In August 2023, the small town of Gladstone, Manitoba joined forces with the newly launched First Tee – Prairies program to create more accessible pathways to junior golf and make a positive impact on youth in their community.

Ivan Milne, the president of Gladstone Golf and Country Club, recognized the potential of First Tee – Prairies programming and was a huge part of bringing this initiative to life.

“I’ve always loved golf, and when I saw First Tee was coming to Canada, I knew it was something our community needed and could benefit from,” Milne shared.

The Westlake – Gladstone area has a population of 3,100 and faces unique challenges such as limited access to organized sports, proper equipment, and certified coaches.

That is where First Tee – Prairies stepped in.

There are currently six schools, Austin Elementary, Langruth Elementary, Plumas Elementary, Isaac Beaulieu Memorial School, Gladstone Elementary, and William Morton Collegiate, delivering First Tee – Prairies programming to students through their physical education curriculum.

First Tee – Prairies provides online training for teachers, necessary equipment and turnkey lesson plans to deliver programming, all at no cost to the schools or participants.

Additionally, in Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, Recreational Director and First Tee – Prairies coach, Jesse Spence, has witnessed firsthand the positive impact First Tee has made on the community.

“Being a part of this program is so rewarding,” said Spence. “Without First Tee, many kids would not be exposed to golf or think of golf as a sport for them. My goal is to introduce them to golf here at school and make it fun and inviting so that they want to try it again.”

Sandy Bay’s Councillor, Jason Starr, and Educational Director, Rene Roulette have also helped grow the program within Sandy Bay.

In addition to Spence, four other dedicated coaches from the Westlake – Gladstone area including Darcy Zairwney, Mirv Spence, Morris Pelletier and Jason Lucas attended First Tee coach training administered by the PGA of Canada this spring.

“This is different than your regular junior golf program, it’s bigger than golf,” said coach Zairwney. “Each lesson plan integrates valuable life lessons learned through golf. We discuss the value of honesty when teaching them about scoring, perseverance after you hit a bad shot, self-confidence to believe you can sink that putt, the importance of respect and etiquette on the course, and more.”

Gladstone Golf and Country Club offers registered on-course programming and field trips for local schools and community organizations.

“We hope that many children can call First Tee – Prairies and Gladstone Golf Club home,” said Milne. “We want to ensure that kids from all backgrounds feel welcome here and find a sense of comfort on the course.”

First Tee came to Canada in 2021 and is Golf Canada’s youth development program that provides life-enhancing experiences through golf to children from all backgrounds. First Tee – Prairies is one of six chapters operating programming in its respective regions across the country.

Although newer to the Prairies, First Tee has engaged over 30,000 youth with free golf programming since last summer, across nearly 40 program locations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

This is only the beginning of a lasting impact First Tee – Prairies aims to have on this community.

“Who knows, the next Brooke Henderson or Corey Conners may come out of Gladstone,” said Milne. “If not, hopefully we created a golfer for life, or at the very least provided a positive impact on a child’s development through the sport we love.”

The growth of First Tee across the Prairies is made possible by a network of generous individuals and corporations who champion youth. If you are interested in donating to help First Tee – Prairies’ mission, please click here.

Braxton Kuntz of Winnipeg has been selected to the 2025 Team Canada – NextGen program. The announcement was made earlier today when Golf Canada announced it’s 2025 Team Canada roster. The Breezy Bend Country Club member and four-time Manitoba Men’s Amateur Champion and Team Manitoba Alumni is one of only ten male athletes selected from across the country to join the program. Kuntz is currently in his senior year at Ball State University as member of the Cardinal Men’s Golf team.

Golf Canada’s National Team program supports a group of experienced amateurs on the path towards playing professional golf along with a group of young professional golfers building their careers as touring pros. The program provides individualized training and competition support with a goal to help advance 30 Canadian athletes to the LPGA and PGA TOUR by 2032.

For more information about the 2025 Team Canada announcement, please click here.

Golf Manitoba, in association with Golf Canada, is pleased to welcome Deer Ridge Golf Course as our newest member club.

Located just north of Brandon along Highway #1, this locally owned and operated 9 hole course can be played from two sets of tee boxes ranging from 2,563 to 2,766 yards.

Deer Ridge Golf Course features a driving range, chipping green and putting green. The fully licensed clubhouse is available to host fundraisers, weddings and corporate gatherings.

As an official Golf Manitoba / Canada member club, all rounds played at Deer Ridge Golf Course are acceptable for handicap purposes and may be recorded toward establishing or maintaining an official Golf Canada Handicap Index.

To reserve a tee time or for more information, call the proshop at (204) 726-1545 or click here for their website.

Golf Manitoba Director of Communications & Development Brian Munz in conversation with Kaleb Lambert (Elmhurst Golf & Country Club / Barton Community College) following his first victory this week. Lambert carded rounds of 68, 70 and 67 at the Barton Invitational at Rolling Meadows Golf Club in Milford, Kansas.

