UXBRIDGE, ON— Despite relinquishing their leads during the second round of play, both first-round leaders, Vaughn’s Tony Gil and Thornhill resident Selena Costabile regained their leads during the final round of the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) 2014 Investors Group Junior Spring Classic to capture the title.

For Gil, he sat in a tie for the lead after the second round, at Wooden Sticks, with fellow Team Canada National Development Team member Carter Simon. However, Gil had one of the lowest rounds of the day, a four-under 68, to finish the tournament at seven-under. As for Simon, the Sutton resident carded a one-under 71 for a tournament total of four-under.

“My iron play was right on throughout the week.  I made a lot of good putts and didn’t make any big mistakes, so it was a good week for me,” said Gil. “The first three birdies on 10, 11 and 12 was a confidence booster and turned my game on. I was a little nervous on the first tee and cold topped it but I just thought to myself that there were 17 holes to go and anything could happen.”

At 16-years-old, Gil also captured the juvenile division title.

Finishing in a tie for third at three-under for the tournament were Waterloo’s Trevor Ranton and Cayuga’s Charles Corner. Ranton fired a three-under 69, while Corner finished four-under 68 for the round. In fifth was Mississauga’s Conner Watt at one-under for the event after an even-par 72 final round.

Over at Sleepy Hollow, in Stouffville, Kingsville’s Alyssa Getty took a one shot lead into the final round but quickly relinquished it. Getty bogeyed the first hole while Costabile started birdie-birdie to take the lead. Costabile went on to birdie four on the back nine and finished with a confortable three-shot victory. She ended the day three-under for a tournament total of two under. Getty was one-over for the day and the event.

“I played really well today which helped me close the victory,” said Costabile. “My putts were rolling really well the past three days and most of the credit for my win is because of my putting. After nine holes I was behind but once I started making those birdies on the back nine I knew I had a good chance to win. Birdieing my first two holes, especially the second, was a huge confidence boost, even though I double bogeyed six. I was able to make a few good putts later and it all turned out ok.”

Finishing third was Toronto’s Ana Peric who was five-over for the day and 18-over for the tournament. She narrowly stayed a head of both Pickering’s Crystina Kertsos and Markham’s Stephanie Chu. The two finished in a tie for fourth at 19-over for the tournament after Kertsos was four-over and Chu three-over during the final round.

The Investors Group Junior Spring Classic Championship is a 54-hole stroke-play competition contested annually over the Victoria Day long weekend that features many of Ontario’s best male and female junior golfers. The field of competitors gained entry to the competition through a qualifying process earlier in the season. The Golf Association of Ontario would like to thank Wooden Sticks Golf Club and Sleepy Hollow Country Club for hosting the event as well as Investors Group for their continued support of amateur golf in Ontario.

Full Leaderboard and Scorecards – Investors Group Junior Spring Classic, Boys 

Full Leaderboard, Info and Scorecards – Investors Group Junior Spring Classic, Girls 

Investors Group Junior Spring Classic – Boys

Wooden Sticks Golf Club, Uxbridge ON

May 17-19, 2014

Final Results

Juvenile Final Results

Investors Group Junior Spring Classic – Girls

Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Stouffville ON

May 17-19, 2014

Final Results

TORONTO— Light on and off showers throughout the day could not dampen the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) first championship of the season: the Men’s Better Ball, an event that has been running since 1959. On May 15, Oakdale Golf and Country Club played host to 61 teams (112 golfers) all looking to become this year’s champions.

In the end, it was the team of Brad Newman, from Beacon Hall Golf Club, and Jud Whiteside, Thornhill Golf & Country Club, who shot a seven-under 65 on the day.

They edged out the duo of Rob Cowan, Westmount Golf & Country Club, and Dave Bunker, Brampton Golf Course, who finished with a six-under 66. Bunker came into the tournament after a strong performance in late April in Lima, Peru at the Manuel Prado and Carlos Raffo Cups.

