The Golf Association of Ontario will honor Canadian golf legend Richard (Dick) H. Grimm who passed away earlier this week by distributing a commemorative pin with Grimm’s initials (RHG) on it to competitors and volunteers at provincial championships throughout the season.

“This week the Canadian golf industry truly lost one of the cherished ambassadors of our game and a treasured member of our collective family,” said GAO Executive Director Steve Carroll. “We are humbled to honor one of the game’s greatest by wearing his initials on our shirts, hats or golf bags during the 2014 season.”

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Grimm immigrated to Canada in 1948, earned the nickname “Mr. Canadian Open” thanks to his involvement in the event from 1965 to 1993. He used his skills as a salesman, promoter, official and fan to make the event what it is today. He was a key mogul in the development of Canadian golf and was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1993.

The entire Canadian golf community is mourning the loss of Richard (Dick) Grimm who passed away on May 26, 2014 at the age of 91.

PGA of Canada Professionals Dave Smallwood and Mike Skimson are pleased and excited to announce a new junior tour played strictly on GolfNorth Properties.  Registration for the Ian Leggatt GolfNorth Junior Tour is now open.  The purpose of this tour is to provide players the opportunity to experience competitive golf in professionally run one-day events.  All participants will have Tour Membership and will be awarded Order of Merit points based on their finishes. The tour will consist of a qualifying event and five one-day events in four different divisions including:

Girls (U15 and U19)

Boys (U15 and U19)

Tour Qualifying Date—Sunday June 15th—Foxwood Golf Club Cost—$125 + HST

Event # 1—Tuesday July 1st—Mystic Golf Club Cost $75 + HST

Event # 2—Tuesday July 15th—Dundee Country Club Cost $75 + HST

Event # 3—Tuesday July 29th—Conestoga Country Club Cost $75 + HST

Event # 4—Tuesday August 5th—Paris Grand Golf Club Cost $75 + HST

Event # 5—Tuesday August 26th—Grey Silo Golf Club Cost $75 + HST

 To register please visit www.golfnorthjuniortour.ca

For up to date information please follow us on twitter @leggoGNJunior

UXBRIDGE— The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) and the entire Canadian golf community is mourning the loss of Richard (Dick) Grimm who passed away on May 26 at the age of 91.

Grimm, who was born in Chicago in 1923 but immigrated to Canada in 1948, earned the nickname “Mr. Canadian Open” thanks to his involvement in the event from 1965 to 1993. He used his skills as a salesman, promoter, official and fan to make the event what it is today.

Reaction to his passing poured out throughout the golf community. “A sad day for Canadian golf as Dick Grimm passes away. A wonderful man who helped Canadian golf in so many ways,” said Bob Week via Twitter.

Weeks was a recipient of the Dick Grimm Award from the Golf Journalists Association of Canada in 2013. The award rotates each year honouring someone in the golf media and industry.

“Dick Grimm passed away today. He was a genial and commanding presence, a giant of Canadian golf, and respected by all who knew him,” said Lorne Rubenstein, also via Twitter.

Annually, the GAO also awards the Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award to the highest honour recognizing volunteer service to the game of golf in Ontario.

The GAO would like to extend our condolences to the Grimm family and celebrate all of the achievements and contributions he made to the game of golf in Canada.

UXBRIDGE— To say it has been a difficult spring for the Golf Association of Ontario’s Tournament Department would be an understatement. Director of Rules and Competitions Dave Colling and the rest of the department have been busy ensuring the 2014 tournament schedule goes on in full despite the challenges.

Colling says that he has never seen anything like this in his 39 years being involved in the golf industry. “There hasn’t been a season like this. There have been small pockets of problems in portions of the province before, but not across such a big area.”

He says that it was only when courses started to thaw from the snow and ice did the department realize they could have additional work to do. “Only when courses started to open did we get notice that there could be problems. Most of the problems were related to the greens. Older courses that have poa annua grass for their greens were harder hit than courses with bent grass.”

