The Uxbridge, Ontario-based wealth management firm’s partnership with Golf Ontario promises to significantly enhance this year’s event, taking place on September 9 at Granite Golf Club.
The Junior Golf Drive is an unforgettable fundraiser dedicated to advancing Golf Ontario’s junior performance programming. The support from this event enables Golf Ontario to continue nurturing the next generation of high-performance golfers in the province.
Participants in this year’s Junior Golf Drive will enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience, featuring 18 holes of golf alongside Team Ontario and Next Wave athletes. The event includes registration gifts, breakfast, a three-course lunch, prizes, and a silent auction. Funds raised will support Golf Ontario’s Junior Golf programs, including The Junior Golf Pathway, Next Wave Program, and Team Ontario.
For more information about this year’s Junior Golf Drive, visit juniorgolfdrive.ca. Opportunities are still available for those looking to participate or partner in the event.
Nearly 50 of Ontario’s top golfers with a disability will compete for a provincial title.
Since its inaugural championship in 2019, the Ontario Adaptive Championship has allowed golfers with disabilities to showcase their skills as well as ensuring a proper pathway towards player development.
Chris Garner (ParaGolf Ontario), the 2022 ALD World Long Drive Champion in the Adaptive Division.
Team Ontario coach, and two-time winner of the Ontario Junior Boys Spring Classic, Reggie Millage.
QUOTES
Kyle McFarlane, Golf Ontario CEO: “We are excited to kick off the sixth playing of the Ontario Adaptive Championship next week at the amazing Weston Golf and Country Club. This championship consistently delivers memorable moments and exceptional play, underscoring the power of our sport and Golf Ontario’s commitment to Golf For All.”
Orr Lake Golf Club Stepping Up to Make Impact on Youth, Under-Represented Communities
Golf Ontario
Since partnering with Golf Canada, First Tee – Ontario has been bringing the joy of golf to youth across the province through various in-school and after-school programs.
These initiatives have not only introduced young people to the sport but have also played a crucial role in building character, instilling values, and teaching the importance of integrity, perseverance, and respect, thereby enriching their lives both on and off the course.
“The whole purpose of First Tee is to help communities that are under-represented,” said Sue Westwood, PGA of Canada professional with more than 20-years of experience.
Orr Lake Golf Club in Elmvale was named an official First Tee – Ontario location by Golf Canada on April 26.
Jason Harris, general manager and facility owner, was a heavy influence in having his course host. Why? His passion for growing the game of golf in Ontario.
“We’ve been doing these things (to grow the game) within the community for 10 years now,” he says.
While running the First Tee program from Orr Lake Golf Club, Harris and Westwood have already worked together to bring several programs to both youth and adults either new to the game or in under-represented communities.
The most notable program is Golf in Schools, which teaches elementary school students the game of golf, whether they are first-timers or have heard bits of the game, and helps them build character and confidence to play.
“When I see a child go out there and hit a ball for the first time, their expression on their face is priceless,” says Westwood. “They have a big smile on their face, that’s what the big payoff is for me.”
When teaching children who are just picking up a golf club, Westwood might teach the basics of hitting a ball, but the ways she does it are centred around team building and passion for the game.
“I get little sayings that are helpful for the kids to remember, like hot dog and a bun when they go to grip the clubs, so they make sure to keep their hands together,” she explains. “From there, I say ‘in golf, do you want to have your hands apart or together,’ then they’ll all say ‘together.’”
Other lessons Westwood would give to children are the “triangle” position (feet lined up with ball) and lining up the club face to the target on swings.
“Now they all want to come back to class because they all had so much fun,” she said.
Orr Lake Golf Club currently sponsors five schools: Hillsdale Elementary School (Hillsdale); Our Lady of Lourdes School (Toronto); Wyevale Central Public School (Tiny); Huronia Centennial Elementary School (Elmvale) and St Antoine Daniel Catholic School (Toronto).
Recruiting schools and children into the Golf in Schools program is a lengthy process for both Harris and Westwood, who started reaching out to them early in the year before the golf season even starts.
“I’d go into the schools, and I’d introduce the sport to grades one thru five, and I just set up little putting station, chipping and a full swing station,” Westwood says.
Then, once Orr Lake opens for playing around mid-April, Harris and Westwood arrange for the children of each school at a time to be bussed to the course.
“We pay for the buses to come here (Orr Lake), and expenses allow buses to go back and forth to the schools, pick up any grade, they come here, then we take them around our three-hole, Par-3 golf course,” explains Westwood.
For purposes of having fun, the children are paired into groups and go out on to the Orr Lake’s three-hole course and not just hit off a driving range or putt on a practice green.
“We basically invested in that as part of our ‘Growing the Game’ initiative,” explains Harris. “We needed a spot where beginners and where Sue (and Paul Jennings – previous pro – before her) had a location where they can go and teach.”
The most recent school to join the Golf in Schools program was Christian Island Elementary School, located on an island in Georgian Bay that is an Ojibwa reserve and home of the Beausoleil First Nation.
