Alberta Golf Mourns The Loss Of A True Pioneer
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2017-06-13
(Gord Montgomery/iG) — The Alberta golf community has lost another one of its greats.
Sid Puddicombe passed away recently in Edmonton at the age of 85. The patriarch of the famed Puddicombe Golf team, Sid first became involved in the game of golf in 1947, playing the sport simply as way to stay in shape for his initial love, hockey.
From that humble beginning, Sid went on to become the superintendent of a course in Saskatoon, Sask., for a decade before moving to another course in the same city, where he spent 11 years as the superintendent. From there he journeyed onto Edmonton, where he undertook the same role with the Royal Mayfair Golf Course, where he spent the next 20 years. Later, Sid helped open two turf grass management colleges, one in Olds, AB., and the other in Fairview, AB.
In 1981, he spread his wings by opening Sid Puddicombe and Associates, also known as Puddicombe Golf, and was later joined by his three sons, Mark, Grant and Tod. The company’s work is well known, and respected, not only in Alberta but across Western Canada as well as in the United States, Japan and New Zealand, where they continue work to this day.
For all he did in the golf industry, including spending time on the board of directors with Alberta Golf, and on the Alberta sports scenes, Sid was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 in the Distinguished Service category.
He was a pioneer of the game and a true advocate of the sport and his love for the game and appreciation of finely designed golf facilities will be missed.