The bracket for the first round of the 2020 Golf Manitoba Match Play Championship has now been set. The top 32 amateur men, top 16 senior men and the top 8 amateur women from this past weekend’s qualifying event at the Winkler Centennial Golf Course will play their first round matches starting this Friday and Saturday at the St. Charles Country Club.

On the amateur women’s side, 2019 Match Play Champion Hannah Diamond will defend her title on home soil and as the number 7 seed taking on the number 2 seed, Charmaine Mackid of the Breezy Bend Country Club. Bobbi Uhl of Shilo Country Club will start the finals as the number 1 seed taking on Veronica Vetesnik who is playing out of the Kingswood Golf & County Club. The women’s first round opens on Saturday, June 13. View the women’s match play bracket here >>.

On the senior men’s side, 2019 Match Play Champion Garth Collings will open the championship matches as the number 1 seed where he will meet club mate and number 16 seed Brant Greer of Breezy Bend Country Club. View the senior match play bracket here >>. The senior men’s first round also opens on Saturday, June 13.

The amateur men will open the championship matches on Friday, June 12. Number 1 seed Marco Trstenjak of Elmhurst Golf & Country Club will meet number 32 seed Kolby Day of the Wheat City Golf Course. 2019 Match Play Champion Austin Dobrescu of the Shilo Country Club will defend his title as the number 2 seed taking on number 31 seed Jordon McDonald of Breezy Bend Country Club.  For the first round match play bracket, click here >>.

Scoring updates for all matches will be available on the Golf Manitoba Twitter account as well on the Golf Manitoba Match Play Championship webpage.

A reminder that due to current event protocols and conditions of competition due to COVID-19, spectators unfortunately will not be permitted at this event.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the formation of the Golf Industry Advisory Council, a volunteer group comprised of experienced professionals who will bring a golf industry voice to support Golf Canada’s Board of Directors and management team.

Reporting to Golf Canada’s Board of Directors, the Golf Industry Advisory Council will be composed of eight to 13 members with backgrounds, skill sets and experiences from across the golf landscape. The Council will include course owners and operators; club general managers; golf course superintendents; PGA of Canada professionals; and executives from the golf equipment, apparel and footwear industry.

“Deepening our engagement, dialogue and collaboration with course operators and the Canadian golf industry at large is core to Golf Canada’s strategic plan and the catalyst to forming the Golf Industry Advisory Council,” said Golf Canada President Charlie Beaulieu. “The expertise of the Council will be extremely impactful in providing the Board and our management team greater understanding of the priorities and critical activities of our golf industry partners with whom we share a commitment to the overall health of the sport. ”

The Council Chair will be designated by Golf Canada’s Board of Directors and may serve a maximum of two one-year terms. Members of the Council will be nominated by the Officers of Golf Canada (President, 1^st Vice President, 2^nd Vice-President and Immediate Past President) along with CEO Laurence Applebaum in consult with the Chair and staff representative of the Council.

Golf Canada Adjusts Composition of its Board; Welcomes Two New Directors

In addition to the formation of the Golf Industry Advisory Council, Golf Canada’s Board of Directors has also adjusted the composition of the Board from a fixed number of 11 members to a more flexible model of eight to 13 members which will include the new Industry Advisory Council Chair as well as an additional Director at Large.

With this adjustment, Golf Canada is pleased to welcome two experienced golf industry leaders as new Directors on the Board—Clublink Chairman and CEO Rai Sahi as well as Shawn Evans, President and CEO of Golf North Properties. Between Clublink and Golf North, Sahi and Evans collectively represent 85 of Golf Canada’s member clubs.

Sahi and Evans join the Board of Golf Canada which includes Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que. (President); Liz Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont. (1^st Vice-President); Dale Jackson of Victoria (2nd Vice-President; Rob MacDonald of Winnipeg; Susan MacKinnon of Calgary; David McCarthy of Toronto; Adam Daifallah of Montreal; Jean Stone-Seguin of Ottawa; Patrick Kelly of Vancouver; Paul Beaudry of Calgary; and Alison Chisholm of Rothesay, N.B.

