Win a Century of Champions !

Win a copy of The Open Golf Championship of Canada (1904-2004: A Century of Champions valued at $60. See the review on this page. Published by Key Porter Books and the RCGA. Deadline for entry Mar. 31. MORE >>

In case you missed it

Since the birth of the Regina Golf Club triggered a frenzy of golf course building – there are about 250 courses now, more per capita than anywhere in Canada - a couple of recent trends have emerged. In the last few years, there has been unprecedented growth in wonderful high quality courses. MORE >>

Terrific for travel bugs

Travelgolf.com and Canadagolfer.com, under the Travelgolf/WorldGolf.com Network, are worth a look if you’re a traveling golfer. The websites are just two in this vast stable of about 40 regional travel websites that range from Golf in Vegas to Spain Golf.

The strength of these online publications include quality writing, a wide breadth of topics and golfE books that offer comprehensive guides to destinations like Florida. While the dominant focus of these websites is travel, their columnists also touch on subjects like instruction, the PGA, new technology and so on. This U.S.-based firm is quickly becoming the dominant online source for golf travel abroad.

Water, water, not everywhere

Are brownish, links-like golf courses a thing of the near future? It takes water to keep a golf course green and with climactic changes and dry conditions forecast on the prairies for years to come, shortages may cause major challenges for golf courses and hikes in operating costs.

Saskatchewan Watershed Authority is developing a water-conservation plan for the province that may have far-reaching ramifications for duffers and operators. Submissions are accepted until March 31. See www.swa.ca/waterconservation

	What would make you cancel a round of golf? Bad weather Had to work Family commitment Spouse wouldn't let me play Emergency came up I'm hardcore, I never cancel View results

I'll go back as a...

A man was golfing one day and was struck by lightning. He died and went to heaven. Saint Peter told him when he arrived at the gates of heaven that the bolt of lightning was actually meant for his golf partner. But, because God doesn't want it known that he makes mistakes the man would have to go back to earth as someone other that himself. Well, the man thought about it for awhile and announced to Saint Peter that he wanted to return to earth as a lesbian.

Saint Peter asked the man why a macho guy like him would choose to return as a lesbian. The man answered, "It's simple really, this way I can still make love to a woman, AND I can hit from the red tees"!!

Golf Hot list

Buying golf equipment is getting more and more confusing with the avalanche of new balls, drivers and so on. To help with the decision, Golf Digest has prepared The Hot List for its readers offering reviews on drivers, irons, putters, rescue clubs and balls. Its available online at www.golfdigest.com

There are several websites that focus on reviewing equipment. Among my favorite is GolfEquipmentReview.com

Amen Corner

“There’s good and bad news,” said Marshall. “Good news first,” my father replied. “Well, it turns out there is golf in heaven. We’ve got a track just like Pebble Beach.” “That’s great,” my father said with a smile. “So what’s the bad news?”

“You and I are playing Hogan and Jesus at 8 a.m.”

Golf gods in the West !

The 2005 Bell Canadian Open Championship – or, as we call it, the Open – will be held Sept. 5-11 at the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the best golfers in the world – the golf gods in action.

If you’re going to attend one Open in your life, make it the one held in western Canada, the fourth time it’s been played in Vancouver and the first time since 1966. The Open only happens once a year and choice tickets go quickly, so now is the time to make arrangements.

It’s likely the Vijah Singh, the world’s best golfer in 2004, will be back to defend his title at Vancouver this year. Mike Weir, who lost to Singh in a heartbreaking playoff last year, is expected to return to Canada with the hope of adding the cherished Open to his titles. For the 2004 Bell Canadian Open, see http://www.bellcanadianopen.ca/en/home/default.asp

Shaughnessy is a well-treed parkland style 18-hole championship course overlooking the mouth of the Fraser River and Strait of Georgia, according to members. The club has hosted many Canadian and Pacific Northwest championships. The course was built in 1960 and many of the beautiful trees were donated and planted by the members in the course’s early years. There are more than 150 species of trees on the property and they flower at different times between March and September, providing a continuing beauty and variety to the surroundings. Some of the large firs and cedars are more than 200 years old. http://www.shaughnessy.org/index.cfm?ID=1

How to get tickets? Options include:
buyselltix.com
ticko.com coasttocoasttickets.com

Golfing with Giraffes!

