Winnipeg, MB – After 23 years with Golf Manitoba, Garth Goodbrandson will retire as the Director of Player Development at the end of 2020.

Goodbrandson first began his career with Golf Manitoba in 1997 after 16 years as a PGA of Canada club professional. The move into coaching and leadership as the Director of Player Development for Golf Manitoba made him the first full time coach hired by any provincial golf association.

During his tenure with Golf Manitoba, Garth introduced thousands of young people to the sport of golf through golf in schools and rural instruction programs. In addition to grassroots programming, Garth became one of the top high-performance golf coaches in the country with many of his athletes achieving success at the junior, collegiate, amateur, and professional levels.

Photo: Bison Sports

In 1999, Goodbrandson, along with co-founder Derek Ingram, had a vision to expand high-performance golf opportunities by establishing the University of Manitoba golf program. Since the program’s inception, Goodbrandson has coached every Bison team until his retirement in the fall of 2019.  During his 20-year career with the Bisons, Goodbrandson’s teams amassed over 30 wins with the most notable coming in 2014 when the men’s team won the Canadian University & College Championship.  In recognition for winning the national championship, Goodbrandson was named Canadian University Golf Coach of the Year in 2014 and received the City of Winnipeg Outstanding Achievement Award in the same year.  The golf team was names as a finalist for the 2014 Manitoba Sportswriter/Sportscaster Team of the Year.

Throughout his career, Goodbrandson has been recognized by his peers and numerous golf and sports associations for his dedication and commitment to coaching. Some notable highlights include being inducted to the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame in 2016, awarded the PGA of Manitoba Coach of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and most recently, he was honored as the

Sport Manitoba Male Coach of the Year in the spring of 2020.

“As the long-time coach of Golf Manitoba’s Development programs, Garth was a leader and pioneer in many areas.  Passion, dedication and care went into every program he developed but he was also extremely successful at the provincial and national level,” said Derek Ingram, Golf Canada Men’s National Amateur and Olympic Team Coach when reflecting on his fellow professional and long-time friend.

“Garth is an expert coach and has one of the best records over a long career, consistently punching above the provinces weight class. A lot of provincial and even national programs that exist now are an offshoot of Garth’s Golf Manitoba programs that he crafted. More important than his record, Garth is of the highest character, caring, thoughtful and loved by students, coaches, professionals and industry leaders alike.”

Goodbrandson, in addition to providing support for the introductory to elite level players, has coached over 20 provincial teams at national events since 1998 and has been instrumental in establishing ongoing development programs for Canada, Western Canada and Manitoba Summer Games golf teams in the province.  He was a member of the Golf Canada Coaching Team from 2004 through 2007 and the Tournament Director with the Maple leaf Junior Tour from 2004-2020.

“Garth’s contributions to golfers in Manitoba are unmatched and we are thankful to have had him on our team for the past 23 years,” Golf Manitoba President Ken Warwick said, “He will be greatly missed.”

Garth Goodbrandson

Resume:

• PGA of Canada Class “A” Professional since 1982
• PGA of Canada Level IV Teaching & Coaching Certification
• Director of Player Development for Golf Manitoba 1997-2020
• Co-founder and head coach of the University of Manitoba Golf Team 1999-2019
• Bison Men won 2014 Canadian University Championship
• Bison Men named as finalist for the 2014 Manitoba Sportswriter/Sportscaster Team of the Year
• Member of the Golf Canada Provincial Coaching Staff 2004-2007
• Trained in the PGA of Canada NCCP New Competitive Development Program in 2009
• PGA of Canada Coach of Developing Competitors certification in 2013
• Head Coach for Team Manitoba at the Canada Summer Games 2009, 2013 & 2017
• Coached at the Manitoba Summer Games in 2012 and 2016
• Head Coach for Team Manitoba Western Canada Summer Games 2011, 2015 & 2019

Recognition & Industry Awards:

