UXBRIDGE —  The GAO (Golf Association of Ontario) is very pleased to announce the rosters of the five regional teams that will comprise Ontario’s under-17 high performance program in 2014-15. After a very successful regional team pilot program in 2013-14, the GAO is expanding the number of regional teams as well as adding more content to the training programs.  The team members were selected based on their 2014 tournament scores and testing results from Skills Combines held during the month of September.

“We were thrilled with the progress of the 36 athletes that were part of regional team pilot program last season,” says Mary Ann Hayward, GAO Manager of Sport Performance. “Six of those players have advanced to our Team Ontario program for the upcoming season. With the addition of Niagara and Windsor, we will have 60 promising young athletes in our under-17 training program for 2014-15. A new addition to the program this year is a 36-hole regional team competition to be held in the Niagara area in late April. With our skilled personal coaches, dedicated regional coaches and the support of TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada as our new high performance sponsor, the future of golf in Ontario has never been brighter.”

Team Ottawa

Team Ottawa is made up of athletes from Ottawa and surrounding areas in Eastern Ontario. Adam Holden coaches the team and Allen Hicks is the team’s strength and conditioning coach. They will train out of the Kevin Haime Golf Centre in Kanata and the Ottawa Athletic Club.

Players

• Cameron Belanger (Stittsville, Ont.)
• Christopher Carwardine (Kanata. Ont.)
• Ty Celone (Long Sault, Ont.)
• Logan Henry (Kemptville, Ont.)
• Keenan McPhail (Ottawa, Ont.)
• James Parsons (Almonte, Ont.)
• Tyler Read (Brockville, Ont.)
• Nick Valiquette (Cornwall, Ont.)
• Dylann Armstrong (North Gower, Ont.)
• Sarah Cushing (Brockville, Ont.)
• Isabella Landry (Nepean, Ont.)
• Kiley Rodrigues (Kingston, Ont.)

For more information on the team and its players visit the Team Ottawa page at: https://gao.ca/team-ottawa/

Team York

Team York covers Toronto and the GTA. Jeff Overholt coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Katie Robinson. Team York will train out of The Golf Lab in Vaughan and Carrying Place G & CC in Kettleby.

Players

• Kevin Doran (Sharon, Ont.)
• Brendan Dunphy (Whitby, Ont.)
• Jeffery Fang (Richmond Hill, Ont.)
• Zachary Katzenstein (Thornhill, Ont.)
• Lachlan O’Hara (Mississauga, Ont.)
• Jacob Presutti (Brampton, Ont.)
• Luke Sear (Stouffville, Ont.)
• Dee Xie (Toronto, Ont.)
• Amanda Kerr (Brampton, Ont.)
• Hailey McLaughlin (Markham, Ont.)
• Cynthia Zhao (Toronto, Ont.)
• Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.)

For more information on the team and it’s players visit the Team York page at: https://gao.ca/team-york/

Team Waterloo

Team Waterloo is made up of players from the Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding area. Mike Martz coaches the team and their strength and conditioning coach is Angella Lee. They will train out of the Golf Performance Centre and Whistle Bear GC in Cambridge.

Players

• Peyton Callens (Langton, Ont.)
• Cougar Collins (Caledon, Ont.)
• Lucas DeCorso (Guelph, Ont.)
• Michael Dubois (Brantford, Ont.)
• Jarrett Fitzpatrick (Caledonia, Ont.)
• Dylan Henderson (Waterloo, Ont.)
• Michael Rizzo (Brantford, Ont.)
• Carter Snowden (Kitchener, Ont.)
• Haley Barclay (Strathroy, Ont.)
• Taylor Kehoe (Strathroy, Ont.)
• Kristen Giles (Georgetown, Ont.)
• Grace Mitchell (Kitchener, Ont.)

For more information on the team and it’s players visit the Team Waterloo page at:

https://gao.ca/team-waterloo/

Team Niagara

Team Niagara is comprised of golfers in the Niagara region, which includes Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and surrounding area. John White coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Wayne Oliver. They will train out of the Legends on the Niagara, in Niagara Falls and winter training will be at TurfNet and Fourth Quarter Fitness in Welland.

