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Bill Carrington and Clarence Semrau are the latest recipients of the PGA of Alberta’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Carrington was a club professional for more than a half century, the bulk of that in the Wild Rose province. That includes 20 years as the head pro at Windermere Golf and Country Club.

Semrau made his mark in the industry as the longtime owner and operator of Golf Supply House.

The 84-year-old Carrington is currently recovering from back surgery, but it’s his goal to attend the PGA of Alberta Awards Ceremony, which are scheduled for October 23. 

“To receive this Lifetime Achievement Award from the PGA of Alberta is a tremendous honour,” Carrington said. “I have been a PGA of Canada member for 64 years, with 44 of those years right here in Alberta. It’s been a real pleasure watching my family grow up in golf and witness their successes in the golf industry. Over the course of my career, I am proud to see that many of the men and women that I was lucky enough to mentor have moved on to become accomplished professionals in the golf industry. 

“I am truly honoured to be recognized.”

Carrington started his career with the PGA of Canada in 1960. He arrived in Alberta in 1972, moving from Montreal to become head pro at Windermere. He was a fixture at ‘Windy’ for the next two decades, popular among members and also widely respected by his peers. In fact, he was voted the PGA of Alberta’s Club Professional of the Year in 1988. 

He would later work at Edmonton Petroleum Golf and Country Club, Pine Hills Golf Club, Wolf Creek Golf Resort and Speargrass Golf Course. 

Carrington was successful as a player, winning the PGA of Alberta Championship in 1980 and PGA of Alberta Seniors Championship in 1990. He also served from 1994-2010 on the provincial board of directors, although his greatest impact might have come through his mentorship. Eight of his assistants would eventually be hired as head professionals. He influenced even more as an instructor in the golf management program at what is now MacEwan University.

“I remember when I first came to Edmonton in 1983, going down to see his pro shop, just to see how he arranged it, and I was just blown away by how he everything arranged so professionally,” recalled Bill Penny, a longtime PGA of Alberta pro and close friend of Carrington. “I think he made it a really exciting atmosphere for his young assistants to work in. On the outside service part of it, he really shone in that, just to give the membership a first-class service. Just everything was well-organized. Tournaments were well-organized. Everything that a professional should do at a club, Bill was doing. And for the young assistants to see this, I’m sure that helped lead to their success.  

“And he still follows all the young pros that come into the business or are accepting their first jobs. He always tries to get ahold of them and congratulate them and wish them success, and he’s always there to lend an ear. He’s just a tremendous man.”

Semrau passed away in 2018. He’ll be represented at the PGA of Alberta Awards evening by family and friends. 

“I can guarantee he would have been very surprised,” said Semrau’s son-in-law Craig Moody, who also worked alongside Clarence as general manager at Golf Supply House.

“Whatever he accomplished, he never wanted to make a big deal out of it. That was kind of his default, just the way he rolled. 

“So, I think he would be surprised but very appreciative.”

Semrau had been running a custom home-building business and was looking for his next challenge when he purchased a company called National Marketing of Canada in 1986 and rebranded it as Golf Supply House. 

While Semrau wasn’t a PGA of Alberta member, he enjoyed a strong relationship with countless pros and earned a reputation for superb customer service. If a course was having issues with range equipment or other gear they’d purchased through Golf Supply House, he’d often show up to fix it himself. 

“He was about people. He always wanted to help people,” said Semrau’s daughter, Maureen Moody. “It was important to him that his customers were happy. The people that worked for him and with him, he wanted to look out for them. He didn’t care what titles he had. If there was something he could do to help, he just wanted to do that. If he could drive across the city or outside the city to help somebody to repair something or anything like that, it’d be like, ‘Off he goes.’ You could just see he cared.”

When Semrau wasn’t working, he loved to spend his free time on the fairways and greens. He and his wife, Shirl, were members at Silver Springs Golf & Country Club and would take their clubs to Arizona during the winter months.

Under Semrau’s leadership, Golf Supply House stepped in as title sponsor for the PGA of Alberta Assistants Championship, something that continued even after he sold the company in 2010.

Both Semrau and Carrington will be celebrated with deserving colleagues who have made significant contributions to the game of golf over the past year when the PGA of Alberta hands out nine additional awards to honour their extraordinary achievements in 2024.