ORILLIA — Golf Ontario’s first Golf Community, Golf Barrie, has nearly completed its inaugural season. The initiative has had a presence at more than 30 events throughout the spring and summer and introduced more than 20,000 people to the game of golf.

A key learning from Golf Barrie has been the importance of programs that bridge TRY, LEARN, and PLAY stages of development.

To wrap up the summer, Golf Barrie, in association with Golf Ontario, is inviting junior golf programs from across Ontario to join them for a day of House League style golf, a format that fits naturally as a transition from the LEARN to PLAY stages. The one-day event is called Golf Jam.

House League style junior golf introduces the individual nature of competitive golf, while maintaining the fun team atmosphere offered by other sports.

Golf Jam will take place on September 11 at Hawk Ridge Golf & Country Club in Orillia, one of the Golf Barrie partner clubs. Teams from golf clubs, other sports or even just friends, are encouraged to sign up. Teams will be made up of four players, between the ages of 8-12, including both boys and girls. Each team is permitted one coach to help them as they play a nine-hole round.

The format is simple: two players from the team will hit drives on a given hole, while the remaining players will hit the second shots. The team will continue to alternate shots until both balls are holed, with the lowest score counting.

To encourage both existing and new players to take part in the Golf Jam, there will be multiple divisions including a novice flight for new players. Teams will also receive a skills clinic with a PGA Professional, participate in a full run through of the Future Links Skills Challenge, receive a unique team jersey, BBQ lunch and the opportunity to win amazing prizes.

“Golf Ontario is committed to supporting local golf junior league formats, or other club designed approaches, that bridge the steps between TRY, LEARN and PLAY experiences for young golfers,” said Andrew Moss, Golf Ontario Director of High Performance.

“Golf Jam will be an exciting wrap up to the summer golf season, with a fun format of House League style junior golf. It is a great way for clubs to celebrate a successful season of junior golf!” added Moss.

For more information or to register your team(s) visit: www.gao.ca/golf-jam

Highlights from the 2016 Investors Group Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship, July 19-22 at Listowel Golf Club. The title was won by Langton’s Peyton Callens at -6 for the tournament.

MISSISSAUGA — Golf at the 2016 Mississauga Ontario Summer Games came to a close on Aug. 12, from BraeBen Golf Course, with Stoney Creek’s Johnny Travale and Port Credit’s Chloe Currie standing atop the podium. Travale came in with a lead and never relinquished it, carding a two-over (74) final round. Currie came from behind to win thanks to a four-under (68) during the day.

Travale, from the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, entered the day at 10-under for the tournament, with a four-shot lead. The 15-year-old didn’t let his competitors back into it on the front nine as he was even par heading to the turn. On the back nine he would settle for three bogeys, but added a birdie to finish two-over, which was good enough for the win. Travale ended the championship at eight-under (68-66-74-208).

“It feels good to win this. A lot of hard work has gone into my game, especially after having a little upset at the U.S. Junior,” said Travale.

Travale also talked about what the keys to his win were. “My ball striking and putting were the strongest parts of my game this week. Nothing was really going wrong. The final round got tough in the wind but I’m sure it was tough for everyone. I knew I had to put up a good number today because Peyton (Callens) or Mike (von Schalburg) were going to give me a run for my money.”

Earning the silver was Langton’s Peyton Callens. Callens, from Delhi Golf & Country Club and Team Ontario, began the day five-under and that is where he finished thanks to an even par final round (70-69-72-211).

Rounding out the podium with the bronze was King City’s Michael von Schalburg. The York Downs Golf & Country Club member had a tough front nine but settled down on the back nine to end the day three-over (75). That helped him finish the event at three-under (68-70-75-213).

In the girls’ championship, Currie, from the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, started the day two shots off the lead. The 16-year-old quickly made up that ground thanks to a solid three-under front nine. She continued her strong play on the back nine finishing it at one-under to end the day four-under (68). That moved her tournament total to seven-under (68-73-68-209), earning her a four-shot win.

With the win, Currie has now captured provincial championships at the Bantam (U15), Juvenile (U17) and Junior (U19) levels. After the win she spoke about what that means to her. “It is incredible! It is something you dream of doing, winning one is incredible but now I have won four provincial championships and it is an unbelievable feeling.”