“The ice did the damage to the greens forcing clubs to re-sod or re-seed. Because the spring temperatures have been so cool, it has been difficult for new grass to grow,” added Colling.

That created numerous problems for the department. “Our major problem was finding a new site for our Men’s Mid Amateur Championship. Luckily, we had Taboo Resort step up and take the tournament, but there is a ripple effect. Anytime you move an event, not only from a site but also to a new date, it creates a conflict for golfers. We had to offer withdrawals to players who were unable to play on the new date.”

The qualifying sites were another challenge for the department, as they needed to find new dates and new venues for previously scheduled sites. “One site only had 15 playable holes for us, another only nine holes that we ended up playing twice. However, we did everything to make sure we got the rounds in. I feel bad for the players because, for some, their own clubs weren’t open and some only played one or two rounds before a qualifier.”

Not only is there a challenge with the players and venues, but also in rescheduling volunteers, a major component of GAO tournaments. “You have to find different volunteers when you move and you run into conflicts. In the case of our Mid-Am, it will be the second event that Taboo hosts so we needed to get volunteers out to both.”

However, despite all of the challenges this season has produced, Colling says that all the work is pretty much done. “I think we are done now. We changed the last site that we needed to and can move forward.”

He acknowledges that the changes couldn’t be possible without the support of the golf community. “We turned to other clubs and worked with them to make sure there were solutions to the challenges. Whether we needed a new site or to change a date, the clubs were a big help to us. Even if we called one up that couldn’t help, they would recommend another nearby. The entire community really came together to help us.”

It was that support from the clubs that allowed the GAO’s Tournament Department to make sure the schedule stayed intact. “The GAO member clubs have been fantastic through the process and really stepped up. “

Colling says that there was not much that could have been done to prevent the challenges of this season and chalks it up to simply an act of nature. Still, he feels that clubs will learn from it and will make necessary decisions to avoid their own issues in the future. For now, Colling and his department, that includes Tournament Manager Larry Longo and Interns Rob Blaker and Ryan Bond-Gauthier, can focus on running the GAO events now that the challenges are behind them.

The GAO is proud to present The Regional Team Program.

UXBRIDGE, ON— Despite relinquishing their leads during the second round of play, both first-round leaders, Vaughn’s Tony Gil and Thornhill resident Selena Costabile regained their leads during the final round of the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) 2014 Investors Group Junior Spring Classic to capture the title.

For Gil, he sat in a tie for the lead after the second round, at Wooden Sticks, with fellow Team Canada National Development Team member Carter Simon. However, Gil had one of the lowest rounds of the day, a four-under 68, to finish the tournament at seven-under. As for Simon, the Sutton resident carded a one-under 71 for a tournament total of four-under.

“My iron play was right on throughout the week.  I made a lot of good putts and didn’t make any big mistakes, so it was a good week for me,” said Gil. “The first three birdies on 10, 11 and 12 was a confidence booster and turned my game on. I was a little nervous on the first tee and cold topped it but I just thought to myself that there were 17 holes to go and anything could happen.”

At 16-years-old, Gil also captured the juvenile division title.

Finishing in a tie for third at three-under for the tournament were Waterloo’s Trevor Ranton and Cayuga’s Charles Corner. Ranton fired a three-under 69, while Corner finished four-under 68 for the round. In fifth was Mississauga’s Conner Watt at one-under for the event after an even-par 72 final round.

Over at Sleepy Hollow, in Stouffville, Kingsville’s Alyssa Getty took a one shot lead into the final round but quickly relinquished it. Getty bogeyed the first hole while Costabile started birdie-birdie to take the lead. Costabile went on to birdie four on the back nine and finished with a confortable three-shot victory. She ended the day three-under for a tournament total of two under. Getty was one-over for the day and the event.

