MYRTLE BEACH, SC— The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) three regional development teams (Ottawa, York and Waterloo) were in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina last week (March 9-14) for the first regional team competition. The teams completed testing while competing against one another. In the end, it was the squad from York who came away as the victors accumulating 23.5 points, just one more than runners-up Ottawa who finished with 22.5, Waterloo finished in a close third with 20.

The teams were at the Barefoot Golf Resort, a facility that features four courses designed by well-known industry professionals: Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Tom Fazio and Pete Dye.  The teams took part in range, putting and short game training, at the facility, each day before daily competitions, where they worked in a round on each of the courses.

“The four courses at Barefoot Resort each offered unique challenges to the golfers looking to test all facets of their game,” said Team Ottawa coach Adam Holden. “Barefoot’s practice facility is first class with a huge manicured grass tee, short-game area and most importantly high-quality range balls.”

Each coach in attendance had an area pro with him to assist in training. Team York’s Jeff Overholt had Westmount Golf Club’s Tara Savoie, Team Waterloo’s Mike Martz was assisted by Rob Hannah, from The Rebel Creek Academy and Holden of Team Ottawa was joined by John Haime from New Edge Performance.

Managing Director of the GAO’s Sport Development Mike Kelly and Manager of Sport Performance Mary Ann Hayward, were both with the team early in the week to collect Trackman data on all of the athletes.

Members of Regional Team York train in Myrtle Beach.

In addition, Team Ontario strength and conditioning coach and physiotherapist Andrew Hoermann was on hand to conduct physical testing of the athletes. The teams also got the chance to train with the Team Ontario mental coach Judy Goss.

Competition

The competition potion of the week was a combination of round-robin match play (March 11-13) and stroke play (March 14). Points were awarded at the end of each day and the team that accumulated the most points would be crowned the Regional Team Champions.

The match play portion saw two of the regional teams face off each day with the third having a training round. They were played as a two-person scramble on the front nine and two-person best ball on the back, with one point being awarded for the team that won the most holes on the nine.

The stroke play scores were determined after each player played 18 holes. Then, the top five scores for the boys and top three for the girls were counted towards the team score.

In the team matches, it was Waterloo earning the victory on day one with a 9.5-8.5 win over Ottawa. Sparky MacLean hit a 40-foot putt on the 18^th to grab the deciding point in the match for Waterloo.  Waterloo was back at it on day two, but took a 12.5-5.5 loss to York. The final day of team competitions saw Ottawa even things out with a 12-6 win over York to set up an exciting stroke-play round.

“The regional team competition was a great way to prepare players for the upcoming competitive season,” said Overholt. “All of the teams were fairly evenly matched which lead to a dramatic finally on the last day of competition. Players really enjoyed the match play portion of the event, which help to develop a tighter bond with their teammates. Many of the younger players had never played in a match play format, so the competition was a great learning opportunity.”

Team York’s boys dominated the stroke play event with the top four scores, helping the team capture the overall championship. David Yoon led the way with a round of 75. On the girls’ side, it was Waterloo’s Madeline March-Sherk who posted the best score of the day with 75.

“I was very happy with the way our team performed in the competition throughout the week,” said Overholt.  “We spent much of our time working with the players on managing their performance state and they all did a great job of applying the skills learned in practice on the course. Coming out on top was a great way to end the week and a great reward for all the players effort and hard work.”

Overall, the camp was a huge hit with the players and coaches who all saw it as a great development tool. “I think the camp provided the opportunity for the athletes to gauge their skill level and direct a plan to move forward with their games,” added Waterloo’s Martz. “It was an invaluable experience allowing the players to witness first hand how much time and effort is required to play at the highest levels. They were then given the opportunity to play in the afternoon and note differences throughout the week in their games. They were also given the tools to practice more effectively and the results showed by week’s end.”

MYRTLE BEACH, SC— It was a tough couple of days on the course, but a successful week of training, for the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) U19 Team Ontario as they competed in the 16^th annual Can/Am Matches against South Carolina in Myrtle Beach. Team Ontario last won the competition back in 2010, but their drought continued in 2014 as South Carolina won with an overall point total of 252 to 180.

The team had the opportunity to train earlier during the week at various courses around Myrtle Beach. Team Ontario had nothing but positive things to say about their hosts for the week and thanked all of the courses the team played and trained at. “Many thanks to great hospitality shown to our team from the staff and members of the Wachesaw Plantation Club throughout the week,” said Manager of Sport Performance Mary Ann Hayward. “Also, a big thanks to the golf courses that hosted us earlier in the week: Debordieu Golf Club, The Reserve Golf Club and The Dunes Golf and Beach Club. Thanks as well to the Legends Golf Resort and True Blue Plantation for allowing our team to train at the facilities.”

