Team Alberta Wins the InterZone Competition at the PGA Assistants’ Championship
While the individual champion will be crowned later today (September 14th), the InterZone Championship was decided yesterday with the Cobra Puma Golf PGA of Alberta team consisting of Mitchell Fox, Wes Heffernan, Michael Harrison, and Jared Nicolls winning by 11 strokes over the PGA of Quebec! Congratulations on the exceptional play and keeping the trophy in Alberta after winning last year at The Winston GC.
PGA of Alberta Partners with Triple Bogey Brewing Co. for Buying Show Cocktail Reception
We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Triple Bogey Brewing Co. as Presenting Sponsor of the Buying Show Cocktail Reception. Festivities get underway after Day 1 of the Show, Tuesday, October 18th.
The Cocktail Reception will be hosted at Hotel Arts (10-minute walk from the BMO Centre) from 5:00-7:30pm. All attendees and exhibitors of the Buying Show are invited to the event which includes complimentary appetizers and Triple Bogey beverages!! It’s an event you don’t want to miss! Click here to let us know you and your team will be attending.
“Super stoked to be back in beautiful Alberta supporting my great friends at the PGA,” said Geoff Tait, Founder and President of Triple Bogey Brewing. “Looking forward to getting the party started and working in close collaboration with valued members and partners. Together we grow this game.”
About Triple Bogey Brewing Co… Founded in 2014 by Geoff Tait (the guy who brought you Quagmire Golf) and wife Megan, the Triple Bogey Brewing Company has come a long way since cracking and crushing that very first can. The company has seen year over year growth, surpassing 3 million cans sold in 2021!
2022 was Triple Bogey’s biggest year to date. The brand’s unique brand of beverages are served at over 400 Golf Courses and in excess of 800 locations; including bars, restaurants, indoor golf facilities, driving ranges, LCBO and Grocery outlets. Alongside their family of refreshingly original favourites, the debut of Half & Half Hard Lemonade & Iced Tea crushed all expectations, proving history can repeat itself.
Triple Bogey offers 3 year round full flavoured Lagers (Blonde, Light, Amber) in addition to a Non-Alcoholic option. Hard Lime Seltzer entered the mix in 2020, while Half & Half Hard Lemonade & Iced Tea made its crazy popular debut in 2022. And let’s not forget the seasonal brew Hurry Hard!, for those winter crazed curling enthusiasts.
Headquartered in Toronto and brewed in London Ontario, Triple Bogey is locally concentrated but with demand at an all-time high has established distribution partners across Canada and begun to find the fairways (and more friends) in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
New Leader in the Top 100 Program & Change to the Program Rotation Year
With the Top 100 Program presented by Foresight Sports Canada & TaylorMade Golf Canada finishing on September 30th, members are doing all they can to move up in the rankings to finish inside the exclusive top 100 list. Points in the following two categories have recently been awarded to members that qualify; Mentorship Program and PGA of Alberta Committee Involvement.
After a recent point update, we now have a new leader in the program! Sam Kirkness (Inglewood G&CC) has taken over top position in the standings at 88 points overall. Sam is aiming for his first Top 100 Award but was the winner of the former Professional Development Program back in 2018. The Professional Development Program was revamped in 2019 to today’s Top 100 Program.
The competition is not over yet though with our former point leader Greg Johnson (Inglewood G&CC) sitting only one point back of Sam at 87. This is setting up for an interesting finish to the program year as both Greg and Sam hail from the same club so bragging rights are on the line. Remaining in third place is Assistants’ Board President Bryce Halverson (Carnmoney GC) at 81 points.
Please remember that points are still being tallied and will continue to be tallied in the first week of October. Award Finalists for 2022 will be counted in this program year, as well as Extracurricular Approval Form submissions before the end of day on Friday, September 30th.
UPDATE FOR 2023 - NEW PROGRAM ROTATION YEAR After review of the program, the Association will now use a calendar year moving forward for the program year rather than the previous October to September of the following year model. For 2023, the program year will begin October 1, 2022 and go until December 31, 2023 to cover the gap of the rotation change. After that year is finish, the Top 100 Program will run from a January 1 to December 31 timeline.
There are several reasons for this change in the program year rotation. One of the primary goals was to better spread out major Association programs and events allowing for a balanced calendar. The Association will be able to focus more on specific programs and events throughout the year with a more balanced schedule. Another objective was to increase engagement with the membership during the off-season. With the program year now ending December 31st, members will continued to be engaged with the program until the end of the year to ensure they are maximizing their point total.
