UXBRIDGE — The GAO (Golf Association of Ontario) is very pleased to announce the rosters of the five regional teams that will comprise Ontario’s under-17 high performance program in 2014-15. After a very successful regional team pilot program in 2013-14, the GAO is expanding the number of regional teams as well as adding more content to the training programs. The team members were selected based on their 2014 tournament scores and testing results from Skills Combines held during the month of September.
“We were thrilled with the progress of the 36 athletes that were part of regional team pilot program last season,” says Mary Ann Hayward, GAO Manager of Sport Performance. “Six of those players have advanced to our Team Ontario program for the upcoming season. With the addition of Niagara and Windsor, we will have 60 promising young athletes in our under-17 training program for 2014-15. A new addition to the program this year is a 36-hole regional team competition to be held in the Niagara area in late April. With our skilled personal coaches, dedicated regional coaches and the support of TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada as our new high performance sponsor, the future of golf in Ontario has never been brighter.”
Team Ottawa
Team Ottawa is made up of athletes from Ottawa and surrounding areas in Eastern Ontario. Adam Holden coaches the team and Allen Hicks is the team’s strength and conditioning coach. They will train out of the Kevin Haime Golf Centre in Kanata and the Ottawa Athletic Club.
Team York covers Toronto and the GTA. Jeff Overholt coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Katie Robinson. Team York will train out of The Golf Lab in Vaughan and Carrying Place G & CC in Kettleby.
Players
Kevin Doran (Sharon, Ont.)
Brendan Dunphy (Whitby, Ont.)
Jeffery Fang (Richmond Hill, Ont.)
Zachary Katzenstein (Thornhill, Ont.)
Lachlan O’Hara (Mississauga, Ont.)
Jacob Presutti (Brampton, Ont.)
Luke Sear (Stouffville, Ont.)
Dee Xie (Toronto, Ont.)
Amanda Kerr (Brampton, Ont.)
Hailey McLaughlin (Markham, Ont.)
Cynthia Zhao (Toronto, Ont.)
Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.)
For more information on the team and it’s players visit the Team York page at: https://gao.ca/team-york/
Team Waterloo
Team Waterloo is made up of players from the Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding area. Mike Martz coaches the team and their strength and conditioning coach is Angella Lee. They will train out of the Golf Performance Centre and Whistle Bear GC in Cambridge.
Players
Peyton Callens (Langton, Ont.)
Cougar Collins (Caledon, Ont.)
Lucas DeCorso (Guelph, Ont.)
Michael Dubois (Brantford, Ont.)
Jarrett Fitzpatrick (Caledonia, Ont.)
Dylan Henderson (Waterloo, Ont.)
Michael Rizzo (Brantford, Ont.)
Carter Snowden (Kitchener, Ont.)
Haley Barclay (Strathroy, Ont.)
Taylor Kehoe (Strathroy, Ont.)
Kristen Giles (Georgetown, Ont.)
Grace Mitchell (Kitchener, Ont.)
For more information on the team and it’s players visit the Team Waterloo page at:
Team Niagara is comprised of golfers in the Niagara region, which includes Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and surrounding area. John White coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Wayne Oliver. They will train out of the Legends on the Niagara, in Niagara Falls and winter training will be at TurfNet and Fourth Quarter Fitness in Welland.
Team Essex-Kent is made up of golfers from the Windsor and South Western Ontario area. Randy McQueen coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Ryan Carlone. They will train out of Roseland Golf Club and On The Green Indoor Golf in Tecumseh.
The Regional Team Program is designed for golfers under the age of 17. Players participate in regional skills combines and those results, combined with tournament results and Order of Merit standings, determine the 12 players that are selected for each team. Team members take part in an eight-month training program with a PGA of Canada registered head coach and strength and conditioning consultant. They participate in 11 three-hour sessions before a spring training camp and Regional Team Competition to be held in Niagara at the end of April.
GAO Announces 2015 Ontario Golf Hall of Fame Class
Peter MacKellar
UXBRIDGE— The Golf Association of Ontario is pleased to welcome the four new members who will be inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame at a ceremony taking place on May 6, 2015 at Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge. Bob Breen, Doug Carrick, Edith Creed and Bill Kerr will become the 69th, 70th, 71st and 72nd members of the Hall. In addition, Garry McKay will be receiving the Lorne Rubenstein Award, which is presented annually to accredited members of the Ontario Media for “major contributions to golf.”
