UXBRIDGE — The lifeblood of Golf Ontario is truly the volunteers that make running events and services possible. On October 2, from Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge, those volunteers were given the royal treatment at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Day, themed crowning moments. The volunteers were treated like the kings and queens they are as they were recognized for all of their contributions, culminating with the presentation of the District Volunteer of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award, and Honorary Life Director Award.
“On behalf of the board, I personally want to thank each and every one of our volunteers,” said Golf Ontario Board Member Ivy Steinberg. “Thanks also as a competitor because we don’t play with out you. Without each and every one of you our events don’t happen. It is often overlooked how important you are to our organization. I know how much time goes into volunteering and that you have many things you could be doing in your lives. Thank you for everything you do.”
Honorary Life Director— Jim King
Honorary Life Directors are recognized for their outstanding achievements through their involvement as a Committee and Board Member. This year, the award went to Waterloo’s Jim King, an individual who has made tremendous contributions to the association and golf in the province.
In 2014, King became the first Golf Ontario President to serve a second term. He has been a volunteer with the Golf Ontario since 2008, serving on the Finance, Rules and Competitions, Marketing and HR and Compensation committees, while spending countless hours as a tournament starter and Level 3 Rules Official.
Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award— Lee Griffin
The Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award is considered the highest honour recognizing individual service to the game of golf in Ontario. The award is named after Richard H. Grimm, who was affectionately known as “Mr. Canadian Open” for his service to the event from 1965 to 1993. Golf Ontario’s Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual’s meritorious service as a volunteer. Recipients of this award embody the principles of integrity, dignity and commitment, which are central to the volunteer experience and to Mr. Grimm’s persona.
The 2017 recipient is Cambridge resident Lee Griffin. Griffin has been a rules official for more than 17 years. She also served on the Board of Directors from 2003 to 2006. Griffin has been a part of numerous committees and currently chairs the Officials Development Committee. In addition to the hours spent on the course, Griffin has also been instrumental in teaching new officials. She has helped in administering exams and putting more people through rules training programs. Thanks to the time she has spent, Ontario has one of the highest pass rates for rules training.
“I am hugely honoured and still in shock,” said Griffin. “When I received the call I was absolutely dumbfounded, I literally didn’t know what to say. A lot of people who I have worked with in the past, that I have looked up to and who have mentored me, have won this award. So to be joining such an accomplished group is really cool and I could not be more proud.”
Volunteer of the Year— Lea Hill
The Golf Ontario Volunteer of the Year Award has been designed to recognize and honour a Golf Ontario volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding performance and contributions while preserving the integrity and traditions of the game.
This year’s recipient is Mississauga’s Lea Hill. Hill has been a vital member of York District Course Rating Team for the past several years and has taken on the role of Team Coordinator. In this role, he sets up the dates that course rating will take place and then actively solicits the assistance of the other members of the team. He has also developed standardize rating sheets that the team uses for landing zones and greens. These have greatly streamlined the work course raters do and made the transfer of data to those doing the charting simpler.
“I must say I was quite surprised and honoured when Chris Osborne (Golf Ontario Past President) called me to tell me I was receiving this award,” said Hill. “I believe I share this award with every volunteer. We all volunteer our time and I know everyone enjoys what they do.”
District Volunteer of the Year— Sheila Buglass
Golf Ontario’s District Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes volunteers who embody the spirit of volunteering and have shown dedication by making significant contributions in promoting, supporting and expanding golf within their district community.
This year the District Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Toronto’s Sheila Buglass. Buglass has been treasurer of Scarboro District and Golf Scarboro for 22 years. She has assisted at the Scarboro tournaments by doing registration, scoring, and photography. She gives sage advice to the committee and contributes at her home club (Westview Golf Club) by organizing events and mentoring new golfers.
Golf Ontario would like to congratulate all of the award winners and send a special thank you to all of the Golf Ontario volunteers who make everything the association does possible.
To see photos from Volunteer Appreciation Day click here.