The winner of the Top 100 program for 2023 will be recognized at the Annual General Meeting in March of 2024. The current top 10 in the standings (as of September 29th) are listed below.
Cash Prize Increase The PGA of Alberta will now be offering 20 cash prizes at the end of this program year valuing $8,200! The cash prizes will be sent after the Buying Show to the top 20 point earners for the program. See cash prize breakdown by clicking here.
New Cash Bonuses In addition to the 20 cash prizes, the Association will also giveaway8 cash bonuses of $100 eachto the top point finisher(s) in the below member categories (number of cash bonuses dependent on total number of members in the categories). This added amount puts the cash prize total at$9,000for the Top 100 Program (cash prizes + bonuses).
Apprentice Professionals - Top 2
Class “A” / Teaching Professionals - Top 3
Head / Head Teaching Professionals - Top 2
Executive Professionals - Top 1
Please note that cash prizes and the Top 100 Professional initiative are still based off the overall standings and not by the member category standings. Click here for standings by membership category. How to Earn Points See where you can earn points by clicking the link below and looking under the "Point Allocation" tab. Please remember that the program year officially ends on September 30th at 11:59pm. Click Here for the Extracurricular Approval form.
Top 100 Professionals Remember that theTop 100 point earners will be recognized as a “Top 100 Professional” for this program year. The annual Top 100 Award is given out to the member who accumulates the most points for the program year.
PGA Buying Show Less Than 1 Month Away - Register Today
The PGA of Alberta Buying Show hosted onOctober 18–20at theCalgary BMO Centre is less than 1 month away!Click here to registeryou and your staff for the annual industry event.
Registered Exhibitors With 77 vendors registered to date for the Show this year, companies are eager to see the membership and their teams in person after a two year hiatus. Click Here to view Exhibitor list.
Registered Facilities Click Hereto see if your facility is currently registered for the Buying Show.
Complimentary Food & Beverage at the Show Gordon Food Servicewill be providing complimentary food and beverage options for ALL Exhibitors and Attendees located in the 19th Hole (centre of the floor plan) for the entire 3-days of the Buying Show! This will help your facility save costs as well as gives you a chance to try their food and re-energize yourself while at the Show.
Invite your General Manager, Facility Owner and Food & Beverage staff to the Show Gordon Food will have a booth within the 19th Hole giving members and facilities a great opportunity to review all their on course and clubhouse needs for future seasons.
How to Register Registration is simple and can be completed online in minutes. In order to register, please note and the follow the steps below;
Log into the PGA of Alberta website and go to the Events tab > Buying Show > 2022 Attendee Registration.
Click “Register Now” and follow steps to officially register for the Buying Show.
IMPORTANT - Make sure you click "+ Add Another Attendee" below Attendee Information to register multiple people from your facility.
Fleming/Stiles Victorious at Team Match Play Championship
Congratulations to our 2022 Srixon/Cleveland Golf Team Match Play Championship presented by Nike Golf overall Champions - Riley Fleming (Lynx Ridge GC) & Scott Stiles (Earl Grey GC) who won the South region Championship and were victorious over their competitors from the North Bracket - Nick (Windermere G&CC) & Spencer (Edmonton Petroleum G&CC) Vandermey.
It was a beautiful day for Golf at Red Deer G&CC and saw a great battle take place on the course between our two teams. The South got out to an early lead behind some strong putting from Scott Stiles and were 2-Up following 9-holes of play. After clawing 1 back on #9 after a Birdie from North Team’s Nick Vandermey, the South team again created some separation after a Riley Fleming Birdie on #10. The Teams traded winning holes or sawing them off for the next 5 holes to leave the South 3-Up with 3 to play. After a Birdie on #16 the South Team closed out the victory with some stellar play throughout. The North Team fought valiantly and had some good looks throughout the day that they were just unable to convert on and that was the difference in the match.
Thank you to our Sponsors:
Srixon / Cleveland Golf Canada & Nike Golf
South & Overall Champions: Riley Fleming (Right) (Lynx Ridge GC) & Scott Stiles (Left) (Earl Grey GC)
North Champions & Finalists below: Nick (Windermere G&CC) & Spencer (Edmonton Petroleum G&CC) Vandermey
Association News
Only 3 Days Left to Apply for a $1,000 Bursary
The PGA of Alberta is proud to present 4 bursaries each year to deservingApprentice Professionals and/or Class "A" Assistant/Teaching Professionalswho meet or exceed the Bursary criteria. The Association is pleased to increase the bursary amount this year to $1,000 each!(previously $750).