There was a five-way tie for third at five-under 67. 2013 Mid-Am Champion Tyler McDannold, Brampton Golf Club, who also had a hole-in-one on the 11^th hole, and Brett Saunders, The Club at Bond Head; Nic Powell and Harris Bundy, both from Scarboro Golf & Country Club; Ryan Tsang and Truman Tai, both from Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club; Christian McCullough, Meadowbrook Golf & Country Club, and Alex Dumais, Caledon Woods Golf Club; and Geoff Goodwin and Walt Spivak, both from The Oaks Golf Club, all took home bronze medals.

There was no doubt that the weather was a factor during the round, but Whiteside explained that they were prepared for worse. “In general we thought it was going to rain more than it did, so I think we lucked out. We just kept it hole-by-hole and shot-by-shot and didn’t think about it too much.”After the round the winners were thrilled with their victory. “It is a great feeling to win. This is my first time playing in the event and it is awesome to win the first time playing here,” explained Newman.

The team got out to a strong start during the event and never looked back. “We were three-under through four and just continued to play well throughout the rest of the day but it certainly was good to get off to a strong start like that,” said Newman.“We kept saying to ourselves let’s just focus on the next shot and not get too far ahead of ourselves. You never know what the score will be in events like this so if you just keep plugging away and hit your shots well, the score looks after itself,” added Whiteside.

The win was the first GAO championship for either Newman or Whiteside.

2014 Men’s Better Ball Full Results:  

Mother Nature hasn’t been kind this winter, causing many golf courses to have less than ideal conditions to start the season.

Problems that have arose because of unfavourable winter weather include: tree destruction, turf issues (especially on greens and fairways) and bunker deterioration. The result for many courses is having a few to the majority of their greens out of play – likely well into June.

At Golf Canada, we’ve been receiving many concerned calls from courses, clubs, leagues and golfers about how this impacts them and their golf season. Here’s a look at some of the concerns facing golfers, clubs and courses:

Score posting for golfers:

Golfers are wondering if their scores can be posted for handicapping purposes if less than 18 holes are completely played.

In such cases where holes are completely out of play or temporary greens are in use, our trusty Golf Canada Handicap Manual describes a procedure often referred to as Par Plus. This means the player would count the PAR of the hole, plus any handicap strokes that he/she is entitled to receive on that hole.

For example: A player with a Course Handicap of 15 receives ONE handicap stroke on the first 15 allocated handicap-stroke holes. If the player does not play the sixth allocated handicap-stroke hole which is a par-4 because of construction on the green, the player must record a score of par plus one for handicap purposes, or a 5 in this case. If at least seven holes are in play on one nine, a nine-hole score must be posted, and if 13 or more holes are fully in play (no temporary greens, etc.) an 18 hole score is to be posted, with the remaining holes posted using the par plus procedure.

How clubs/courses can run events and score them on a course with temporary greens or holes out of play:

Questions I’ve received from courses and clubs have predominantly revolved around their events and how to score them equitably if less than 18 holes are played.

Each situation is a little different in terms of the number of holes which may be out of play or under temporary setup, but the procedure in dealing with the situation is the same. For example, we have a course that only has 12 holes in play and they have severe damage on the other six holes. They were wondering if it is possible to conduct their annual match play competition because all 18 holes cannot be played until August.

If we reference the definition of “Stipulated Round” from the Rules of Golf, we would find “stipulated round: consists of playing the holes of the course in their correct sequence, unless otherwise authorized by the Committee. The number of holes in a stipulated round is 18 unless a smaller number is authorized by the Committee.”

That definition is designed to help in just such cases where conditions will not allow 18 holes to be played. Should a club/league decide to proceed using less than 18 holes for their events, some adjustments must be made to handicaps of participants. As handicaps in this situation would normally be for 18 holes, we need to reduce handicaps by an appropriate number of holes that are to actually be played, in this case 12. We would need to take 12/18 of handicaps (or 2/3 if we reduce our fraction to lowest terms, don’t be alarmed this will not turn into a high school math class).

The last step to have an equitable event/match is to modify your stroke hole table (Handicap Stroke Holes). As there are six holes out of play, we need to reduce our stroke hole table by six as well (to a total of 12). To modify the stroke hole table equitably, it will depend on which holes are actually taken out of play and what number the stroke hole is. If one of the holes out of play in our example was stroke hole #2, stroke hole #4 would now become stroke hole #2 for the event, and so on.