“I played really well today which helped me close the victory,” said Costabile. “My putts were rolling really well the past three days and most of the credit for my win is because of my putting. After nine holes I was behind but once I started making those birdies on the back nine I knew I had a good chance to win. Birdieing my first two holes, especially the second, was a huge confidence boost, even though I double bogeyed six. I was able to make a few good putts later and it all turned out ok.”

Finishing third was Toronto’s Ana Peric who was five-over for the day and 18-over for the tournament. She narrowly stayed a head of both Pickering’s Crystina Kertsos and Markham’s Stephanie Chu. The two finished in a tie for fourth at 19-over for the tournament after Kertsos was four-over and Chu three-over during the final round.

The Investors Group Junior Spring Classic Championship is a 54-hole stroke-play competition contested annually over the Victoria Day long weekend that features many of Ontario’s best male and female junior golfers. The field of competitors gained entry to the competition through a qualifying process earlier in the season. The Golf Association of Ontario would like to thank Wooden Sticks Golf Club and Sleepy Hollow Country Club for hosting the event as well as Investors Group for their continued support of amateur golf in Ontario.

Full Leaderboard and Scorecards – Investors Group Junior Spring Classic, Boys 

Full Leaderboard, Info and Scorecards – Investors Group Junior Spring Classic, Girls 

Investors Group Junior Spring Classic – Boys

Wooden Sticks Golf Club, Uxbridge ON

May 17-19, 2014

Final Results

Juvenile Final Results

Investors Group Junior Spring Classic – Girls

Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Stouffville ON

May 17-19, 2014

Final Results

Canada’s National Open Championship returns to Jack Nicklaus-designed Oakville course for 27th time

Volunteer and Corporate Hospitality Opportunities Now Available

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Steeped in history and tradition, Oakville’s Glen Abbey Golf Club has once again been named to host the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, as announced by Golf Canada and RBC today. The world-class event, which is part of the Triple Crown of national golf championships, will host many of the best golfers in the world July 20 – 26, 2015.

Renowned as the longtime home of the Canadian Open, Glen Abbey will play host to Canada’s National Open Championship for a record 27th time. The announcement marks the return of the RBC Canadian Open to the ClubLink-owned facility where it was last held in 2013, an event won by PGA TOUR star and Team RBC member Brandt Snedeker.

“Glen Abbey has challenged the world’s best on 26 occasions and played host to many of the most memorable finishes in Canadian Open history, including Brandt Snedeker’s exciting victory last summer,” said Golf Canada Executive Director and CEO Scott Simmons. “The Abbey’ and Canada’s National Open Golf Championship share a special connection and we are pleased to continue that legacy in 2015.”

“It’s very exciting to see the tournament return to Glen Abbey, where it was selected as the PGA Tour’s ‘Most Fan-Friendly Event’ in 2013,” noted Jane Broderick, Chief Brand and Communications Officer, RBC. “Along with Golf Canada, we look forward to welcoming the world’s top golfers and our dedicated fans back to this prestigious golf course next year.”

“We are very pleased to welcome the RBC Canadian Open back to Glen Abbey,” said Rai Sahi, ClubLink President and CEO. “It is only fitting that Canada’s most famous course plays host to our National Open Championship. Since the Canadian Open was first played on this Jack Nicklaus Signature course in 1977, Glen Abbey has produced many worthy champions including Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Greg Norman, Lee Trevino, Curtis Strange and Brandt Snedeker. We look forward to a great tournament week and another outstanding champion in 2015.”

Glen Abbey was owned and operated by Golf Canada from 1982 – 1998 before selling the property to ClubLink in the fall of 1998. As the longtime host of Canada’s National Open Championship, ‘The Abbey’ hosted 22 Canadian Opens between 1977 and 2000 as well as 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2013.

The 2014 RBC Canadian Open will take place July 21-27 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île-Bizard, Que. For information about tickets, volunteer opportunities or corporate hospitality for either the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club or the 2015 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com.

