The Annual General Meeting of the Nova Scotia Golf Association (Golf Nova Scotia) was held last evening with great success. Thank you to the many voting members and guests who took the time to join us.
Golf Nova Scotia is preparing for a busy and successful 2024 season. Thank you to all members, clubs, and industry partners for their cooperation and shared commitment. Golf Nova Scotia is dedicated to the success, growth, and future of golf in Nova Scotia
It is National Volunteer Week!
We would like to give a big thanks to our past, present, and future volunteers. A special thank you to our Referees and Course Raters who work closely with Golf Nova Scotia during the season. Your work does not go unnoticed.
Where are you from?
Born and raised in beautiful Nova Scotia and currently reside in Middle Sackville.
How Long have you been coaching golf?
I approached the Oakfield Golf and Country Club in 2016 about the idea of starting a golf program for the Special Olympics Sackville-Bedford region. The general manager discussed the program with the membership, and they wholeheartedly embraced the program and have given me their full support.
Today I have twelve golfers and four additional coaches to support the golf program.
What do you coach?
I started in 2016 as a Special Olympics Assistant Coach for Soccer & Athletics and currently, I’m the Head Coach for Golf and Floor Hockey.
Why do you love to coach?
Coaching Special Olympics is a very rewarding experience and a great opportunity to share my love of sport. I’m proud to be a voice for inclusion and an advocate for the many golfers in the community who have an intellectual disability.
The most important lesson I have learned as a coach is being aware of individual differences in golfers. Every golfer is different, and has different ways of receiving information, dealing with stress, anxiety, and the rate at which they improve.
Building trust between the golfer and coach is of paramount importance. It is essential that the golfers know you care about them as a golfer and a person.
I always focus on the being is positive, enthusiastic, and supportive cheerleader for every golfer. The bottom line is simple; it must be fun for everyone involved.
Everyone has similar goals and dreams, regardless of your situation in life and the Special Olympics golfers demonstrate the importance of having a positive attitude when presented with new and seemingly insurmountable challenges.
I enjoy watching the golfers develop problem solving skills that will help them throughout their personal lives.
To break down golf into its simplest terms, you have a bag of sticks with a wedge attached and a golf ball.
How do you best use those sticks to get that ball in a hole that’s far away.
If that’s not already difficult enough, you need to consider sand traps; water hazards; rain; deep grass; wind; trees; hills; plus, many more obstacle that golf throws at you every time you play.
Even if you hit the perfect shot, it may land in a spot that makes your next shot almost impossible.
Each shot presents a problem to solve, and golfers need to use critical thinking skills that gives them the best opportunity to hit the next ball where they want it to land.
Golf has a way of emulating life. Accept your situation, and then strategize and solve any problems you encounter to give yourself the best chance for success.
Craig Faulkner, Special Olympics Sackville Bedford – Program Coordinator, Head Coach Golf, Head Coach Floor Hockey
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – A furious push over the final two rounds by the Jacksonville State men’s golf team propelled the Gamecocks to their first win of the season at the Irish Creek Collegiate.
In its final regular-season tournament, Jax State overtook Radford in the final round on Tuesday to win the 15-team field. The Gamecocks were fifth after the first round of the 54-hole event and moved into second, just one shot behind the Highlanders, before the final round.
After an opening round 285 on the par-70, 7,038-yard layout at the Irish Creek Golf Club Monday morning, the Gamecocks fired the best round in the field in each of the final two rounds. A second-round 273 on Monday afternoon pulled them into second and just one shot behind Radford, and then a final-round 279 capped their 839 that beat the Highlanders by a shot.
“We have been working extremely hard with course management and doing the little things,” Brice said. We turned the corner (Monday) and finished it off in rain and cold weather today. I am excited to continue this progression and take it into conference in a couple of weeks.
The win was the first by the Gamecocks since the 2022-23 season opener at the Golfweek Fall Challenge and is the first for Jax State under Brice, who took over midseason last year. He was pleased with how far his team has come in the past few weeks.
“The course management was a lot of new stuff for some of the guys, and getting over that hill was a big learning curve the last two weeks,” Brice said. “It paid off and will keep paying off. This was a total team effort and everyone contributed to this win.”
Four Gamecocks finished in the Top 20 of the 96-player field, working together to hold off the competition for the first win of the year. Senior Isaac MacNaughton claimed a top-five finish with a 1-under 209 that was just one shot off of the lead.
The native of Truro, Nova Scotia, rallied after a 4-over 74 in Monday’s first round, carding a 4-under 66 in the afternoon round. He used an early hot streak in Tuesday’s final round, birdying four-straight holes in his first six holes and made the turn at 3-under. MacNaughton played Irish Creek’s par-5 holes at 5-under for the tournament.