• PGA of Canada Junior Leader of the Year in 1999
• PGA of Manitoba Junior Leader of the Year in 1999 & 2000
• Nominated for 2006 Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Instructors in North America
• Named on the National Post’s top 50 teachers in Canada in 2007
• Received City of Winnipeg Outstanding Achievement Award in 2014
• Received the 2014 PGA of Manitoba Professional Development Award
• University of Manitoba 2012/13 Coach of the Year
• Golf Canada’s 2014 Award for the Canadian University Male Coach of the Year
• Inducted into Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame & Museum in 2016
• PGA of Manitoba Coach of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019
• Recipient of the University of Manitoba Pat Gill Legacy Award in 2019
• Recipient Sport Manitoba Janet Arnott Memorial Train to Train Award in 2020
• Sport Manitoba Male Coach of the Year Award in 2020

“Golf Manitoba owes a debt of gratitude to Garth for all he has done for our association and our golf community,” Golf Manitoba Executive Director Jared Ladobruk said. “Throughout his career, Garth has shown an incredible passion for coaching and has created many wonderful opportunities for young Manitoba golfers. He is a gentleman, a consummate professional and has been a tremendous ambassador of our association and of golf over the years. We are sad to see him move on but at the same time extremely happy for him as he begins this new adventure.”

About Golf Manitoba – Golf Manitoba is provincial sport organization (PSO) for amateur golf in Manitoba. Its mission is to develop, promote, govern and service the sport of golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario for the benefit of all participants.

For more information:

Jared Ladobruk
Executive Director
Golf Manitoba
204-925-5729
jared@golfmb.ca

Golf Manitoba is mourning the passing of past-president and long-time volunteer, Sydney (Syd) Cohan, who passed away at the age of 89 on November 7, 2020 after a brief struggle with illness.

Mr. Cohan was President of the Manitoba Golf Association from 1996 to 1997 and was a founding member of the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame and Museum Inc. He also volunteered for many years as a Rules Referee in addition to serving as the non-playing captain of the Manitoba Willingdon Cup team that competed at the 1997 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championships. Mr. Cohan was a longtime member of Glendale Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, MB.

To view Mr. Cohan’s obituary, please click HERE.

Golf Manitoba released its annual report during its annual general meeting that was held virtually on October 28, 2020.

Click HERE to view the report which includes a summary of the association’s highlights and successes from the 2020 season including financials for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.

In a year unlike any other, 2020 amplified the many benefits of golf to the world. In Manitoba and Northwest Ontario, the outstanding and altruistic acts of generosity by our sponsors has enriched Golf Manitoba programs for all golfers. It is with sincere gratitude that Golf Manitoba thanks its sponsors and encourages our golf community to continue to support our sponsors through your patronage:

adidas Golf Canada and territory sales and marketing manager, Paige Lawrence. adidas Golf is the official performance apparel partner of Golf Manitoba and features the latest in high-performance golf apparel technologies proudly worn by Golf Manitoba teams, staff and volunteers.

The Alex and Peggy Colonello Foundation and foundation president, Marg Homenuik. The Alex & Peggy Colonello Foundation’s unprecedented support of Golf Manitoba’s grassroots and high-performance junior girl’s and junior boy’s programs continued in a challenging year for youth. Additionally, the Alex and Peggy Colonello Foundation continued its support of the University of Manitoba’s female and male golf programs as well as the induction ceremony conducted by the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame and Museum.

Diamond Athletic Medical Supplies and Gerald Diamond. Diamond Athletic is one of the most respected sports medicine healthcare and rehabilitation companies in all of Canada and is based in Winnipeg since 1946. Diamond Athletics continued and enhanced its sponsorship for both the Women’s Amateur and Men’s Mid-Amateur.

Nott Autocorp and president, Trevor Nott. NOTT Autocorp’s long-term commitment to amateur golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario through its vehicle donations is an example of its community and charitable support that has been invaluable in allowing Golf Manitoba to provide and enhance our exposure in the golf community.

TaylorMade Golf Canada and sales and marketing territory manager, Eric Johnson. TaylorMade Golf Canada is the official equipment performance partner of Golf Manitoba and continued to donate high performance golf products to Golf Manitoba to help players of all skill levels reach their potential.

The Golf Dome and owner Janet Robertsen. The Golf Dome continues to support Golf Manitoba’s offseason training and player development in a spacious and enjoyable environment that is not weather dependent.

Last and certainly not least, we wish to acknowledge the tremendous support we receive from Golf Canada and Sport Manitoba, funding, and programming partners of Golf Manitoba. We also wish to extend our thanks to our partners at the PGA of Manitoba.

