Last year, Canadian golf fans were treated to a truly momentous year in Canadian golf.
Highlighted by Nick Taylor cementing his place in Canadian sports history with his unforgettable 72-foot winning putt to become the first Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open in 69 years. The silhouette of Taylor’s iconic putter toss now finds it’s permanent place as the tournament’s official logo.
While there is much to celebrate from this year’s on-course performances, milestones off the course deserve as much attention.
Year end is often time for pause and reflection on moments and experiences that helped to shape our past season. 2024 is no different, with much to reflect upon and celebrate that was simply, good for the game.
Golf, It’s Good For You – Ahead of World Health Day, Golf Canada launched a season-long campaign that highlights the many health benefits that the sport can provide. The campaign – Golf, It’s Good for You – focused on golf’s positive physical, mental and social benefits to significantly improve one’s quality of life.
All of the World Health Organization’s key criteria for health enhancing physical activity can be achieved through golf. It is an activity that incorporates strength, balance, endurance and cognitive challenges, and has also been shown to improve cardiovascular fitness, enhance mental agility and foster social connections. In recent studies, it’s even been found to combat over 40+ chronic diseases.
Along with the launch of the campaign a golf and health website along with enhancements to Golf Canada’s Mobile App were introduced. For more information on the many health benefits the game can provide, please click here.
Expansion of She Plays Golf Festivals and introduction of new Championship Series – She Plays Golf was first piloted in Calgary in 2023 and expanded to the Greater Vancouver Area and Greater Toronto Area in 2024 providing more programming and opportunities for women to try golf. She Plays Golf festivals feature inclusive programming for women and girls, addressing gaps in the participation pathway and introducing new women and girls to the game in a safe, fun and judgement-free environment.
Three week-long festivals featured 23 events at 18 golf facilities with over 800 women and girls engaged in She Plays Golf programming. Over 580 festival participants who were new to golf experienced activities led by close to 90 women coaches and volunteers.
In addition to the festivals, a new championship series was introduced featuring three enhanced 54-hole tournaments. The Peloton Glencoe Invitational, GOLFBC Group BC Women’s Open and the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada were part of the She Plays Golf Championship Series in 2024. In addition to prize money, the top two finishers at each event earned direct exemptions into the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open. Team Canada members Lauren Kim and Anna Huang (Peloton Glencoe Invitational), Ellie Szeryk and Brooke Rivers (GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open) and Michelle Xing and Katie Cranston (ORORO PGA Women’s Championship) earned exemptions.
Plans for She Plays Golf in 2025 will be announced in the new year, for more information, please click here.
First Tee – Canada fully operational coast-to-coast – 2024 officially marked First Tee – Canada programming being available in every province across the country. In addition to this significant advancement, First Tee – Canada achieved another milestone by surpassing 100,000 participants since its inception in 2021. This year alone, First Tee – Canada provided programming to over 84,500 participants at 386 facilities (golf facilities, schools and community centres) led by 239 coaches across Canada. Seventy per cent of programming was offered at no cost to participants and 74 per cent of partnered schools and community centres serve equity-deserving communities with 45 per cent of participants identifying as BIPOC and 41 per cent identifying as female.
The continued growth of First Tee – Canada reflects the sustained impact of corporate and champion donors driving the philanthropic excellence of the Golf Canada Foundation which experienced another banner year with more than $11.2 million in funds raised in support of the game of which $5.487 million was for First Tee – Canada.
Youth On Course will be fully national in 2025 – In 2024, over 32,900 rounds of golf at $5 or less were played with 5,382 unique participants marking significant increases for both. Youth On Course programming was available across nine provinces and 105 golf courses participated in the program that saw expansion to Manitoba and Saskatchewan. 2025 will see planned expansion into Quebec, making the program fully national.
Inaugural BDO National Golf League champions crowned – The BDO National Golf League was launched ahead of the 2023 season as a nationwide, season-long competition to enhance weekly recreational league experiences for men, women and junior golfers. The inaugural season saw 10,000 participants from 107 leagues from coast-to-coast. Scoring followed a 9-hole net stableford format that took place during a six-week period of a club’s league season. Within those six weeks, the best four scores were used to determine the individuals that would advance to the provincial championships for a chance to be one of 52 pairings that would compete for the league championship at Hamilton Golf and Country Club the weekend before the RBC Canadian Open.
Storyline twists occurred during the championship round thanks to inclement weather that halted play on two occasions, resulting in a re-formatting of play. To complete the championship, pairings played their respective nine holes, with the top teams from the back and front nine then meeting in a playoff for the championship.
Tim Charles and Peter Morse were crowned the inaugural champions of the BDO National Golf League following a playoff win over Reid Middleton and Brian Thorne. Morse drained a lengthy putt to claim the championship for the Nova Scotia duo.
Along with becoming the inaugural champions, Charles and Morse travelled to Royal Troon in Troon, Scotland to represent Canada in The R&A 9 Hole Challenge one-week prior to the 152nd Open Championship as part of winning the national championship. For more information on the league and how to get involved, click here.