(courtesy PGA of Canada)

The team comprised of PGA of Canada professional Devon Schade and amateurs Ethan Hunter, Kayle Tosh, William Middleton and Tanner Chamberlin, who originally qualified from Larters at St. Andrews Golf & Country Club were dominant the past three days at Cabot Cape Breton, firing net -64.1 (gross rounds of 58-55-56) to win by 4.1 strokes over the team from Niagara National Golf Club at the RBC PGA Scramble National Final.

With the win, the full team wins special Cabot Cape Breton RBC PGA Scramble headcovers produced by Dormie, as well as a trip to the 2025 RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto.

Bob Weeks introduced the champions at the trophy ceremony where PGA professional Schade – who was referred to by his team as “Shadow” throughout the week – got on the microphone.

“The staff here at Cabot, and the course, as well as the whole event were just top notch,” said Schade. “Huge thanks to RBC, adidas and Michelob for making everything happen this week.”

The runner-up was the team from Niagara National Golf & Country Club which included PGA of Canada professional Keaton Jones and amateurs Ryan Nagy, Mike Formica, Shane Belanger and Mike Maloney, while the team from Pinegrove Country Club featuring PGA of Canada professional Louis-Alexandre Pitre and amateurs Luc Guevremont, Laurence Guevremont, Amelia Guevremont and Charles Guevremont rounded out the top 3.

For the second-straight day, the roar of a team who made an ace could be heard across the property. Darcy Myers of Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan made an ace on the 7^th hole of the Links.

In total, the 2024 RBC PGA Scramble featured over 12,000 players from across the country looking to earn a spot at Cabot Cape Breton at over 180 local qualifiers hosted by PGA of Canada professionals. The tournament also set a record with over 1,200 women participants.

If you are an amateur player with a Golf Canada handicap, we hope to see you at a local qualifier in 2025.

Golf Manitoba is proud to announce Harvey Goehring and the late Marion Goehring as co-recipients of the 2024 Golf Manitoba Distinguished Service Award.

This special recognition will be presented on Tuesday, October 29, during the Golf Manitoba Awards, presented by AVID GOLF, at the St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg.

“Harvey and Marion’s contributions are nothing short of extraordinary,” said Susan Wright-Cassan, President of Golf Manitoba. “They not only demonstrated exceptional leadership but also brought a personal commitment that has had a lasting impact on golfers across the province. It’s an honour to celebrate their legacy.”

Honoring a Community of Volunteers

In addition to the Goehrings, this year’s awards ceremony will also celebrate the dedication of twelve outstanding volunteers who have reached significant milestones in their service to Golf Manitoba. These individuals have been recognized for their continuous contributions of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25+ years of service.

5 YEARS
Brad Beghetto
Wally Jackson
Bo Kampmann
Scott Kaler
Wayne McLeod
Lloyd Pluschow
Steve Wallace

20 YEARS
Susan Wright-Cassan

25 YEARS
Roy Smith

35 YEARS
Irv Benne
Barbara Hamill
Lou Spado

For more information about the 2024 Golf Manitoba Awards presented by AVID GOLF and to join the celebration, please click here.

About the Golf Manitoba Distinguished Service Award

The Golf Manitoba Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recognizes volunteers who have gone above an beyond in making a positive impact on the golf community locally, regionally and/or nationally. The ideal candidate will display qualities of a positive role model to fellow volunteers through leadership, creativity, mentorship, excellent communication skills and dedicated service to the sport of golf and to Golf Manitoba.

Past DSA recipients

About Golf Manitoba – Golf Manitoba is the governing body for golf in the province of Manitoba and North West Ontario. Its mission is to develop, promote, govern and service the sport of golf in Manitoba and North West Ontario for the benefit of all participants.

For more information:

Brian Munz
Director of Communications & Development
Golf Manitoba
(204) 223-1119
brian@golfmb.ca

The R&A announced new participation figures that show an increase of more than three million adult golfers playing the sport.  

According to new research undertaken for the governing body, there are now 42.7 million on-course golfers (9 and 18-hole) in R&A affiliated markets (outside the USA and Mexico).

The research figures for 2023 indicate a growth of 3.1 million on-course golfers since 2022. The growth trend began before the onset of Covid-19 and is now accelerating faster than the 2020-2022 pandemic period when there was an average of 2.5 million new on-course golfers per annum. The sport continues to increase in popularity, now up 44% from 29.6 million on-course players in 2016.

The new data is provided by national federations in The R&A’s affiliated markets in Asia, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.

The research also shows that 62.3 million adults (outside the USA and Mexico) consume the sport in some format, an increase of 1.1 million since 2022. It is just the second time an estimate has been made beyond on-course activity to include alternative-only formats, such as pitch & putt, indoor simulator golf and driving range use.

“Golf’s popularity continues to grow with a significant increase in the number of people playing the sport both on and off the course,” said Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A. “There are now 13 million more golfers playing on the course since 2016 in R&A affiliated markets, while there are also millions of others enjoying alternative formats of golf, such as driving ranges, adventure golf and simulator golf, which are vital to the growth of the sport.

