for the win two years later, it was one of those looking-back moments. It’s good to see how far I’ve come.”

Hogan engraved his name on the provincial hardware for the first time in 2015 at Edmonton Petroleum Golf & Country Club, building a big lead and eventually finishing three shots better than the runner-up.

He also triumphed at the 2016 Alberta Open Championship at RedTail Landing, draining a chip-in on the final hole to seal a two-shot victory.

With his father Brian on the bag in Ponoka, Hogan made his move in the third round, sizzling to a score of 29 on the back nine — that’s two eagles, three birdies and four ho-hum pars — to trim Sekulic’s lead to two.

That set up an unforgettable final round.

Hogan was 5-under for the day when he arrived at the tee-box at No. 11, but he would give four of those shots back. Sekulic, meanwhile, continued to keep things close, then buried that birdie putt on the 72^nd assignment for a two-stroke swing.

Tie ball-game, with both signing for four-day tabs of 12-under 276.

A playoff — and punch-shot — would eventually determine the winner.

“I had almost that same shot from the same position in the first round, so I knew how to play it. It was a bit lucky that way,” Hogan said. “Going into the tournament, obviously you’re thinking you want to win and to be able to put myself in the position that I was on that last day, that was nice. It always makes it a lot more fun when you have a chance to win. Just battling it out with Max at the end, it was a great finish. That always makes for fond memories and makes it a lot more special.”

Now 24, Hogan will sign up for Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada qualifying in the spring, with plans to turn pro. If that’s the case, Sekulic should be considered the favourite at the 2018 Sun Life Financial Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship at RedTail Landing.

The long-hitting lefty from Rycroft, Alta., turns 19 this summer. He’s been a regular at Grande Prairie Golf & Country Club. Now, he’s just completed his freshman season with the men’s golf team at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

“In golf, wins are hard to come by,” said Sekulic, who was also a representative of Golf Canada’s national development squad in 2017. “It’s awesome whenever you get the chance and hopefully the next time I’m in that position, I get it done.”

Hogan, a graduate of the University of Texas-San Antonio, promised his playoff opponent would benefit from that rainy-day heartbreak.

“I’ve been on the other side of that and, honestly, I think you learn a lot more from the tournaments that you lose than the tournaments you win,” he said. “It really stings in the beginning, but you learn a lot about yourself, how you handle the situation.”

“In our case, if I would have lost, I wouldn’t have looked at it like I gave it away. I don’t think he would feel like he gave it away. We both played well, and one of us played a little bit better in the end. I think it was a good learning experience for him, and I think he’s stronger and better because of it.”

Hogan, too.

If this was his farewell to the Alberta Amateur, the two-time champion from Calgary certainly ended on a high note.

There will, without a doubt, be times along the professional trail that he reflects on that punch-shot and on that playoff and on a superb performance in Ponoka.

“Obviously, it’s a different level, but I think you have to go with the same mindset — that any week you can beat anybody and anybody can beat you,” Hogan said. “I think the best way to look at it is it’s not that much different. Yeah, it’s the next level with better players, but you need to believe you can beat those guys and earn some of those same experiences that you’ve already had.

“It’s the next level but you can look back on what you’ve done to help you move forward.”

A Wild Ride

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

A golf course with over half a century of history will provide a test for the best amateur female golfers in the province in 2018 as host of the Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur.

Many of those players were decades away from being born when Willow Park Golf and Country Club saw it’s first tee shot hit back in 1965.

The south-east Calgary club has plenty of mature trees lining fairways which might describe as being tight.

“People looking at the golf course, even for the first time are intimidated by the narrow fairways or what seem like narrow fairways,” said Head Professional at Willow Park, Cathy Burton. “It’s an old, traditional golf course with lots of trees, a few bunkers and water hazards. People that play here all the time say, what trees?”

If you can avoid the trees, Burton says you will face more challenges once you arrive at any of the greens.