If your business is interested in learning more about joining Golf Manitoba as sponsor in 2021, please contact Jared Ladobruk, Executive Director of Golf Manitoba at 204.925.5729 or at jared@golfmb.ca.

WINNIPEG – Bobbi Uhl of the Shilo Golf & Country Club and Neel Soni of the St. Charles Country Club have been voted as the 2020 Amateur Golfers of the Year, Golf Manitoba announced today. It is the first Golfer of the Year Award for both Uhl and Soni.

Each year upon the completion of the competitive season, the Amateur Golfer of the Year Award Selection Committee reviews athlete results and votes on the candidates. This year’s panel included four-time provincial women’s amateur champion, provincial junior champion and former Golfer of the Year recipient, Jill Hardy, two-time men’s amateur champion, provincial junior champion and touring professional, Adam Spiers, and Clayton Dreger of CFAM radio 950 and sportsnet.ca contributor Ken Wiebe.

“On behalf of the Board and volunteers of Golf Manitoba, my congratulations to both Bobbi Uhl and Neel Soni on being voted the 2020 Amateur Golfers of the Year,” said Golf Manitoba President Ken Warwick. “This was an exceptional year for both Bobbi and Neel and our association is delighted to be able to recognize their accomplishments and add their names to the prestigious list of past recipients.”

Bobbi Uhl began the 2020 summer competitive season with an impressive win at the Golf Manitoba Women’s Match Play Championship that was contested at the historic St. Charles Country Club. Uhl started the event by earning medalist honours in the 36-hole qualifier by 8 shots. In the finals, she took the victory with a 5 and 4 victory defeating defending champion Hannah Diamond in the finals. The win was her first in the event after two straight runner-up finishes in both 2019 and 2018. She then followed her Match Play victory with a runner-up finish in the Diamond Athletic Women’s Amateur Championship on rounds of 74-79-76 for a 229 total and one shot shy of tying top spot.

Bobbi Uhl, 2020 Female Amateur Golfer of the Year (photo: Thomas Friesen)

Neel Soni of the St. Charles Country Club finished his junior competitive career by winning the 2020 Junior Men’s Championship. Soni took the lead in the 54-hole event after round one and never looked back posting rounds of 68-70-70 enroute to his first junior championship title. Soni continued his strong play later that week at the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship where he posted a four-day total of 289 to finish alone in 2nd and just three shots back of the winner. By right of his play with an impressive 71.0 scoring average in both the junior and amateur championships, Soni would have qualified to represent Manitoba on both the junior men’s and men’s amateur interprovincial teams had the 2020 national season not been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Neel Soni, 2020 Male Amateur Golfer of the Year (photo: Bob Poole)

The finalists for Female Amateur Golfer of the Year were Rhonda Orr (Southwood Golf & Country Club), Veronica Vetesnik (Kingswood Golf & Country Club) and Crystal Zamzow (Swan River Golf & Country Club). The finalists for the Male Golfer of the Year Award included Austin Dobrescu (Shilo Country Club), Braxton Kuntz (Breezy Bend Country Club) and Marco Trstenjak (Elmhurst Golf & Country Club).

The Golf Manitoba Amateur Golfer of the Year Award was presented for the 46th time on November 4, 2020.

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 Golfer of the Year Recipients:

About Golf Manitoba – Golf Manitoba is provincial sport organization (PSO) for amateur golf in Manitoba. Its mission is to develop, promote, govern and service the sport of golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario for the benefit of all participants.

For more information:

Jared Ladobruk
Executive Director
Golf Manitoba
204-925-5729
jared@golfmb.ca

The Order of Sport Excellence Award Program was established by the province of Manitoba to celebrate athletic achievements by Manitobans. Administered by Sport Manitoba, the awards give public recognition to the accomplishments of athletes and coaches in provincial, national and international competition. In recognition of this award program, Sport Manitoba and Golf Manitoba would like to congratulate the 2020 provincial golf champions with Award of Merit Certificates:

• 2020 Junior Men’s Champion: Neel Soni
  
• 2020 Junior Women’s Champion: Crystal Zamzow
• 2020 Men’s Amateur Champion: Marco Trstenjak
• 2020 Women’s Amateur Champion: Veronica Vetesnik
• 2020 Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion: Allan McDonald
• 2020 Men’s Mid-Masters Champion: Mike Tibbs
• 2020 Men’s Senior Champion: Bruce North
• 2020 Women’s Senior Champion: Rhonda Orr
• 2020 Super Senior Men’s Champion: Barry Minish
• 2020 Super Senior Women’s Champion: Karen Saarimaki

Congratulations to this years Order of Sport of Excellence Award recipients!