All seasonal and year-round Apprentice Professionals and Class "A" Professionals (who are not employed as Head/Executive Professionals) are eligible and encouraged to apply. A minimum of two of the bursaries will be reserved for seasonal Apprentice Professionals (working 9-months or less). All Information will be held in strict confidence.
Deadline to apply for a bursary is September 30th at 11:59pm. The bursaries will be awarded at the Awards Banquet in Calgary on Wednesday, October 19th.
*Save Draft Feature* Please remember you can save your applications online before submitting. This allows you to complete an application form intermittingly rather than all at once. Please follow the steps below.
You must be logged into your account to be able to save your draft.
Save Draft button is located at the bottom of every application form on the website.
To find Saved Drafts, please go to "My Account" or "Manage Account" and click ’My Saved Drafts’.
Allred Reclaims Seniors’ Championship for 7th Time
Day two at the Lakeside GC Seniors’ Championshippresented by MKRAK & Schooley Mitchell saw a much needed return to a sunny sky and much better conditions for our competitors.
Our 2022 Seniors’ Champion is: Scott Allred (Elbow Springs GC) who carded two excellent rounds to finish at 5-under par overall for the Championship. Scott carded a great 2-under par 69 in Round 1 and followed it up with an excellent 3-under 68 today to clinch the Championship by 5-strokes. Scott had 4 Birdies on the card today and is in possession of the PGA of Alberta Seniors’ Championship for the 7th time now in his career.
In a two-way tie for Second Place was: Kent Fukushima (PGA of Alberta Member) & Randy Robb (Mickelson National Golf Academy) who put together two great rounds of golf to finish the Championship at even-par overall. Kent and Randy both finished with Championship totals of: 142.
In Fourth was: Gord Courage (The Hamptons GC) who played two solid consistent rounds of golf carding +1-over 72’s each day to finish with a Championship total of 144. Rounding out our Top-5, in a 3-way tie for 5th Place was: Grant Cammidge (Jagare Ridge GC), Darryl James (National Golf Academy at Shaganappi) & Kevin Day (Billy D’s GC) who all played two solid rounds for the Championship, finishing at +3-over par overall with Championship totals of: 145.
Congratulations to our Super Senior Division (60+) winner: Dean Walker (PGA of Alberta Member) who carded two great rounds to finish the tournament at +12 and in solo 13th place of the main Championship division.
Congratulations to our 3 skins winners today: Kent Fukushima with a Eagle on #4, Bob McArthur with a Birdie on #9 & Jason Stanier with a Birdie on #13.
Rutherford Romps to Victory at First Ladies’ Championship
Day two at the Lakeside GC Ladies’ Championship saw a much needed return to a sunny sky and much preferred playing conditions for our competitors.
Our 2022 Ladies’ Championship Champion went wire-to-wire over two rounds and is: Katy Rutherford (Silver Springs G&CC). Katy played two excellent rounds for the Championship and shot an impressive 2-under par 70 for R1 in extremely difficult conditions. She followed it up with a great +2 over par 72 today to finish the event Even-par and prevail over her nearest competitor by a 9-stroke margin of victory. Katy had 5 Birdies on the card today and finished with a Championship total of: 144.
In solo Second Place was: Gina Nelson (Magrath GC) who was our 2 time defending Champion and had to relinquish the title this year but still played 2 great rounds. Gina carded a great even-par 72 today which included 3 Birdies but was unable to overcome the gap Katy established after R1. Gina finished the Championship at a great +9 over par with a Championship total of: 153.
Rounding out our Top-3 today was: Shaye Leidenius (Wolf Creek GR) who played two solid rounds for the Championship and carded a +6 over par today with 1 Birdie on the card. Shaye took 3rd place with a 3-stroke margin over her nearest competitor. Shaye finished with a Championship total of: 155.
Congratulations to our Day 2 Skins Winners: (Gina Nelson on #2 & #5, Katy Rutherford on #3, #4 & #12, Crystal Shapka on #8, Marsha Rogers on #10.
Randy Robb Rolling After R1 of Seniors’ Championship at Lakeside GC
Today saw Day 1 of of The Seniors’ Championship presented by MKRAK & Schooley Mitchell and hosted at the always welcoming Lakeside GC. The course is in great shape, however, conditions were tough for the field with our first fall seasonal weather arriving today.
After Round 1, our Leader is: Randy Robb (Mickelson National Golf Academy) who carded an excellent 3-under par 68 in difficult conditions at best. Randy carded a even-par 35 on the front-9 and followed it up with a stellar 3-under par 33 on the back-9. Randy had 6 Birdies on the card today.