Chemical Engineering major and Canadian LPGA Tour golfer Brittany Marchand offers up a home schooling lesson where we investigate how the size and weight of a golf ball will affect the distance and speed that the ball travels.

View more from this series here.

Golf Manitoba would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest member clubs! Joining us for the 2020 season will be Dauphin Lake Golf Club, Glenboro Golf & Country Club, Scotswood Links and Souris-Glenwood Community Golf Course.

Dauphin Lake Golf Club is an 18-hole, 6,110 yard, par 70 course situated on the beautiful shore of Lake Dauphin. A challenging course known for its rolling and slightly tiered greens, the Dauphin Lake Golf Course has narrow fairways, numerous trees and shrubs, plus sand and grass bunkers, with water hazards on several holes. For more information and to book your tee-time, please visit golfdauphinlake.ca.

Dauphin Lake Golf Club

Located in on the southern edge of Spruce Woods Provincial Park, Glenboro Golf & Country Club is a challenging 3,020 yard 9-hole layout with lush fairways, great people and excellent atmosphere. Most fairways at Glenboro are fairly open, and the rough is usually forgiving to errant drives. All but one of the course’s nine holes have hills and rolling greens that are both challenging and interesting with lots of undulation. You can learn more about Glenboro Golf & Country Club at golfglenboro.ca.

Glenboro Golf and Country Club

Scotswood Links is located near the town of Elm Creek, Manitoba and just 30 minutes from Winnipeg’s south perimeter on Highway #2. Scotswood Links offers a beautiful 18-hole golf course measuring at just over 6,000 yards from the back tees. The new clubhouse is open year round and is home to The Wooden Spoon restaurant and lounge. During the winter, Scotswood Links offers cross country skiing and 4 kilometer skating trail on the creek with snowmobile paths running nearby. For more information and to book an online tee-time, visit scotswoodlinks.com.

Souris-Glenwood Community Golf Club is located in Souris, Manitoba. Three sets of tees provide the golfer with a variety of options on this scenic 9-hole layout. The fully licensed clubhouse provides food and beverage options before and after your game with an outdoor deck overlooking the 9th hole. Visit the club website for contact information and to book your tee-time.

Souris-Glenwood Community Golf Course

For a complete listing of all Golf Manitoba member clubs, visit our member club directory at golfmb.ca.

The 2020 Golf Manitoba Championship Season will officially open on June 6 & 7 with the Match Play Championship qualifying event. The championship matches will then move to the St. Charles Country Club and will be contested June 12-14 & 20-21.

In addition to the Match Play Championship, most Golf Manitoba events for the month of June and July are currently scheduled to be held and include the following:

• Women’s City & District Championship – June 27 & 28 at the Portage Golf Club
• Junior Bantam Championship – June 27 & 28 at the Portage Golf Club
• Diamond Athletic Men’s Mid-Amateur & Women’s Amateur Championship – July 6-8 at the Bel Acres Golf & Country Club
• Junior Men’s & Women’s Championship – July 12-14 at the Selkirk Golf & Country Club
• Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship – July 16-19 at the Minnewasta Golf & Country Club and the Glendale Golf & Country Club
• Senior Men’s & Women’s Championships – July 27-29 TBA

The Golf Canada NexGen Prairie Championship that was to scheduled for June 12-14 at the Quarry Oaks Golf Course and the Provincial Junior Skills Challenge that was to be held on July 5 at the St. Charles Country Club have both been cancelled.  The remaining Golf Manitoba events in August are currently under review as are all 2020 Golf Canada competitions.

A few changes have been added to select Golf Manitoba events in 2020, some that were introduced in response to competitor feedback received in the fall of 2019. The event changes include the following:

• The winner of the men’s amateur Match Play Championship will earn an automatic berth into the 2020 Golf Canada Men’s Amateur or Mid-Amateur Championship (should both events be held).
• A new “forward tee” division has been added to the Women’s City & District Championship and the Men’s & Women’s Senior Championship.
• The final two rounds of the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship will see a weekend finish concluding on Sunday, July 19 at the Glendale Golf & Country Club.
• The Rural Provincial Championship has been suspended for the 2020 season.