I hope these explanations have helped to clear up some of the looming questions about handicapping and temporary greens or closed holes. If you have any questions, please contact our Golf Canada membership team at members@golfcanada.ca or 1-800-263-0009 ext. 399.

Additionally, you can check out our Handicapping section online here.

UXBRIDGE— The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) was pleased to hold it’s annual Ontario Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 7 at Wooden Sticks Golf Course. Earl Fritz, John Henrick, Dorothy Campbell Hurd Howe and Bob Weeks were inducted as the class of 2014, while Ken McKee was the recipient of the Lorne Rubenstein Media Award.

GAO president Jim King summed up the importance of the evening for golf in the province. “Tonight is about honouring our past. I think it is very important that we recognize the accomplishments, contributions and the inspiration that these people have provided for the other side of the equation: the up and coming. So it is really nice to honour them.”

Maxwell McKee delivering his grandfather Ken’s speech.

The ceremony began with the presentation of the Lorne Rubenstein Media Award to Ken McKee. McKee was unable to attend the ceremony, however his grandson Maxwell, delivered his acceptance speech that was written by McKee and members of his family. “Mostly we just wanted this speech to convey sentiments and how much he enjoyed covering the game. From high school to the Masters, he just loved getting there to tell the story in his own way. My grandfather is truly humbled and thankful to have been chosen as the 2014 Lorne Rubenstein Award recipient, my grandfather has the utmost respect for his work.” Maxwell closed with a word of thanks directly from McKee. “I want to thank the Golf Association of Ontario for this award and to all the players, past and present, I could not have done my job without you.”

The first inductee to be recognized was Dorothy Campbell Hurd Howe. In acceptance of the award for Hurd Howe, the Ladies President of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club, Nancy Rundle, where Hurd Howe was a member while she lived in Canada, sent a letter of thanks for the recognition of one of their own. It was delivered by emcee Rod Black. “The Ladies Executive of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club was pleased to hear that Dorothy Campbell Hurd Howe was to be inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame. While her stay in Canada was only three years, she sure had an impact on the game of golf.”

Jim King presents Earl Fritz with his induction award.

Next, Earl Fritz took to the stage to receive his award. “I never understood how excited one could be until I was called by Dave Mills (retired GAO Executive Director) and told that I would be inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Golf Association of Ontario. I was excited and honoured. I was on a cruise in the Mediterranean at the time. The excitement got to me so much that I had to phone Dave and thank him all the way from Barcelona. I’d like to thank all of the other inductees for all of the work they have done to develop the game of golf. Thanks to everyone who is here and to the GAO for such a big honour.”

John Henrick accepts his induction award from Jim King.

John Henrick then was presented his recognition and shared some of the thought he had before heading out for his Hall of Fame round of golf earlier in the day.  “I can’t thank you enough for this honour. I am so proud to be a member of the golf scene, still as a player. My last competitive round was played in 2008 at Royal Woodbine and I shot a 70 on a par 72 course. My first competitive round I went to caddie but then herd my name called by the pro shop. Our pro told me I was to fill in for one of the pros. I shot a 74. Ladies and gentlemen 61 years later, I’m getting better!”

Kim Locke speaks on behalf of Bob Weeks.

Only earlier in the day the final inductee Bob Weeks notified the GAO that he had a family emergency to tend to and would be unable to attend. However, his friend and colleague from SCOREGolf Kim Locke stepped in to say a few words. “The last thing I wanted to do was to be here speaking for Bob. I know how honoured and excited he was to have the opportunity to be here tonight. The SCOREGolf brand and its success over the years, without Weeksy, would not have grown and might not even exist today.”

Locke closed with the speech that Weeks had sent to him just hours before the ceremony. “I have been so fortunate to be able to travel far and wide, meet people and enjoy this wonderful game of golf on so many levels. The best part of it all is just how many friends I have made, for that I am blessed. Not a day goes by that I don’t realize how lucky I am to do what I do. To be honoured here tonight is humbling and extremely exciting.”

With that the 2014 class entered the hall capping off an excellent Hall of Fame Day celebration.