Rita Milenkovic, President and CEO of The Travel Gallery in Regina, recently took a long journey to that most exotic of locations, South Africa. Her husband and another couple accompanied her on this incredible vacation; they all returned with breath taking memories of this truly exotic location. Golf was one of the many activities that this foursome enjoyed.

The first golf experience was a short drive from Plettenberg Bay (locals refer to this as "Plett"), considered one of the jewels of the Garden Route. Fancourt, nestled in the foothills of a mountain, is a combination links and parkland course. One of the top ten courses in South Africa, it was home to the 2003 President's Cup. Quite a different experience from golf in Canada, Rita assures us. No carts are allowed without a doctor's note--caddies assist all golfers. The course is wonderful with flowers and fauna abounding. MORE >>

Emerald Park sold

The 27-hole Emerald Park Golf and Country Club just east of Regina has sold to the Town of White City for $4.5 million.

”It’s a really good addition to our community,” said Mayor Rob Mitchelson. “It leaves a great opportunity to attach a recreational site to the clubhouse, to add some condos beside the course and to make sure it remains a golf course.”

The intention is to make the current clubhouse into a four-season facility with the addition of a fitness centre, said Mitchelson. It’s also expected, additional walkways will be added and the landscaping upgraded.

Construction of the high-end condos, a joint public-private partnership with the former owners, is expected to begin this summer. Ben Kuzmicz and Wayne Lorch, the former owners, will continue operating the course under the direction of the Town of White City.

Emerald Park was built in 1988 and opened with nine holes. Nine additional holes were added in 1989 and another nine in 2002.

Strasbourg driving for green

Strasbourg is the latest golf course in Saskatchewan that wants to replace their sand-green golf course and create a tourism magnet for their community.

“There’s a lot of potential considering there’s the water and the land and everything else to build it,” said Mayor Carol Shultz. Strasbourg, a community of about 760, is 45 minutes north of Regina along the east side of Last Mountain Lake on Highway 20.

The new nine-hole course would be located on a new site on the outskirts of Strasbourg. It’s estimated the course would also attract a summer tourism crowd from the 2,300 people who live on the east side of the lake, a number that excludes the south end of the 100-km long lake.

To date, $130,000 has been raised toward the goal of $500,000. A substantial portion of that amount was donated through a bequest from the former Mayor Harry Hansen, an avid local golfer. Last year, the community also raised $30,000 by planting and harvesting a 180-acre crop of canola. Citizens donated the use of the land, fuel, seed, fertilizer, farm chemicals or machinery, along with their time.

Of the 250 courses in Saskatchewan, there are about 60 sand-green golf courses remaining. MORE >>

Around Saskatchewan links

Good Spirit Golf and Country Club north of Yorkton has sold to Jim Chaplin of Fort Qu’Appelle. Former owners Leanna and John Neufeld will remain as operators…. McLaren Taylor, previously the head pro at Elk Ridge Resort, is the new head pro at Dakota Dunes Golf and Country Club near Saskatoon…. Ryan Danberg of Melfort replaces Taylor at Elk Ridge as their head pro….During the 2004 Masters Tournament, chef Peter Phillips of the Riverside in Saskatoon recreated the dinner hosted by the first Canadian Masters winner Mike Weir, including a copy of the menu word for word. While members watched the tournament on television, Phillips served up the caribou entrée while decked out in a green jacket …. It’s official. The RCGA general membership voted to approve a merger with the Canadian Ladies` Golf Association (CLGA) at their Annual General Meeting this past weekend in Victoria, British Columbia. This concludes a formal agreement by both organizations to create one unified body governing golf in Canada….The Dragon has awakened. You may want to add China - one of Saskatchewan’s main trading partners - to your list of travel destinations. In 1979, there were no courses, and now there are 190…Just in time for winter. A Regina entrepreneur has opened an indoor miniature golf entertainment spot called Paradise complete with a “Night-time tropical theme”….

Golf pool fans get weekly help from Golfing Gods

Weir adds fine wines to his bag

Canadian PGA Tour player Mike Weir has always known his way around a golf course, but he will be looking to show fans of fine wine that he knows his way around Ontario's famous vineyards too. He launches the first wines from the Mike Weir Estate Winery this month with net proceeds from the sales of the Mike Weir Estate Winery going to assist Canadian children's charities through the Mike Weir Foundation.