On the first day of competition (March 15), the teams competed in best-ball matches. Only one Team Ontario pair won their match as Tony Gill and Sam McNulty beat their opponents 10-8. Carter Simon and Max Sear lost 10.5-7.5, Trevor Ranton and Chad Watts Denyes fell 11.5-6.5, Conner Watt and Brendan Seys were downed 11-7, Alyssa Getty and Grace St-Germain took a 10.5-7.5 loss, Annika Haynes and Samantha Spencer fell 11.5-6.5, Kennedy Bodfield and Claire Hernandez lost 12-6 and Monet Chun and Ana Peric lost by that same score.

After the best-ball matches, South Carolina held an 87-57 lead, meaning Team Ontario had their work cut out for them in the singles matches. However, a grand comeback was not in the cards as they could muster only one win and a trio of ties during the second day.

“It was another tough day (March 16) for our Ontario Team,” said Hayward. “Although we battled back in several matches, the South Carolina Team would once again prevail. Grace St-Germain, Max Sear and Samantha Spencer all rallied back on their back nines but would still fall short in their matches. Ana Peric played solidly and tied her match.  Both Tony Gil and Trevor Ranton holed putts on their final hole to tie their respective matches.”

Even though the team did not bring back the title, there were many positives from the event. No doubt the story for Team Ontario was a day-two singles match win by 13-year-old Monet Chun. Chun took her match by a score of 11-7 while shooting one-under par, the first time she has broken par in a competition. Her feat was even more impressive considering the weather conditions the athletes faced during the second day of competition. “The weather was less than ideal today – with heavy rain for the latter part of the day.  We were impressed by the grit shown by our players today as they all fought hard to the very end,” said Hayward.

As for the rest of the day-two results, it was Peric, Ranton and Gil all drawing their matches with scores of 9-9, Haynes was beaten 10.5-7.5, Hernandez fell 11-7, Bodfield took a 12.5-5.5 loss, Getty was defeated 11-7, Spencer and St-Germain both took 10.5-7.5 losses, McNulty lost 11-7, Denyes and Seys were both narrowly beaten 9.5-8.5, Sear took a 10.5-7.5 loss, Watt was beaten 13-5 and Simon lost 11.5-6.5.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC— It is half training camp, half competition for the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Team Ontario as they hone their skills in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with five days of training before the 16th annual Can-Am Matches at Wachesaw Plantation Club in Murrells Inlet.

The Can-Am matches will see 16 of the top-ranked junior golfers in Ontario (comprised of Ontario-born National Development Team members, Team Ontario members and other qualifiers) take on the best from the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation. The event will last two days (March 15-16) with team matches being held on the first day and singles matches on the second.

The Team Ontario roster includes six males from the current squad: Conner Watt, Sam McNulty, Brendan Seys, Chad Watts Denyes, Trevor Ranton and Max Sear. Two former members, and current National Development Team members, Tony Gill and Carter Simon, will join them. As for the girls’ side, all four Team Ontario members are present (Alyssa Getty, Grace St-Germain, Monet Chun and Annika Haynes). Rounding out the team, based on 2013 performances are: Kennedy Bodfield, Samantha Spencer, Claire Hernandez and Ana Peric.

The scoring format for the matches is slightly different than a traditional match play event. In each match, there are 18 points available, one for each hole, ensuring that all 18 are played. If a hole is halved, each player or team receives half a point. The format stresses the importance of each player focusing on one hole at a time. The teams will play team four-ball matches on the first day of the event before singles matches on day two.

In advance of the Matches, Team Ontario and their additional members ventured down to Myrtle Beach on March 9 to begin a five-day training camp to prepare for the event. The team has the opportunity to play and train at a few courses in the area. Courses included in their training are: DeBordieu Golf Club in Georgetown, Dunes Golf & Beach Club and Legends Golf & Resort in Myrtle Beach, The Reserve Golf Club and True Blue Golf in Pawleys Island.

The team will also take part in a fun event on March 12 at Wachesaw with a Member-Am team scramble. Team Ontario players will be grouped with three club members for a round, giving them a chance to meet their hosts from the club.

For updates from the matches make sure to follow the GAO on twitter: @GAOGolf, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GAOGolf and check the web page: https://gao.ca.

By Brent Long

While he’s not shipwrecked or stranded on a remote island, Kevin Mumford doesn’t mind being a castaway at Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club on Great Exuma in the Bahamas.