UXBRIDGE, ON— The Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Team Ontario wrapped up their preseason exercises, April 25-27, with one final team camp at the Legends on the Niagara Battlefield golf course, site of the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys’ Championship. The camp was designed as a jumpstart for the athletes as they begin their competitive seasons. The camp featured a three-round tournament, the Team Ontario Cup, along with daily training sessions with strength and conditioning coach Andrew Hoermann.

Max Sear

“The big thing was really to jump start the team for the season,” said coach Reggie Millage. “The Team Ontario Cup was a great way to get them in that competitive mode, shake off the rust and fine tune technical issues, especially with the late start to the season this spring.”

This was the second time the GAO held a cup competition for the team that simulated an official tournament. On the boys’ side of the competition, it was a two-horse race with Max Sear and Sam McNulty putting distance between them and the rest of the team. Heading into the final round, Sear held a three shot lead, but McNulty shot an impressive 4-under par on the final round and with Sear 1-under for the day, a playoff was needed. Sear birdied the first playoff hole to take the boys side in a thriller. Both finished the tournament at 1-under par for the three rounds.

As for the girls, Monet Chun came up with a great final round finishing even for the day (14-over for the competition) and was able to hold off Annika Haynes to capture the title.

Sam McNulty

“Some of the players were very good throughout the three rounds,” added Millage. “Sam’s 68 on the final round really stood out as well as Max’s whole competition, which was very consistent. As for the girls, I think Monet’s game is really rounding into form. It is nice to see her put everything together. I felt Annika really hit and drove the ball well and pushed Monet in that final round.”

In addition to what was seen on the course, Millage reported that across the board, the teams’ strength and conditioning test results were up. “We really saw an increase in speed that translated to the course, even though they battled some tough weather conditions.”

With many players beginning their competitive schedule in the coming weeks, Millage said the camp was a great opportunity for the players to see what they needed to work on individually. “We used the launch monitor and ShotByShot to get feedback and statistics on what they need to work on.”

Monet Chun

Heading into the first major event, the Spring Classic May 17-19, Millage says he just hopes all of the team members can play to their potential. “I think they all left with something to work on. We are now in the process of transferring to our in-season facility Granite Golf Club. I will still see them regularly whether they stop in or at tournaments, but I think that now they are truly better prepared for this season.”

UXBRIDGE, ON— The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) has been forced to make site and date changes to their 2014 championship schedule. The major change will see the Men’s Mid Am Championship move both its site and date in addition to some of the qualifiers.

“With the late start to the season, and damage that has been done to some of the courses, specifically greens, we have had no choice but to find alternatives for some of our events,” explained Dave Colling, GAO Director of Rules and Competitions.

The major change comes to the Men’s Mid Amateur Championship. The event was scheduled to take place June 17-19 at the Burlington Golf and Country Club but because of the damage they incurred during the winter, the championship needed to be moved. Now, the Men’s Mid Amateur Championship will take place at Taboo Resort June 23-25, with the practice round on Sunday, June 22.

“We want to thank Taboo for stepping up and offering to host the event on such short notice,” added Colling. “The entire GAO community has been very supportive in dealing with this situation as a result of the tough winter. We thank all the clubs who have helped with not only the new championship site but also the qualifiers.”

For a full list of the changes to qualifiers and the revised GAO Tournament schedule visit: http://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao14/schedule/index.htm

UXBRIDGE, ON— It is going to be a family affair for the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) entry in the 2014 combined event in Lima, Peru: The Manuel Prado Cup (Team) and Carlos Raffo A. Cup (Individual), April 20-26. This year the GAO will be represented by Dave Bunker, who will be playing in this event for the sixth time, and his son-in-law Michael Rutgers, who will make his first appearance.

Bunker, 47, who ranked second in the GAO’s Mid-Am Order of Merit standings, for 2013, resides in Woodbridge and is a member at the Brampton Golf Club. He has won many Ontario Championships including: the 2008 Amateur; 2003 and 2010 Match Play; 2007 and 2010 Mid-Amateur; 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012 Mid-Master; and 2009 and 2010 Public Player. His best finish in Peru was in 2007 when he finished second in the individual competition and in 2010 when his team finished seventh. He will no doubt be looking to atone for last year when he was disqualified for signing a wrong scorecard.