Golf – the number one participation sport in Canada – This past year saw an increase in public playing members with a Golf Canada membership. This year also marks back-to-back years of 10 million+ scores being posted by Golf Canada members. Last year marked the first time that the 10 million milestone had been reached and Golf Canada members surpassed that number in 2024 with 10.6 million scores posted to the Golf Canada Score Centre! For more information on a Golf Canada membership, click here. For more information or to download Golf Canada’s Mobile App, click here.
Canadians competing with the world’s best – Canadians continued to find themselves on the world’s biggest stage as Nick Taylor, Corey Conners, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp wore the Maple Leaf at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Henderson and Sharp were competing in their third consecutive Olympic Games since golf was re-introduced at Rio 2016. In three games, Henderson has earned finishes of 7, T29 and T13. Conners earned the best men’s finish since golf returned with a T9 finish in Paris.
Canadian Golf Hall of Famer, Mike Weir was named Captain of the International Team for the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Que. Joining Weir were Conners, Mackenzie Hughes and Taylor Pendrith who were Captain’s picks for the International Team. After a difficult opening day, the International Team responded by winning all five foursome matches on Friday to sit tied heading into the weekend. In the end, Team U.S.A. retained the title, winning 18.5 – 11.5 over Team International. Conners and Pendrith both earned two full points for their team during the biennial event. The 2026 Presidents Cup will take place at Medinah Country Club in Chicago, Ill.
Canadian golf fans set new records in Hamilton and Calgary – Canadian golf fans took in both National Open Championships in record numbers this past year. Over 209,000 fans combined attended the RBC Canadian Open and CPKC Women’s Open setting new attendance records for both tournaments.
The success of Canada’s National Open Championships was recognized by both the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour in their season-ending tournament recognition awards. The RBC Canadian Open took home the PGA TOUR’s Best Marketing Initiative award for the logo and branding of the tournament changing to Nick Taylor’s iconic putter toss silhouette. Originally designed to be a one-year tribute, the change will now be permanent.
The CPKC Women’s Open was awarded the Gold Driver Award for Best Volunteer Appreciation. Volunteerism was a critical part of the success of the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary, Alta. The tournament was conducted for the first time at Earl Grey and saw 1,300 dedicated volunteers, whose positions were filled ahead of schedule, help to deliver an exceptional experience in Calgary. To recognize the work of its volunteers, the tournament hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Day which included a complimentary breakfast, happy hour and gifts that were given to all volunteers to celebrate the 50th playing of Canada’s National Women’s Open.
Offering more tournaments and pathways for Canadian amateur golfers – This season saw the introduction of a new championship added to the amateur championship calendar with the debut of the Canadian U15 Championship. The tournament provided young players the opportunity to compete for a national championship while receiving information about the high-performance journey through an educational summit following play.
Golf Canada also introduced the inaugural Canadian Collegiate Invitational, bringing some of the best NCAA Division I Men’s teams north of the border. The event will expand to include a women’s competition in 2025.
In total, 12 national amateur championships, 16 qualifiers, six NextGen tournaments and two Team Canada NextGen selection camps provided Canadians with opportunities to compete coast-to-coast from the junior level all the way to the senior ranks. The season concluded with the World Junior Girls Golf Championship which showcased some of the brightest upcoming golfers from around the world.
Lisa Meldrum becomes the 86th inductee into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame – In keeping with the importance of celebrating Canadian golf excellence, Lisa Meldrum of Montreal, Que. was named the 86th member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in February.
Meldrum enjoyed an accomplished junior and amateur career, having won 12 championships between 1997 and 2003.
Her successful competitive run was highlighted by winning the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship three consecutive years in a row from 2001 to 2003. During that time SCOREGolf recognized her as the Best Female Amateur Golfer in Canada all three years. Prior to the Canadian Women’s Amateur three-peat, Meldrum won the 1998 Canadian Juvenile Girls Championship and the 2000 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, later earning SCOREGolf’s Best Female Junior Golfer recognition in 2000.
For more on Meldrum’s incredible career, please click here.
A new home for Canadian Golf – Phase one of construction on a new home for Canadian golf is well underway at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. Originally announced in July 2022, the 26,000 sq. ft. facility will be the national headquarters of Golf Canada along with the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum. Elements of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame can already be found in the main clubhouse and locker rooms at TPC Toronto. Lockers and memorabilia highlighting Canadian golf legends and significant moments in both the RBC Canadian Open and CPKC Women’s Open history are now part of the fabric at TPC Toronto. The new facility will also be the national headquarters for First Tee – Canada and will include an 18-hole publicly accessible community putting green. To follow the progress and for more information on the new home for Canadian golf, please click here.
From the season’s opening drive to the final putt and the many volunteers, partners and stakeholders who support Canadian golf, there is much to celebrate and reflect upon that was simply, good for the game in 2024.