Players

• Michael Athoe (Ridgeway, Ont.)
• Justin DiCienzo (Niagara Falls, Ont.)
• Vincent Dicosimo (Niagara Falls, Ont.)
• Vince Friyia (Niagara Falls, Ont.)
• Sparky MacLean (Niagara Falls, Ont.)
• Jason Maloney (St. Ann’s, Ont.
• Ethan Siebert (Beamsville, Ont.)
• Brett Warkentin (Ridgeway, Ont.)
• Sukriti Harjai (Niagara Falls, Ont.)
• Susan Leone (Niagara Falls, Ont.)
• Taylor Simoneau (St. Catharines, Ont.)
• Emily Ward (Niagara Falls, Ont.)

For more information on the team and it’s players visit the Team Niagara page at: https://gao.ca/team-niagara/

Team Essex-Kent

Team Essex-Kent is made up of golfers from the Windsor and South Western Ontario area. Randy McQueen coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Ryan Carlone. They will train out of Roseland Golf Club and On The Green Indoor Golf in Tecumseh.

Players

• Spencer Ferguson (Windsor, Ont.)
• Brett Harrison (Essex, Ont.)
• Curtis Hughes (Tecumseh, Ont.)
• Adam Nunes (Tecumseh, Ont.)
• David Nunes (Tecumseh, Ont.)
• Shawn Sehra (Windsor, Ont.)
• Marcus Slipchuk (Amherstburg, Ont.)
• Ethan Stewart (Windsor, Ont.)
• Shannon Coffey (Windsor, Ont.)
• Rachel Cote (Windsor, Ont.)
• Jasmine Ly (Windsor, Ont.)
• Brooke MacKinnon (Chatham, Ont.)

For more information on the team and it’s players visit the Team Essex-Kent page at: https://gao.ca/team-essex-kent/

ABOUT THE REGIONAL TEAM PROGRAM

The Regional Team Program is designed for golfers under the age of 17. Players participate in regional skills combines and those results, combined with tournament results and Order of Merit standings, determine the 12 players that are selected for each team. Team members take part in an eight-month training program with a PGA of Canada registered head coach and strength and conditioning consultant. They participate in 11 three-hour sessions before a spring training camp and Regional Team Competition to be held in Niagara at the end of April.

The 14th Annual General Meeting of the Members and Awards/Recognition Ceremony is Saturday January 24th, 2015 at Glencairn Golf Club

Schedule of Events

10:00 to 10:30 am     Registration/Coffee

10:30 to 11:00 am     Awards/ Recognition Ceremony

11:00 to 11:15 am     Break

11:15 to 12:15 pm     Annual General Meeting of Members

12:15 pm                        Reception/Luncheon

AGM Meeting Documentation:

Notice of Meeting

Nominating Committee Report

Click here for Map and Directions

Any Member of the Golf Association of Ontario is welcome to attend this meeting and luncheon.  In order to determine the appropriate seating and luncheon arrangements, we require notification of attendance in advance.

Please register by December 19, 2014.

REGISTER NOW

UXBRIDGE—The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO), is pleased to announce the seven boys and six girls that will comprise Team Ontario for 2015. The announcement comes on the heels of the GAO’s recent partnership with TaylorMade-adidas Golf. An agreement that will provide Team Ontario athletes with adidas clothing and access to TaylorMade equipment.  The team, which began training in October, is set for a full winter of work as they prepare for the official start to the competitive season in May with the GAO Investors Group Junior Spring Classic.

“Overall the team looks very good, with many of the players already having achieved bench mark successes in their junior golf careers,” said Mary Ann Hayward, GAO Manager of Sport Performance. “All of the players are highly motivated to make the national development team and our coaching staff is prepared to work very hard to help them get there.”

This year’s team highlights the quality of the GAO’s high performance programs as eleven members of the team are either returning Team Ontario members or graduates from the GAO’s Regional (U17) Team Program.