TORONTO— Light on and off showers throughout the day could not dampen the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) first championship of the season: the Men’s Better Ball, an event that has been running since 1959. On May 15, Oakdale Golf and Country Club played host to 61 teams (112 golfers) all looking to become this year’s champions.

In the end, it was the team of Brad Newman, from Beacon Hall Golf Club, and Jud Whiteside, Thornhill Golf & Country Club, who shot a seven-under 65 on the day.

They edged out the duo of Rob Cowan, Westmount Golf & Country Club, and Dave Bunker, Brampton Golf Course, who finished with a six-under 66. Bunker came into the tournament after a strong performance in late April in Lima, Peru at the Manuel Prado and Carlos Raffo Cups.

There was a five-way tie for third at five-under 67. 2013 Mid-Am Champion Tyler McDannold, Brampton Golf Club, who also had a hole-in-one on the 11^th hole, and Brett Saunders, The Club at Bond Head; Nic Powell and Harris Bundy, both from Scarboro Golf & Country Club; Ryan Tsang and Truman Tai, both from Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club; Christian McCullough, Meadowbrook Golf & Country Club, and Alex Dumais, Caledon Woods Golf Club; and Geoff Goodwin and Walt Spivak, both from The Oaks Golf Club, all took home bronze medals.

There was no doubt that the weather was a factor during the round, but Whiteside explained that they were prepared for worse. “In general we thought it was going to rain more than it did, so I think we lucked out. We just kept it hole-by-hole and shot-by-shot and didn’t think about it too much.”After the round the winners were thrilled with their victory. “It is a great feeling to win. This is my first time playing in the event and it is awesome to win the first time playing here,” explained Newman.

The team got out to a strong start during the event and never looked back. “We were three-under through four and just continued to play well throughout the rest of the day but it certainly was good to get off to a strong start like that,” said Newman.“We kept saying to ourselves let’s just focus on the next shot and not get too far ahead of ourselves. You never know what the score will be in events like this so if you just keep plugging away and hit your shots well, the score looks after itself,” added Whiteside.

The win was the first GAO championship for either Newman or Whiteside.

2014 Men’s Better Ball Full Results:  

Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru registration is open! Plan your event today for a chance to win an iPad Mini!

Why should join us this year in the fight against breast cancer?

• Golf Canada and our partners offer this program at no cost, providing you with all the materials necessary to run a successful event.
• 100% of the funds raised at each event will go directly to breast cancer research and support programs for those affected nationwide.
• Our ‘Viva Las Vegas’ contest presented by Subaru is back! Every participant and coordinator across the country has a chance to win two VIP tickets to Celine Dion’s “Return to Las Vegas” including travel expenses.

In 2014, Golf Fore the Cure aims to reach over 13,000+ participants with over $500,000 in funds raised. We need your help!

Golf Fore the Cure welcomes all women participants! Not sure what it takes? Our planning guide takes you through the steps to running a successful event and how Golf Canada can support you.  Request a planning guide today from gftc@golfcanada.ca

• No cost to you or the golf course.
• Turn-key women’s golf event.
• Prizing provided by presenting partner, Subaru.
• Fun and interactive women’s golf event.
• Brings women together in support of a great cause.

Golf Canada looks forward to working with you for the 2014 Golf Fore the Cure season.

TORONTO, ON – Members at Markland Wood Golf Club are coming to appreciate the calm after the storm as they prepare to celebrate the club’s 50^th anniversary throughout 2014.

The storm first blasted many Toronto area clubs and homes last summer with torrential rains and flooding. Markland Wood’s 18 low-lying fairways and bunkers were flooded in July by an overflowing Etobicoke Creek. The course remained closed for nearly two weeks for clean-up before fully opening a month later with rebuilt bunkers.

Green 13, in March of 2014 after severe ice damage.