“I wasn’t very happy last year, having to DQ myself after the first round. It was a long way to travel for that to happen. So, I’m looking forward to having some good things happen this year,” said Bunker. “This event is a really nice way to begin the competitive season. The golf course is a very strong test and the players are treated first class in every aspect during the tournament week.”

With the late start to the season, Bunker knows it is difficult to establish performance goals for the event, but he still has an idea of what he would like to achieve. “I guess I’d say I’d like us string together as many quality shots as possible and see where that takes our rounds. If both of us could manage to finish in the top 15 and we could get the team into the top five, then I think that would be a good week.”

As for Rutgers, 29, he was selected for the competition after the top-ranked Mid-Am declined the invitation. He was the third ranked 2013 Mid-Am in the province. He resides in Windsor and is a member of Erie Shores Golf and Country Club. Rutgers is a former pro that got his amateur status back before the 2013 season and went on to finish second at the Mid-Am last season. For Rutgers, it is all about taking advantage of the opportunity.

“I consider the opportunity to represent Ontario in Peru a privilege and am very excited to head to South America for the first time,” said Rutgers. “It will be a fun and great experience not only to visit a foreign country but also to compete against some of the best amateurs in the world.”

Rutgers is not only excited about the opportunity but also with the fact that he will be playing with his father-in-law. “Playing with Dave is always a great experience. We always enjoy playing together, competitive rounds included. Dave has prepped me for Peru as best he can, offering his own personal experiences, hints and tips for managing the course. He is an excellent resource and always ready to help me prepare. Also, knowing that he has been there before is comforting, being that this will be my first time playing in this particular tournament.”

“I think we’ll make a great team,” said Bunker. “We have played together many, many times and know each others’ games as well as we know our own.”

The event, sanctioned by the Peruvian Golf Federation, is hosted by the Lima Golf Club and has been running since 1988. The tournament is open to players with three or less handicaps and draws amateur golfers from all across the Americas and Europe. The players will have two practice rounds (April 21-22) before the first of the four rounds begins on April 23.

The team competition takes the two members scores over the four days and the lowest aggregate is the winner. For the individual competition, the lowest score after 72 holes is declared the winner.

For more information on the event or for round by round results see: www.limagolfclub.ore.pe.

By Brent Long

From being Rookie of the Year at Ferris State College in 1985 to being honoured as PGA of Ontario Golf Professional of the Year for 2013, it’s been a memorable journey for Mark Ahrens.

As a kid from Toronto, Ahrens started playing junior golf with his brother Brian at the Donalda Club, where his parents Lyle and Heidi and Brian remain active members. It was during this time that Mark picked up a passion for the game that set him on a course to become recognized as one of the province`s premier golf professionals.

“It’s a true honour to be recognized by the PGA of Ontario as the Golf Professional of the Year,” says Ahrens who is looking forward to this 16^th season as Head Professional at Kawartha Golf & Country Club in Peterborough. “This past year started off with a great win at the PGA of Ontario Tournament of Champions with our members Marc Savard and Marilyn Self. Then I had an opportunity to play in the PGA of Canada Wildfire Invitational, which was an awesome experience that I was able to share with my family and my two boys were able to play in the pro-am. To close out the year with this award is very gratifying, to me it’s for more than just one year, it’s being recognized for the hard work and dedication to the game over the years.”

After Ferris State, where Ahrens took the Professional Golf Management Program, only one of two offered in the United States at the time, he spent two years as an assistant at The Toronto Hunt under Head Professional Bill Morrison and then seven years as an assistant at York Downs G&CC under Bruce McCarrol.

He spent two years as the Head Professional at Tam O`Shanter GC in Toronto before applying for the position at Kawartha, to replace Al Hosick, who was the club’s Head Professional from 1968 to 1998 and was the PGA of Ontario Club Professional of the Year in 1987.

The move to Peterborough turned out to be perfect for Mark and his wife B.A. as they started to raise a young family. Truth be told, golf is a family affair in the Ahrens household. B.A. looks after the golf shop books, works in the shop on men’s night, plays with the ladies on ladies’ night, helps out with the merchandising and fills in where needed. Their two boys learned the game at an early age at Kawartha and it`s in their blood. Ryan, 16, is working with PGA of Canada Master Professional Henry Brunton and is hopeful of a golf scholarship, while Mitchell, 18 is currently in his first year of the PGM Program at Georgian College.