Despite the location, Harris and Westwood went to even greater lengths to get more children into the game, going to them by ferry and setting up their own mini course.
“We ended up setting it up in their baseball field, and we set up five small holes,” Westwood said. “They all had a really good experience once they started playing.”
Westwood taught four separate classes, which showcased both the basics of the game, team-building exercises and the spirit of playing golf.
“Some of them had never heard of golf before, some had and it was a really good experience,” she said.
In total, Harris and Westwood expect to see around 600 students come to the course this year.
“Paying for the buses, paying for Sue’s time to go into the schools, paying for the kids to come out here with Sue and one of our inspectors to organize everything, so we’re investing quite a bit with the focus of introducing more people to the game of golf,” Harris says.
The club doesn’t just host the Golf in Schools program, but some of their other programs include Ladies Learn to Golf, which has 180 members, Kids Play Free and other programs for more under-represented communities that both Harris and Westwood believe don’t get a lot of opportunities.
“We’re not in a big, populated area, we’re sort of in the middle of nowhere, we’re a small community-based golf course, and that’s where we decided to put all our energy and our focus (into growing golf),” he said.
Each program, particularly Golf in Schools, was at risk of being shut down when the COVID-19 Pandemic was in full swing.
“We missed a bunch of COVID years, but we started back up again last year, so our second year back at it again since COVID,” says Harris.
For getting people in his community into golf, Harris expresses gratitude for having staff that understand and have the same feelings of growing the game as he does.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have started off with Paul Jennings (former CPGA Professional), we’re very fortunate we ended up with Sue Westwood, and both of those golf pros had the same philosophy and really wanted to focus on growing the game of golf,” he said.
Harris believes the latest recruitment of Christian Lake Elementary School, and the upcoming recruitments of Tay Shores Public School (Harbour) and Mundy’s Bay Elementary School (Midland), can lead to future expansion and bring more schools into the fold.
“Teaming up with Golf Canada and the First Tee program is basically giving us access to funds to expand this (Golf in Schools) program further than what would just benefit our golf course,” Harris explained.
By raising enough funds from running First Tee – Ontario out of Orr Lake Golf Club, Harris hopes to take a “big lead” to sponsor more schools further away from the course in order to further grow the program and bring more children into the sport.
“Ultimately, we are in the golf industry, it’s not just about my golf course, and the bigger we can make this and the more we can expand this, the better it’s going to be for everybody around,” he says.
Uxbridge – Golf Ontario proudly announces the 2024 Team Ontario Roster which features 16 of the provinces top performing U19 golfers. The selected athletes have demonstrated exceptional skill, dedication, and results, earning them their place on the 2024 Team. Four members will return from the 2023 team, and will be eagerly joined by twelve new athletes.
The 2024 Team has four returning athletes that include Aryn Matthews (Bigwin Island Golf Club), Alexa Ouellet (Weston Golf & Country Club Ltd.), Jordan Hwang (Emerald Hills Golf & Country Club), and Graydon Laughlin (Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club). These Team Ontario veterans had some great achievements in 2023, two wins for Alexa at the Ontario Women’s Four Ball and Super Camp & Junior Tour Championship, Jordan advancing to Match Play at the U.S Junior Amateur Championship, a breakthrough season for Aryn with four top 10 finishes all while making the cut at Canadian Women’s Am and Canadian Junior Girls and 3 top 10 finishes from Graydon including the NextGen Atlantic Championship.
Team Ontario has six new additions joining on the female side, who all had top-rated success in the 2023 Championship season. For the first time in Team Ontario history there will be twin sisters, Nobelle and Kaprice Park (RattleSnake Point Golf Club) who finished 2nd (Nobelle) and 4th (Kaprice) in the U17 Junior Golf Pathway Rankings. Joining the Park sisters Bridget Yu (Golf Canada Club) with a second-place finish at the NextGen Atlantic Championship. Alongside them is Shelby Hardwick (Summit Golf & Country Club) with 7 top 10 finishes, Wendy Li (Summit Golf & Country Club with a T11th at the Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship and 7th place finish at Super Camp and rounding off the team is Angela Cai (National Pines Golf Club) who finished T2nd at the Ontario Juvenile Championship and is the top ranked AJGA player on the team.
The new additions to the boy’s Team includes six players with some strong achievements over the course of this past season including being the top-ranked players on the Junior Golf Pathway. Starting off the boy’s lineup is Ben Sheridan (Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club) with 5 top-10 finishes this season. Joining him is Nathaniel Yoo (Meadowbrook Golf Club), who has had a great return to junior golf and finishing his season off with a 4th place finish at the Ontario Super Camp Championship. Alongside them, Dawson Lew (Players Club – Markham) with a victory under his belt at the National Team Challenge and a T15 at the Ontario Junior Boys’ Championship, and Rylan Hall (Whistle Bear Golf Club) with 4 top 10’s this season. Finishing off the team on the boys side is Chase Jerome (Royal Ottawa Golf Club) with a 1st place finish at the NextGen Fall Series East Championship and Bode Stephen (Cataraqui Golf & Country Club) with a second place finish in the NextGen Atlantic.
