(Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is thrilled to recognize the winners of its National Facility Awards for Junior Golf from the 2022 season.
The National Facility Awards for Junior Golf were developed to recognize the critical role that golf facilities play in the development of young golfers across Canada. These awards honour the courses and academies that made an especially extraordinary impact on the advancement of junior golf in their communities during the 2022 season.
“We are proud to honour this collection of outstanding golf courses and academies for their extraordinary impact on junior golf,” said Kevin Blue, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “Advancing golf participation and developing Canada’s next generation of world-class athletes are both important parts of Golf Canada’s mission. These priorities are critical for the long-term health of our sport and require commitment from many industry stakeholders, including the courses where our sport is practiced and played. We are grateful for all facilities across Canada who support junior golf and are eager to celebrate the inaugural class of award winners.”
The winners and finalists of the National Facility Awards for Junior Golf will be officially recognized as part of Golf Canada’s 2023 Annual General Meeting being held virtually on March 2 at 1:00pm EST.
The 2022 winners and finalists of the National Facility Awards for Junior Golf are:
Junior Golf Opportunity Award
Awarded to the facility that provides exceptional access and membership opportunities for junior golfers. Special consideration is given to facilities with strong non-family sponsored junior programs and facilities with fundraising programs that help athletes compete at provincial, national, and international competitions.
Winner: Sawmill Golf Club (Fenwick, Ont.)
This family owned-and-operated course operated programs to support junior golfers of every age group and at every level, including summer golf camps, golf-hockey camps, golf in schools, USGA/LPGA girls golf, and a junior league.
Sawmill Golf Club reserved tee times exclusively for junior golfers during the summer and organized family fun nights to encourage entire families to play golf together. The club also hosted numerous junior golf fundraisers. Its exceptional commitment to junior golf set a powerful example for other facilities.
- Finalist: Centre de Golf de Lanaudière (L’Assomption, Que.)
- Finalist: Whitewater Golf Club (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
Competitive Junior Program of the Year
Awarded to a facility or academy program with many junior athletes competing in provincial and national championships and earning strong results in those championships.
Winner: Academie de Golf Fred Colgan (Quebec City, Que.)
Academie de Golf Fred Colgan (AGFC) supported a number of provincial competitors, national competitors, and Team Canada – NextGen players in 2022 including JP Parr, the repeat champion of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship. AGFC continued its close integration with the provincial development system in Québec and assembled an in-depth staff of coaches to provide comprehensive support for its competitive players.
- Finalist: Glencoe Golf and Country Club (Calgary)
- Finalist: The Golf Garage at Savage Creek (Rob Houlding) (Richmond, B.C.)
- Finalist: Royal Ottawa Golf Club (Gatineau, Que)
Grassroots Junior Program of the Year
Awarded to a facility or academy program that is excelling at creating new junior golfers through local programming.
Winner: Blomidon Golf and Country Club (Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador)
Led by an extraordinary role model and junior golf leader in Wayne Allen, Blomidon offered a multitude of programs in 2022 for junior golfers ranging in age from 5 to 18 – including a girls club that features weekly instruction from women coaches. In addition to reserving tee times each day for juniors, Blomidon also executed a unique “close the course for a day” event that catered to junior golfers and their families.
- Finalist: Hollinger Golf Club (Timmins, Ont.)
- Finalist: Gorge Vale Golf Club (Victoria, B.C.)
Tournament Host of the Year
Awarded to a facility that gives back to youth golf by embracing the opportunity to host junior competitions. The facility creates an excellent tournament experience for players and involves the local community through volunteers and fundraising support.
Winner: Royal Regina Golf Club (Regina)
The Royal Regina Golf Club made a public pledge to increase its support for junior grassroots and competitive opportunities. It followed through on its commitment by stepping up to successfully host the Saskatchewan Junior Golf Championship. Its membership provided robust volunteer and financial support and created a memorable experience for contestants.
Youth on Course Program Location of the Year
Awarded to the facility that hosted the largest number of Youth on Course rounds in the calendar year.
Winner: Shaganappi Point Golf Course (Calgary)
Shaganappi Point, a municipal course in Calgary, led the country by hosting a total of 1,832 Youth on Course rounds in 2022. Youth on Course golfers paid $5 for their green fees – a price that was made possible by over $13,000 in green fee subsidies.
First Tee Canada Program Location of the Year
Awarded to a First Tee Canada program location that demonstrates excellent enrollment in First Tee programming and makes a significant impact on growing participation among new juniors within its community.
Winner: Club de Golf Municipal Dallaire (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.)
Club de Golf Municipal Dallaire hosted 66 youth participants for in-depth and fun First Tee sessions during the inaugural season of First Tee – Québec in 2022. Club de Golf Municipal Dallaire also facilitated two field trips from local schools who were operating First Tee in their physical education classes.
Nomination and Selection process
From September 1 until October 31 of 2022, all individual members and facility members of Golf Canada were able to nominate facilities for each award category.
All nominations were reviewed and feedback about nominees was provided by members of the Golf Industry Advisory Council, Sport Committee, and Amateur Championships Committee. Final award selections were made by Golf Canada staff.
Nominations for the 2023 National Facility Awards for Junior Golf are expected to open in September.