As for the secret behind his success at Kawartha, Ahrens says being there when needed, being part of the fabric of the club and providing a first-class member experience is essential to longevity at a club for a head professional. It`s also about connecting with the 630 members and their families on a personal level. Kawartha has consistently had one of the top junior programs in the province average in excess of 100 youngsters per year and 2013 was no different with 120 signed up for leagues, programs and clinics.

“Mark has transformed Kawartha into one of the best serviced clubs anywhere in the country, says Ian Webb, Executive Professional at Credit Valley G&CC. “Mark leads by example; he is an astute businessman as his golf shop consistently parallels big city clubs in sales and service. He represents the best of what the PGA has to offer in professionalism, integrity and enthusiasm for the game. Ahrens has also mentored close to 15 up-and-coming PGA of Ontario members who have passed through his shop over the years.

“Mark’s conduct and level of involvement at our Club and in the community is the envy of other area Clubs. He provides constructive input when asked and attends all Golf committee meetings; it’s important to him. He has instilled his qualities and approach to customer service in all of his staff from his assistant professionals to his back shop staff. Mark Ahrens is a person that doesn’t just wear the title Professional, he lives it,” says Tom Waudby, President, Kawartha G&CC.

GAO Productions presents the 2014 Team Ontario!

By Brent Long

It’s been back to basics for Mike Martz over the past three years and he’s been loving every minute of it.

After nearly two decades as a head golf professional, Martz switched gears in 2011as he left behind the daily grind of managing golf course operations to join the Golf Performance Center at Whistle Bear and work with kids.

Since that time Martz, 50, has found his stride coaching and teaching young golfers while committing himself to becoming a leader in the field by attending and completing several PGA of Canada conferences including Coach of Developing (CDC) training, Coach of New Competitors (CNC) training and certification among other learning opportunities.

As a 12-year-old Martz started shining shoes at Conestoga GC and over a 17-year period worked his way up to being the club’s head professional. From there he went on to spend three years as an associate at Westmount G&CC before spending 14 years as the Head Professional for the City of Kitchener’s two municipal layouts. Now, his commitment to youth golf is paying off as he has been named The PGA of Ontario Junior Leader of the Year for 2013 and is looking forward to a super busy 2014. Martz will coach upwards of 250 young golfers this year – 80 per cent of his clients are junior golfers.

“With my degree in Kinesiology and a love for teaching youngsters, the transition to coaching has been smooth,” says Martz, a former US long drive champion who spent close to two decades doing clinics with legendary Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Moe Norman including Norman’s last one in 2004 at Lionhead G&CC. “So many kids are left on their own to try and figure this game out and it can be a challenging journey. I try to come in there and give them some guidance and create a pathway for them to follow. I have seen a lot of children in the 11 to 13 age group who go through a growth spurt or an awkward stage and we just try to work on other aspects of their games until their growth settles down.”

He’s entering his third season as coach for the “New Competitors” team at Whistle Bear Golf, which is composed of 12, 9- to 14-year-old boys, and just added the Girl’s High Performance Team to his duties. “Mike is always committed to advancing his skills as a coach and is the first to register for educational opportunities. He has a thirst for all knowledge that will allow him to best progress his young students,” says Dave Smallwood, Director of Instruction at The Golf Performance Center at Whistle Bear.

At the grass roots level Mike runs eight one-week long summer camps for boys and girls aged 7-15 years at Guelph Lakes GC that has expanded to spring and fall sessions. He also leads an introductory program for mainly new to the game participants program for the Cambridge Junior Golf Association that includes 64 children from Cambridge. They receive two lessons from Martz and access to play Saginaw GC.

Mike was named Team Waterloo Regional Under 17 Head Coach for the Golf Association of Ontario in November along with Angella Lee who acts as the team’s strength and conditioning consultant. He’s working twice a month with a team of 12 boys and girls ranging from 10 to 16 years of age. They travelled together for a team competition over March Break in Myrtle Beach against regional teams from York and Ottawa.