Ward, The Top One Of Alberta’s Top 100
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2021-01-16
By GORD MONTGOMERY, Inside Golf
EDMONTON, Alberta — Setting a goal is one thing. Achieving that goal is often quite another. For Edmonton’s Chris Ward the desire to realize a better end result in the PGA of Alberta’s annual Professional Top 100 standings began early on, and in the end produced not only that higher standard but also the highest mark possible.
Ward, who is awaiting his Class A professional status at the Edmonton Petroleum G&CC, topped this elite field in the 2020 season, edging out last year’s winner, Calgary’s Sean Thompson by one point, 104 - 103.
Speaking to his win, Ward stated that after a somewhat disappointing showing in the same endeavour in 2019, he made up his mind to make a better run at the top spot by playing better golf and attending as many educational sessions sponsored by the PGA of Alberta as possible. That showed in his final standing. The winner agreed that capturing this award takes both a huge time and expense commitment but noted what he takes away from all the activities is worth those commitments.
“It’s something I dedicated myself to. I want to at this time, as a young professional, get as many things under my belt as possible. I feel in some situations people get kind of complacent, are comfortable with the status quo, but for myself I try to keep learning every single year,” in order to pass on valuable information to both his club members and co-workers whether it deals with play improvement suggestions, fitness, or the new World Golf Handicap system.
While he’s a young professional, Ward has already tucked away a lot of knowledge about the game and the business of golf, and that began early on. “I remember I had a conversation at the new member orientation for PGA members when I first joined with Kevin Chow (Edmonton’s Blackhawk GC) when I first joined and there were three of us from the golf shop here and one of the first things he said was, “There are three of you guys there. One or two of you are going to have to differentiate yourself ‘cause one person is likely going to get left behind. So, I really took that to heart from that point on.”
In order to walk away with this award, PGA of Alberta members need to attend a number of classes and competitions throughout the year. While that may not sound like a big deal, it is, as golf pros, especially the younger ones, put in a lot of time each and every week with pro shop duties. To that end, Ward’s boss, Kyle Boyd who is the head professional at the P-Club, said he encourages his younger staff to gain as much knowledge as is possible.
“For sure. It’s kind of a balance for them with a lot of the requirements the PGA of Canada requires in order to achieve Class A. There is also some monetary commitment one has to make for that along with any other education they want to participate in and there’s usually a price tag attached to that. So, I encourage them to do it however understanding that maybe it’s not in their financial capabilities to do so.
“Long story short, I’d 100 per cent encourage any of my guys or girls or anyone who is young and in the business to try and obtain as much knowledge, exposure and experience to anything and everything in all different areas,” so they are prepared for job advancement.
As to what winning the award mean, Ward noted, “It’s definitely a big honour, for sure, to edge out a great professional like Sean. Spending the time doing it, and as far as working with so many different groups of professionals, this was a big honour for myself. I think I’m one of a few guys in the Edmonton area that was even remotely close to the top.
As for his boss’s encouragement in allowing and encouraging him to partake of the classes and events offered to golf professionals, Ward said that meant a lot to a young professional.
“Kyle has really encouraged me to just keep learning and soak up as much information as I can. He’s been very encouraging, very helpful, and a great leader.”
For achieving his goal of bettering his standing at finishing on top of the Top 100 in 2020, Ward received a cheque for $1,300 which certainly helps ease the financial stress of a young professional looking to further his career in the golf industry.
* The Top 100 Program presented by Foresight Sports Canada is based on pre-defined measurable criteria and is designed to recognize PGA of Alberta Members who dedicate their time and demonstrate proven abilities in advancing the Association’s interests for the benefit of all Golf Professionals. The yearly award given out at the Awards Banquet during the PGA of Alberta Buying Show will be for the most points accumulated from October to September of the following year.