If that wasn’t enough, Mother Nature’s fury struck Toronto in December with a devastating ice storm, followed by the Polar Vortex’s flash freeze in early January that hit clubs across Ontario, Quebec and the North Eastern United States. Many courses in the Greater Toronto Area with poa annua (annual bluegrass) greens, including Markland Wood, were especially hard hit by a four to eight inch blanket of ice over much of the course that severely damaged thousands of greens.

“You could say that Mother Nature has not been very kind to us, but the membership has really pulled together and turned these natural disasters into a positive outcome,” says Superintendent Owen Russell who has been dealing with the aftermath on a daily basis. Both private and public clubs across the GTA, and Ontario for that matter, continue to deal with the aftermath of the harshest winter in at least 25 years.

Since last summer’s storm, the club has spent close to $2 million to repair damage including; rebuilding all 65 bunkers with assistance from architect Cam Tyers, sodding 11 acres of fairway, installing a new irrigation system, cleaning up trees damaged by the ice storm and sodding 14 greens with 72,000 square-feet, or 8,550 rolls of Aggressor bentgrass. The remaining five greens will be re-surfaced at the end of season to ensure consistency for putting areas.

“I think the resiliency of the membership is quite remarkable and inspiring because they have been able to accept the circumstances and move forward very quickly,” he adds. Now there is sod shortage in Ontario and clubs are looking outside of the province and the country to try and make repairs. “When we fully open the course in June with the new greens our members are essentially going to have a new golf course to play on and that’s something they should be very proud of,” Russell says.

“While it was initially hard to see the silver lining through the devastation incurred, that dejection quickly turned to the realization of the opportunity to revitalize the golf course,” says Markland Wood GC President, Scott Peart. “We won’t be playing on the new greens for a few weeks, but I can already feel the anticipation building within the membership.  It’s going to be an exciting 50^th anniversary celebration with several member events in the works, a few great charity tournaments and the club is hosting the 15^th annual Toronto Star Women’s Amateur from June 23 to 26^th.”

The club is also publishing a book “50 Years of Fellowship” to commemorate the 50^th anniversary. If you have a chance to read it you’ll learn that the Markland Wood area goes back as far as 1810, when John Silverthorn and his family settled here along the Etobicoke River. They established a saw and gristmill that operated until 1870 when the flow of water diminished to the extent that there was insufficient power to drive the mill. The Silverthorn family then turned to farming, before selling it to developer Marc Cavotti in 1958. His associates lightheartedly referred to the property as “Marc’s Land”, which was the preamble to the area’s final moniker of Markland Wood.

After the initial plans for the Markland Wood community were prepared, it was discovered that the land adjoining the Etobicoke River was situated on a floodplain established by Hurricane Hazel, and not suitable for residential development. Being the avid golfers that they were, Cavotti and his associates decided this land would be an ideal place to put a golf course. The project was then turned over to architect Eric Hanson, who transformed the unique crescent shaped parcel of land into an 18-hole golf course. The Club officially opened with Bob Hope as special guest of Head Professional Al Balding, a member of both the Canadian and the Ontario Golf Halls of Fame.

The course plays from 4,763 yards to 6,285 yards, par-70 from five sets of tee blocks, but it is the narrow fairways, fast greens, strategically placed bunkers, mature trees and the ever present, Etobicoke Creek, that define its character and challenges players of every level.

Despite the steep repair bill, Peart says the club of 700 members remains in an excellent financial position having now completed a significant portion of capital work on the course without any assessments to the members. It’s a place where denim can be worn year-round in the lounge of a modern full-service clubhouse where families are encouraged to become friends with other families. The club’s slogan for this year is “Celebrating 50 years of Fellowship.”

“The Markland Wood residential community has the motto “a circle of friends”. This holds true for Markland Wood Golf Club as well,” Peart says.  “It is a tightly knit group of golfers who are proud of their golf course and support their fellow members.  As we turn the corner and prepare for the journey for the next 50 years I believe the club is well positioned for growth and prosperity.”