SCARBOROUGH— The lifeblood of Golf Ontario is truly the volunteers that make running events and services possible. On October 11, from Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club in Scarborough, those volunteers were celebrated with the annual Volunteer Appreciation Day. The volunteers got to walk the red carpet as they were recognized for all of their contributions, culminating with the presentation of the District Volunteer of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award, and Honorary Life Director Award.
“To me, one thing that is irrefutable is that volunteers are the greatest resource we have,” said Golf Ontario President Chris Osborne, as he addressed those in attendance. “Thank you to all of our volunteers because without you we can’t do anything. We can’t run events, we can’t rate golf courses and we certainly can’t help juniors. The folks in this room are what makes the association run and I hope we always do a good job in letting you know how much we appreciate all of your efforts.”
Honorary Life Director— John Turner
Honourary Life Directors are recognized for their outstanding achievements through their involvement as a Committee and Board Member. This year Golf Ontario chose to recognize an individual who has made tremendous contributions to the association and golf in the province, John Turner.
Turner continues to support Golf Ontario as a Rules Official, Rules Educator and membership analyzes. He has served on the Golf Ontario Board of Directors, from 2010-2015, and as the Officials Development Chair. Turner has also spent time on the Finance, Sport and Membership committees. In addition, Turner has conducted online rules seminars to help educate and prepare officials for certification or re-certification.
He remains active at Golf Ontario championships as a Rules and Senior Rules Official.
Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award— Ralph Franchino
The Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award is considered the highest honour recognizing individual service to the game of golf in Ontario. The award is named after Richard H. Grimm, who was affectionately known as “Mr. Canadian Open” for his service to the event from 1965 to 1993. Golf Ontario’s Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual’s meritorious service as a volunteer. Recipients of this award embody the principles of integrity, dignity and commitment, which are central to the volunteer experience and to Mr. Grimm’s persona.
The 2016 recipient is Ralph Franchino. A Golf Ontario Course Rater and Course Rating Team Leader for more than 15 years, Franchino has had tremendous relationships with the clubs he has rated and has always finished his rating assignments in a timely manner. He always welcomes new team members and takes extra time to help train and make each individual an effective rater. Franchino is a mentor for whomever he comes in contact with.
“I am very honoured to be associated with the noble Mr. Canadian Open,” said Franchino. “Personally, I believe this belongs to all of the volunteers because all of the ones I have met are so dedicated to promoting Golf Ontario and the game of golf.”
Volunteer of the Year— Jim Arbuckle
The Golf Ontario Volunteer of the Year Award has been designed to recognize and honour a Golf Ontario volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding performance and contributions while preserving the integrity and traditions of the game.
This year’s recipient is Jim Arbuckle. Arbuckle has been a volunteer for eight years as a Course Rater and occasional Tournament Official, when his schedule as a Course Rater permits. This year, Arbuckle stepped up to take on additional responsibilities for the Course Rating team, helping with team leader roles. Arbuckle is always willing to help and has acted as an additional Course GPS volunteer in the Waterloo district.
“This is overwhelming!” Said Arbuckle. “To me this means that I am part of a larger organization in Golf Ontario. I have a great team that I work with and they are part of this award. I have a great team at Golf Ontario that I work with as well.”
District Volunteer of the Year— Elaine Jackson and Colleen French
Golf Ontario’s District Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes volunteers who embody the spirit of volunteering and have shown dedication by making significant contributions in promoting, supporting and expanding golf within their district community.
This year, Golf Ontario honoured a pair of individuals with the award: Elaine Jackson and Colleen French. Jackson has been a volunteer in the Kingston District for four years. She negotiates with the clubs for tournaments, gets reduced entry fees for members and more importantly for juniors. Jackson has successfully added net flights to all district tournaments and has encouraged clubs to do likewise. Jackson is at every tournament and does registration, scoring and award presentations.
“This award means that I have been recognized by my peers and Golf Ontario for doing a great job, and that means a lot to me,” said Jackson.
French has successfully managed the Scarboro District for the past five years. She helped to establish an array of events that encourages all golfers within the district. For the last few years, they have run a Men’s Four-Ball event to try and build male participation within the district. Colleen is always willing to help where needed.
Golf Ontario would like to congratulate all of the award winners and send a special thank you to all of the Golf Ontario volunteers who make everything the association does possible.
