Canadians needing a social outlet and a sense of recreational normalcy during the uncertainty of the pandemic in 2020 turned to golf in a major way. Now Golf Canada, with the support of industry partners, will build on the excitement, increased interest, and elevated levels of play with a national golfer retention campaign to welcome new and returning players back to the golf course in 2021.
The campaign – GOLF IS CALLING – is a Canada-wide marketing initiative to speak to new, younger golfers as well as the community of avid players, each uniquely drawn to the game whether it be for exercise, the social experience or the challenge of the sport.
Nancy Spineti Delle Donne recognized by Golf Canada as 2020 Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year
Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Nancy Spineti Delle Donne of Montreal has been named the 2020 recipient of the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award. A presentation of the award will take place on Thursday, March 4 as part of Golf Canada’s Virtual Annual Meeting.
For more than 20 years, Nancy has been a major contributor to Golf Quebec and Golf Canada as an expert in Handicapping and Course Rating.
In 2014, Nancy was named Chair of the Golf Canada Course Rating and Handicap Committee, a position she held proudly until the end of 2020. During this time, she played an integral role in the national launch of the new World Handicap System which was rolled globally in 2020.
“Volunteers are a driving force behind golf in this country and we are proud to recognize Nancy Spineti Delle Donne for her deep contributions to Handicapping and Course Rating this past year and over the last 20 years,” said Liz Hoffman, Golf Canada’s 1st Vice President who will sworn in as the Association’s 119th President during the Annual Meeting. “Nancy’s contribution to the game and her support in the execution of an important golf service has made and major impact. She has carried those responsibilities with excellence and is truly deserving of this recognition.”
Nancy was Chair of the Golf Québec Course Rating and Handicap Committee from 2008 to 2020 and served on the Golf Québec Board of Director from 2008 to 2015.
During her tenure with Golf Quebec, Nancy helped to train course rating teams across eight regional associations. She would visit 40+ member clubs a year and has rated nearly 90 courses. Her commitment to the craft included meticulous data collection and support documentation to ensure the highest standard of Golf Quebec’s course rating services.
Nancy has also served as Golf Quebec’s feature presenter for handicap seminars and played an instrumental role in training a province-wide network of club Handicap Committees who supported countless members in establishing a valid Handicap Index. From 2011 to 2014, she was also Chairperson of the Golf Québec Membership Committee.
A public player with provincial contributions dating back to 1997, Nancy was recognized for her exceptional service as Golf Quebec’s 2004 Volunteer of the Year, and in 2020, Golf Québec Board of Directors celebrated her retirement from the association by naming her an Honorary Governor.
Now in its 15th year, candidates for the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award are put forth to Golf Canada for consideration by the respective provincial golf associations in acknowledgment of significant contributions to the game of golf in their community.
The Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award is named in recognition of Toronto native Bruce Mitchell who in 2017-18 was the first Canadian to serve as captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A). Born in Victoria and raised in Edmonton, the former president of the Toronto Golf Club and R&A member since 1988 was just the ninth internationally appointed captain of the R&A, one of the most prestigious volunteer positions in the world of golf. Duties as captain included representing the R&A as a global ambassador and aiding in the R&A’s effort to develop golf around the world.
Congratulations to Nancy Spineti Delle Donne of Montreal, Que. on being named the 2020 Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year!
Liz Hoffman
Captured at Hilton Airport Hotel on February, 29, 2020 by Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada
Liz Hoffman has served on Golf Canada’s Board of Directors since 2012 and has been a recognized leader in Canadian sport as an athlete, coach, and administrator.
She honed her executive leadership skills over a 39-year career with the University of Toronto including 16 years as Director of Athletics and High-Performance. She has been active with many sport organizations, serving as a past president of Canadian USport and Ontario University Athletics and as an officer and board member of both Ontario and Field Hockey Canada. She also served on the Board of Directors of Coaches of Canada and as a member of the Sport Development Committee of Swim Canada.
During her time with Golf Canada, she has contributed across a multitude of committees, councils and working groups including most recently serving as Chair of the Compensation Committee, the World Junior Girls Steering Committee and as a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Renewal. She has previously chaired the Amateur Competitions, Sport Development and Human Resources Committees, as well as the Ad Hoc Committee to Review the COC Report. She has been a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, the Diversity Enhancement Working Group, and the Volunteer Services Working Group. Hoffman is also a member the Board of Directors of the Golf Canada Foundation, serving on the Executive Committee as Secretary and chairing both the Scholarships & Grants and the Women’s Fund Committees.
A past President of the Golf Association of Ontario, she was also the non-playing captain of Canada’s Women’s Team at the 2012, 2014 and 2016 World Amateur Team Championships and served as Golf Canada’s delegate to the Biennial meeting of the International Golf Federation in 2018. In 2020, she participated as a program mentor in the R&A’s Women in Golf Leadership Development Program and also joined the PGA of Canada’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. She has been active as a tournament chair and starting & scoring official at Golf Canada amateur, professional, and international competitions.
A former provincial, national, and international golfer who won both the Ontario Junior and Quebec Women’s Amateur Championship, Hoffman is a member of both the Thornhill Golf Club and the Mad River Golf Club and shares her passion for the game with her husband Rick and their sons Matt and Mark.