The team will be led by Head Coach Reggie Millage, PGA of Canada Class “A” professional as he heads into his 11th season as Coach of Team Ontario. Millage is excited to share, “The anticipation of every new season of Team Ontario is energizing and exciting. There is something unique this year though as we have assembled one of the youngest teams I can remember. With so many new great young athletes it’s really going push the ceiling higher of what this group can accomplish in junior golf and beyond.” Supporting Millage is Mental Performance Coach Dr. Charles Fitzsimmons, Physical Performance Coach Dr. Nick Martichenko, who will help enhance the athlete’s skill through fitness, nutrition, and mental performance. Dr. Charles Fitzsimmons is not only one of the top Mental Performance Coaches in Ontario, he is also a 2 time Canadian Mid-Am Champion. Alongside Charles is Dr. Nick Martichenko who helped Professional Tennis Player Denis Shapovalov get to the #10 player in the world. It is no doubt that the team is in great hands.
The team started off their off season training this past weekend in Oakville at the Burloak Indoor Golf facility. Next week the Team will be heading down to Orlando, Florida, for the first opportunity to play on green grass together at International Junior Golf Academy, Bishop’s Gate. The team will spend the week focusing on training, team development and competing in their first tournament together. Following Florida Camp, the team will begin indoor training sessions at Humber College Golf Lab, followed by their second Florida camp in February. In March, Team Ontario will be heading to Myrtle Beach for another camp, and to compete in the Ontario Junior Players Invitational and Can-Am Matches. The team will conclude the off-season training with the final Spring camp as a team in Niagara. The athletes will receive continued support from coaching staff throughout the season.
Congratulations to all of the 2024 Team Ontario members. Golf Ontario, along with our members, volunteers, and partners, look forward to cheering the team on throughout the 2024 competitive season.
About Team Ontario
The Team Ontario program is a unique opportunity for identified athletes in Ontario. These athletes can expect to receive the very best in coaching services, training/competitive opportunities, and peer support as they continue their journey toward excellence in golf and life. Being selected to be part of the Team Ontario program is a tremendous accomplishment but the hard work and dedication doesn’t end at selection. The Team Ontario program places considerable emphasis on developing lifelong excellence in all facets. As such, athletes in the program will receive guidance on themes like time and self-management, strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, tactical strategies, and technical feedback.
Mission: To develop Ontario’s best junior golfers into world-class players on and off the course
2024 Team Ontario Values: Hard Working, United, and Resilient
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.
Team Ontario would like to thank partner Adidas, as their official clothing provider.
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.
Golf Ontario partners with 11:11 Foundation to launch Golf for All Fund
Golf Ontario
UXBRIDGE – Golf Ontario is thrilled to launch its Golf for All Fund with a $225,000 investment from founding partner 11:11 Foundation. The fund is a new initiative designed to financially support the association’s work of enhancing golf participation across the province.
“We are incredibly grateful to 11:11 Foundation for their commitment,” said Kyle McFarlane, CEO of Golf Ontario. “This generous investment serves as a catalyst for the Golf for All Fund – marking a pivotal moment in pursuing our vision to build a more inclusive and diverse golfing community in Ontario.”
Through initiatives that promote increased golf course access, affordable equipment and specially tailored programs for new golfers, Golf Ontario is facilitating the growth of golf as a unifying and community-building sport. With a steadfast commitment to breaking down barriers, the Golf for All Fund aims to expand the sport in underrepresented groups, including;
1. Youth Golf Programs: Recognizing that the future of golf lies in the hands of our youth, we support programs that introduce and nurture young golf talent.
2. Women and Girls in Golf: We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment to increase participation among women and girls.
3. Adaptive Golf Programming: We support programs that make golf accessible and enjoyable for individuals with unique abilities.
4. Indigenous Golf Initiatives: Working alongside key partners, we help establish pathways for Indigenous Peoples to enjoy the sport of golf.
“We are aligned with Golf Ontario’s belief that the opportunity to golf has long-lasting positive effects – and everyone of all abilities, ages and cultures deserves the chance to experience it,” says Kevin Cooper, President, Carriage House Wealth and Trustee of 11:11 Foundation.
The foundation’s commitment over three years marks a significant milestone for the sport of golf in Ontario. It launches endless possibilities for the Golf for All Fund to have a profound and lasting impact on shaping lives in the golfing community – where everyone has the opportunity to experience the benefits of the game.
Kevin Cooper (left) and Kyle McFarlane (right) joined by Golf Ontario Staff
Hitting 1000 balls for a good cause
Further fundraising efforts for the Golf for All Fund include Golf Ontario’s recently launched “1000 Ball Challenge” campaign, which has raised $30,000 since September.
This peer-to-peer fundraising initiative encourages individuals, teams and golf enthusiasts to support the Golf for All Fund by attempting to hit 1000 golf balls in one day.
Each event embodies the spirit of community, athleticism, and philanthropy, creating a win-win scenario where participants challenge themselves while contributing to the growth of golf in Ontario.
For further information about the Golf for All Fund please visit gao.ca/donate
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.