Currie went on to talk about her strengths during the tournament. “My ball striking and putting were solid all week. I got myself out of trouble a couple of times but I found the most challenging part of the week was the wind. But I knew that if I stuck to my game plan, things would turn out the way I wanted.”

Taking the silver was Richmond Hill’s Monet Chun. Chun, from the Summit Golf & Country Club and Team Ontario, was the leader as the final round got underway. However, she would give it up with a two-over front nine. While she did play the back nine even, she was unable to make up the ground on Currie. Chun finished the day two-over (74) to bring her tournament total to three-under (74-65-74-213).

Picking up the bronze was Maple’s Alyssa DiMarcantonio. DiMarcantonio, from Station Creek Golf Club and Team Ontario, started the final round at five-over. However, the 13-year-old had the second best round of the day, next to Currie, finishing at three-under (69). That moved her to two-over (80-69-69-218) and helped her earn the medal.

In addition to the medals for individual play, medals were awarded to the top three teams representing different regions across the province. For the team competition, the lowest two boys and lowest girl’s score from the first two rounds were counted. Capturing the gold medal was Team York (Zack Mason, Eric Byun and Vaijayanti Bharkhada) at 455. The silver medal was won by Team Ottawa (Cameron Belanger, Ethan Johnston and Karianne Lefebvre) at 479. Team Essex-Kent (Shawn Sehra, Luc Warnock and Brooke MacKinnon) was awarded the bronze at 482.

For more information, including the final leaderboards, see the tournament sites at: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao164/index.htmfor the boys’ championship and https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao166/index.htmfor the girls’ championship. For more information on the Ontario Summer Games, visit: https://www.osgmississauga.ca.

SYRACUSE— It was an exciting day for four Ontario junior golfers on Aug. 8 at the 53^rd annual Williamson Cup, hosted by the Bellevue Country Club in Syracuse, New York. The team shot a combined two-round total of 11-over (437) to capture the 2016 title, the 12^th for Ontario.

The event, started in 1964 by A. Fred Williamson, in memory of his father, one of the original founders of the famed Winged Foot Golf Club and a long-time member of the USGA Executive Committee, is a two-round, 36-hole, team competition for male junior golfers. Teams from golf association in the northeast United States and Canada send squads of four to compete for the title. After each round, the lowest three scores from the team are counted towards the team total.

Ontario’s 2016 team was comprised of Caledon’s Cougar Collins (Rocky Crest Golf Club), Long Sault’s Ty Celone (Upper Canada Golf Club), Georgetown’s Thomas Giroux (The Club at North Halton) and Mississauga’s Robbie Latter (Credit Valley G&CC).

After the opening round, Ontario held the lead at nine-over (222). Leading the way was Celone who carded a one-over (72). Also counting towards the team total were Giroux at three-over (74) and Latter at five-over (76).

Ontario took that lead to the afternoon round and managed to improve on it. They finished the afternoon as a team at two-over (215). This time they were led by Collins who rebounded nicely from the morning round and shot a one-under (70). Also factoring into the team score were Celone who carded his second consecutive round of one-over (72) and Latter who finished two-over (73).

When all was tallied up, Ontario won the 2016 competition by six shots, over the Metropolitan Golf Association, from New York. Celone also finished in a tie for the low individual at two-over (72-72-144).

The 2016 Championship marks the first title for Ontario since 2013. With the 12^th win for the province, Ontario now holds the record for most Williamson Cup titles. Coaches for the team were Head Provincial Coach Reggie Millage and Golf Ontario Director of Handicapping and Course Rating Craig Loughry.

For complete scoring from the 2016 Williamson Cup, visit: http://www.ghintpp.com/nysga/TPPOnlineScoring/ResultsStroke.aspx?id=612

KANATA — 2016 will go down as the year of Pickering’s Christopher Kertsos in the Ontario Senior Men’s division. Kertsos began the season by winning the Senior Men’s Champion of Champions and on Aug. 6, he added the 2016 Investors Group Ontario Senior Men’s Championship to his accomplishments.

Kertsos, 60-years-old from the York Downs Golf & Country Club, mastered The Marshes Golf Club in Kanata, along with the elements, as he capped off his week at two-under (71-72-71-214). Kertsos headed into the final round with a two-shot lead thanks to consistent play in the opening two rounds. He continued to be steady during the final round carding a bogey-free, four-under front nine. He went to the turn with a six-shot lead and would not be denied the title. He finished the back nine three-over to card a final round of one-under (71). In addition, Kertsos also claimed the 60+ Division title.