Team Manitoba finishes 5th at Canadian Senior Men’s Championship
Team Manitoba finished in 5th place at the 2019 Golf Canada Canadian Senior Men’s Championship that was held September 10-13 at the Ceder Brae Golf Club in Scarborough, Ontario. The team of Garth Collings (Breezy Bend Country Club), 2019 Senior Men’s Champion Mike Walker (St. Boniface Golf Club) and Bruce North (Carman Golf & Curling Club) posted a two-day team score of 297 to put them at +13 for the event and 15 shots back of the winning team from Alberta in the inter-provincial team competition.
Individually, both Garth Collings and Bruce North made the cut and finished T15th and T38th respectively. Ken Warwick of Niakwa Country Club also made the 36-hole cut finishing in 66th place.
Team Manitoba heads to Canadian Junior Championship
Tsawwassen, BC – 03 August 2018 – Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, BC. (Chuck Russell/Golf Canada)
Next on the national stage, Team Manitoba heads out to the Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, New Brunswick for the 2019 Golf Canada Canadian Junior Men’s Championship. Jacob Armstrong (Southwood Golf & Country Club), Neel Soni (St. Charles Country Club) and Josh Shuster (Pine Ridge Golf Club) will represent the province in the inter-provincial team championship August 12-15.
Also playing in the event and from Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario include Jack Taylor (Elmhurst Golf & Country Club), Jack Moro (Chapples Golf Club, Thunder Bay) and Jordan McDonald (Breezy Bend).
Austin Dobrescu finishes T31st in Canadian Men’s Amateur
Tsawwassen, BC – 03 August 2018 – Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, BC. (Chuck Russell/Golf Canada)
Austin Dobrescu of Shilo Country Club continued his hot play this season with a T31 finish at the Golf Canada Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship that was played August 5-8 at the Glen Arbour Golf Course and The Links at Brunello in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia. Dobrescu, a member of Team Manitoba that finished 5th in the Willingdon Cup inter-provincial team championship, was the lone Manitoban to make the cut in this year’s event shooting rounds of 76-74-72-71 for a 293 total. Equally impressive in his feat, Dobrescu was in a tie for 11th for Canadians who made the cut in what has now become a top international event on the world amateur golf circuit.
Upon his return to Manitoba, Dobrescu will have little time to rest as he was recently awarded a sponsor’s exemption into the 2019 Players Cup, the local stop on the PGA Tour Canada Mackenzie Tour, that will take place August 12-18 at the Southwood Golf & Country Club.
The 2019 Manitoba Senior Men’s and Women’s Championship is happening July 29-31 at the Rossmere Golf & Country Club. The first round started today with tee times beginning at 9am. Both Rhonda Orr of Southwood Golf & Country Club and Bruce North of Carman Golf & Curling Club are in the field hoping to defend their 2018 titles.
The top three men at the conclusion of the event will form the inter-provincial team that will represent the province at the 2019 Golf Canada Senior Men’s Championship that will be held September 10-13 at the Cedar Brae Golf Club in Scarborough, Ontario. The top three women at the conclusion of the women’s event will represent the province at the 2019 Golf Canada Senior Women’s Championship that will take place August 18-20 at the Osoyoos Golf Club in Osoyoos, British Columbia.
To follow the championship scores, please follow Golf Manitoba on Twitter or view the leaderboards below:
Team Manitoba begins play at the Canadian Women’s Amateur
The 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship is officially underway. This year’s event is being played at the Red Deer Golf & Country Club from July 23-26. Representing Team Manitoba in the inter-provincial competition are Marissa Naylor of Pine Ridge Golf Club, Veronica Vestesnik of Southwood Golf & Country Club and Hannah Diamond of St. Charles Country Club. The team of three will play 36-holes with the best two scores of three counting toward the team total.
Also in the field from Manitoba include Shannon Wales of Glendale Golf & Country Club, Bobbi Uhl of Shilo Country Club and 2019 Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Champion Greer Valaquenta who plays out of Southwood Golf & Country Club.
First Golf Manitoba major of the year tees off July 2-4
The 2019 Golf Manitoba major championship season tees off July 2-4 with the Diamond Athletic Men’s Mid-Amateur & Women’s Amateur Championships. Both events will be contested at the Selkirk Golf & Country Club.
Selkirk Golf & Country Club has hosted many Golf Manitoba events and championships and will be a great test of golf. The course plays anywhere from 5761-6520 yards, to a Par of 71 for Men and 73 for Women. Almost every fairway is tree lined and calls for accurate tee shots. The green speed will be a test for the field traditionally running at a speed of 10 on the stimp meter and are known for their many undulations.
Both defending champions will lead the 95+ player field. Justin McDonald of Breezy Bend will defend his 2018 Mid-Amateur title and Camryn Roadley of Southwood Golf & Country Club will defend her 2018 Women’s Amateur title.
Diamond Athletic is the host sponsor for 2019 and with that brings some event enhancements including an increased travel honouraium for those players who qualify to represent Team Manitoba in the Golf Canada Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the Golf Canada Women’s Amateur Championship as well complimentary access to the Selkirk practice facility for all competitors during the competition.
For more information about the Diamond Athletic Men’s Mid-Amateur and Women’s Amateur including scoring, please visit our competitive schedule page at golfmb.ca.
About Diamond Athletic Medical Supplies:
Diamond Athletic Medical Supplies is a local family-run supplier of athletic and medical supplies and has been in business since 1946. Diamond Athletic is located at 75 Poseidon Bay, Unit 185 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Learn more at diamondathletic.com.
For more information:
Jared Ladobruk
Executive Director
Golf Manitoba
204.925.5730
jared@golfmb.ca
