WRAPPING UP A 2020 GOLF SEASON LIKE NO OTHER
2020 started like any other golf season, with Alberta Golf busy planning our Spring Launch, Family Golf Festivals, Recreational Series, Junior Golf initiatives, Championship Tournaments and much more. By the middle of March, with the arrival of COVID-19, we wondered if a single tee shot would happen on a golf course anywhere in the province this season. With the tireless efforts of the NAGA-AB Coalition in the spring, working with the provincial government, golf courses were allowed to open in early May under strict and well thought out COVID-19 protocols. While some planned activities had to wait until 2021, golf courses across the province were packed this summer. The McLennan Ross Alberta Junior Tour saw decade high registration, the Youth on Course program grew by 800% and we were able to run our Championship Schedule across the province all summer. Golfers were simply happy to get outside, see their friends, connect, enjoy, compete and experience the new normal for a few hours. Please enjoy the following content outlining what Alberta Golf has been up to the past few months as the golf season ended and planning for 2021 commenced. Happy holidays!
ALBERTA GOLF ANNOUNCES 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
2021 will see top golfers in the province compete at courses from Lethbridge to Calgary, Red Deer to Edmonton and great locations in between. Look for more information on our 2021 Championship schedule in the new year.
View 2021 Championship Schedule here
THE RECREATIONAL SERIES EXPANDS
The popular Alberta Golf Recreational Series will be expanding in 2021! There will still be 3 events at the spectacular mountain courses Fairmont Banff Springs, Jasper Park Lodge and Stewart Creek Golf and Country Club and 4 more events will be added to this series, one each in Southern Alberta, Calgary area, Central Alberta and the Edmonton area. Also an exciting 6 event Junior Girls Rec Series will happen across the province for the very first time. Full dates and venues to be announced in the new year. The recreational series is for golfers of all levels of ability, truly “For Everyone”.
ALBERTA GOLF FORMS SAFE SPORT TASK FORCE
The Board of Directors at Alberta Golf have approved the formation of a Safe Sport Task Force to do a
thorough review and provide recommendations for implementation in the spring of 2021.
YOUTH ON COURSE PROGRAM GROWS BY 800%
2020 was the second year for the Youth on Course pilot program in Alberta that saw 24 courses across the province open up their fairways to youth under the age of 18 to play for $5 or less. In 2019 over 1,000 rounds were logged and that increased to 8,000 rounds in 2020, an amazing 800% increase. Please take the time below to learn more about Youth on Course and how you can get involved to help break down barriers of cost to get a kid on the course for $5 or less!
ALBERTA GOLF SUPPORTS 25 ATHLETES IN THE 2021 PLAYER SUPPORT PROGRAM
The Sport Development program is designed to support
athletes across the province by providing programs and services that ultimately help them reach their competitive goals in the sport. Support is provided to athletes, coaches, and facilities who are committed to developing the game of golf in the province of Alberta.
GOLF CANADA ANNOUNCES 2021 NATIONAL AMATEUR AND JUNIOR SQUADS
Golf Canada has announced 29 athletes, male and female, who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2021 National Amateur and Junior Squads. Brendan MacDougall and Hunter Thomson, both from the Glencoe Golf and Country Club in Calgary are the two Albertans to make the teams.
ALBERTA GOLF FOUNDATION LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
The Alberta Golf Association Foundation was established in 1994 and is focused on supporting students on their path to pursue a post-secondary education. Please check out our new website, your support goes a long way.
ALBERTA GOLF ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION
Alberta Golf is excited to announce that Sarah Urbanowski has joined our team as Director of Business Transformation, responsible for leading market research and developing a value proposition for the recreational golfer and enhancing digital innovation within Alberta Golf.
HIGH HONOUR FOR ALBERTA GOLF GRAD KATE MARTENS
University of Victoria golfer Kate Martens has been awarded the prestigious Provost Award for Academic Excellence. Kate is the captain of the UVIC Women’s golf team and an Alberta Golf scholarship recipient as well. Kate earned a perfect 9.0 GPA in the faculty of Economics and is the first member of the University of Victoria golf team, male or female, to ever win this award.
ALBERTA GOLF SORTS THROUGH OVER 100 YEARS OF HISTORY TO DEVELOP HALL OF FAME DISPALYS
Former Alberta Golf volunteer Richard Beavers enjoyed seeing an old photo of himself during a recent visit to the Alberta Golf office. Meggan Gardner the Director of Heritage Services with Golf Canada has been busy sorting through over a hundred years of historical items that will go on Hall of Fame displays at our tournaments in the future. Enjoy this video of the work Meggan and the Alberta Golf staff are doing to preserve the history of Alberta Golf.
ALBERTA GOLF RADIO COMMERCIAL AND TV PSA
Alberta Golf was proud to provide for all levels of golfers in 2020, from the hackers to the high performers, from the young to the young at heart, Alberta Golf is “For Everyone”. Please check out our Radio commercial that ran this summer on TSN1260 Radio YEG Golf Show in Edmonton and News Talk 770 CHQR Radio in Calgary. And watch our Television PSA that ran across the province all season.