Junior Santiago Bailleres joined MacNaughton in the Top 10, tying for ninth with an even-par 210 in the event. The Chascomus, Argentina, native was the most consistent player in Brice’s lineup over the event, opening with a 1-over 71 before closing with a second-round 69 and a final-round 70.
Just three shots behind him in a tie for 16th was redshirt sophomore Ricardo Matho, who finished the 54-hole tournament with a 3-over 213. Also an Argentina native, he led the Gamecocks with 11 birdies in the tournament, shooting rounds of 70-74-69.
Senior Erik Jansson also claimed a Top-20 finish, tying for 19th with a 4-over 214. The native of Vasteras, Sweden, sandwiched a second-round 69 between an opening 73 and a final-round 72 on Tuesday.
Junior Ryley Heath shot a 217 to tie for 32nd, using rounds of 71-69-77, while redshirt junior Gabriel Restrepo tied for 50th after a 54-hole score of 221 (77-73-71.
Redshirt sophomore David Melichar competed for the Gamecocks as an individual and finished in a tie for 55thwith a total score of 222 (73-72-77).
The Gamecocks now turn their focus to the Conference USA Championship, which will be held from April 22-25 at the Texarkana Country Club in Texarkana, Ark.
Title: Summer Intern
Reports To: Executive Director
Location: Golf NS office and travel within the province
Ideal Start Date: May 6, 2024
End Date: August 30, 2024
Number of Positions: One (1), possibly two (2)
The successful candidate(s) will assist with the organization, delivery, and execution of Provincial Championships and in-season programming. The Summer Intern(s) will meet and interact with many people including association members, member clubs, golf facility staff, various volunteers, other Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs), Sport NS staff, etc.
All applications can be emailed to executivedirector@nsga.ns.ca
The application deadline is April 10th, 2024
March 8th is International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate the incredible achievements of women who have paved the way for us all and to honour the amazing women in our lives. Happy International Women’s Day to the strong, beautiful, and amazing women in our lives.
Originally from Cheticamp and now living in Halifax for the past 12 years, she started golfing as a teenager at Le Portage Golf Club and is currently a member at Ashburn Golf Club. Lori has been a member of the Golf Nova Scotia’s Sport Development Committee since its inception. She works as a professor in Kinesiology at Dalhousie University, teaching and doing research in the area of sport psychology (including golf research). Lori also works as a Mental Performance Consultant with the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic and with a number of high-performance athletes, coaches and teams across Canada.
We looking forward to working with you again this year and congratulations again!
#noavscotiaproud
Darrell Maxwell – Trailblazer in Nova Scotia Golf
Golf NS caught up with Darrell Maxwell from his vacation spot in Myrtle Beach where he still enjoys a bit of golf in the winter months. Darrell was born in Truro into one of the most sports-oriented families in the region and quickly made his mark excelling at both hockey and golf. Darrell has spent a lifetime around golf, and the friendships, memories and experiences on the fairways have made him a humble champion and proud of his roots.
Darrell began his career as a caddy in Truro at the age of 5. With the guidance of his older brother and Truro Golf Club’s Caddie Master the late Stan “Chook” Maxwell he would spend countless hours at the golf course, playing, practicing and getting lessons from his brothers. Darrell caught the golf bug early and spent most of his days at the club, from sunup until sundown it was a healthy way to spend the summers. At 14, he became the first black member of the Truro Golf Club and quickly rose to one of the province’s best junior golfers, winning the 1965 NS Provincial Junior Championship.
Darrell was known as an exceptionally long-ball hitter, a skill that helped him be dominant in the sport over his entire amateur career. He reminisced about how his long drives would catch the attention of his competitors and spectators. A young 9-year-old Gerry MacMillan followed him during his junior win at the Paragon Golf Club. He was both honored and nervous when the legendary Moe Norman asked if he could follow him during his first round of the 1965 Canadian National Championship held at the Brantford GCC. Even in the 2003 senior PGA qualifier in Florida playing alongside Jesus Rodriguez, brother of Chi-Chi, Jesus was impressed with his length and encouraged him to continue his playing career.
He jokes that there isn’t a Par 5 he hasn’t reached in two. And in his 1965 playoff win against Donald Fraser to win at the Nova Scotia Junior that was exactly what he did, hitting the first playoff hole the 550-yard Par 5 in two shots.