“We’ve had tour players that play in the Shaw Charity Classic saying you guys have phenomenal greens. Comments like that go a long way and anybody that plays here comments on how fantastic the greens are, how true they are. It doesn’t mean they aren’t tricky, they’re just so well maintained,” said Burton.

The tip of the hat for the pristine putting surfaces goes to superintendent Brian Denomme who has done plenty to make those greens roll around 12 on the stimpmeter on average and Burton says if need be they can roll faster.

The swales around the greens make an errant shot tougher with some tricky wedge play, so Burton says making sure you have the right yardage will be important.

Some of the par threes are narrow and deep (hole#18 is about 55 paces front to back) which will test the talented field for sure.

“Really the defense would be the greens and the rough around the greens because if you’re missing it at all it’s not necessarily an easy up and down.”

While it’s not a wide-open golf course those large trees will provide some protection against the wind which seems to be a somewhat regular occurrence in Calgary. Players will have to take note of those tree tops to determine direction but can become victims of a swirling wind through those same branches.

Burton says Willow Park can play anywhere from 5,700 to 6,100 yards which offers up some options when setting up the course.

Some of the junior members at Willow Park will be available to caddie during the event and Burton says it’s a great way for these young players to see how the next level plays a golf course.

“I used to caddy myself and I learned a lot of trouble shots,” she said. “Sometimes that doesn’t hurt your game to see what somebody else does.”

One young player who calls Willow Park her home course is 19-year-old Kenna Hughes, currently playing at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Burton says she’s likely going to play and might have a slight edge on the field due to the course knowledge she’s gained over the years. Having said that, it could also work in reverse, said Burton.

“Home course is an advantage and it’s not an advantage when you’re the home course kid, there’s probably more pressure on you than anybody else. It becomes more of a mental game than a physical, technical game.”

Players are advised to take note of holes 11 through to 17 as they are more challenging than the rest of the course, depending on how the course is set up. Hole #14 is one of note though.

“It’s a dog-leg right par five, with water basically all the way down the right side and if you’re too long you can be through the fairway and if you hit it a bit right you can be blocked by the trees, so you’re punching out and you’ve wasted a shot on a par five.”

Burton says it will be fun for members to come out to watch the young players and even some of the older players that are playing, seeing first hand the level of golf Alberta has to offer.

“We do embrace the outside events we host and we’re doing our part to grow the game, being a part of growing the game I think is lending your course to events like this,” said Burton.

The Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur at Willow Park will run in mid-July.

Willow Park hosts the Ladies Amateur

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Derek Ingram, BSC, ChPC

Team Canada Olympic Coach

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

Ryan Anderson

Head Teaching Professional, Glencoe Golf & Country Club

2016 & 2017 Alberta PGA Teacher of the Year-round

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

John Deneer

Class A Teaching Professional

Junior Development Coordinator, Bearspaw CC

Nominee for 2017 Alberta Junior Golf Leader Award

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

Derek Baker

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

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

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

Tips for Parents on the Competitive Junior Golf Pathway

Bill Murchison

Golf Professional

Golf Canada Calgary Centre

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

Grooming for Greatness

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

The simple answer is to be prepared which means having a plan. The complete plan for an elite player peaking at their provincial and national championships is not possible to present in a short piece but the following outlines some general concepts with a few specifics that standout.

An elite player’s yearly training plan has significant detail within cycles and phases including periodization. Periodization is an organized plan sequencing the events and activities in your training and preparation to get to peak performance at an exact time, when you want it. The general cycles within your yearly training plan would include; training and preparation, pre-competitive and competitive seasons.

Periodization is easily seen in the schedules of top ranked players on the PGA Tour, they are clearly tapering, resting, preparing and then working to peak for each major. Our condensed Canadian season, with a busy competitive calendar adds to the challenge and discipline required for proper peaking. It might be obvious but in order to peak there must also be planned periods of tapering and rest in both June and July.

