Gord’s Alberta Golf Notes: A Busy, Busy Golfing Summer; Tourney Winners, A Lady On An Aces’ Binge; Tap It Catching On; Junior Development Camp
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2020-08-10
By GORD MONTGOMERY, Inside Golf
It’s been a hectic three months since golfers in Wild Rose Country got the go-ahead from the provincial government to start digging divots and sinking putts. And the good news is, things don’t appear to be slowing down at all at everywhere you look. That’s good news for an industry that had seen dramatic slowdowns over the past few years but now, tee time phone battles are a constant as more and more people look to reconnect with a game they’d maybe given up on.
Some folks have never turned away from the game though, and as such, the competitive fields in both amateur and professional golf are still humming as skilled players compete in big events hosted by Alberta Golf and the PGA of Alberta. Kicking tournament play off over the past few weeks was the Alberta Open, an event that can be contested by both amateurs and pros. This year, the three-round event was held at the iconic Old Course at the Wolf Creek Golf Resort where in the end, it was professional AJ Armstrong, from Edmonton, capturing his first-ever pro win. He held off a charge from Canadian Tour player Wilson Bateman to walk away with top prize money of $7,000. Then, a few weeks later, Calgary’s Grant Oh won Alberta Golf’s Senior Men’s title in fine fashion by carding a birdie on the final two holes of the tournament to walk away the winner by three over James Varnam of Edmonton.
Elsewhere, and in less stressful rounds of golf, Calgarian Kim Young has had the touch off the tee box, as she’s carded an amazing four aces in just over a year. Young began her pursuit of perfection in May of 2019, when she carded her first ‘1’. She followed that up this year with aces in June, July and then August, a span of 401 days, at the Lynx Ridge GC. That leaves, by our calculations, aces to come in April (if weather permits) and September. October may be pushing things a bit, but hey, when you’re on a roll a bit of cooler weather shouldn’t stop you!
Speaking of digging balls out of the hole, the Tap It system which was reported on by this writer for Inside Golf website several weeks back, is proving to be a hit with just about everyone that has come across it. The system, is essentially a teeter-totter plate device at the bottom of the hole. To remove a sunk putt, one taps the high side of the disc at hole’s bottom with their putter handle and their ball pops into the air, ready for its next action. It’s a cool way to remove the ball from the hole and is catching the attention of several courses. For more, contact Danny Grant at the Barrhead GC or Jeff Cuthbertson at the Stony Plain GC.
And last, but certainly not least, if you have a youngster who loves to golf and lives in the Edmonton area, you may want to give them, and their game, a boost with this Alberta Golf Junior Development Camp. But don’t wait! It’s open to anyone between 12 and 19, and running on August 13 and 14 at The Links at Spruce Grove. The camp will be headed up by two outstanding members of the PGA of Alberta, Grant Cammidge and Ryan McDermott. For only $97 plus GST, those involved will receive eight hours of instruction, 18 holes of play with coaching and two meals. This is a great deal for anyone who wants to begin taking their game to the next level, but like we said, it’s coming jp quickly so don’t hesitate to get your youngster signed up. To do that, simply call The Links pro shop at 780-962-4653.
