Busy Week in Parmasters KW and Canadian Golf News

It’s been a busy week so far, in more ways than one. Lots of fun though, which I believe is really the only reason we’re all here!

As mentioned, my meeting schedule is ramping up significantly, both with respect to Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, which is gaining some great momentum, and also on the consulting side of my business, through S.H. Southern and Associates.

There seemed to be a separate activity just about every evening this week so far. Monday evening I was in meetings near Pearson Airport in Toronto. Tuesday my eldest played hockey. Wednesday I did relax at home with my lads. Thursday evening was the annual football banquet at my eldest son’s school. And last night I had the pleasure of attending the Guelph Storm vs. Erie Otters tilt at the Sleeman Centre. An old friend had rented a box for the evening.

Tonight, I think I’ll just stay in and read, or maybe watch a movie.

It’s been a busy week in golf news as well. I won’t touch upon the news de jour regarding young Mr. Woods and his unfortunate incident. As is the case with everything Woods does, this too shall be over-analyzed from every conceivable angle.

No, let’s focus on Canadian golf news!

For example, Golf News Now ran a great story this week noting that the overall purse on the 2010 Canadian Tour could increase by as much as $650,000. This is great news for the Tour, for Canadians, and for Canadian Tour players, such as our very own Ryan Kings. You can find the entire article here, and also included below.

Continuing with the great Canadian golf news, Mike Weir will enter the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame this weekend. This, of course, was widely reported. I’ve included an Ontario Golf blog entry by Robert Thompson below, and it can also be found here.


Tour Schedule Will Be “Unprecedented”: Commissioner
November 22, 2009 by Ian Hutchinson

The finishing touches are still being applied, but the 2010 Canadian Tour schedule could be “unprecedented” in terms of prize money, according to commissioner Rick Janes, who says the raise in overall purse on the season could be as much as $650,000.

“The real highlight of (the 2010) schedule and what we’re working on right now is prize money increases that are really going to be quite unprecedented,” said Janes.

Increases are expected at existing events such as Times Colonist Open in Victoria, the Players Cup in Winnipeg and the Canadian Tour Championship. An announcement about an event in Alberta is expected later this week, but Janes wouldn’t elaborate.

Another announcement coming soon is expected to outline a rebranding of the tour’s Montreal event.

“I think people are going to be quite surprised at what this looks like, particularly in a tough economy, and it will only get better,” said Janes.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s probably the best schedule in terms of prize money – and that’s the operative, in terms of prize money – that the Canadian Tour’s ever had. There’s a bit of risk in this, risk in the sense that we still have a lot of work to do in terms of sponsorship,” he added.

“My board is supporting what we’re doing here. It is a bold effort,” said Janes, adding that as many as 17 Canadian events could take place in 2010, but will more likely be around the 13 mark compared to 10 in 2009.

New markets being considered include Fort McMurray, Alta., the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Thunder Bay, Ont., and possibly Vancouver.

Janes went on to say that rumours of the demise of the tour’s swing through Latin America have been greatly exaggerated in recent media reports. Last year at this time, the tour was making stops in Chile, Argentina and Costa Rica, tournaments that were part of the 2009 schedule despite being played in ’08.

Janes stresses, however, that the tour has not severed ties with Latin America.

“I really don’t know where that came from. No, we’re not giving up on Latin America at all,” he said. “The fact of the matter is that they couldn’t create a schedule of consecutive events. We really wanted that on the circuit, but they just couldn’t put it into the rotation of events.

“What we’re doing is looking now towards a series of events in the spring right now in Argentina and Colombia,” said Janes, adding that those events, played towards the end of March, would be co-sanctioned by the European Challenge Tour and Tour de las Americas.

Even though the swing through South American is still developing, Janes believes there is a strong upside to continuing.

“The reason why we’re in South America and the reason why we’re in Mexico is that we can’t play in Canada at that time of year and I’m very happy with the results of South America,” he said.

