Uxbridge, ON – Golf Ontario is thrilled to announce a generous $20,000 donation from Mark Zecchino and Golf Talk Canada. This substantial contribution will be used to support Youth Development programs throughout Ontario, bringing us one step closer to our vision of Golf for All.

Golf Talk Canada, the most widely followed Canadian golf program, stands as a proud partner of Golf Ontario. We are delighted that this trusted voice in the Canadian golf community has chosen to back initiatives like Youth on Course Ontario, First Tee, and Mobile Try Golf clinics. These programs all share a common goal: to provide access to golf and introduce the sport to a wider audience, regardless of background, financial circumstances, or abilities. The commitment from Mark Zecchino and his team underlines our collective belief that golf is a sport for everyone.

Mark Zecchino expresses his enthusiasm for this collaboration by saying, “It’s our pleasure to give back and support the work of Golf Ontario in advancing the game for future generations.”

For Kyle McFarlane, Chief Executive Officer of Golf Ontario, this generous donation highlights the potential for more partners in the golf community to make a substantial impact on growing the sport we all cherish.

“We are immensely grateful for Golf Talk Canada’s partnership,” stated McFarlane. “This investment will help us to continue delivering brilliant programs that have the power to positively shape the lives of young people throughout the province. It also provides us with the flexibility to innovate and create new golf programs.”

To learn more about how Golf Ontario is shaping lives through golf and to support our mission, please visit www.gao.ca/donate or contact Raph at rroot@gao.ca. Your support will help us make golf accessible to everyone and inspire the next generation of golfers.

About Golf Ontario

Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial sports organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance, and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 500 member clubs, Golf Ontario 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 hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @TheGolfOntario

To stay informed on Golf Ontario’s championship play, events, and additional updates, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

138 Players were welcomed by beautiful fall weather at the 41^st annual Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship which took place at the prestigious Brampton Golf Club for a 1:15 p.m. shotgun start this afternoon. With just 18-holes of competitive stroke play to determine the 2023 champions, Gary Parker and Bruno Ardito emerged victorious.

Taking home the championship title with a stellar round of -7 under (64), host club members Parker and Ardito (Brampton Golf Club), battled the field to win by one stroke ahead of a tight leaderboard. Right behind the leaders with a 65 6-under par claiming the silver medal was the team of Dan O’Donoghue and Chris Markle (Kawartha Golf Club & Dalewood Golf Club). Finishing in third place with a 66 5-under par was the duo of Clint Ward and Barry Fairhurst (Royal Ashburn Golf Club).

In the post-win comments, the winning pair said with big smiles, “We played well and just “ham ‘n egged” out there today and made lots of putts.” Parker & Ardito won the Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship back in 2019. With this win Parker and Ardito earned themselves a 5-year exemption into the championship and an exemption in the 2024 Ontario Men’s Better-Ball Championship at Oakdale Golf & Country Club.

Golf Ontario would like to thank the players, referees, staff and members for supporting the 2023 Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship. To Brampton Golf Club and your team, thank you for being such excellent hosts and welcoming us once again. Lastly, thanks to our sponsors and partners for supporting golf across Ontario

To view the 2023 Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship leaderboards, visit our Golf Genius page.

About the Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship

The Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship was first contested in 1982. It is open to players aged 55 and older as of the tournament date. The Oakdale Golf & Country Club graciously donated the championship trophy. Notable champions include Ontario Golf Hall of Famers Nick Westlock and Stu Hamilton.

About Golf Ontario

Golf Ontario 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 500 member clubs, Golf Ontario 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 hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @TheGolfOntario

To stay informed on Golf Ontario’s championship play, events, and additional updates, make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

Media contact:

Nick Taylor, Chief Marketing and Development Officer, Golf Ontario

ntaylor@gao.ca

Connor Doyle, Coordinator of Competition, Golf Ontario

cdoyle@gao.ca

The third and final round in the fifty four hole Ontario Junior Tour Championship at FireRock Golf Club is complete, with Alexa Ouellet of Weston Golf & Country Club and Jager Pain of Station Creek declared champions of the 4^th annual event.