Every component of your training and preparation fits within the plan. Ideally your integrated support team are all involved and it is all coordinated by your coach. This includes equipment, fitness, technical, tactical, psychological and health and lifestyle (diet, nutrition and rest).

Equipment – Plan your fitting in the spring, re-gripping in June or a grip cleaning a couple weeks ahead of your majors. Be sure you have options for set make up depending on the course.

Fitness – Add strength and power early in the training and preparation cycle, followed by golf specific fitness in pre-competitive and maintenance only during the competitive season. Maintenance is key to staying healthy and to avoid losing speed and distance during the taxing competitive season.

Technical – Changes and the introduction of new skills take place ahead of the competitive season. The competitive season includes assessment and monitoring. Refinement of skills is limited and carefully implemented. If your coach has their hands all over you on the range during warm up at a major event you have a serious problem. When you see a coach on the range with a tour player at an event they are there to reassure and encourage, the feedback to the player is minimal, positive and significantly filtered. Good coaches instill confidence and trust prior to performance.

Checklists – You need to have detailed home and away competition checklists that include exact timing. An executed competition plan will eliminate issues and distraction. Avoiding drama will enhance performance.

Lifestyle – Late nights, pizza and milkshakes are for the fans, not the athletes. Chocolate bars and sugar drinks at the turn won’t get it done either, especially if you end up with a 10 hour round due to weather delays. Enough said on this but if you want to do your best the difference between good and great performance can easily be found here.

Tactical – Complete tactical preparation does not include a money game during your last look at the test that lies ahead. Get the most out of your practice round, have your course mapping, game plan and yardage book ready.

Psychological – Ideally as you get closer to your events the focus on practice shifts to include significant modelling of competition with a much greater focus on your pre-shot routine. Be sure your routine meets pace of play guidelines and practice it being timed for consistency. When you do (and you will) get paired with somebody slow you don’t have to change your routine or worry about being on the clock. Your practice and routine should also include visualization and positive self-talk. Only you control your thoughts and emotions, practising how you think is relatively easy if you have clear process goals with good strategies for managing your focus and emotions.

If you have done the work there is no reason not to trust yourself and be confident. By having a plan and being prepared you will have controlled everything you can and will have taken the steps to have your best performance when it matters most!

Play Your Best When it Matters Most

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

Focus on Your Stability to Swing Freely

There is no better time than now to start working on your game by preparing your body for better movement.

Stability is a fundamental component of the complex movement of a golf swing. The more moving parts to control, the more the golfer will need to rely on timing and athletic ability to get back to the ball. Sometimes this works, but when you add pressure or different conditions it can lead to missed targets.

Tight areas in our body that should be moving can lead the body to sacrifice stability in another area and create unwanted compensatory movements. Not only can this lead to errant shots, but also an increased risk of injury.

Three areas that you can focus on to create stability include: Balance, Core Activation and Improved Mobility of the upper back and chest. Golfers want to deliver the club efficiently to the ball with the most power and optimal direction consistently. Taking care of your body to improve these areas of stability can allow your body to focus on technique rather than protecting you from falling over. This will help you prevent injury and keep swinging freely at your target.

Here are three corrective exercises that can help improve your ability to swing your club. If you experience pain while doing them, stop and ask for help from a medical professional like a Physiotherapist to fully assess and make recommendations.

CORE ACTIVATION: Start with lying on your back with legs straight. Lift your left leg up with knee and hip and 90 degrees. Using your right hand with right arm straight – squish a sponge hard between hand and knee. Lift head up off floor when doing this exercise and remember to breathe! Hold for count of 5 and repeat 3-5 times on each side.

OPEN BOOKS: This is to help maximize your mobility so you can reduce loading into other areas to reduce sways and maintain posture. Lying on your side with knees and hips bent to 90 degrees, activate your core (no arching of lower back). Lift top arm away from bottom to try to get both shoulder blades on the floor. Look at the moving hand the whole time to minimize stress in your neck. Take a deep breath in at the end of this movement then return to start position. Repeat 5-8 times on each side.