With a pair of Team Ontario players, Trevor Ranton and Grace St-Germain, moving up to the National Development Team, Team Ontario features five returning players in 2015:

• Max Sear, 17, from Markham and York Downs Golf and Country Club, coached by Ian Crebbin
• Jason Chung, 15, from Thornhill and Pheasant Run Golf Club, coached by Charlie Woo
• Brendan Seys, 16, from Port Lambton and Maple City Country Club, coached by John Dengel
• Alyssa Getty, 17, from Ruthven and the Kingsville Golf and Country Club, coached by Reggie Millage
• Monet Chun, 13, from Richmond Hill and The Summit Golf and Country Club, coached by Ian Leggatt and Don Lee

Joining the returnees, are the following graduates of the GAO Regional Team Program:

• Jackson Bowery (Team Waterloo), 17, from London and Greenhills Golf Club, coached by Len Foran
• Kyle MacDonald (Team York), 16, from Burlington and Rattlesnake Pointe Golf Club, coached by Rich Storey
• Jake Bryson (Team Ottawa), 15, from Dunrobin and Eagle Creek Golf Club, coached by Kevin Haime
• Madeline Marck-Sherk (Team Waterloo), 17, from Ridgeway and Bridgewater Country Club, coached by Mary Kraus
• Diana McDonald (Team Ottawa), 17, from Kingston and Loyalist Country Club, coached by Chris Barber
• Isabella Portokalis (Team Waterloo), 13, from London and London Hunt and Country Club

Rounding out the team are:

• Kelvin Lim, 13, from Thornhill and Station Creek Golf Club
• Chloe Currie, 15, from Mississauga and Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, coached by Nick Starchuk

“It is great having six of our new players coming out of regional programs. They are accustomed to the team training environment and come with a good base in their technical and physical training,” added Hayward.

Team Ontario coaching staff is led by GAO Head Provincial Coach Reggie Millage, a Class ‘A’ PGA of Canada professional from Milton. Millage enters his second season with the team after taking over the position last November. Also returning this year are Athletic Therapist Andrew Hoermann and Mental Skills Coach Judy Goss. New to the coaching staff this year is Nick Martichenko, who fills the role of Strength and Conditioning Coach.

“This year’s team is obviously a very different group, especially with the make up of seven boys and six girls,” said Millage.  “Most of them are already well established and are willing to work hard to reach the next level. The coaches have already been working one-on-one with them, making the changes we feel are necessary as we work towards the spring.”

Millage also spoke about the very experienced coaching staff. “We are very excited to have Andrew back as Athletic Therapist. He is the longest serving member of the coaching staff and very good at what he does working with the athletes. Adding Nick to the team is also exciting because he is a very qualified and dedicated Strength and Conditioning Coach. Nick is very committed to working with golfers and he and I have worked together in the past and have enjoyed good success in taking athlete’s golf games to the next level.”

The team is already an accomplished group and they will look for even better results in 2015. Some highlights from the 2014 season included: Getty capturing the CN Future Links Quebec Championship, Marck-Sherk taking the gold medal at the Ontario Summer Games (Juvenile Girls’ Championship), Currie winning the Ontario Bantam Girls’ Championship and the Ontario Junior Tours Championship, Lim victorious at the CN Future Links Quebec Championship, and Sear successfully defended his Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) individual championship title.

Looking ahead Team Ontario will train indoors during the winter months at The Golf Lab in Vaughan.  ClubLink’s Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs, Florida will be the new host venue for Team Ontario training camps in January and February.  During March Break, the team will head to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a training camp as well as take part in the Can-Am Matches which is an annual team match event between the top junior golfers from Ontario and South Carolina.

About Team Ontario

The GAO Team Ontario program is a high performance training program for the top junior aged golfers in Ontario. Athletes are selected in September each year and the program runs from October through August. Team Ontario athletes receive the very best in coaching services, training/competitive opportunities, and sport science support as they strive to make Golf Canada’s National Development Team. Being selected to Team Ontario is a tremendous accomplishment and offers unparalleled support and guidance to the participating athletes and their families.

UXBRIDGE & WOODBRIDGE — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) and TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada are pleased to announce that they have agreed to a three-year sponsorship agreement, which sees TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada become the official clothing provider and high performance program partner of the Association.

“The Golf Association of Ontario is thrilled to announce our new partnership agreement with TaylorMade-adidas Golf.  It is exciting to partner with a leading company in the golf industry that shares our passion and commitment to golf development.  TaylorMade-adidas Golf is dedicated to helping Ontario athletes perform their best and we are pleased to have their support for GAO golf participation and performance initiatives” said Steve Carroll, GAO Executive Director.