Despite the forecast calling for a mostly cloudy day with periods of light rain, the first wave of players were treated to stunning pink and red skies as they warmed up on the range prior to the first pairings heading out from the first tee at eight am. Throughout the day, players dealt with mist, warm sun, light rain and a swirling wind.

Ouellet, who was the clubhouse leader each day, finished an impressive nine under par over fifty four holes of golf with scores of 68, 71 and 71. In second place was youngster Shauna Liu from Station Creek with scores of 72, 73, 68 for minus six and in third overall was Nobelle Park of RattleSnake Point at minus four following rounds of 73, 73 and 69.

There was far more movement up and down the leaderboard with the boys field, but Jager Pain was consistent over all three days and held his round one lead all the way to the final hole of play. Pain finished at minus four following rounds of 70, 70 and 72. His final round playing partners of Luke Smith (Thornhill Club) and Brayden Card (Galt Country Club) finished second and third respectively. Smith shot 73, 73 and 68 for two under par and Card was plus one after shooting 73, 72 and 72.

Ontario Provincial Head Coach Reggie Millage commented after the final round that “The results on both sides were really impressive. There were competitors chasing leaders across the board and it was a shootout on course. FireRock was set up under true championship conditions with yardage to match at over 6000 and 7000 yards respectively.”

View full results here.

Tournament photos available on our Facebook page .

About Golf Ontario

Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial sports organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance, and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 500 member clubs, Golf Ontario 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 hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @TheGolfOntario

To stay informed on Golf Ontario’s championship play, events, and additional updates, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

For more information, please contact:

Nick Taylor, Chief Marketing & Development Officer – Golf Ontario,

ntaylor@gao.ca

John Lawrence, Tournament Directorjlawrence@gao.ca

Round two of the Ontario Junior Tour Championship at Fire Rock GC was played under tough conditions yet again as the winds continued to pose challenges for competitors.

Weston Golf & Country Club and Team Ontario member Alexa Ouellet added to her day one lead after another solid round and now sits atop the leaderboard with a six stroke lead at minus seven after two days over Shauna Liu of Station Creek. Making moves throughout the day, RattleSnake Point’s Lindsay McGrath shares third place with her fellow club mates the Park sisters, Kaprice and Nobelle.

In boys action, Station Creek’s Jager Pain mirrored his efforts from day one going minus two for 70 once again. Several players made some moves behind Pain, most notably Aiden Pavey (Hidden Lake GC) and Kevin Teichroeb (Kingsville Golf & CC) who jumped fourteen spots each to sit T4 joined by Chase Jerome (Royal Ottawa GC) who dropped two strokes on day two. Between the aforementioned players is Brayden Card of Galt CC who picked up two strokes and holds second place followed by Luke Smith of The Thornhill Club in third who shot 73 for the second day in a row.

The final round starts at eight am Wednesday, with all to play for in both fields. The conditions on course here at FireRock Golf Club have been tough, particularly holding onto the fast greens while battling swirling winds around the course.

Commenting on play from day two, Provincial Head Coach Reggie Millage shared that he “…applauded the efforts of those who showed resilience in making positive moves up the leaderboard, and also noted the difficulty in shooting the low round two days in a row as Ouellet and Pain have both done.”

Follow the action through live scoring updates here.

About Golf Ontario

Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial sports organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance, and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 500 member clubs, Golf Ontario 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 hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @TheGolfOntario

To stay informed on Golf Ontario’s championship play, events, and additional updates, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

For more information, please contact:

Nick Taylor, Chief Marketing & Development Officer – Golf Ontario,

ntaylor@gao.ca

John Lawrence, Tournament Director

jlawrence@gao.ca

The last stop on September’s championship schedule is the Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship, returning again to Brampton Golf Club this Thursday, September 28^th as 64 teams will take to the beautiful course with hopes of ending the golf season on a high note with a victory.