Darrell was a trailblazer in the truest sense. After his junior championship there was a succession of Truro players who made their mark on the Canadian golf scene. Brothers, Luke and Freeman, cousins Kevin and Junior Jackson all qualified to make Provincial Junior teams in the years following. His brother Luke dominated the field in the Canadian Championship, losing to the eventual winner in a late round match. “Luke was the best competitor in the family, he had the grit to win,” remarked Darrell.
To settle the long-time argument of who was the best black golfer in Truro at the time, Darrell founded the Black Invitational Golf Tournament in 1973. His idea was to “have our own have our own little golf tournament and settle the score on who can do what and we’ll declare a champion and they’ll have bragging rights for a year, at least.” Now named the Apex Tournament, his idea to promote golf among the black community is now in its 50th year at Truro Golf Club. It still draws members of the community, former black golfers and caddies who moved away to larger cities to find work.
Darrell’s golf accomplishments are very impressive, here are a few highlights:
His advice to young players today is, “to prepare your mind. You may not have the best swing to win, but you can prepare to compete with mental toughness, psychology and that is the most important thing.” Just when you think you come from a small town and can’t compete with those players from larger provinces your mental toughness can see you through.
Darrell still enjoys a round of golf at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa where he spends time as a marshal and starter, helping others enjoy the game.
The 2024 African Heritage Month theme is Our Smiles, Our Joy, Our Resilience as African Nova Scotians. This month is a time to celebrate and recognize the history and culture of people of African descent.
Join us this month as we share information on the barriers being broke in the game of golf in Nova Scotia.
Did you know the Apex will be celebrating 50 years this summer!
We celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Apex Invitational Golf Tournament, founded in 1974 by a young black resident of Truro, Darrell Maxwell. At that time, Darrell was a member of the Truro Golf Club and was considered one of the best golfers in Nova Scotia.
Over the years, this event has grown into a type of homecoming, celebrating the black communities around Truro, their contributions, and brings families and friends together from all over. Traditionally held the first weekend in August at the Truro Golf Club, the tournament sees 110+ players participate in the 2-day event. The Apex is one of the longest running golf tournaments in Nova Scotia golf history.
Proud of our member clubs for embracing community in their golf operations. Read How EagleQuest Grandview embraced their roots in Preston. And welcomed the black community to take up the game with the Black Lives Matter Program.
The Annual Black Educators Association (BEA) Open Golf Tournament celebrated 34 years in 2023.
The tournament brings together members of the black community to raise funds for the BEA and African Nova Scotians pursuing a post-secondary education. Over 790 African Nova Scotian students pursuing a post secondary education have been awarded over $420,000 in the history of the golf tournament.
During African Heritage Month we recognize the contributions of the BLMG BIPOC women’s group to break down barriers and grow the game of golf in underrepresented communities. Led by PGA coach Cristal Fitzpatrick and community coaches Tina Skier and Lillian Ash the initiative introduced 24 women to the game in 2023 with weekly instruction, mentorship and play. We can’t wait to see what they can do in 2024 and beyond!
Kaydem Al-Samawi has a new role with Golf Nova Scotia as Tournament & Marketing Director. Kaydem started with the association in 2021 as a summer intern and due to some staffing changes, quickly took on a leadership role. In 2022, Kaydem became the Marketing & Communications Coordinator and has excelled at raising the profile of the association’s website and social media channels.
Born in Alberta, Kaydem moved to Moncton, NB in 2007. Kaydem entered Dalhousie University in 2018 and graduated in the fall of 2022 with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and a major in Marketing Management. His love for sports is evident and grew up playing hockey, baseball, lacrosse, and golf.
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“We are lucky to have Kaydem.”, said Jason Lohnes, Executive Director of Golf Nova Scotia. “He took on a bigger role in 2021 than what was expected and rose to that challenge. We aim to elevate the delivery of our provincial championships and provide a consistent high-level product; to do that we need dedicated leadership in that space and I am confident of Kaydem’s ability.”
Kaydem officially began his new role on January 1, 2024, and while he will lead tournament delivery, he will also lead our marketing efforts with our website, social media channels, and email database.
“I was grateful to get an opportunity with Golf Nova Scotia as an intern in 2021 and was thrilled to hear that Jason and the association would have me back as a full-time employee.”, remarks Kaydem. “During my time with Golf NS, I have learned the intricacies of running a Provincial Championship and how important golf is to our membership. My goal is to continue to make our events a competitive, fun, and welcoming environment for all players to enjoy while making improvements each year. Thank you to Golf Nova Scotia for this incredible opportunity, I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the Championships this upcoming season.”
Kaydem can be reached by phone at (902) 468-8844 or by email at tournamentdirector@nsga.ns.ca.