BALANCE: Start with working on your balance by standing on one leg for a count of 20 seconds. Increase the challenge by trying again with your eyes closed! To maximize this skill – work on Air Planes. Get into the start position with back leg extended and arms out – add some turns to left and right. Goal would be to hold this position for 20-30 seconds on each side.

Andrea Kosa BSc. P.T.

Physiotherapist for Team Canada Women’s Amateur Squad

www.yourgolfbody.com

Tune up Your Golf Body

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

Members of the Alberta Golf board of directors and staff at the 2017 spring launch event in Sundre.

Team Alberta Head Coach Randy Robb keeping a close eye on the action at the Alberta Junior at Coal Creek Golf Resort.

The Power of Pink! Participants pose for a shot on the range at Stewart Creek G&CC prior to teeing off in the Alberta Ladies Team Classic.

The Alberta contingent at the Alberta / Montana Ryder Cup at Desert Blume GC cheering on the final matches on the eighteenth hole.

To the victor go the spoils… Sabrine Garrison receiving the Ladies Amateur trophy from Sun Life Financial sponsor Carl Taylor.

Brett Hogan teeing off in the rain soaked playoff at the Ponoka Community GC. The conditions couldn’t keep the spectators away from witnessing a thrilling finish.

What we love about the game… even in the heat of the moment Brian Laubman congratulates his fellow competitor Frank Van Dornick on his playoff victory at the Alberta Senior at Henderson Lake GC.

Volunteers don’t just do the work. They make it work.

A place in history. The Alberta Boys get a close up look at the previous teams after capturing the Alberta/ Montana Ryder Cup.

The unsung heroes. Superintendents and turf care employees are instrumental in conducting a quality tournament. Thanks to these two from the Edmonton Petroleum G&CC at the Alberta Senior Ladies.

The summer of 2017 brought smoke from wildfires into the province but it didn’t hinder the golfers spirit. Here a team at the Alberta Interclub plays a par 3 at the Canmore G&CC. Unfortunately, the usual breathtaking mountain views were obstructed by the smoke.

Community events like the Calgary Food Fest are an opportunity to introduce newcomers to the game. Just watch out for Golfzilla!

Marilyn Palmer O’Connor (center) was inducted as a golf athlete into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2017 class. Congratulations Marilyn!

The Canada Summer Games is the pinnacle of sport for many junior aged athletes. Taylor Stone and Ethan Choi took full advantage of the opportunity, even rubbing shoulders with Canadian icon Ron MacLean.

All hands on deck. The venue, sponsor, staff, committees and host club volunteers are a few of the essential ingredients to a successful championship. Thanks to this crew at the Alberta Ladies Amateur at the Red Deer G&CC for all of their hard work.

The Alberta Interprovincial Boys Team (left to right: Max Sekulic, Chandler McDowell, Matt Bean) captured first place at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

The Year in Pictures

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

In 2006, Golf Canada in partnership with the PGA of Canada launched the Long Term Player Development (LTPD) Guide and subsequently released a modified version in 2014.

The guide was meant to be “an extension of the goal to place Canada among the top golfing nations in the world”. As explained further along in the introduction: “The guide has played a key influencing role in achieving international success for players while also assisting our goal of fostering a life-long engagement in the sport of golf by Canadian enthusiasts from coast to coast.”

The content within the LTPD (more commonly referred to as LTAD, to acknowledge the term athlete as opposed to player) guide has been carefully developed and critically explained throughout the 78 page ‘blueprint’ for success.  The guide appeals to Instructors and Coaches, Parents, Facility Owners and Operators as well as Athletes and Players.