Ada MacKenzie was a pioneer in women’s golf in Canada, both through her competitive accomplishments and her efforts to encourage young women to play golf.  In 1933 she was named Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year by the Canadian Press and later inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1955 and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1971.

The Ada MacKenzie Award was created as a tribute to her legacy and is awarded annually by Golf Manitoba. It is a club level competition where each club determines their Ada MacKenzie winner based on the lowest Net score of participating female members. Scores are then submitted to Golf Manitoba and a provincial winner is determined.

This year, Golf Manitoba is pleased to recognize Leslie King of the Tuxedo Ladies Group on winning the 2020 Ada MacKenzie award with a net score of 65. From all of us at Golf Manitoba, congratulations Lesley!

WINNIPEG, MB – Volunteers have been at the heart of Golf Manitoba since its founding in 2003 and prior to that for both the Manitoba Ladies’ Golf Association (MLGA) and the Manitoba Golf Association (MGA). The time and expertise volunteers donate year after year enable Golf Manitoba to achieve its goals. The volunteer contribution, dedication and commitment are vital to the growth of the organization.

Each year, Golf Manitoba recognizes the outstanding individual contributions of a long-serving volunteer through its Distinguished Service Award. The criteria for the award is long-time service to Golf Manitoba (including Manitoba Golf Association & Manitoba Ladies’ Golf Association); going above and beyond the expectations of a volunteer; proving to be an advocate for the game and the Association, demonstrated commitment to amateur golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario and displaying qualities of a positive role model for other volunteers.

After a combined 52 years of volunteerism to the sport of golf, Golf Manitoba is pleased to recognize Brenda & Dennis Prystayko as this year’s recipients of the Golf Manitoba Distinguished Service Award.

Brenda’s volunteerism in golf began in 1990 with the Manitoba Ladies’ Golf Association where she served as a Board member and a non-playing captain for numerous junior girl’s provincial teams. When the MLGA merged to become Golf Manitoba, she became actively involved with the junior girl’s development teams that competed in the ladies Nassau League, Western Canada and Canada Summer Games and at national level championships. Brenda’s enthusiasm and her involvement directly contributed to the success of the junior girl’s program where many of her past players have continued to play competitively at university and provincial level championships.

Brenda has been an excellent role model for junior girl’s golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario where she created an atmosphere that made playing competitive golf fun. The Nassau team alumni speak fondly of their experience and continue to enjoy their relationship with Brenda. Every parent and every junior girl who where fortunate to know Brenda have nothing but nice things to say about her contributions and her genuine interest in wanting to help and grow junior girls golf.

Brenda Prystayko’s volunteer highlights:

• Began volunteering with the Manitoba Ladies’ Golf Association (MLGA) in 1990
• Previous Board member of the MLGA
• Non-Playing Captain for Provincial teams with the MLGA
• Manager for Team Manitoba at the 2011 Western Canada Games
• Manager for Team Manitoba at the 2013 Canada Games
• Manager for Team Manitoba at the 2017 Canada Games
• Non-Playing Captain for Team Manitoba numerous times at the Canadian Junior
• Non-Playing Captain for the Junior Girls Nassau Team since their inception in 2008

Dennis Prystayko’s volunteerism began in 1998 with the then Manitoba Golf Association and most recently with Golf Manitoba. He has dedicated countless hours assisting with the junior boy’s development program where he acted as a non-playing captain for the junior teams that competed in the Mundie Putter league and at national junior championships. His leadership skills are exceptional, and he has developed an amazing relationship with many junior golfers several of whom have gone on to play college golf, have become top provincial players as well as Club and Touring Professionals. Dennis has shown a genuine interest and dedication in helping to grow the sport of golf during his 22 years of service.