Scattered like pearls across the ocean, the Out Islands of the Bahamas offer a hidden world surrounded by pristine beauty, endless land and sea adventures and some of the most breathtaking waters in the Caribbean. The largest of 365 mostly undiscovered cays, Great Exuma stands out from all the others. Vibrant, exotic and serene – this is the ultimate island getaway.

“I like to say that it has all the beauty and isolation of Gilligan’s Island, but with the added bonus of having an award-winning Greg Norman designed golf course and a world-class Sandals Resort,” says Mumford who grew up playing golf at Port Carling G&CC in his youth and returned home in early March to attend the Toronto Star Golf and Travel Show.

“It truly is paradise. When I first arrived here in September 2010 from Grand Cayman very few people knew of Sandals Great Exuma and the majority of our guests were not golfers,” Mumford adds. “Now through the hard work of our PR and marketing team and word of mouth, we sell out all our morning tee times, which is great for a course in the Caribbean and we continue to grow the golf aspect of the resort.”

The front nine weaves through scenic mangroves, while the back nine wanders along Emerald Bay’s stunning coast with six signature holes 11 through 16 playing on the rocky shoreline with spectacular ocean views and a breathtaking backdrop – some have called it the Pebble Beach of the Caribbean. “Our owner, Butch Stewart, has a terrific relationship with Greg Norman, who continues to promote the course and the Sandals destination,” Mumford says. In fact, Norman and Holly Sonders, co-host of Morning Drive and School of Golf on Golf Channel, just filmed a playing with the pro lesson at Emerald Reef that will air in late March or early April on Golf Channel. There’s even talk of Norman renovating Sandals’ two other courses Sandals G&CC in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Sandals GG in Castries, Saint Lucia.

Mumford is also looking forward to hosting members of the Golf Association of Ontario at Sandals Emerald Reef GC for the 3^rd Annual GAO Invitational for couples from November 2 to 9th. The getaway includes; airfare for two on Air Canada, accommodations, unlimited golf with three fun couples competitions, awards dinner and banquet and all food and beverages starting at $5,000 per couple.

Before that, Mumford will go out on tour this summer and play several events on the PGA European Tour and the French Alps Pro Tour – both feeder tours to the European Tour – as a brand ambassador for Sandals. “It’s a terrific partnership. I get to play some competitive golf and it’s a branding exercise as we introduce Sandals – a story of two people in love getting away and reconnecting with each other in a package where everything is included, even the golf,” says Mumford who spent four years as the Head Professional North Sound Club in Grand Cayman before washing ashore at Sandals Emerald Reef Club.

Prior to setting sail from Canada, Mumford turned pro in 1992. He apprenticed at Emerald Hills GC and then Lionhead G&CC before spending five years at Glen Abbey GC as a teaching pro. Then it was back-home for three years to work at The Lake Joseph Club. While the summers were great, the 42-year-old still shivers at the idea of a Canadian winter. He decided to hook up with Elite Golf Cruises in 2004 cruising the Hawaiian Islands full-time giving lessons and escorting vacationers to big-name courses. He also threw in a few trips on ships making waves in the Mediterranean and Caribbean for a change of pace, followed by a year teaching at Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda before island jumping to Grand Cayman and then Great Exuma. The next destination is anyone’s guess, but here’s guessing that there won’t be any snow!

UXBRIDGE, ON— With the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) third annual Junior Golf Drive set for May 26 at Granite Golf Club, the association is excited to announce that the 12^th edition of the online auction launches today after 11 a.m. at http://gaoauction.com/.

Proceeds from the items sold will go towards the GAO’s junior golf initiatives, such as the Mr. Knickers & Friends Program and the Scholarship Program.

“I am personally a testament to the success of the GAO’s fundraising initiatives,” explained Chris McGrath, GAO Online Auction Manager and former GAO scholarship recipient. “Having worked for the GAO in various capacities in 2009-10, I was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Memphis to pursue a Master’s of Science Degree.”

Bidders will have the chance to bid on tee times from around the province, at private, semi-private and public courses. In addition, other great golf prizes including: sports memorabilia, equipment, clothing, event tickets (ex. Canadian Open, Canadian Pacific Women’s Open) and more are up for grabs.

The first week of items will run for 10 days and include tee times for: Brampton Golf Club, St. Thomas Golf and Country Club, Thornhill Golf and Country Club, The Ridge at Manitou, and a 2014 Executive Golf Club Membership. New items will be updated each Monday beginning March 10^th and run for seven days. The auctions, hosted through EBay, will run until early/mid May. Bidding is open to anyone but an EBay account is required.

The auction is made possible by generous donors from across the province, including GAO member courses and partners/sponsors.