From the time a player enters the game of golf to the time they exit (and perhaps they re-enter at a later stage) the guide sets a pathway for success at every level.  Most importantly the guide recognizes that success is defined quite differently for each individual and benchmarks change throughout a golfer’s trajectory in the game.

The guide establishes the basis for a strong support system linked to a clearly defined player development strategy –The Golfer Pathway.

In 2018 Alberta Golf is re-committing its focus on the LTAD as we continue to support High Performance Athletes along their journey to the podium.  We will broaden our offering to include support at the club, regional and provincial levels and will circle back to the final stage in the LTAD pathway and support recreational golfers who as part of our Golf For Life strategy.

Our 2018 plan breaks down the Golfer Pathway into four development stages. Alberta Golf will introduce proprietary programs and support industry partners throughout the province that 1) introduce more individuals to the game, 2) teach individuals how to get better at the game, 3) allow individuals to play in competitions and 4) promote social activities to celebrate accomplishments.

Our primary focus is on supporting existing coaches, clubs and recreational golf programs to increase the base of our overall player pyramid.  Eventually, the talent pool that rises through our regional development programs will achieve success at the high performance level.

In order to achieve this objective, we need to increase the perceived relevance we have with our 50,000 members by providing these golfers with more knowledge and tools with which to become engaged with the game they love.  We intend to inform them of the many opportunities available to them as a player, as a parent, as a coach or as an operator by modifying our website slightly to provide a more enhanced user experience. At the same time we will be expanding the number of digital assets available for those who like to stay on top of everything from their desktop and we will also be going back to the basics a little bit with some “golf stuff” you can post on the refrigerator. Maybe the Alberta Golf High Performance calendar will evoke a conversation or two at the dinner table.

Our first communication “tool” will be the golfer listing service included with the 2018 version of The Alberta Golfer.  This piece will outline the various introduction, community, learning, clinic and playing opportunities being offered by various associations and clubs throughout the province.  While it’s a great start in generating excitement and increasing member knowledge, we expect the 2019 version will be oversubscribed with content.  Everything takes time…

Golf is one of those things that takes time.  So when you do have the time to play, please enjoy it as much as we do and make it a good investment of your time.  Our nine board members and our six staff members played more golf in 2017 (475 rounds) than they did in 2016 (400)…did you?  And we have established an even greater goal for 2018 (550 rounds)…have you?

For more information about the Golf Canada & PGA of Canada Long Term Player Development Guide visit www.golfcanada.ca/ltpd

CEO Message-The Golfer Pathway

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

Golf is a game for life and Future Links, through Golf Canada, has plenty of options to get you started on the right path and keep you there.

Since 1996 more than one million golfers aged five to 18 have gone through some part of the myriad of programs involving players of all abilities, professionals who lead the instruction and golf facilities which play host to events.

“One example is the Golf in School program, it has three levels which basically cover students from kindergarten to when they leave school”, said Jeff Thompson, Chief Sport Officer at Golf Canada. He expects around 370 thousand golfers will take part in 2018. This is the definition of grassroots.

“We’re not trying to develop golfers in our Golf in School program. We’re trying to develop kids who may have an interest in actually learning the game and experiencing the game.”

Thompson says this program is a chance to expose kids to the game at the same time they are being shown other sports like basketball, volleyball and soccer.

“Research shows if you don’t reach these young people by the age of 12, the chances of them picking up a sport goes down drastically.”

Other branches on the Future Links tree include Learn to Play, Test Your Skills, Girls Only, Order of Merit and the very popular mobile clinics.

“They (the clinics) are vehicles that are driven by PGA professionals and outfitted with clubs. They will go to where the kids are, and it could be at summer camps, boys and girls clubs, YMCA’s or recreation centres,” said Thompson. “I think this year we’ll be around 65 thousand kids that will have been engaged through the mobile clinic program.”

Future Links is part and parcel of the community outreach strategy Alberta Golf has crafted which expands the scope of who they are reaching and how they’re getting to them, said Jennifer Davison, Director, Sport Development and High Performance for Alberta Golf.