With a large field, it’s difficult to say which pairing will have the upper hand heading into the 41^st playing of this event. 2019 champions and home club favourites Bruno Ardito and Gary Parker (Brampton GC), 2021 champions David Wilson and Eamonn McConnell (Toronto GC), past Senior Men’s Amateur Champion David Greenaway and his partner Greg Hotham (Barrie CC), along with many more. There is incredible talent right across the tee sheet, however with just 18-holes of competitive stroke play, the winning duo will need consistent play and strong teamwork to walk away with the coveted hardware.

Head Golf Professional Mike Long said, “the club is very pleased to continue to host and support this championship. The golf course is in great shape. The greens are smooth, and the rough is fairly thick.” The meandering fairways into a river valley below will be a “fair but challenging test of golf that will challenge all competitors.”

Play gets underway with a shotgun start at 1:15 pm. Visit the Tournament Website for more information about the championship including pairings and results.

About the Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship

The Ontario Senior Men’s Better-Ball Championship was first contested in 1982. It is open to players aged 55 and older as of the tournament date. The Oakdale Golf & Country Club graciously donated the championship trophy. Notable champions include Ontario Golf Hall of Famers Nick Westlock and Stu Hamilton.

About Golf Ontario

Golf Ontario 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 520 member clubs, Golf Ontario 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 hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @TheGolfOntario

To stay informed on Golf Ontario’s championship play, events, and additional updates, make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

Media contact:

Nick Taylor, Chief Marketing and Development Officer, Golf Ontario

ntaylor@gao.ca

Tournament contact:

Connor Doyle, Coordinator, Competitions, Golf Ontario
cdoyle@gao.ca

The fourth annual Ontario Junior Tour Championship got underway Tuesday at FireRock Golf Club following two days of skills testing at the Super Camp presented by Foresight Sports Canada.

While the region received more rain in the overnight hours, strong winds blew any bad weather away as players set out on course just prior to eight in the morning. The first wave saw the boy’s field off through twelve groups followed by another ten groups of girls.

There was a tight race to the leaderboard in the boys division, with a number of players within two to three strokes of each other at the top. Ultimately it was Jager Pain from Station Creek Golf Club who signed the lowest scorecard of the day at minus two for 70 (par 72 for boys), closely followed by Chase Jerome of Royal Ottawa Golf Club at one under par 71. Nathaniel Yoo of Meadowbrook Golf & Country Club sits third and six more players share positions T4 and T6 at one and three over par respectively.

It was a different story on amongst the girls as Team Ontario member Alexa Ouellet of Weston Golf & Country Club finished her first round at minus five 68 (note par 73 for girls play), followed by Shelby Hardwick (Summit Golf & CC) and Shauna Liu (Station Creek GC) at minus 1 for 72 and three players T4 at 73 even par in Wendy Li (Summit Golf & CC) and sisters Kaprice & Nobelle Park (Rattlesnake Point GC).

Provincial Head Coach Reggie Millage shared “Anything under par today under those tough conditions was impressive, so I was very pleased with the final results of the day. We are only a third of the way through the tournament, so there is lots of golf still to play and anything can happen in round two and three.”

Round two action will commence Wednesday morning at 7:50 am with the girls going out in the first wave.

Follow the action through live scoring updates here.

About Golf Ontario

Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial sports organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance, and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 500 member clubs, Golf Ontario 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 hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @TheGolfOntario

To stay informed on Golf Ontario’s championship play, events, and additional updates, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

For more information, please contact:

Nick Taylor, Chief Marketing & Development Officer – Golf Ontario,

ntaylor@gao.ca

John Lawrence, Tournament Director

jlawrence@gao.ca

Golf Ontario would like to thank all of the sponsors, partners and foursome participants for their support of the inaugural Ontario Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament – presented by Foresight Sports Canada and held at FireRock Golf Club in Komoka on Monday afternoon.

Despite some rain in the area on Sunday evening, skies cleared in plenty of time for guests to warm up on the range (sponsored by John Weber and Take 5 Productions) ahead of their scheduled tee times.

Golf Ontario CEO Kyle McFarlane greeted each foursome at the first tee to thank them for their support, and send them off with a junior boy or girl selected from across the almost seventy athletes assembled for Super Camp and the Tour Championship.