“I can honestly attest that having financial support from the GAO jump-started my post-graduate studies and helped me graduate with distinction, eventually landing a job as British Columbia Golf’s Manager of Communications and Marketing,” added McGrath. “Having moved back to Ontario, I have come full circle, working again for the GAO in an attempt to bring the auction and Junior Golf Drive to new levels of success for years to come.”

Anyone interested in making a donation can contact McGrath at cmcgrath@gao.ca.

TUCSON, AZ— With the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) U19 Provincial team recently wrapping up their second winter training camp (Feb. 12-17), it is a great opportunity to take a closer look into the site that they have used to improve their game for the past four years.

The Lodge at Ventana Canyon is located just outside of Tucson, Arizona and offers a challenging facility for the team to work on their game. It features two full courses, Mountain and Canyon, appropriately named for the course that plays into the Santa Catalina Mountains and through various canyons.

The courses are both designed by Tom Fazio, something that Director of Sales and Marketing, Chris Sabala says is huge in terms of attracting golfers. “Groups really seem to like his courses. Having the name is big, especially since at the time they were built, there were very few designed by him in the area.”

The facility has been around for 30 years but features much more than just the courses. The Ventana Canyon is made up of four entities. There is the golf and racquet club, that both offer memberships; a gated community, that has approximately 800 homes; the Lodge, that features a 50-suites accommodation; and Loews Ventana a 398-room facility.

They are run by three entities, the gated community has a homeowners association, the Lodge and golf course are run together, through a board of directors and membership board and Loews too is run separately but has access to the courses.

In 2004, with the Lodge being run by Wyndham, a group of members and owners from the gated community and course decided to buy the resort and to run the Lodge themselves. The Lodge became not only accommodations, but also the clubhouse for the courses. The ownership group has since put close to $8-million in renovations and they are continuing to work on the facility. “Having the community be part of the resort has been big in us securing partnerships like the one with the GAO,” added Sabala.

In addition to the two courses, the Lodge at Ventana Canyon features a 36-station driving range, four putting greens and two short-game facilities. Off the course, there is also a full gym, multiple tennis courts, spa and eight-lane junior Olympic-size pool.

“The resort does well with groups because they seem to like the convenience of everything together. With the low number of guests we try to create an atmosphere that makes guests feel like they are members too,” said Sabala.

A view from the third tee on the Canyon course at Ventana Canyon.

“Ventana Canyon is a beautiful setting in great condition and has a terrific short-game area,” said Team Ontario coach Reggie Millage. “We certainly took full advantage in using the facilities to do things that you just can’t do inside during the winter.”

Each year the facility sees more that 60,000 rounds of golf played and hosts approximately 60 groups. Their goals is to double the number of groups they welcome. “The facility offers great views and you never have to worry about the condition of the courses. Both are challenging but playable. We rotate between which course is for members and guests each day so when people visit they can easily play both,” said Sabala.

For more information on everything that the Lodge at Ventana Canyon offers check out their website at: www.thelodgeatventanacanyon.com.

UXBRIDGE, ON— For the first time in the organization’s history, the Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is proud to announce that Jim King will serve a second term as association President.

“I’m very pleased to have been asked to serve a second term as President of the GAO. It is gratifying to have the confidence of the Board and our membership to allow me to continue in the role that I like to call the ‘Head Volunteer’. We have a new Executive Director, Steve Carroll, and a fully engaged Board, eager to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

King, who hails from Waterloo and plays out of the Westmount Golf and Country Club is originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he was an accomplished amateur golfer. He has been a volunteer with the GAO since 2008, serving on the Finance, Rules and Competitions, Marketing and HR and Compensation committees, while spending countless hours as a tournament starter and Level 3 Rules Official.

A member of Westmount Golf and Country Club in Kitchener since 1988, King has served as Men’s Playing Captain. He took on a leading role as Co-Chair and Director of Finance and Sponsorship when the club hosted the 2009 Canadian Junior Boys’ Championship. King has an affinity for growing the game and regularly champions grassroots and junior development programs at all levels.

After returning to the position, King took time to outline some of his priorities for 2014. “First I would like to revisit our strategic plan to ensure that we, as the provincial sport organization (PSO), are in alignment with Golf Canada, the national sport organization (NSO),” explained King.

In addition, he has his sights on gaining more funding for the organization’s high performance programs. “I feel it is important to pursue additional sources of revenue to support our High Performance Player Development in addition to other program initiatives,” he said. These would include programs such as Team Ontario, the U17 Regional Teams, the Long Term Development Program, Athlete Training Resources, the Women’s Provincial Training Program and more.

“I hope to continue to expand our high performance athlete development efforts and other programs, such as rules and officials training, and course rating throughout the province.”