The Ontario Golf Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of extraordinary contributions and accomplishments in the game of golf in Ontario. Founded in the year 2000 by the Ontario Golf Association and the Ontario Ladies’ Golf Association, the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame is housed at Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge.
2015 Ontario Golf Hall of Fame Inductees
Bob Breen
Robert Breen was born in Guelph, Ont. in 1939, before moving to Brampton. Breen quickly excelled at golf capturing the Ontario PGA Hunt Trophy as a junior, a feat he would go on to do again three times as a senior.
He turned pro in 1960 and went on to have tremendous success. He captured 15 victories on the Ontario PGA Tour and another three on the Canadian Tour. Breen also participated in the Canadian Open on 10 occasions, played on the American Tour, where he won the Bahamas International, the Florida tour, where he was a four-time winner, the South American Tour and events on the PGA Tour.
Success followed Breen when he began competing on senior tours. He captured 17 Ontario Senior PGA Tour wins and won the Canadian Super Senior Championship three times (2001, 2005 and 2007). In 2010, he was the Canadian Diamond Division Canadian Champion. Breen also had the opportunity to play in a pair of USGA Senior U.S. Opens.
In addition to his individual success, Breen also represented Ontario, 23 times in the Ontario/Quebec Titleist Cup Matches. He was also a 10-time member of the Bobby Orr Nabisco Team.
Breen’s contributions to the game of golf go beyond his playing career. He began working in the industry in 1961 as an Assistant Professional at Kleinburg GC and Pine Valley GC (now The National). He moved on to become the Head Professional at Malton GC (now Castlemore) a position he would also hold at Glen Abbey GC, Erin Heights GC and Derrydale GC. Breen passed away in August of 2014. At the time, he was serving as ambassador and teaching Professional at Brampton GC and Mississaugua GC.
Doug Carrick
Don Mills resident, Doug Carrick, enters the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in the builder category. A renowned course designer, Carrick has designed 25 courses in Canada and another four internationally. In addition, he has been involved in the renovations of 45 courses.
His work has earned him numerous awards including: Best New Course in Canada (six times), Best New Course in Ontario (three times), Best Golf Development (2005, Humber Valley River Course) and Best International Golf Resort (2007, Humber Valley River Course).
Carrick’s courses have hosted multiple professional events including two PGA Tour Canadian Opens (2002, Angus Glen South Course and 2007, Angus Glen North Course), two LPGA Canadian Women’s Opens (2000, Angus Glen South Course and 2004, Legends on the Niagara Battlefield Course) a European Tour event and European LPGA event.
A past president of the Summit GC, Carrick has also served in a variety of roles with the American Society of Golf Course Architects, including president in 2009-10.
In 1985, Carrick established his own golf course design firm Carrick Design Inc.
Edith Creed
Edith Creed was born in Toronto in 1928 and now resides in Schomberg Ontario. A member of the Oakdale Golf and Country Club, Creed had tremendous success as an amateur golfer.
Her list of accomplishments is long and includes being a 37-time Club Champion at Oakdale. Creed also won the York District Championship in 1982.
It was as a senior competitor though where Creed made her mark on the game. She captured the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship three times (1979, 1981 and 1982). Her victories were also seen at the provincial level as she won the Ontario Senior Women’s Championship five times (1978, 1981-83 and 1986). Creed also added two York Senior Women’s District Championships (1978 and 1985).
Creed represented Ontario in 1966 as a member of the provincial team and then 10 times as a member of the senior provincial team.
She has given back to the game by helping to organize national competitions at Oakdale, along with being a supporter of their junior program.
Bill Kerr
Born in Lisburn, Ireland in 1911, Bill Kerr immigrated to Ontario soon after his birth. He had numerous affiliations to Ontario courses between 1928 and 1946, before becoming the head professional at Beaconsfield Golf and Country Club in Quebec.
While a resident of Ontario, Kerr captured the 1945 CPGA Championship, a feat he would go on to replicate in 1960. He also won two Miller Trophy Match Play Championships in 1944 and 1945, another feat he would duplicate while in Quebec in 1947 and 1950.
Throughout his career, Kerr played in six Canadian Opens and the 1961 Masters Championship. He was a five-time winner on the Quebec PGA Tour, the 1956 Bermuda Goodwill Champion, and the 1963 and 1964 CPGA Senior Champion.
In addition to his contributions to the game as a head and touring professional, Kerr also served as a two-time President of the Quebec Golf Association and President of the CPGA from 1955-1958.
Kerr passed away in 1997, but his legacy lives on through his family who have continued his work with contributions to the golf industry in Ontario and Quebec in various capacities.