Playing under a scramble format, it was the foursome representing Golf Canada that emerged victorious with a low score of 56, followed closely by two groups tied at 57. Congratulations to Golf Canada Regional Director Mike Dinner, and his team who were joined by junior player Graydon Laughlin of Ottawa.

There were two proximity contests during play with a close to the pin and long drive contest for both men and women. Congratulations to Dan Larsen and Nancy Bertrand for winning the long drive contests and to Pete Willems and Jennifer Meek for winning the close to the pin contests. Contest winner received a Stealth Driver and sixty degree wedge respectively for the two contests, courtesy of Golf Ontario partner TaylorMade Canada.

Additional draw prize winners were selected randomly from the field and six golfers received a Step-Kick Caddy courtesy of Durham Artificial Grass.

Following the welcome address from McFarlane and Provincial Head Coach Reggie Millage, and the prize presentations, guests enjoyed a wonderful three course meal prepared by the team at FireRock and sponsored by Humber College PGM. Dinner was accompanied by a selection of wine from partner Noble Estates Wine & Spirits and a host bar supported by Hospitality Partner Golf Genius.

In conjunction with the fundraising tournament, an online auction took place in the days leading up to the event, which closed for bidding at 7:30 pm Monday evening. Congratulations to all the successful bidders, and thank you for your support. Winners will be contacted shortly to arrange delivery of their auction lot. A special thank  you also goes out to all those that donated to the auction from member facilities, coaches engaged in the Super Camp and various participants and sponsors.

A survey will be shared with all participants in the coming days, so that we can gather feedback on how to continue to enhance the event experience next year as we grow this important fundraising event in support of junior performance pathways.

We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

In the Fall of 2022 at Monthill Golf & Country Club, Golf Ontario in partnership with a local organizing committee from the Six Nations of the Grand River, held the first ever Open Indigenous Championship.

The event served as a catalyst for British Columbia Golf to begin planning their own Indigenous Championship which was held in May of 2023, as well as a Ryder Cup style event to be held this September following the second annual Indigenous Ontario Championship.

Each Provincial Association selected a team of eight men and eight women stemming from their respective events to compete in the Inaugural Indigenous Challenge Cup that got underway today with practice rounds at Bear Mountain.

To follow Team Ontario during the two day competition, visit the BC Golf event page here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Golf Ontario is pleased to share details surrounding the 4^th Annual Ontario Super Camp presented by Foresight Sports Canada and held in conjunction with the inaugural Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament and Tour Championship at FireRock Golf Club.

Team Ontario Provincial Head Coach Reggie Millage stated that “The Super Camp and Tour Championship was created to extend the golf season for Ontario’s best juniors with a major event to end the season. The Super Camp brings the top Junior Golf Pathway ranked golfers together in one place. It allows us to deliver our most comprehensive and educational combine experience of the year. The Tour Championship is the culmination of the JGP Rankings and the AJGA Exemptions that are earned over the course of the season.”

Thanks to the ongoing support of partners like Foresight Sports Canada – the presenting sponsor of the camp, participants will benefit from national testing protocols supported by industry leading technology.

Following an exciting season of combines and competition, there are a number of key competitors expected to shine at the camp and tournament. A full list of competitors can be found here, along with recent results for the following highlighted athletes. 

Luke Smith- The 2023 Ontario Jr Boys Champion just committed to the University of Tennessee, is looking to maintain AJGA exempt status and also recently attended the Team Canada Selection Camp.

Manav Bharani- 2023 accomplishments include being the Ontario U15 Champion and T2nd at the U17 Championship. Manav comes in as one of the hottest juniors at the end of the season and also attended the Team Canada Selection Camp.

Jager Pain- In the Top 10 at the Canadian Junior Boys and U17 Championships, Jager earned an invite to the Team Canada Selection Camp. Pain will be the highest JGP ranked U17 competing in the Tour Championship.

Shauna Liu- Looking to add on to one of the best seasons ever by a U15 golfer, Shauna currently leads all JGP Rankings in U19, U17 and U15 divisions. Liu won the Ontario Junior Girls, Ontario Spring Classic, Ontario Jr Girls Match Play and Ontario U15 Championship.