The returning president also stressed an effort to work with Golf Canada in growing the game of golf not only provincially but also nationally. “I want us at the GAO to collaborate with Golf Canada in the development of a new business / marketing model for golf in Canada,” said King. He went on to talk about the relationship between the PSO and NSO in one of their big collaborations this season. “Together with Golf Canada, we need to work to ensure the success of the inaugural World Junior Girls’ Golf Championships in September.”

King also welcomed four new directors to the 2014 GAO Board as Carol-Ann Goering (Port Hope), John Gallinger (Richmond Hill), Tony Dunn (Ottawa) and Peter Zakarow (Toronto) will join existing Directors Christian Osborne (VP) (Oakville), Marilyn Field-Marsham (Toronto), Robert Kilgour (Kettleby), Ivy Steinberg (Stouffville), Alan Trivett (Georgetown), Kent Trainor (Toronto), John Turner (Bayfield), and OVGA representative Don McGee (Ottawa).

TUCSON, AZ— The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Junior (U19) Team Ontario recently wrapped up a five-day training camp in Tucson, Arizona, Feb. 12-17, at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon.

After the days of training and four rounds of golf, coach Reggie Millage gave his thoughts on the camp.

“Ultimately the goal of the camp was to see how everyone was progressing through the winter and to catch any possible lapses in training, both physically and technically,” explained Coach Millage. “It gave us a chance to see how they are doing in their time away from us.”

Millage set up a central theme for the camp around the players’ short game. It worked out well considering the facility’s driving range was not long enough to accommodate some of the players’ drives. There were however, multiple putting greens and a separate short-game area, which included a bunker. “I like to spend time on the short game when there is such a great short-game facility as there is here. It is something that is difficult to do indoors during the winter, but here the players can get a full swing in. It was also one of the weaker areas we identified with the players in the fall. Shots around the green were the areas that needed the most improvement.”

Millage said that this camp differed from the team’s first trip to Arizona in January because they had a better idea of what to cover. “We tried to focus on competition during this camp. We created an Olympic-style theme to try and motivate the players and increase competition. It made the testing a little more fun, but also gave us the feedback we needed.”

The structure of the camp seemed to be a plus with many of the team members. “I really liked the extensive practice,” said team member Trevor Ranton, from Waterloo. “I liked the (team themed) matches, the stations and a little bit of free time to work on what we felt needed to be addressed.”

The results seemed to be there for Millage. “I think some of the numbers in testing were much better than the fall, but they didn’t necessarily translate into lower scores on the course… yet. I do feel that it will. Overall, their chipping, bunker shots and putting were much improved. Score wise it was a little disappointing but you have to remember that desert golf is much more punishing off the tee, resulting in more penalty strokes.”

Despite the scoring, Millage seemed satisfied with the camp overall and continues to see them as beneficial. “Holding these camps is great for a few reasons. The camaraderie is one, as the team gets to spend time together. Golf is mainly an individual sport, this is a chance for them to be part of something together. It also pushes them and they seem driven by being in groups.”

Even though some of his players couldn’t hit driver on the range, Millage had nothing but praise for Ventana Canyon, a site that the GAO has used for four years now. “It is a beautiful setting that is in great condition. We utilized the terrific short-game facility and even worked on drivers on one of the holes.”

From left, Jason Chung, Max Sear and Grace St-Germain practice putting.

Millage went on to say that the facility also helped enhance Strength and Conditioning Coach/ Physical Therapist Andrew Hoermann’s interaction with the team.

“I really enjoyed the morning workouts with Andrew,” added team member Jason Chung. “I wish we could have stayed longer.”

With the training camp complete, Millage can look ahead to how the team is shaping up for the season. “I hope that with the testing they gained confidence that they can build off of.  Being on the team I expect them to perform at a high level during the season. I want them to take advantage of the opportunities they have.”

Even though it is only February, Millage pointed out at the teams’ final dinner that the golf season is just two months away and that it is time for the athletes to get their training and repetition in gear.

The team will have one more team activity together before the season begins, as they will be in Myrtle Beach in March as they prepare for the CAN/AM matches competition. After that, the players will go their separate ways and begin competing in the many tournaments offered this season, Millage hopes that their offseason training will be put to good use so that they can achieve results this summer. “Ultimately we want them to use Team Ontario to further their progress and achieve the next level in the sport, whether that be the National Team or an NCAA Scholarship.”

Essex Kent 2014 Spring Meeting (PDF)

• Amateur / Bronze –  June 2 – Toronto Golf Club
• Senior / Super Senior – July 7 – Islington GC
• 4 Ball –  July 22 – Carrying Place GC