Garry McKay- Lorne Rubenstein Award
Sports journalist, Garry McKay, has been covering golf for more than 40 years. The Hamilton, Ontario resident has written for the Hamilton Spectator along with all of the major Canadian golf magazines as well as periodicals in the U.S. and Germany. In 2009, he also moved into radio hosting the Canadian PGA Golf Radio Show.
He’s a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, the International Network of Golf and is currently the past-president of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. McKay is a voting member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame. He also sits on the Score Golf Top 100 and the Ontario Golf Magazine Best New Course and Top 50 Course panels.
Four Ontario Golfers Named to Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team; Three More on Development Squad
Peter MacKellar
OAKVILLE (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada has announced the names of the athletes who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2015 National Amateur Squad and Development Squad programs.
In all, eight athletes comprise Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, including four players on the women’s team and four players on the men’s team while the National Development Squad will include 11 athletes (five women and six men).
Returning to lead the men’s squad is 2014 US Amateur runner-up Corey Conners, 22, of Listowel, Ont. (No. 17 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking). Conners, who recently made it to the match play semi-finals at the Argentina Amateur and helped Canada win the Tailhade Cup, earned 2015 exemptions to play in The Masters and U.S. Open by way of his runner-up finish at the 2014 U.S. Men’s Amateur. He was also part of Canada’s runner-up team at the 2014 Men’s World Amateur Team Championship.
Surrey, B.C., native Adam Svensson, 20, ranked No. 37 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking and winner of the 2014 NCAA Division II Jack Nicklaus Award also returns to the Men’s National Amateur Squad. In 2014 as a sophomore at Barry University, Svensson’s seven victories set the school record for NCAA Division II victories en route to the team repeating as NCAA Division II champions. He alsofinished as the low Canadian in 7th position at the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship where he helped Canada finished runner-up.
Joining Conners and Svensson will be Burlington, Ont. native Blair Hamilton, 21, a sophomore at the University of Houston who is a year removed from the National Program when he was a member of the Development Squad in 2013. Rounding out the squad is 18-year old rising star Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas, a dual citizen who is currently ranked No. 18 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Connelly recently paired with Conners to win the Tailhade Cup and was also a finalist in the Argentine Amateur.
On the women’s side, Team Canada Amateur Squad returning members include Brittany Marchand, 22, of Orangeville, Ont., (No. 67 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking) and Jennifer Ha, 20, of Calgary (No. 90 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking). A senior at N.C. State, Marchand helped Canada to a runner-up finish at the 2014 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship while Ha, a junior at Kent State, finished second at the 2014 Porter Cup.
A pair of rookies will join Team Canada’s Women’s Amateur Squad including dual citizen Maddie Szeryk, 18, of Allen, Texas, (No. 63 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking) who represented Canada at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and Elizabeth Tong, 21, of Thornhill, Ont. (No. 210 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking). Szeryk, a freshman at Texas A&M, has had a solid start to her college career, finishing 3rd, 4th, 4th and 2nd in her first four starts while Tong competed in both the U.S. and Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in 2014 and advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
“We are very excited about the group of young men and women selected as members of Team Canada for 2015,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “It is at the very core of what we do; supporting, developing and nurturing Canada’s future stars of the sport. Investing in future heroes for our sport has a ripple affect across all areas of what we do. We have no doubt that the athletes selected will represent Canada to the best of their abilities and we look forward to assisting them in achieving their goals.”
The following athletes have been selected to Golf Canada’s 2015 Team Canada:
WOMEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD
– Brittany Marchand, Orangeville, Ont. (22)
– Jennifer Ha, Calgary, Alta. (20)
– Elizabeth Tong, Thornhill, Ont. (21)
– Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Texas (18)
Orangeville, Ontario’s Brittany Marchand
MEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD
– Corey Conners, Listowel, Ont. (22)
– Adam Svensson, Surrey, B.C. (20)
– Blair Hamilton, Burlington, Ont. (21)
– Austin Connelly, Irving, Texas (18)
As part of the National Amateur Team Program, Golf Canada also named the 22-and-under Development Squad that includes five female and six male athletes. The Development Squad is designed to help facilitate the continued development of Canada’s top young talents.
The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2015 Development Squad Program:
Complete National Amateur and Development Squad player bios can be found here.