With the agreement, TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada becomes the official clothing supplier of staff, volunteers and GAO team members, along with participants in various programs.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada also becomes the official equipment and clothing sponsor of the GAO’s high performance program, which includes: U19 Team Ontario and the five regional U17 teams (Ottawa, York, Waterloo, Niagara, Essex-Kent).

The Team Ontario Program offers the very best in coaching, training and peer support for the best golfers in the province under 19-years-old. The program aims to guide the players towards excellence in golf while providing unique completion and training experiences.

Similarly, the Regional Team Program selects the best golfers in the five regions under 17-years-old. It provides them with an eight-month training program geared towards enhancing their technical and physical abilities. The program culminates with an inter-squad competition during March Break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

As part of the agreement, TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada will also be present at GAO Championships, beginning in 2015, as they show their support to growing programs in the province with the GAO.

“First and foremost we are a performance brand and pride ourselves on making the best golf products for the best players in the world. The Golf Association of Ontario was a perfect match for us as they develop high performance golfers through their superior programs. With this new partnership with the GAO, we are thrilled to become a big part of delivering best-in-class products and service to their teams and all golfers competing in marquee GAO championships,” said David Bradley, Managing Director, International Regions, TaylorMade-adidas Golf.

The Golf Association of Ontario is excited to begin working with TaylorMade-adidas Golf Canada on this new partnership that will ultimately benefit all Ontario athletes.

About TaylorMade-adidas Golf

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company sells golf clubs, balls, clothing and accessories under the TaylorMade, adidas Golf, Adams and Ashworth brands. TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company posted 2013 sales of over €1.3 billion.

About the adidas Group

The adidas Group is a global leader in the sporting goods industry, offering a broad portfolio of footwear, apparel and hardware for sport and lifestyle around the core brands adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade, Rockport and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany, the Group employs more than 50,000 people across the globe and generated sales of €14.5 billion in 2013.

About the Golf Association of Ontario

The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is Ontario’s Provincial Sport Organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 450 member clubs, the GAO is one of the largest golf associations in the world.  From rating courses and keeping the integral rules of the game intact, to growing the game at the grassroots level and getting the game of golf into our school systems, to keeping the Ontario golf community aware of all relevant issues and hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, the Golf Association of Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to making golf better for everyone in Ontario. We share a love and passion for golf, while preserving its past, fostering its future, and championing golf’s best interests for everyone who enjoys the sport.

 For more information, please click here or contact Dan Hyatt at dhyatt@golfcanada.ca or by phone at 1-800-263-0009 ext. 322.

UXBRIDGE, ON— On Sunday evening 80 GAO members from around the province arrived home from a wonderful week at the 3^rd Annual GAO Invitational at Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma, Bahamas.

The GAO Invitational is a fun and friendly three-day competition for all members of the GAO, which has been running since 2012. This year the weather was great, the course was in fantastic shape and the group of golfers were amazing.

“I couldn’t have asked for a nicer group of people to travel with,” stated Kyle McFarlane, GAO Director of Marketing & Communications. “We had a great week with great people. There were a lot of new friendships made over the course of the week, which was amazing to see.”

The group arrived in Exuma on November 2 and had unlimited access to the golf course for the entire week. The competition got under way on Wednesday morning with a Modified Chapman Format event. The couples then played a Net Team Stableford format on Thursday and a Net Better Ball format on Friday. The event culminated with a wonderful awards dinner on the Friday evening.

This was the third year the GAO has taken a group down to Sandals Emerald Bay and based on the feedback it will not be the last. Details about the 2015 trip are currently being worked out and the 4^th Annual GAO Invitational will surely be another sell out.

Click here for highlights from the GAO Invitational

SCARBOROUGH – Scarboro Golf & Country Club architect A.W. Tillinghast is one of four distinguished honourees who will be enshrined into the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum as the Class of 2015.

Scarboro members are thrilled that Laura Davies, David Graham, Mark O’Meara and Tillinghast will be inducted on Monday, July 13, 2015 at the University of St Andrews, just blocks from the Old Course, host site of that week’s 144th Open Championship.