MISSISSAUGA — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) was pleased to announce the recipients of the 2015 Volunteer Awards on October 5, at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Day held this year at the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club.
The GAO volunteer recognition program has been designed to recognize outstanding performances and contributions by volunteers who have played an instrumental role in promoting the growth and development of amateur golf throughout the province of Ontario, while preserving the integrity and traditions of the game.
“Our volunteer team in Ontario is second to none and their dedication to the growth of the sport is inspiring,” said GAO Interim Executive Director Mike Kelly. “From course rating to championships to committee work, volunteers move our association forward with passion and for that we are grateful.”
This year, the GAO presented two Honourary Life Director Awards, two Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Awards, the Volunteer of the Year Award and the District Volunteer of the Year Award.
Honourary Life Director Awards — Bill Muzak & Jim Bristow
Honourary Life Directors are recognized for their outstanding achievements through their involvement as a Committee and Board Member. This year the GAO chose to recognize a pair of individuals who have made tremendous contributions to the association and golf in the province.
Bill Muzak, a resident of Baden, can often be seen and heard at many GAO events as a starter welcoming players and guests to the tee at tournaments. He has been volunteering as a Tournament Official since 2001. He also served on the Board of Directors from 2008 to 2014 during which time he sat on numerous board and operating committees.
Jim Bristow, from London, is a past Ontario Golf Association President (1996) and has been a volunteer with the GAO since 2002. He is a level 4 Rules Official, but also works as a Site Coordinator, Senior Rules Official and currently serves on the GAO’s Finance/Risk Committee.
Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award — Randy Millage & Kathy Hill
The Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award is considered the highest honour recognizing individual service to the game of golf in Ontario. The award is named after Richard H. Grimm, who was affectionately known as “Mr. Canadian Open” for his service to the event from 1965 to 1993. The GAO’s Dick Grimm Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual’s meritorious service as a volunteer. Recipients of this award embody the principles of integrity, dignity and commitment, which are central to the volunteer experience and to Mr. Grimm’s persona.
Kathy Hill, a Mississauga resident, has been a course rater for more than 20 years. She has been a Team Leader and Chair of the Handicap & Course Rating Committee and is designated as a Master Course Rater. Throughout her time volunteering with the GAO, Hill has shown strong leadership and interpersonal skills. She has taken on additional responsibilities in the form of recruiting and training new course raters and has always been willing to help out when called upon.
Randy Millage, from Ennismore, has been involved in golf in the province since 1980. His work has concentrated on junior programs that began out of his home club: the Peterborough Golf & Country Club. He has also served as club president and on numerous club committees. Millage teamed up with the GAO in order to organize junior events. The events helped to open doors for junior golfers by making connections with NCAA schools. Millage is also a Certified Rules Official and has been a Site Coordinator at GAO qualifiers and championships for many years.
Volunteer of the Year — Pat Newman
The GAO Volunteer of the Year Award has been designed to recognize and honour a GAO volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding performance and contributions while preserving the integrity and traditions of the game.
Pat Newman, a native of Collingwood, has been a GAO volunteer since 2007. As a dedicated Rules Official, Newman has demonstrated his leadership skills in that role along with the positions of Senior Rules Official and Site Coordinator. One of Newman’s greatest accomplishments happened in 2014 when he took on the task of writing and introducing the GAO qualifying manual. It became evident that the manual is a valuable resource for new and returning volunteers and has provided consistency at qualifiers that are operated by volunteers.
District Volunteer of the Year — Shirley Egerton
The District Volunteer of the Year Award has been designed to recognize those volunteers who embody the spirit of volunteerism and have shown dedication by making a significant contribution in promoting, supporting and expanding amateur golf within their district.
Shirley Egerton, who lives in Bath, has been volunteering with the GAO since 2009 as a Tournament Official and has been the Kingston District Coordinator since 2013. Egerton has fully embraced her district community and has taken a special interest in promoting and supporting junior golf in the district. She is always available to help and takes time to mentor new volunteers at qualifiers and championships.
The GAO congratulates all of the 2015 award winners and thanks all of the volunteers who put in countless hours to make GAO events successful.