Golf Canada also announced the 2015 Team Canada coaching staff with Derek Ingram returning as Men’s Squad Head Coach and Tristan Mullally returning as Women’s Squad Head Coach. Robert Ratcliffe returns as Lead Development Squad Coach and will be supported by Women’s Development Team Coach Ann Carroll. Ingram, Mullally, Ratcliffe and Carroll are all Class A level coaches with the PGA of Canada.
ABOUT CANADA’S NATIONAL AMATEUR TEAM PROGRAM
Canada’s National Amateur Team program incorporates advanced coaching, sport science expertise, training camps and world-class competition. Golf Canada allocates over $1.5 million of its resources annually to the National Team program, encompassing strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and technique development. Players who are selected to the National Amateur and National Developmental Teams represent Canada at six to 10 internationally-sanctioned golf competitions throughout the year. The intent of this comprehensive program is to aid Canada’s top up-and-coming amateur players in all areas of their development, helping Canada produce the best golfers in the world.
Team Canada, the pinnacle of Golf Canada’s High Performance Program, provides access to world-class resources including coaching, nutrition, sport science, mental management, equipment and elite competitive opportunities. The program builds on the support team members have received in their development years from their family, member clubs, personal coaches, university programs and provincial golf associations. Golf Canada’s High Performance Program and Team Canada are proudly supported by RBC, Canadian Pacific, Titleist, FootJoy, ClubLink and Heritage Canada.
The 14th Annual General Meeting of the Members and Awards/Recognition Ceremony
Peter MacKellar
The 14th Annual General Meeting of the Members and Awards/Recognition Ceremony is Saturday January 24th, 2015 at Glencairn Golf Club
Schedule of Events
10:00 to 10:30 am Registration/Coffee
10:30 to 11:00 am Awards/ Recognition Ceremony
11:00 to 11:15 am Break
11:15 to 12:15 pm Annual General Meeting of Members
Any Member of the Golf Association of Ontario is welcome to attend this meeting and luncheon. In order to determine the appropriate seating and luncheon arrangements, we require notification of attendance in advance.
UXBRIDGE—The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO), is pleased to announce the seven boys and six girls that will comprise Team Ontario for 2015. The announcement comes on the heels of the GAO’s recent partnership with TaylorMade-adidas Golf. An agreement that will provide Team Ontario athletes with adidas clothing and access to TaylorMade equipment. The team, which began training in October, is set for a full winter of work as they prepare for the official start to the competitive season in May with the GAO Investors Group Junior Spring Classic.
“Overall the team looks very good, with many of the players already having achieved bench mark successes in their junior golf careers,” said Mary Ann Hayward, GAO Manager of Sport Performance. “All of the players are highly motivated to make the national development team and our coaching staff is prepared to work very hard to help them get there.”
This year’s team highlights the quality of the GAO’s high performance programs as eleven members of the team are either returning Team Ontario members or graduates from the GAO’s Regional (U17) Team Program.
With a pair of Team Ontario players, Trevor Ranton and Grace St-Germain, moving up to the National Development Team, Team Ontario features five returning players in 2015:
Max Sear, 17, from Markham and York Downs Golf and Country Club, coached by Ian Crebbin
Jason Chung, 15, from Thornhill and Pheasant Run Golf Club, coached by Charlie Woo
Brendan Seys, 16, from Port Lambton and Maple City Country Club, coached by John Dengel
Alyssa Getty, 17, from Ruthven and the Kingsville Golf and Country Club, coached by Reggie Millage
Monet Chun, 13, from Richmond Hill and The Summit Golf and Country Club, coached by Ian Leggatt and Don Lee
Joining the returnees, are the following graduates of the GAO Regional Team Program:
Jackson Bowery (Team Waterloo), 17, from London and Greenhills Golf Club, coached by Len Foran
Kyle MacDonald (Team York), 16, from Burlington and Rattlesnake Pointe Golf Club, coached by Rich Storey
Jake Bryson (Team Ottawa), 15, from Dunrobin and Eagle Creek Golf Club, coached by Kevin Haime
Madeline Marck-Sherk (Team Waterloo), 17, from Ridgeway and Bridgewater Country Club, coached by Mary Kraus
Diana McDonald (Team Ottawa), 17, from Kingston and Loyalist Country Club, coached by Chris Barber
Isabella Portokalis (Team Waterloo), 13, from London and London Hunt and Country Club
Rounding out the team are:
Kelvin Lim, 13, from Thornhill and Station Creek Golf Club
Chloe Currie, 15, from Mississauga and Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, coached by Nick Starchuk
“It is great having six of our new players coming out of regional programs. They are accustomed to the team training environment and come with a good base in their technical and physical training,” added Hayward.