Afterwards, Kertsos talked about the win and how special this season has been. “This one feels great! It has been a special season. I’ve played well these last three days, I hit the ball really well. If I had putted well, then who knows what I could have shot. I didn’t know how I would feel today, if I would be nervous or calm, but I turned out to be pretty calm and just focused on not making any mistakes. I think I only made one during the entire round.”

Kertsos also spoke about how he was able to master the conditions that made for tough rounds throughout the week. “I didn’t let the conditions affect me. I just played the wind, played my shots and stuck to my game plan. I hit my driver and irons really well all week, which helped.”

Claiming the silver medal was local favorite, Ottawa’s Randy Blondin. Blondin, who is not only a member at the host club of The Marshes, but lives just off the 16th hole, started the day two-shots back in second place. He played a consistent round and finished the day one-over (73). That brought his tournament total to two-over (71-74-73-218).

Rounding out the podium, with the bronze, was Toronto’s Robert Gibson. Gibson, from the Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club, entered the day with a share of third. He would finish the day two-over (74) bringing him to four-over (72-74-74-220) for the championship.

In the 70+ Division, Collingwood’s Brian Jeffery took home the title. Jeffery, from Batteaux Creek Golf Club, held the lead in the division after the first two rounds and capped off the tournament with a five-over (77) during the final round to complete the event at 13-over (80-72-77-229).

In addition to the championships, the top 34 players earned a quota spot for the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship, Sept. 6-9, at Grand Niagara Golf Club. The top three also earn the right to represent Ontario in the team competition at the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship.

In total, 137 players began the competition. For complete tournament information visit the tournament site at: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao1612/index.htm

Golf Ontario would like to thank The Marshes Golf Club, along with their staff and volunteers for hosting the event. Thanks also to title sponsor Investors Group along with the Golf Ontario volunteers for their continued support of golf in the province.

Highlights from the 2016 Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, July 12-15, at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor. Ottawa’s Grace St-Germain won the title at -2.

At the end of the day Windsor’s Alek Mauro and Maple’s Alyssa DiMarcantonio finished at the top of their leaderboards to capture the 2016 titles.

Beginning the day, Mauro sat in a four-way tie for fourth after a one-over (72) opening round. The 14-year-old quickly began to make his way up the leaderboard thanks to a trio of birdies on the third, fourth and sixth holes. He settled for a bogey on the ninth but made up for it with a three-under back nine to finish the day at five-under (66). That proved to be enough as he captured the championship at four-under (72-66-138).

“It is great to win this title,” said Mauro. “The first day wasn’t as good as I had hoped. The par fives weren’t very good for me, as I played them one-over. Today I took advantage of the par fives and played them four-under. I had an idea of what I needed to shoot coming into the day. I just played my own game and managed to hits some putts.”

The round of the day belonged to Courtice’s Ethan Cardwell. The Oshawa Golf & Curling Club member started par, birdie, birdie, eagle and was six-under at the turn. He moved to seven-under after a birdie on the 10^th, but finished his round with a bogey on 18. He still ended the day six-under (65). That, combined with his four-over (75) during round one, helped get him to two-under for the tournament and capture the silver medal.

Rounding out the top three was a three-way tie for the bronze at two-over (144). The players sharing the medal were: Kanata’s Zachary Wylie (76-68), Iroquois Falls’ Connor Danis (68-76) and Newmarket’s Jeffery Fang (70-74).

In the girls’ championship, DiMarcantonio, a Team Ontario and Station Creek Golf Club member, began the round with a five-shot lead after a three-under (68) during the opening round. The 13-year-old started the final round well with a birdie on the first hole to drop to four-under. She would add two bogeys on front and was one-over at the turn. She went on to par every hole on the back nine to complete the round at one-over (72). That was good enough to secure her the title as she finished the tournament two-under (68-72-140).

“I played pretty well this week and I feel pretty good about the win,” said DiMarcantonio. “I set this championship as a goal for myself before the season. I came close last year, so I am happy and proud to have won it. Today, I tried my best and didn’t worry about my score or anyone else’s. I just focused on my game.”