The Mike Weir Estate Winery is a small production winery operated in partnership with the award-winning Creekside Estate Winery founded in 1998. Fifty acres of premium vineyards in Niagara-On-The-Lake is designated for the Mike Weir Estate Winery.

"Niagara has always been like a second home to me as I grew up with family in the area, and I learned a great appreciation for the fine wines being produced there," said Mike Weir. "I wanted to create the Mike Weir Estate Winery as a way of putting a love of mine to work to help Canadian children's charities through my foundation."

The first two wines from the Mike Weir Estate Winery label, a 2001 Chardonnay and the 2002 Cabernet Merlot, are planned for an early April release. More details on public availability will be announced at that time.

More information on the Mike Weir Estate Winery at www.weirwines.com. Created by Mike and his wife Bricia in 2004, the Mike Weir Foundation assists the physical, emotional and educational welfare of children in Canada. http://www.themikeweirfoundation.com

A Century of Champions

If you’re a Canadian golfer, clear a spot on your coffee table for The Open Golf Championship of Canada (1904-2004): A Century of Champions. This beautiful hardcover book commemorating the grand old game of golf in Canada and its 100th anniversary is a must-buy for golfers passionate about the game.

The book highlights important historical moments of the Open: the great courses where it’s been played, the players, the trophies, the winners and the statistics. It’s richly illustrated with more than 200 archival and contemporary photos. There’s only one small shortcoming to the book and that’s the photos of some of the winners – Jim Ferrier, Arnold Palmer, Doug Ford and Gene Littler (of his backside) and Jerry Pate are all poor quality with indistinguishable faces..

This keepsake is edited by Karen Hewson, director of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, with contributions by a number of well-known Canadian golf writers including Ian Cruikshank, Ian Hutchinson and Rick Young.

Perhaps the most interesting section focuses on Glen Abbey, the home of the Open from 1977 to 2000 (until the RCGA wisely decided to move this event around the country). The Open has never been held in Atlantic Canada. But, iIt was held in Western Canada - in Winnipeg and Vancouver three times each during the last 100 years. Saskatchewan golfers will enjoy reading about Pat Fletcher, a Saskatoon pro at the time, who won the Open in 1954 at Point Grey Golf and Country in Vancouver. A Canadian has not won the event since then. If you’re attending this year’s Open at Shaunessy in Vancouver, the section on the club will be of special interest.

At $60, The Open Golf Championship of Canada is not cheap but reasonable considering the quality and research effort. (Key Porter Books and the RCGA, 2004).

Candle Lake expands

Candle Lake Golf Course in northeast Saskatchewan has nearly completed a major expansion of the golf course into a full golf resort with an additional nine holes, a full driving range, an RV park, cabins, a residential subdivision and a marina. Work is underway and will continue through 2005.

The new back nine at the golf course is scheduled to open in July 2005. Construction on the new residential sub-division is underway, and construction of new homes is expected to begin in August. Construction of 10 new rental cabins started in the fall of 2004 for completion in May, 2005. RV site development with room for 40 to 50 visitors will begin in spring of 2005 and be ready by mid-June. The marina, initially with 40 sites but with room for expansion to 150, is scheduled for completion in June 2005.

For additional information, check out www.candlelakegolfresort.com

How sweet it is

If you’re looking for a set of inexpensive golf clubs contact Gerrry at gmerriman@accesscomm.ca He has a set of Jazz Fat Cat P2W irons 3 to PW with new grips, stiff shafts for $400. Also a set of Jazz Fat Cat 3 to PW plus 1,3,5 woods, all regular shafts, $450.

Have you a set of clubs or golf equipment you would like to sell? Are you searching for a good deal on used golf equipment? MORE >>

Last chance to win a Vancouver Island Golf getaway!

2 Rounds of Golf at Fairwinds Golf & Country Club. 2 Rounds of Golf at Glengarry Golf Links. 2 Rounds of Golf at Morningstar International Golf Course. Power Cart for all 3 Rounds of Golf. 2 Nights Accommodation at the luxurious Fairwinds Schooner Cove. Golf Package valued at $755
Draw March 31 MORE >>