In 2nd Place is: Scott Allred (Elbow Springs GC) who carded a great 2-under par 69 in difficult conditions. Scott carded 1-over par 36 on the front-9 and followed it with a great 3-under par 33 on the back-9. Scott had 3 Birdies on the card today.
Rounding out our Top-5, in a 4-way tie for 3rd is: Kevin Day(Billy D’s GC), Darryl James (National Golf Academy at Shaganappi), Gord Courage (The Hamptons GC) & Jason Stanier (Inglewood G&CC) who all carded +1-over par 72’s today to remain well in contention for the 2022 Seniors’ Championship.
In Seventh Place is: Kent Fukushima (PGA of Alberta Member) who carded +2-over par 73. In Eighth Place is: Grant Cammidge (Jagare Ridge GC) who carded a +3-over par 74. In Ninth Place is: Gord Newis (The Glencoe G&CC) who carded a +4-over par 75. Rounding out our Top-10, in a 4-way tie, after carding +6-over par 77’s is: Bob MacDonald(Douglasdale GC), Andrew Fox (Ardmore GC), Bruce Hardy (Glendale G&CC) & Scott Bergdahl (Lakewood GR).
Leading our Super Senior Division (60+) is Darrell MacDonald (Mill Woods GC) who carded an excellent 2-over par 73 to hold a 1-stroke over his nearest competitors which will make for an exciting Round tomorrow!
First tee time is at 9:00 AM tomorrow and our last group tee’s it up at 10:57am sharp. Congratulations to our 1 Skins winner today who won $900 - Scott Bergdahl (Lakewood GR) with a Birdie on #9.
Katy Rutherford Rollicks to Lead After R1 of Ladies’ Championship
Today saw R1 of the Ladies’ Championship at the beautiful Lakeside GC and saw the course in mint shape for our competitors but the first frigid fall conditions throughout the day which made for a challenging round.
Leading the way in difficult conditions is: Katy Rutherford (Silver Springs G&CC) who carded an outstanding 2-under par 70 today. Katy carded a great 3-under 33 on the front and followed it up with a solid +1-over 37 on the back-9 to hold a 6-stroke lead over her nearest competitor. Katy had 1 Eagle and 3 Birdies on the card.
In Second Place is: Rhonda Carter (Blue Devil GC) who carded a great +4-over par 76 today in tough conditions. Rhonda carded +4-over par 40 on the front and followed up with a even-par 36 on the back-9 to keep some heat on Katy at the top.
Rounding out our Top-3 is: Shaye Leidenius (Wolf Creek GR) who carded a solid +5-over par 77 in tricky conditions. Shaye carded a +4-over 40 on the front and followed it up with 1-over 37 on the back-9. Shaye had 1 Birdie today.
First tee time is at 11:06 AM tomorrow and our final group tee’s it up at 11:33 AM. Congratulations to our skins winners today with 7 Skins paying out: Katy Rutherford with a Skin on: #4, #8, #9 & #17. Rhonda Carter on # 2 & #6 and Carmen Kinas on # 13! Each Skin pays out: 31 $.
Fox Retains Lead and Heffernan Fires Course Record at PGA Assistants’ Championship
Following up on an eight-birdie 66 on Monday, Kevin Stinson of British Columbia was quick out of the gate during the second round, making five birdies in his opening seven holes to take the lead from Mitchell Fox. However, a flurry from Fox late in the round, as he did during the first round, gave Fox the lead right back.
“It felt good today, no bogeys and no holes where I had a chance to make bogey, it was cleaner today and I seem to like those last six holes,” said Fox, in reference to the final six holes which he has played 8-under par over the course of the past two days, including an eagle on 17 each round.
“I hit driver and had 270 yards to the pin in the back and had 60 feet and made it from there. A little different from yesterday,” laughed Fox, who hit it to a foot on the hole during round one.
The Inter-Zone Championship wrapped up after the second round, with the Alberta squad claiming the event for the second time in as many years – this time by 11 strokes.
The team consisting of: Wes Heffernan, Mitchell Fox, Jared Nicolls and Michael Harrison managed to beat Quebec by 11 strokes.
Along with the leader, Fox, team member Heffernan played a large part in the team’s victory, firing a course-record 63 on Tuesday.