Bringing onboard the PGA of Canada professionals to help run these events was a smart move. Davison said they are the ones who can provide that next level of instruction and are passionate about bringing the game to the kids.

“Players are getting great opportunities in their own backyard and the best of the best are teaching them,” she said.

Golf Canada develops these programs for use and it’s up to provincial bodies like Alberta Golf to deliver them. But it’s not a case of dropping of material to the facilities, never to be seen again.

Davison says Alberta Golf will support them in some way to make things work and put a face to the facility of the person conducting the program,

“It’s making the connection between these grassroots programs and connecting them to a facility, whether that be a driving range or a golf course or a golf professional in that area.”

A prime example of how this all comes together would be the Derrick Golf and Winter Club in Edmonton which has been a part of Future Links for several years.

Associate professional Adam Werbicki says the resources provided by Future Links allows them to run successful events.

“It’s great for the young professionals or even community golf coaches or facilities that are looking to jump start a junior program or maybe add more to what they currently do.”

Support for Future Links adds up to about $500 thousand taking various forms from Sport Canada, Acura, Puma, ClubLink, PGA of Canada and the Royal & Ancient. With no cost to the facility Werbicki says he fully recommends taking full advantage of what’s being provided.

“Talk to other professionals that are using the program and get yourself right in there using it. Don’t wait. There’s no downside in using it.”

Werbicki says nobody is telling the facilities what to do with the resources but instead it’s a chance to pick and choose what your membership might want while you can flesh it out as you see fit.

“There is a lot of planning and preparing which goes into these events,” said Werbicki. “Tools like what Future Links provides can help guide a professional when hosting an event and do what is important-spend time with the kids.”

It’s a tried and true program with plenty of resources for parents, professionals and community golf coaches, Werbicki added.

Davison says the thought process is to expand on what is being provided and not try to re-invent what’s already there. Like anything else however, there is always room for improvement.

Future Links looks much different today than when it started in 1996 and a really important watermark was in 2007 with the creation of the long-term player development guide. It was done in partnership with PGA of Canada and Sport Canada as a blueprint on how to develop in the sport of golf from the time you first pick up a club.

Golf Canada put Future Links under a microscope to give it a real refresh as to what was being delivered. The same process was recently undertaken in late 2017 to see what are the needs today for junior golf in the country and how does Future Links need to evolve, said Thompson.

He says with Golf in School and the mobile clinics, players get a first taste of the game but then there are more levels to discover and complete while developing a golfer.

“Parents need to see that the sport has a plan of how my son or daughter is going to progress in the sport,” said Thompson.

Davison added, Alberta Golf wants to get away from the idea these tiers are vertical, that one level is better than the other.

“What we’re trying to promote is that these tiers are horizontal and that we’re trying to best match where a golfer is and what we can do to support their growth and development.”

With golf being a game for a lifetime it’s good to know the people who share some of the responsibility to grow the game have a concrete system in place which gives parents of young players a more defined road map of how to negotiate this path.

Future Links

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

Since the first Scotsman put club to ball in the 1400s, golf has taken the entire world by storm. Canada has not been immune to the call of the links, with this country having the highest per capita participation in golf and more people playing the game than all other sports combined. For over 100 years, Golf Canada and Alberta Golf have fostered that love of the game and looked for new ways to grow it further. To aid in that effort, they introduced a new Gold membership model for the organizations last year.

“A year ago, when we were launching this program, there was a lot of uncertainty,” says Phil Berube, Executive Director and CEO of Alberta Golf. “We were increasing the fees but the associated benefits were increasing along with them. Given the timing, which was after many facilities had already gone through their budgeting process, we were a bit apprehensive, conservative with our estimate, but the response was tremendous.”