Lindsay McGrath- Hot off a playoff victory at the U17 Championship, Lindsay finished T3 at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

Aryn Matthews- Currently stands in 3rd place on JGP U19 Rankings. Aryn is a current Team Ontario Member and has top finishes (2^nd) in NextGen Ontario and (3^rd) Ontario Jr Girls Championship play.

Nobelle Park- Currently chasing down Shauna Liu in both the U15 and U17 divisions, Nobelle narrowly lost a playoff at the U17 Championship this season. Park was 3rd at the U15 Championship and an amazing 10th at the Ontario Women’s Amateur.

About Golf Ontario

Golf Ontario 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 500 member clubs, Golf Ontario is one of the most significant 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 hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.

For more information, please contact:

Nick Taylor, Chief Marketing & Development Officer, Golf Ontario NTaylor@gao.ca

Follow the progress of the Tour Championship here.

September 21st, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Uxbridge – Golf Ontario is pleased to announce a multi-year sponsorship renewal with Foresight Sports Canada.  The commitment from Foresight has many layers, including being recognized as the “Official Launch Monitor and Golf Simulator Partner” of Golf Ontario, and continuing as a “Founding Partner of the Junior Golf Pathway”.

To celebrate the renewal of the agreement and demonstrate their commitment to the ongoing development of the Junior Golf Pathway, the company is also the “Presenting Sponsor” of the inaugural Golf Ontario Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament taking place at FireRock on September 25^th in conjunction with the Ontario Super Camp and Junior (U19) Tour Championship also presented by Foresight Sports Canada.

Foresight is a global leader in the development of golf performance, entertainment, and game enhancement solutions and is known as one of “The Most Trusted Launch Monitors in the World”. Their products support golfers to Play Smart, Play Anytime, Play Anywhere and Play Healthy. Across North America, the company supports the ongoing development of junior golfers through their industry leading UpNext™ program, which is their new Junior Player Development Program specifically designed to connect today’s best and most passionate players with our game-changing technology.

Ryan Finn, Chief Sport Officer with Golf Ontario remarked that, “Golf Ontario is committed to developing the next wave of talented junior golfers from across the Junior Golf Pathway. To have the full support of Foresight Sports Canada, as a partner in providing best in class technology that has a direct impact on the coaching and development of so many young aspiring golfers is invaluable.”

In announcing the renewal, Aaron Hardy of Foresight Sports Canada said, “We are thrilled to partner with Golf Ontario and share access to our world-class products with their participants and members. We are particularly passionate about supporting the next wave of junior golfers as you can see by the many areas of Golf Ontario’s programming that we support.”

About Foresight Sports Canada

The exclusive distributor of industry leading sports measurement and analysis technologies for Entertainment and Coaching applications from leading global brands Foresight Sports, Swing Catalyst and PuttView.

Foresight products include launch monitors, simulators, performance/entertainment software, and smart mobility solutions for a variety of sports and games. Foresight Sports first golf launch monitor, the GC2 “Game Changer” Smart Camera System was introduced to the market in 2010 and within six years became the best-selling professional-grade launch monitor ever created.

In 2017, Foresight Sports unveiled its ground-breaking four-camera GCQuad launch monitor. Featuring complete ball, club head, and putting data in a compact and portable unit, the GCQuad set a whole new standard of accuracy for performance analytics, and has been awarded Golf Digest’s Editors’ Choice Award for Best Launch Monitor for four consecutive years. The GCQuad has also become the launch monitor of choice for more PGA Tour players, top golf retailers and manufactures, and coaches and fitters than any other technology.

About Golf Ontario

Golf Ontario 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 500 member clubs, Golf Ontario is one of the most significant 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 hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to Shaping Lives Through Golf.

Learn more about Golf Ontario Partners and Sponsors

For more information, please contact:

Nick Taylor, Chief Marketing & Development Officer, Golf Ontario NTaylor@gao.ca

Aaron Hardy, President, Foresight Sports Canada ahardy@foresightsports.ca

Junior players interested in the UpNext™ Player Development Program can apply online at:https://lp.foresightsports.ca/upnext/