“Tillie’s induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame is ridiculously long overdue. He should have been in there from when the hall first opened,” says Canadian golf course architect Ian Andrew of Brantford, ON. It was Andrew, along with noted American golf course architect Gil Hanse, who completed a sympathetic restoration of all known Tillinghast features and the removal of all recent changes to the course to return it to its original character in the fall of 2007.

“You could argue that he is the greatest American golf course architect of all time. I certainly put him ahead of Stanley Thompson,” says Andrew who has played most of Tillinghast’s layouts still considered among the world’s best and used frequently for golf’s major championships. Bethpage State Park, Winged Foot, Baltusrol GC, San Francisco GC, Quaker Ridge, Fenway GC, Somerset Hills and Baltimore Country Club at Five Farms in Maryland, where London, ON, golfer Sandy Somerville won the 1932 U.S. Amateur, are all Tillinghast designs.

Born in 1874, Albert Warren (A.W.) Tillinghast took golf lessons from Old Tom Morris, was an admirer of St Andrews, and used that knowledge to become a true pioneer of American golf.  He was a prolific architect, having worked on 265 plus courses including more than 100 original designs in the U.S. courses to his credit.  He was also an original member of the PGA of America and authored a slew of books about the game. He died in 1942 in Toledo, Ohio.

“It’s like a piece of art.  You look at Tillinghast, you look at Alistair MacKenzie, you look at Donald Ross, you look at designers of that era, like David (Graham) pointed out, those guys were artists,” O’Meara said during a Hall of Fame interview. “They just had great pieces of property, great land, great vision, and golf will always stand the test of time even though players hit it further and equipment is better and this and that.”

Scarboro is the lone Tillinghast design in Canada. The club hired him in 1924 to rebuild the initial George Cumming layout at a cost of $40,000 and Tillinghast`s layout opened for play in 1926. Since that time Scarboro has hosted four Canada Open Championships and numerous other international and national events within the amateur and professional ranks.

“We are thrilled that Tillinghast is finally being recognized by the World Golf Hall of Fame. His significant talent and genius are evident on every hole when playing this great golf course,” says Neil Rooney, Scarboro’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are proud to have his name connected to Scarboro and the club will continue to preserve and enhance the legacy of his classic design in the decades to come.”

Andrew believes Tillinghast was a genius when it came to creating par-3s. You only need to play Scarboro’s second, fourth, 11^th and 14^th holes to experience that brilliance. “Of all of the architects of his time, Tillinghast was the one who manufactured greens sites. He was a creator and a constructor. He would bring material together to make things more dramatic than they would have been. He was not afraid to go really big and that set him apart,” Andrew added.

Andrew says Scarboro is worthy of study when it comes to understanding golf course architecture. In his books, the course is home to some of the greatest green sites you’ll find anywhere and its strategic grass-faced bunkers that now hang on the edge of putting surfaces make them all the more interesting.

“In my mind Scarboro doesn’t get its due as a great place to play golf,” he says. “Strategically it’s a lot of fun to play and one of the best courses in Canada.”

This is the first Class to be elected by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Commission, which debated a group of 16 Finalists.  The four members of the Class of 2015 each passed the required 75 percent voting threshold – approval by at least 12 of the 16 members. The Selection Commission was co-chaired by Hall of Fame members Nancy Lopez, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Annika Sorenstam and included the members of the World Golf Foundation Board of Directors and a mix of institutional and at-large seats.

UXBRIDGE (GAO) – Steve Carroll, Executive Director of the Golf Association of Ontario (GAO), announced today that Penny Connors has been hired for the GAO’s newly created position of Director of Finance & Administration.

“We could not be happier to have someone with Penny’s experience and record of accomplishment in financial management and association executive roles, join the GAO,” stated Carroll.  “Penny is an energetic, strategic, experienced and accomplished administrator with an innovative and creative manner and strong business acumen, all of which will serve her well as GAO Director of Finance & Administration.”

“I am thrilled to be joining the GAO staff team at a very exciting time for the GAO as the Association embarks on a new strategic planning process,” said Connors.  “I look forward to helping build, grow and develop synergies among all GAO programs and properties, including existing GAO events, stakeholder needs and priorities and new initiatives designed to build capacity and grow the sport.”