All events will be played under new protocols and conditions of competitions developed in coordination with Golf Canada that take into consideration competition under the current state of public health. In addition to following golf protocols as mandated by the provincial government, modifications to the Rules have been made to allow for competition. Additionally, all participants will be required to read and agree to the Golf Manitoba event waiver during the registration process.

For more information and to register for 2020 Golf Manitoba championships, please click HERE.

Golf Manitoba is excited to announce that applications for 2020 scholarship awards is now open!

The Golf Manitoba Scholarship Fund (GMSF), formerly known as the Manitoba Golf Scholarship Fund, is a registered charity, the object of which is to provide financial assistance to young golfers entering or continuing in a post-secondary educational institution in Canada. Since 1986, the Fund has awarded over 180 scholarships totalling over $205,000 to 36 different golf clubs throughout Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

The World Handicap System stipulates every player is responsible for returning all acceptable scores into one’s scoring record from rounds played on courses observing their active season, which is part of the golf season when courses have acceptable playing conditions.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of authorized provincial golf association to declare active and inactive periods, and it is the responsibility of the area club and golfers to observe these dates for posting purposes.

Each year, provincial associations analyze numerous factors to determine their active seasons. This ensures consistency of when scores would be posted by the majority of golfers to help keep Handicap Factors accurate.

Scores made at any golf course observing an inactive season are not acceptable for handicap purposes. The rationale behind this is that posting scores during inactive seasons (periods of poor course conditions) could artificially increase a player’s Handicap Factor.

Scores made at a golf course in an area observing an active season must be posted for handicap purposes, even if the golf club from which the player receives a Handicap Factor is observing an inactive season. The club’s Handicap Committee must make it possible for a player to post these away scores at the beginning of the active season.

For example, if a player belonging to a golf club in Ontario plays golf in Florida during January, any scores made in Florida are acceptable and must be returned to the player’s Ontario golf club. If the player is also a member of a golf club in Florida, scores must be posted to the player’s Florida club.

In Canada, the active season in each province is as follows:

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

It’s also important to note that if you are travelling to other countries, you should determine their active seasons to prevent posting unacceptable scores. Your home club needs all acceptable scores from the “off-season” as well to ensure your Handicap Factor is accurate once recalculated at the beginning of the season.

For a detailed list of active and inactive schedule in the United States, click here.

For more information on handicapping, click here.

To enter your scores for an official handicap, become a Golf Canada member here.

Golf Manitoba is excited to announce that the 2020 Match Play Championship will take place beginning with a 36-hole qualifier on June 6 & 7 at the Winkler Centennial Golf Course. The championship matches will then be held at the St. Charles Country Club June 12-14 & 20-21.

For more information and to register, please click HERE.

With ongoing uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, Golf Canada continues to evaluate all aspects of our business to make informed and responsible decisions within the best interests of our athletes, staff, volunteers, host clubs, partners and other stakeholders health and well-being.

Golf Canada has made the decision to cancel the 2020 NextGen Prairie Championship that was scheduled to be held June 12-14 at Quarry Oaks Golf Club.

The decision to cancel this competition was not taken lightly, but we believe it is the best course of action. The safety and well-being of our competitors, tournament staff and volunteers along with our host site members and staff are paramount to Golf Canada. We also appreciate that all Canadians are dealing with health and travel concerns along with more pressing matters of uncertainty.

Golf Canada has also made the decision to cancel all 2020 Future Links Junior Skills Challenge Provincial Qualifier events and this includes the Manitoba event that was scheduled for July 5, 2020 at St. Charles Country Club. Golf is only beginning to get underway in most regions of the country and it was the lack of time for facilities to run local qualifying events, combined with the current provincial restrictions on group gatherings that led to this decision.

At this time, the Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event remains on the event schedule, set for August 30 at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver, B.C. Golf Canada will continue to monitor the guidelines of government and health experts to assess any impact to the event. Should the National Event be hosted as scheduled, Golf Canada will operate under the previous qualifying structure whereby the top-ranked players from across the country on the online National Leaderboard, in each of the four age categories, will be invited to compete at the event.