Team Ontario coaching staff is led by GAO Head Provincial Coach Reggie Millage, a Class ‘A’ PGA of Canada professional from Milton. Millage enters his second season with the team after taking over the position last November. Also returning this year are Athletic Therapist Andrew Hoermann and Mental Skills Coach Judy Goss. New to the coaching staff this year is Nick Martichenko, who fills the role of Strength and Conditioning Coach.
“This year’s team is obviously a very different group, especially with the make up of seven boys and six girls,” said Millage. “Most of them are already well established and are willing to work hard to reach the next level. The coaches have already been working one-on-one with them, making the changes we feel are necessary as we work towards the spring.”
Millage also spoke about the very experienced coaching staff. “We are very excited to have Andrew back as Athletic Therapist. He is the longest serving member of the coaching staff and very good at what he does working with the athletes. Adding Nick to the team is also exciting because he is a very qualified and dedicated Strength and Conditioning Coach. Nick is very committed to working with golfers and he and I have worked together in the past and have enjoyed good success in taking athlete’s golf games to the next level.”
The team is already an accomplished group and they will look for even better results in 2015. Some highlights from the 2014 season included: Getty capturing the CN Future Links Quebec Championship, Marck-Sherk taking the gold medal at the Ontario Summer Games (Juvenile Girls’ Championship), Currie winning the Ontario Bantam Girls’ Championship and the Ontario Junior Tours Championship, Lim victorious at the CN Future Links Quebec Championship, and Sear successfully defended his Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) individual championship title.
Looking ahead Team Ontario will train indoors during the winter months at The Golf Lab in Vaughan. ClubLink’s Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs, Florida will be the new host venue for Team Ontario training camps in January and February. During March Break, the team will head to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a training camp as well as take part in the Can-Am Matches which is an annual team match event between the top junior golfers from Ontario and South Carolina.
About Team Ontario
The GAO Team Ontario program is a high performance training program for the top junior aged golfers in Ontario. Athletes are selected in September each year and the program runs from October through August. Team Ontario athletes receive the very best in coaching services, training/competitive opportunities, and sport science support as they strive to make Golf Canada’s National Development Team. Being selected to Team Ontario is a tremendous accomplishment and offers unparalleled support and guidance to the participating athletes and their families.
Beaches and Bunkers a Trip of a Lifetime for Golf/History Enthusiasts
Peter MacKellar
If you’re looking for a different kind of getaway this June, one that combines ‘Honour’ and ‘Play’, your love of history along with a passion for golf, Robb Lucy has the answer with Beaches and Bunkers.
Beaches and Bunkers is a trip of a lifetime created in honour of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. It’s for the sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters who want to understand the experiences of those soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy, then fought through France, Belgium and Holland. It’s a tour to learn about and honour that history, while having a little fun by playing four different golf courses along the way.
This trip takes place June 21 – July 1, 2015. It’s for individuals, couples, foursomes, family, and friends. It is an opportunity for every Canadian to honour Canada’s past… and play the game we love.
Lucy came up with the idea for the tour thanks to his father Bob who was among the soldiers that landed on the beaches as a gunner in 1944. A scratch golfer, Bob carried with him a lucky 3-iron, hitting rocks, twigs and lumps of dirt to ease the stress of war during his tour.
For the 50th anniversary of D-Day, Lucy and his father went back and followed the footsteps Bob had walked during his original tour. It inspired Bob to turn his stories into a book, Ubique-A Gunner’s Story. He passed away five years ago, and after attending a service on November 11, the younger Lucy wondered what they could add to make the trip more fun, and unique. That’s when golf entered the picture.
“I’m pleased to see so many of us at our local cenotaphs each November 11, but saddened so few really understand what happened 70 years ago,” says Lucy, a passionate golfer himself. “I hope this tour will be an admonition for people not to let the stories of their parents and grandparents disappear. These experiences forged their tools for life. And it is with those tools they raised us.”
The tour is open to singles, couples and foursomes and will visit key locations of the ’39 – ’45 war, as well as Vimy, as the group travels from Paris to Dieppe, Normandy, Belgium and finally to Holland and Amsterdam. Golf will begin at the Omaha Beach Club in Normandy, overlooking the beaches, with two more courses a few days later, ending at The International, designed by Ryder Cup Captain, Ian Woosnam. Non-golfers will spend the time with tour’s guide, learning even more to pass on to the golfers when they meet at dinner!