“One of the byproducts of it was that we attracted players like Hugo Leon (Chile), who joined us in South America,” said Janes, also pointing to players such as Mauricio Molina and Rafael Gomez, both from Argentina and both two-time winners over the past season.

Janes adds that his isn’t the only tour eyeing South America these days.

“What you’re going to see is PGA Tour expansion into South America, no doubt about it,” said Janes. “You will see, in all probability, on the Nationwide schedule another South American event, most likely in Colombia, in the coming year.

“The reason we’re in South America is to, first and foremost, give our players these international opportunities, to expose some of the top young players from South America to our tour and to bring them to Canada to play.”


All Roads Lead to Brights Grove: Mike Weir and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame
November 27th, 2009 by Robert Thompson

This weekend in Brights Grove , Ont., a little suburb of Sarna, Mike Weir will enter the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame at the age of 39. I’m heading down with Ian Andrew, Weir’s design partner. It’ll be the second HOF induction I’ve attended, having given the introduction speech for Jim Barclay two year’s ago at St. George’s.

Of course this is premature — and everyone, including Weir recognizes it. During a conference call about the induction earlier this week, the point was made that the plaque, which will be at the Golf Hall of Fame in Oakville, can be altered should Weir win again.

Weir was nominated for the accolade by Ian Hutchison, the golf writer at the Toronto Sun, among other places. We’ve had a good discussion about how I think it was wrong — but within the current standards of the HOF, Ian had every right to put Mike up. He was always destined for the place — it just seems odd to do it now. Talking with Richard Zokol the other day, I asked why he wasn’t in the BC Sports Hall of Fame. His answer was simple: “I’m not 50 and you have to be 50 to get in.”

Regardless, Weir was as reflective as I’ve seen him while discussing the honor. I particularly liked his discussion of putting after dark on the practice green at Huron Oaks, where the ceremony will take place:

“There was a little flood light that came from clubhouse that gave a little light on the putting green and I’d put there until my mom made me come home,” he said. ”I found a little corner with some light on it and I’d spend all my time there.”

In my experience Weir isn’t a very reflective man. He doesn’t think about his past accomplishments all that often. This award has surely given him a time to consider what he’s done — which is more than anyone, himself included, expected — but he’s still looking forward.

“I definitely feel like there’s a lot of business to take care of in my years going forward,” he says. ”Where that leaves me when it is all done, I’m not sure. Hopefully my impact is awareness of the game in this country and that we can produce quality, world-class players. Hopefully I’m doing it the right way – all across the board.”

Interestingly, initially the proceedings were scheduled for the Canadian Open. Then in LA at the Northern Trust Open, I had the chance to ask Weir about the HOF announcement, specifically when and where it would take place. Weir said the plan was to hold it in Oakville in July, which I mentioned was odd since the entrant’s home club was usually the place where the reception took place. Score’s Bob Weeks, who was standing behind me, chimed up that this wasn’t the case — that some had been done at LPGA Tour stops, for example — but he agreed the home club was the normal route. Mike seemed surprised. I think people forget he hasn’t lived in Canada with any regularity since he was 19, and he’s never attended a Canadian Golf Hall of Fame induction and didn’t know the protocol for such events.

The RCGA now seem to see the folly of the initial decision.

“We’re happy to take it to the location best suited to the inductee,” said Karen Hewson, director of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, and one of the truly helpful people in the Canadian golf industry, the conference call earlier this week.

Truthfully, Brights Grove is the right place for this. Huron Oaks, where Weir visits a couple of times a year, is the course in Canada most affiliated with the golfer, who was never connected to Toronto/Oakville with the exception of his link to IMG Sports.

“We talked about having it at the Canadian Open – but it was such a busy week. The more I thought about it – when I heard that I could have it where I wanted to have it and that other inductees had it at their home clubs – I thought it made sense to have it at Huron Oaks. Originally I didn’t know I could have it there,” Weir says.

“It is where it all kind of began for me and it is an opportunity to share this moment with a lot of friends and family and people who have been supportive of my career,” he added. “In that regard I thought it was the right thing to do.