Berube had hoped to convert between 30 and 36 facilities to the new model across the province, but change can be challenging, especially in a sport so steeped in tradition. But by the end of the season the team had exceeded expectations, converting 51 facilities to bring the total to 70. The number of Gold memberships jumped from 1,052 to 20,138, proof that the uncertainty about the program was unfounded.

“It was a sign that there was buy-in from the entire industry,” says Berube.

Coast to coast, all eyes were on Alberta Golf’s experiment. Other provincial organizations were watching to see how members and courses would receive the changes and were waiting for results here before revamping their own membership models.

“Now across the country everyone is going full steam ahead and implementing the Gold model,” he says.

As Alberta Golf continues to roll out the new membership system it will help connect more golfers to the associations, with the goal being to add another approximately 20,000 new members in the coming year. Alberta Golf anticipates transitioning 73 more facilities in 2018 to bring the total under the new model to 143. Courses are also continuing to promote the program and encouraging their golfers to take advantage of the benefits of membership. And because membership to one association includes membership to the other, the benefits—both provincial and national—are incredible.

The membership model retains that which attracted many golfers to the associations to begin with. Alberta Golf and Golf Canada have traditionally been known for their handicap system, and the new membership continues to support competitive golfers by tracking their scores and handicaps. For many clubs, this remains the key appeal for membership.

“Our day-to-day players don’t have (the membership) but we make it mandatory for our men’s and ladies’ leagues to have their handicap,” says Josh Davison, general manager of RedTail Landing Golf Club.

Handicaps are necessary for golfers to compete in many provincial, national and regional events as well as in some course leagues. But Alberta Golf is so much more than just handicaps, and the organization now offers more tangible benefits that have a wider appeal.

“There is value in Alberta Golf for every member, not just the competitive golfer,” says John Fisher, general manager of Silver Springs Golf and Country Club.

For a low annual fee, golfers receive custom ID labels displaying their membership number that they can adhere to their equipment. If they misplace or leave behind a club, golf courses can easily find out to whom it belongs and return it to its owner.

Membership also includes an insurance package for incident protection.

“Golf clubs have situated themselves as the centerpiece of new communities. With that there are windows, and not everybody has mastered hitting the ball down the fairway so this is a great thing,” says Fisher.

In the event of a hooking tee shot that breaks a window, an unfortunate slice that damages someone’s property, clubs that go missing, or a too-tight turn in a power cart, members are covered for up to $6000 in damages and loss. Golfers can also take advantage of discounted home and auto insurance through their member policy.

On top of these benefits, members receive a rule book, Golf Canada magazine subscription, membership to both Alberta Golf and Golf Canada and participation in national and provincial championships if eligible. They can also download the Golf Canada app to track scores, share rounds on social media and register for events, all with a few taps on a cell phone.

Courses also enjoy the perks of membership. The associations provide course and slope ratings, which is the international standard used to measure a course’s difficulty. Golfers can post their rounds to a member course, which can help courses identify potential growth markets and demographics. Golf Canada and Alberta Golf have a great deal of information to offer member courses as well, ranging from tournament management software that helps them run their events to year-round course maintenance requirements. The benefits are impressive and have made Berube’s job converting facilities that much easier.

“I was pleased to see that, yes it was a little more money, but I felt like now members really get something. There is value there,” says Alan Carter, general manager of Edmonton Country Club.

As a steward of the game, Alberta Golf is dedicated to offering value and resources to its members and it appreciates the support from member courses and players so it can continue to grow the game. It provides various programs throughout the year to help develop young players, attract new golfers, educate weekend golfers, and support elite competitive players in the province.

“All of the programs that people take advantage of and don’t even realize it and the services Alberta Golf provides, it all costs money. Having the membership support is the best way to do it. And it’s a win-win for both,” says Brent Syme, general manager of Country Hills Golf Club.

With thousands of new Gold members enjoying the perks, everyone benefits with the new Alberta Golf membership.

Everyone Benefits

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