“New golfer participation programmes with appealing propositions, promotion and imagery are important for encouraging more people into the sport and retaining them in greater numbers. This is why we continue to work collaboratively with our affiliated national federations and stakeholders to build on this momentum and ensure golf continues to thrive.”

The top five on-course adult golfer markets overall reported are in:

• Japan (11.4 million)
• Republic of Korea (8.7 million)
• Canada (6.3 million)
• England (4.2 million)
• Germany (2.4 million)

Asia is the leading region for people engaging with golf among R&A affiliated regions, with total adult engagement in golf of 26.2 million. Europe is next highest with 19.7 million adults having some form of golf engagement.

The number of adult registered golfers (those members of a golf club within their national association or affiliated through a direct subscription) increased from 8 million in 2022 to 8.2 million in 2023, with an overall growth of 10% since 2020. Registered women golfers have grown from 1.5 million in 2020 to 1.6 million in 2023.

There was a decrease in those adults who only played formats other than 9 or 18-hole golf  – 21.6 million in 2022 to 19.6 million in 2023 – but this is likely to positively reflect on those moving instead to full-length on-course golf. The percentage of golfers only using alternative formats that are women did grow from 47% in 2022 to 52% in 2023, specifically in key golfing markets.

The 2024 Golf Manitoba Awards presented by AVID GOLF, will be held Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at St. Charles Country Club.

The annual event recognizes and celebrates all that’s great about the sport of golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario – from volunteers to elite performers, teams and milestone achievements including the annual volunteer Distinguished Service Award and the Female and Male Amateur Golfer of the Year awards.

The Golf Manitoba Annual General Meeting will also be held on October 29 and just prior to the start of the Awards banquet. Under Golf Manitoba by-laws, notice of the annual meeting has been sent to all member clubs and leagues via email and to the attention of the Club President & Member Club Representative. All member clubs are invited to RSVP one voting delegate to attend the meeting and to vote on behalf of the club/league.

General admission tickets are now available and can be purchased HERE. 

For more information about the Golf Manitoba Awards event presented by AVID GOLF, please contact Golf Manitoba Director of Communications & Development Brian Munz at brian@golfmb.ca.

About AVID GOLF: Located at 1580 Taylor Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba, AVID GOLF houses 6 indoor simulators using Foresight Sports technology, has an indoor putting green and a bar and lounge. AVID GOLF caters to both serious and recreational golfers in addition to providing a social venue for people looking for a fun and interactive experience. 

For more about AVID GOLF including winter league and membership information, visit avidgolf.club.

About the Golf Manitoba Distinguished Service Award

The Golf Manitoba Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recognizes volunteers who have gone above an beyond in making a positive impact on the golf community locally, regionally and/or nationally. The ideal candidate will display qualities of a positive role model to fellow volunteers through leadership, creativity, mentorship, excellent communication skills and dedicated service to the sport of golf and to Golf Manitoba.

Past DSA recipients >>

About the Golf Manitoba Amateur Golfer of the Year Award – The Golf Manitoba Amateur Golfer of the Year award recognizes outstanding performance by Manitoba golfers in all levels of competition with the first award presented in 1975. In 2015, the award was re-established to include both a female and male category.

Past Amateur Golfer of the Year recipients >>

About Golf Manitoba – Golf Manitoba is the governing body for golf in the province of Manitoba and North West Ontario. Its mission is to develop, promote, govern and service the sport of golf in Manitoba and North West Ontario for the benefit of all participants.

The University of Manitoba Bisons Men’s Golf team placed 13th out of 17 teams competiting this past weekend in Elk River, Minnesota at the Gustavus Twin Cities Classic.

Individually on the leaderboard:

T40 Trent Robertson 76-77-79-232
T40 Rory Neill 80-72-80-232
T67 Eric Prokopwich 77-79-85-241
T78 Tyler Polanski 80-78-88-246
T84 Jack Rudick 80-83-86-249

For the final leaderboard, click here.

10 two person teams gathered at Southwood Golf & Country Club for the second annual BDO National Golf League Provincial Final Thursday afternoon.

Throughout this past season, players from participating member clubs qualified for a chance to compete in a once in a lifetime, all expenses paid trip to play in the BDO National Golf League Championship just prior to the 2025 RBC Canadian Open.

Using the modified stableford scoring system, Jamie Laker and Leif Thorsteinson of Elmhurst Golf & Country Club (pictured) finished in first place with 39 points, one point better than Daniel Lamy and Ken Tallaire of La Broquerie Golf.

Miguel and Nicholas Chartier of La Broquerie ended in third with 37 points.

Elmhurst’s Dan Chubey and Chad Willis prevailed in a playoff beating Kelly Bessette and Ryan McKean of Glen Lea Golf Course to earn the fourth and final birth to Ontario.

For the final leaderboard, click here.

About the National Golf League

The BDO National Golf League is a nationwide, season-long competition created by Golf Canada to enhance the league experience for men, women, and junior players. The league is open to all existing recreational golf leagues and provides opportunities to compete in a BDO National Golf League regular season, regional playoffs, and a national championship.

For more, visit nationalgolfleague.ca.