Guiding the tour is Canadian military historian Terry Copp. Copp is a long-serving professor at Wilfrid Laurier University and the founder of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. He is the leading scholar of Canada’s military role in World War II and is known as a charismatic teacher.
Lucy connected with Copp before the trip with his father 20 years ago. He knew he would be the perfect guide for this tour. “I knew we needed the best guy and Terry is it. We talked a few times and Terry said ‘he’d love to’. I’m delighted he’s on-board.”
GAO Announces New Partnership With TaylorMade-adidas Golf
Peter MacKellar
UXBRIDGE & WOODBRIDGE — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) and TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada are pleased to announce that they have agreed to a three-year sponsorship agreement, which sees TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada become the official clothing provider and high performance program partner of the Association.
“The Golf Association of Ontario is thrilled to announce our new partnership agreement with TaylorMade-adidas Golf. It is exciting to partner with a leading company in the golf industry that shares our passion and commitment to golf development. TaylorMade-adidas Golf is dedicated to helping Ontario athletes perform their best and we are pleased to have their support for GAO golf participation and performance initiatives” said Steve Carroll, GAO Executive Director.
With the agreement, TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada becomes the official clothing supplier of staff, volunteers and GAO team members, along with participants in various programs.
TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada also becomes the official equipment and clothing sponsor of the GAO’s high performance program, which includes: U19 Team Ontario and the five regional U17 teams (Ottawa, York, Waterloo, Niagara, Essex-Kent).
The Team Ontario Program offers the very best in coaching, training and peer support for the best golfers in the province under 19-years-old. The program aims to guide the players towards excellence in golf while providing unique completion and training experiences.
Similarly, the Regional Team Program selects the best golfers in the five regions under 17-years-old. It provides them with an eight-month training program geared towards enhancing their technical and physical abilities. The program culminates with an inter-squad competition during March Break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
As part of the agreement, TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada will also be present at GAO Championships, beginning in 2015, as they show their support to growing programs in the province with the GAO.
“First and foremost we are a performance brand and pride ourselves on making the best golf products for the best players in the world. The Golf Association of Ontario was a perfect match for us as they develop high performance golfers through their superior programs. With this new partnership with the GAO, we are thrilled to become a big part of delivering best-in-class products and service to their teams and all golfers competing in marquee GAO championships,” said David Bradley, Managing Director, International Regions, TaylorMade-adidas Golf.
The Golf Association of Ontario is excited to begin working with TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada on this new partnership that will ultimately benefit all Ontario athletes.
About TaylorMade-adidas Golf
Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company sells golf clubs, balls, clothing and accessories under the TaylorMade, adidas Golf, Adams and Ashworth brands. TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company posted 2013 sales of over €1.3 billion.
About the adidas Group
The adidas Group is a global leader in the sporting goods industry, offering a broad portfolio of footwear, apparel and hardware for sport and lifestyle around the core brands adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade, Rockport and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany, the Group employs more than 50,000 people across the globe and generated sales of €14.5 billion in 2013.
About the Golf Association of Ontario
The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is Ontario’s Provincial Sport Organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 450 member clubs, the GAO is one of the largest golf associations in the world. From rating courses and keeping the integral rules of the game intact, to growing the game at the grassroots level and getting the game of golf into our school systems, to keeping the Ontario golf community aware of all relevant issues and hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, the Golf Association of Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to making golf better for everyone in Ontario. We share a love and passion for golf, while preserving its past, fostering its future, and championing golf’s best interests for everyone who enjoys the sport.
UXBRIDGE, ON— On Sunday evening 80 GAO members from around the province arrived home from a wonderful week at the 3rd Annual GAO Invitational at Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma, Bahamas.
The GAO Invitational is a fun and friendly three-day competition for all members of the GAO, which has been running since 2012. This year the weather was great, the course was in fantastic shape and the group of golfers were amazing.
“I couldn’t have asked for a nicer group of people to travel with,” stated Kyle McFarlane, GAO Director of Marketing & Communications. “We had a great week with great people. There were a lot of new friendships made over the course of the week, which was amazing to see.”
The group arrived in Exuma on November 2 and had unlimited access to the golf course for the entire week. The competition got under way on Wednesday morning with a Modified Chapman Format event. The couples then played a Net Team Stableford format on Thursday and a Net Better Ball format on Friday. The event culminated with a wonderful awards dinner on the Friday evening.
This was the third year the GAO has taken a group down to Sandals Emerald Bay and based on the feedback it will not be the last. Details about the 2015 trip are currently being worked out and the 4th Annual GAO Invitational will surely be another sell out.