Penny Connors’ varied experience of over 17 years in the not-for-profit sector has given her the opportunity to demonstrate a strong administrative capability to balance multiple priorities, build member service strategies in association and regulatory environments, manage office/operations administration, provide internal corporate services support and work with diverse stakeholder groups.

With degrees in Psychology and Business Administration from York University, the Certificate in Human Resource Management (CHRM) from the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) of Ontario, the Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation and most recently the OISE Certificate in Adult Education, Penny Connors possesses the competencies needed to develop and deliver on the strategic directives of the Director, Finance & Administration role for GAO.  Penny was working in a senior management position with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario before joining the GAO following four years on the senior management team with the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada.

Penny Connors’ first official day with the GAO will be October 27th where she can be reached at pconnors@gao.ca

OTTAWA— With numerous international sporting events coming to Canada in 2015, an announcement was made last week proclaiming 2015 as the Year of Sport in Canada. The announcement came from Governor General David Johnston at the torch-lighting ceremony for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, Oct. 16 in Ottawa.

In addition to the Canada Winter Games (Prince George), the country will host the Pan American Games (Toronto/ Greater Golden Horseshoe), where golf will be one of the 36 sports featured, the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship (Toronto and Montreal), the Men’s World Curling Championship (Halifax) and the FIFA Women’s World Cup (multiple locations).

“Next year promises to be a truly memorable sporting year for Canadians. A number of major international sporting events will take place in Canada, including the Pan Am Games, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the IIHF World Hockey Junior Championships. It is for these reasons and so many more that I am delighted to proclaim 2015 the Year of Sport in Canada,” added Johnston.

Minister of State (Sport) Bal Gosal, was in attendance for the announcement and gave his thoughts on what 2015 means for sport in Canada. “In 2015, Canadians from across the country will have many opportunities to cheer on our remarkable athletes and celebrate their achievements. With events such as the World Junior Hockey Championship, the Canada Winter Games, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, the Pan and Parapan American Games and many others, 2015 will be a memorable year for all Canadians — an opportunity not only to attend sport events, but also to be inspired to participate in sport activities throughout the year.”

The Year of Sport in Canada is a proactive pan-Canadian initiative to celebrate the role that sport plays in our country and encourage Canadians to participate in and seek the benefits of sport. During the year, sport events and other celebratory activities will highlight how sport benefits Canadians. The Year of Sport will promote Canada’s position as a leading sport nation and highlight the power of sport to enhance the lives of all Canadians.

The Pan Am Games, July 10-26, will welcome more than 10,000 athletes from 41 countries to the Toronto area. This year’s Games will mark the first time golf will be contested. Angus Glen Golf Club, who recently hosted the successful 2014 World Junior Girls’ Golf Championship, will be the host venue for golf at the Games. Individual and team competitions will take place for both men and women. The event will build into the lead up of Golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio, Brazil. The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is proud to partner with Golf Canada and the International Golf Federation to organize the event.

For More information on the Year of Sport visit http://www.pch.gc.ca/

For more information on the Pan-Am Games Golf Competition visit: http://www.toronto2015.org/golf

By BRENT LONG

What goes around comes around in Adam Brown’s world.

Forty years ago this past summer Brown picked up the phone, put his index finger in the rotary phone at his parents’ home in Dundas, ON and dialed long distance to a town called Woodbridge.

News of a fabulous new golf course named The National Golf Club designed by the team of American golf course architects George and Tom Fazio had been buzzing around the province for a few months and Brown wanted to see what it was all about for himself.

By that time the 21-year-old had won the Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship, lost in a playoff to Kelly Roberts in the Canadian Junior Boys Championship and was playing well in the U.S. on a scholarship at Miami University in Oxford Ohio.

“I grew up trying to be like Jack (Nicklaus),” said Brown who started to play the game at the age of nine at what is now Hidden Lake GC in Burlington followed by Glendale G&CC. “I have never met Jack, but I did have one of my first lessons from his instructor Jim Flick at Cincinnati County Club.”