Dennis Prystayko’s volunteer highlights:

• Began volunteering for the MGA in 1998
• Non-Playing Captain for Team Manitoba at the Canadian Junior for many years
• Captain of the junior boys Mundie Putter team for 17 years
• Past member of Golf Manitoba’s Player Development Committee

Dennis and Brenda continue to enjoy their passion for golf and are both active, long-time members of the Pine Ridge Golf Club in Winnipeg.

“Golf Manitoba is very fortunate to have received so many years of dedicated service from both Brenda and Dennis Prystayko. They have been fantastic role models for junior golf and have been exceptional ambassadors for the association,” said Golf Manitoba Executive Director Jared Ladobruk. “And on behalf of our association and our volunteers, we are honoured to recognize Brenda and Dennis Prystayko as the Distinguished Service Award recipients for 2020.”

Past Distinguished Service Award recipients:

About Golf Manitoba – Golf Manitoba is provincial sport organization (PSO) for amateur golf in Manitoba. Its mission is to develop, promote, govern and service the sport of golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario for the benefit of all participants.

For more information:

Jared Ladobruk
Executive Director
Golf Manitoba
204-925-5729
jared@golfmb.ca

Volunteers have been at the heart of Golf Manitoba since its founding in 2003 and prior to that for both the Manitoba Ladies’ Golf Association and the Manitoba Golf Association.

We cannot say enough about our fabulous group of outstanding, dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers that have continued to sustain Golf Manitoba as a viable organization over our 105 years of operation! Our wonderful volunteers continue to fill the many critical roles necessary to allow Golf Manitoba to achieve its vision of providing quality, innovative and accessible programs and services to our membership. Volunteer roles with Golf Manitoba include:

• Board of Directors
• Committee chairs and members
• Rules referees
• Photographers
• Non-playing captains
• Junior program development
• Course raters
• Starters & scorers
• Pace of play officials
• Rules educators
• Fundraising
• Host club activities

It is vital to Golf Manitoba to recognize and thank its volunteers as we could not deliver our programs and services without them. The Volunteer Recognition Program recognizes volunteers with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25+ years of service. Thank you and CONGRATULATIONS to the following individuals who achieved milestones in volunteerism with Golf Manitoba in 2020:

5-years of Service:

• Rob Bell – Glendale Golf & Country Club – Rules Referee
• Bob Poole – Photographer
• Bob Peters – St Charles Country Club – Board of Directors /Sponsorship Committee Chair

10-years of Service:

• Celeste Pryma – Course Rating
• Lori Russell – Breezy Bend Country Club – Course Rating / Starter
• Vince Mariani – Elmhurst Golf & Country Club – Board of Directors / Past-President

15-years of Service:

• Aija Culley – Carman Golf & Curling Club – Course Rating
• Gord Hudson – Southwood Golf & Country Club – Rules Referee /Course Marker / Officials Committee
• Bill Barbaza – St Charles Country Club – Rules Referee

20-years of Service:

• Don Hargot – St Charles Country Club – Course Rating / Pace of Play Official
• Florence Mehmel – Breezy Bend Country Club – Rules Referee / Pace of Play Official

25-years of Service:

• Betty Grant – Windsor Park Golf Course – Rules
• Michelle Lee – St Charles Country Club – Rules/ Starter/Committee

New for 2020, we are retro-actively recognizing volunteer milestones beyond 25 years. Congratulations and THANK YOU to the following individuals on 30, 35 and 40+ years of service:

30-years of Service:

• On October 23, 2019: Irv Benne – Elmhurst Golf & Country Club – Rules Referee / Course Marker
• On October 23, 2019: Barbara Hamill – St Charles Country Club – Course Rating / Rules / Pace of Play / Starter / Committee
• On October 23, 2019: Brenda Prystayko – Pine Ridge Golf Club – Starter / Junior Program Development
• On October 23, 2019: Lou Spado – Rules Referee /Board Member / Past-President
• On October 21, 2013: George McLeod – Shilo Golf & Country Club – Rules Referee / Course Marker / Past-President
• On October 23, 2006: Rick Thain – Rules Referee / Course Marker / Past-President

35-years of Service:

• On October 22, 2018: George McLeod – Shilo Golf & Country Club – Rules Referee / Course Marker / Past-President
• On October 18, 2011: Rick Thain – Rules Referee / Course Marker / Past-President

40-years of Service:

• On October 24, 2016: Rick Thain – Rules Referee / Course Marker / Past-President

For more information on volunteering with Golf Manitoba, please visit golfmb.ca/volunteering.

WINNIPEG, MB – The 2020/21 Golf Manitoba Board of Directors was announced during the Golf Manitoba Annual General Meeting that was held virtually on October 28, 2020.

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

The Board of Directors is comprised of dedicated volunteers from across the golf community in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario. The Board’s duties are to direct the business of the association.

“It has been a pleasure to serve the golfing community as President of Golf Manitoba for the past year. Thank you to the entire Board of Directors. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve with such an incredibly committed and engaged group of individuals. I am looking forward to what 2021 will bring,” said Golf Manitoba President Ken Warwick.

The 2020/21 Golf Manitoba Board of Directors is made up of the following individuals:

Officers:

Vince Mariani (Past President) has been a Golf Manitoba board member since 2011 and has served as Treasurer and Vice-President.  Vince has been a proud member of Elmhurst Golf and Country Club since 1992 and served on the board of directors for several years and as president in 2009 and 2010.  A CPA, CMA, Vince is recently retired after 35 years as Secretary-Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the River East Transcona School Division.

Craig Martin (Treasurer) is an Assistant Professor of Business and Organizational Administration in the Redekop School of Business at Canadian Mennonite University.  He has a PhD in Agricultural Economics and Business from the University of Guelph and is a CPA, CMA.  He joined the Board of Assiniboine Golf Club in July of 2016.  He became President of the Assiniboine Golf Club in 2017.  He joined the Board of Golf Manitoba in 2017.

Wayne McWhirter (President Elect) has been a Golf Manitoba Board Member since 2015  and is currently  the Chair of the Course Rating Committee.   Wayne is a member of Southwood Golf and Country Club, and was President of the Club in 2013-2014. As part of his Community involvement, he was Chair of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and a Board member of Winnipeg and Canadian Chambers of Commerce. He retired in 2016 as a partner in MNP LLP , a national accounting firm.  He was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. He is currently the chair of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

Ken Warwick (President) has served as a Golf Manitoba Board member since 2014 and is also currently the Tournament Committee Chairman. He has represented Manitoba golf on many occasions at the National level. Ken has been a member of Niakwa Country Club since 1986 and has been on the Social and Competition Committee for 10 years and the Greens Committee for many years before that. Ken currently resides as the  Captain of the Senior Putter Golf Team and Past Captain of the Mundie Putter Team. He is a licensed realtor since 1988 and has been with Century 21 Bachman & Associates since 1993.

Susan Wright-Cassan (Vice-President) has been a member of the Golf Manitoba Board of Directors since 2016. As part of her Board duties, she serves on the Tournament Committee, Course Rating Committee, Finance Committee, Nominating Committee and is Chair of the Membership Committee. Sue earned her PGA of Canada Community Golf Coach certification in the spring of 2018 and has been organizing Golf in School programs in Thunder Bay for the last 6 years.

Sue helps to organize and run a mixed fun event with all raised funds supporting the Golf in School program.  To date, eight schools have received equipment and classroom instructions from the three years that she has run this event.  Sue is also President of the Superior North Ladies Golf Association since inception in 2011.  They run four golf events each year with a mandate to introduce more women to the sport of golf in the region.

Volunteer and career highlights:

• Chair on the McKenzie Tour Staal Open in Thunder Bay for the 5 years it was held
• She had volunteered for the Ryder Cup in 2016 and the LPGA when it was played at St. Charles.
• Past President of Emerald Greens Golf Course where she was President for over 15 years.
• Course rating for 16 years with Golf Manitoba.
• Competes at the Provincial and National level in the Senior Women’s category.
• Started golfing in 1998 after retiring from competitive fastball
• Member of the Executive Committee for the Port Arthur Curling Club and also for Artisans Northwest
• Volunteered in 2020 for the National Special Olympics held in Thunder Bay, and the last 3 years with Operation Red Nose. Also volunteers with the Salvation Army Christmas Dinner in Thunder Bay.
• Grew up in Hamiota, Manitoba and moved to Winnipeg for Post-Secondary schooling and currently resides in Thunder Bay.
• Retired from CIBC as a Manager.