Finishing second was Markham ‘s Victoria Zheng. Zheng, from Station Creek Golf Club, won the Ontario Peewee Championship just last week and entered the day in a tie for second after finishing round one at two-over (73). Zheng was two-over at the turn but rebounded nicely with a two-under on the back nine to end the day even par (71). That kept her at two-over (73-71-144) for the tournament, earning her the silver.

Rounding out the podium was Brampton’s Vaijayanti Bharkhada. Bharkhada, from Caledon Woods Golf Club, was four-over (75) after the first round. She followed it up with and even par (71) during round two to finish the tournament four-over (75-71-146) and win the bronze.

For full tournament information, including the final leaderboards, see the tournament sites at: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao1622/index.htm for the boys’ championship and

https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao1623/index.htm for the girls’ championship.

About the Investors Group Ontario Bantam Championship

The Investors Group Ontario Bantam Boys’ Championship was first contested in 1923 at the Summit Golf & Country Club. The first Ontario Bantam Girls’ Championship was held in 2003. The event is open to players 14-years-old and younger as of Aug. 1. Participants on the boys’ side qualified through one of four qualifiers held earlier this summer. Notable past boys champions include: Tony Gil, Matt LeMay, Bill Hutcheson, Kelly Roberts and Tim McCutcheon. As for past girls champions, the list includes: Jennifer Kirby, Augusta James and Christina Foster.

Highlights from the 2016 Investors Group Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship, July 4-7 at Loyalist Country Club in Bath. Port Credit’s Chloe Currie ended the week, -2 to claim the title.

The central responsibility of the Board is to provide good governance, stewardship and related policies for the Association. It oversees management of the business and affairs of the Association, taking into account the interests of the various stakeholders (including various government ministries, golf associations, sponsors, employees, etc.) It appoints and supervises the Executive Director to run the day-to-day operations of the Association.

In fulfilling their role, board members are legally obliged to:

• Act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Association, and
• Exercise care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances.

The board carries out its responsibilities directly and through committees in performing the following duties.

• Compliance with the provisions of the Association’s By-Law
• Establishing the criteria for selection of Directors
• Establishing committees, setting their mandates, and selecting members
• Approving recommendations for inductions into the Hall of Fame
• Establishing Association governance by-laws, policies and practices and annually review these with a view to incorporating improvements
• Maintaining an orientation program for new Directors and continuing education program for all Directors
• Assessing the effectiveness of the Board as a whole, the president, committees, and committee chairs
• Delegating duties and responsibilities to the Executive Director
• Meeting regularly to ensure Board responsibilities are executed in a timely manner
• Conducting in-camera sessions as necessary
• Ensuring the Board functions independently of Management and remains completely objective with respect to its governance and oversight responsibilities
• Executive Management and Human Resources
• Strategic Planning
• Financial stewardship and systems integrity
• Hiring, communicating with and setting goals for and evaluating the ED
• Performance monitoring
• Risk Management and critical events
• Stakeholder relations and communications

Golf Ontario, the Provincial Sport Organization for Golf is currently seeking applicants for the Board of Directors for a three-year term commencing April 2017.

With over 80 years of history and tradition, serving 100,000 members, Golf Ontario is one of the largest golf associations in the world. With the launch of a new strategic plan in the spring of 2016, the revised, refined and refocused vision and mission, along with the newly developed strategies and tactics, position the Golf Ontario brand in its leadership role for golf across Ontario.

We strive to align with all golf stakeholders through a connected golf community which will drive more people to play more golf, more often and most importantly while starting at a younger age. All strategic pillars point to Golf Ontario becoming refocused on leading and supporting our industry partners to the benefit of golfers across the province.

The Board is responsible for determining GO policy; for protecting the long term growth and health of the Association; for developing, monitoring and evaluating the strategic goals of the Association, for approving the Association’s annual budget and for authorizing and taking responsibility for the funding of the Association.

If you are a Strategic Thinker with experience in some of the areas of: Business Administration; Finance and Accounting; Media and Public Relations; Brand Management; Fundraising; Human Resources; Governance; Not For Profit Association Law; how to make golf more accessible and welcoming to diverse populations and have a strong understanding of the Sport of Golf, we would like to hear from you.

Please click here for further information about the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors.

Application packages must include all of the following:

• Online application form
• Current CV (Instructions for uploading your documents are included on the application form

Deadline for application is: Wednesday, August 31, 2016

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Golf Ontario is an equal opportunity organization. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All applications will be kept in confidence.