Brown’s stomach twirled with a touch of nervousness and anticipation as the phone rang and he waited to be connected to Ben Kern, a noted professional who would be named the club’s Head Professional in 1976.

“The course wasn’t officially open at that time and I didn’t even know if Ben would know who I was, but I wanted to give it a try”, Brown says as he sits in the club’s modern day clubhouse that opened in 2008. “I’ll never forget that call, I introduced myself and asked if I could play and he warmly welcomed me. Ben said, “Yes” to junior champions because he wanted to promote the game and help aspiring young players. He knew who the players were.”

Brown played his first round at The National on his own. At every turn and with every shot he could not believe what he was seeing and playing.

“As I drove in along old Pine Valley Drive to the clubhouse I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was the first course of its kind in the country and it looked incredible,” says Brown. “I remember being amazed by the quickness of the green speeds. I had never played on anything like that and there were no pitch and run shots to be made at The National. I grew up with a pitch and run game. All of a sudden I was being faced with having to make a lob or a flop shot when I missed a green and it was very challenging.”

The sight and size of the Fazios’ fairway and green side bunkers also made Brown take a second look and sometimes a third before firing away.

“I asked Ben, “Is this the way modern golf is going? And he said, “Yes,” recalls Brown, who returned to play the course two more times that summer with his father and was personally welcomed back each time by Ben.

Today, at The National Golf Club of Canada, there was an official name change along the way, Brown is Head Professional. He started working at the Club as an assistant in 1999 and took the top job in 2005, after winning the 2004 PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada.

The club has only had four head professionals over its 40-year history – Al Balding from 1974-1975, Ben Kern from 1976 to 1995, Norm Hitzroth from 1996 to 2004 and Brown.

Its three original founding members; Gil Blechman, Harvey Kalef and Irv Hennick each passed away within seven years of each other between 2000 and 2007. As legend goes the dream of The National was conceived on a hot, lazy afternoon in the summer of 1972 at Maple Downs G&CC where the trio were members. They were tired of the slow play and kids splashing around in the pool during their back swings. It was time for a change when Kalef said, “Enough of this crap. What we ought to do is buy ourselves a super golf club, the best anywhere. We’ll make it exclusive, for men only.”

That was a Friday afternoon and Blechman knew of a course that was for sale. On the Monday, Kalef went to his lawyer and without having seen Pine Valley Golf Club put in an offer to purchase from the estate of the late Jack Bailey that was accepted.

They hired the Fazios’ to design, “the best golf course in the world and money’s no object,” Blechman said. It’s a good thing it wasn’t, because Tom Fazio told Blechman he needed more land to make his dream reality and they proceeded to buy three adjoining farms totalling 135 acres. Construction of the Fazio masterpiece started on May 15, 1973, the land was cleared by June 1^st and the course was finished in three months with an official opening in 1975. The Fazio golf course design team continue to make annual visits to the club to review the course and make suggestions for tweaking the layout.

When it first opened the course, which was an instant success and on its way to quickly becoming the No. 1 golf course in Canada, the layout had three sets of tees. Today it has four sets of tees with two hybrid options for a total of six playing options measuring from 6002 to 7,235 yards, par-71. It’s very first scorecard had Al Balding as Head Professional and Ken Venturi as Associate Director with the tees measuring 5,855 yards, 6,306 yards and 6,989 yards, par-71.

“The course continues to evolve without losing its essence of being tough but fair and that’s what makes it timeless,” Brown says. “It was tough 40 years ago and it has that exact same toughness today although there have been changes and that is truly remarkable.”

Once a year players gather for the Ben Kern Pro-Am. It’s the only tournament at the club played from the back Gold tees. It’s one of the exceptional golf experiences in Canada that only the lucky few have the opportunity to play.

The favourite part of Brown’s job is seeing the expressions of first time guests as they play the course. “I’ll greet them when they arrive and I’ll go out and see them on the seventh or eighth hole and you can see it in their eyes. It gets everybody and the better the player the more they have recognized what they have played.”

He too knows the players and the champions. The tradition continues although cell phones have replaced rotary phones. Austin James won the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship and Matt LeMay won the 2014 Ontario Junior Boys Championship. You just never know where they might be 40 years from now.