Directors:

Michael Berney has served as a member of the Golf Manitoba Board since 2016 and has been active in the Manitoba golf community since the early 80s.  He has competed in numerous Golf Manitoba and Golf Canada events.

Mike has been a member of Transcona Golf Club for over 35 years and has served on their Board of Directors since the 90’s and most recently from 2011 until 2017 in the role of Golf Director. He has extensive experience organizing successful tournaments.

Mike is a life long Manitoban residing in Winnipeg and retired from the railroad in 2010 after 37 years of service.

James (Jim) Gosman has served as a Golf Manitoba board director since 2014 and the Rules Chairman for 1 year.  He started with Golf Manitoba as a rules official in 2012 and has since obtained a level 3 ranking, where he officiates 6-8 golf tournaments each year.  Jim was a teacher for 32 years and has been associated with sport as a player, coach, and referee for over 60 years.  He has coached basketball at the Junior High, High School, and the Provincial Levels and was the coach of a silver medal team at the Canada Games. Jim spent 30 years as a NCCP Theory of Coaching facilitator at all levels receiving the 2014 Community NCCP Coach Development Award from Sport Canada. In addition to officiating golf, he has refereed basketball and volleyball for many years. James has been part of the mission staff for Sport Manitoba at the Manitoba Games, the Western Canada Games, and the Canada Games.  He is a currently a member of the Golf Manitoba Public Players program and since retirement has maintained a membership in the EDG (Every Day Golfers) group.

Phil Guenther is a member of the Steinbach Fly-In Golf Club and joins the Board of Directors for his first term in 2020/21. Phil has over 42 years of experience in grocery retail, finance and accounting, property management, purchasing and as a senior administration in education. He also brings with him consider Board experience having served on the Manitoba Community Services Council (2000-2002), the Grace Church (2000-present) in Steinbach, Manitoba, the Steinbach Fly-In Golf Club (1993-2002) and the Hanover School Division (2009-present). In addition to his past board experience, Phil has served in a volunteer capacity as Secretary and Treasurer of the Steinbach Fly-In Golf Club (2004-2015) and Treasurer of the Town of Steinbach Provincial Men’s Curling Championship Host Committee.

R.F. (Bob) Peters has served as a Golf Manitoba Director since 2017 and was appointed Chair of the Sponsorship Committee this year. Bob is a Partner with the law firm Fillmore Riley LLP. and practices primarily in the area of Regulatory Law and Administrative Law representing clients in the relationship between government and its citizens. Bob has, throughout his advocacy practice, appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Manitoba Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Court of Queen’s Bench, the Public Utilities Board, Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission, and numerous other Administrative Tribunals. Bob is involved with golf through St. Charles Country Club where he was a member of the committee that brought Brooke Henderson to Winnipeg in July 2018 in support of junior golf in Manitoba.

Fred Smith  has served as a Golf Manitoba Director since 2019 and was appointed Chair of the Player Development Committee.  As well, he volunteers on the Course Rating Team.  Fred is a long-time member of Wildewood Golf Course.  He spent 30 years in public education as a teacher, coach and school administrator.  After retirement, he spent 17 years in private business as a consultant.  Previously, he has served as a director in several volunteer organizations such as the Lake of the Woods Property Owners Association and the Organization for Co-operation In Overseas Development.  In the 1970’s, while a high school teacher, he initiated, organized and supervised the development of the Winnipeg School Division’s annual high school golf tournaments.

Kathy Turner is a retired Assistant Commissioner for the Canada Revenue Agency.  Kathy’s working background is in accounting, finance, information technology, and tax policy and has significant senior management experience. She has board and volunteer experience in golf at the club level and with the former Canadian Ladies Golf Association (CLGA).  Kathy also has board experience with charitable organizations such as the United Way and Citizen’s Advocacy of Ottawa (an organization that works with adults with disabilities).  Kathy was a founding director of Camelot Golf and Country Club.

For more information:

Jared Ladobruk
Executive Director
Golf Manitoba
204-925-5729
jared@golfmb.ca