“It was one of those rounds where Kevin (Stinson) got off to such a hot start so right away I was five, six or seven behind him,” said Heffernan. “I had to get going so I made an eagle on No. 5 and played the par fives six under, which helps things, and I made a few putts coming in, and signing for a 63 is pretty cool.”
The final round of the PGA Assistant’s Championship of Canada is today (September 14th). Click the above link to follow the live scoring.
Lynx Ridge GC Succesfully Defend Their Callaway Golf Pro-Assistant Title
Round Two of the Pro-Assistant at the spectacular Jasper Park Lodge GC and sponsored by Callaway Golf was hugely successful. We had a solid field of 53 teams and 106 Professionals. This year saw a continuation of the 6-6-6 format of play with Teams playing: Scramble (6-holes), Scotch Ball (6-holes), Best Ball (6-holes) which makes for an extremely exciting Leaderboard with plenty of movement throughout both Rounds.
Our 2022 Callaway Golf Pro-Assistant Champions are our 2021 Defending Champions who hail from: Lynx Ridge GC - (Matthew Kirlin + Riley Fleming) who put together two outstanding rounds of golf and carded an excellent 7-under par 64 today to finish the tournament at an awesome 13-under par! Matt and Riley tore the course up today with 8 Birdies on the card to clinch their 2-peat by 1-stroke over their nearest competitors.
In Second place was the Team representing: Cardiff G&CC - (Dallas Cantera + Matt Mah) who played two great rounds of golf and carded an excellent 7-under par 64 today to finish the tournament at 12-under par. Dallas and Matt had 1 Eagle and 5 Birdies on the card today.
In a two-way tie for Third Place was the Teams representing: Speargrass GC - (Jacob Manz + Mitchell Fox) & Windermere G&CC - (Jason Hnatiw + Nick Vandermey) who all played two great rounds of golf. Team Speargrass carded an awesome 6-under par 65 today to finish the tournament at an excellent 11-under par. Team Winderemere G&CC carded a great 5-under par 66 to finish the tournament at an excellent 11-under par as well.
Rounding out our Top-5, in a 2-way tie for Fifth Place was the Teams representing: Sirocco GC - (Craig Gibson + Dru Bolen) and Leduc GC - (James Whitton + Kasey Timms). Team Sirocco GC carded 5-under par 66 and Team Leduc GC carded 4-under par 67 today to finish the event at 10-under par.
Nikirk & Robb In the Lead After R1 at Callaway Golf Pro-Assistant
Today saw the second last event of the season at the spectacular Jasper Park Lodge GC and sponsored by Callaway Golf. We have a solid field of 53 teams comprised of 106 Professionals playing today who had to brave the brisk fall weather but were treated to some good summer heat this afternoon. This year saw a continuation of the 6-6-6 format of play with Teams playing: Scramble (6-holes), Scotch Ball (6-holes), Best Ball (6-holes).
Leading the Pack after an excellent Round One today is the Team representing: Mickelson National Golf Academy (Dave Nikirk + Randy Robb) who carded an outstanding 7-under par 64 today. Dave and Randy had 8 Birdies on the card today.
The first tee time is now set for: 8:28 AM tomorrow and our final grouping of: Mickelson National Golf Academy (Dave Nikirk + Randy Robb) & River Bend G&RA (Logan Hill + Phil McCluskey) are set to tee it up at: 11:56 AM.
The Callaway Golf Pro-Assistant is just around the corner and is all set for next Tuesday and Wednesday at the stunning Jasper Park Lodge GC. Tee times start at 11 AM sharp for Round 1 and is set for a 8:12 AM start for Round 2. Last year’s defending Champions hail from Lynx Ridge GC - Matt Kirlin & Riley Fleming who will look to retain the title this year. The format for play will remain a 6/6/6 set with Scramble followed by Scotch Ball finished with Best Ball.
Pistorius & Smith victorious at Team Match Play South Best Ball Event
The rescheduled Team Best Ball event is now complete for the Srixon / Cleveland Golf Team Match Play Championship South presented by Nike Golf. Thirteen Teams competed at Woodside GC today in the excellent summer conditions and we saw some great scores on the leaderboard.
Congratulations to Albert Pistorius + Scott Smith(Country Hills GC) & (Dynamic Motion Golf Performance Centre) for shooting the low round of the day with a scorching score of 9-under 61 in the team best ball format. Albert and Scott bested their nearest competitors today by 2-strokes to win the event.
Congratulations to the 4 players that passed the Play Ability Test today hosted at Woodside GC. All players shot the target score or better (78) to successfully pass and become an Apprentice Professional of the PGA of Canada. Congratulations to the following: