Hey NS Junior Golfers!

Welcome to all returning junior players and a special welcome to all new junior golfers to the game!  As the season begins, now is a great time to get out on the course, driving range or backyard to enjoy the sunshine and to hone your golfing skills.  We are super excited to share with you many amazing clinic and tournament opportunities.  So, grab a club and get out there! 

We aim to be your go-to place for information on tournaments, lesson programs, clinics and fun! We have an action-packed 2023 season coming and please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions whatsoever…that goes for you too Mom or Dad…we are here to help!

There are many initiatives within development and we will continue to communicate as new information becomes available.

And BTW…we’ve changed our name to Golf Nova Scotia! Pretty cool!

BRAND NEW….2023 Golf Nova Scotia Junior Invitational Tour!

The inaugural Golf NS Junior Invitational Tour is a key component of our Junior Development Pathway. Some are new tournaments, some are existing tournaments and some are resurrected events. The invitationals are hosted and executed by member clubs and we are supporting these events by providing organizational resources, marketing, parent support, tour swag, and an Order of Merit Program.  

This series of one-day events invites both the accomplished and the “new to competition” golfers. More experienced players will enjoy high-level competition with their peers while newer players will enjoy the introduction to competition. Please stay tuned for more information to come on the GNS Junior Invitational Tour next week and please click here to view the schedule.

BRAND NEW…2023 Girls Junior Invitational!

The Girls Junior Invitational is an exciting initiative that aims to promote the growth of the game amongst young female players. This event is designed to give junior female golfers the opportunity to gain valuable competitive experience on a championship course. We strive to create a more inclusive golf environment, where female players of all ages and abilities can feel comfortable and supported in their pursuit of their golf goals. We hope that this event will help to foster a sense of community amongst female golfers and create a more positive and encouraging atmosphere for players of all levels. 

The inaugural event will take place on August 3rd at Chester Golf Club and will offer unique experiences for all levels of play. Experienced players will compete in an 18-hole tournament and younger golfers will enjoy 9-holes. Please stay tuned for more information coming in the next few weeks. 

BRAND NEW…Junior Webinar Series 

Join us each week as we explore new topics to improve your game, increase your golf knowledge, and explore the opportunities the game of golf provides.  All juniors are welcome and it’s FREE! Click here to register. 

April 20th: 7-8pm – The Junior Golf Pathway – The new Junior Invitational Tour 

Presenter: Sara Wilson, Technical Director, GNS (Recording Available) 

April 27th: 7-8pm – Understanding the College Recruitment System 

Presenter: Ryan Neceski, NLU Sports 

May 4th: 7-8:30pm – Rules of Golf – What has changed? 

Presenter: Ruth Christian, GNS Level 3 Referee 

May 11th: 7-8pm – National Team Canada Program – Working with our World Class Athletes 

Presenter: Jeff MacDonald, PGA of Canada High-Performance Coach, Assistant Coach-Team Canada

May 18th: 7-8pm – Keeping an accurate golf handicap – what you need to know

Presenter: David Bolton, Governor and Handicap Education Chair-Golf Canada

CHAMPIONSHIPS…

2023 GNS Jaguar Land Rover Junior Boys & Girls Championship 

The 2023 Golf NS Jaguar Land Rover Junior Boys & Girls Championship is being held July 3rd-5th hosted by KenWo Golf Club. Juniors can register now for the event by clicking here. 

National Championships 

Registration for Nationals is OPEN! Below are the 2023 Junior National Events taking place this year. 

Canadian Junior Girls Championship 

• Host: Hampton Golf Course, July 23-27 
• Location: Hampton, NB 

Canadian Junior Boys Championship 

• Host: North Bay Golf & Country Club, Aug 13-17 
• Location: North Bay, ON 

More Championships… 

Be sure to check our website for information on additional events such as the Golf Canada Next Gen events and other championships happening here in Atlantic Canada. See below the junior events near Nova Scotia. To see all Junior events, click here.

• NextGen Atlantic Championship 
• NextGen Quebec Championship 
• U19 NB Junior Championship 
• U13 & U15 NB Championship 
• PEI Amateur 
• East Coast Junior 

2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship

Junior Female Clinic – Ashburn Golf Club

Ashburn Golf Club is hosting the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and Golf Nova Scotia will be hosting a FREE clinic during the event. Delivered by female PGA of Canada Golf Professionals, the clinic will take place on August 2 and more details will be available soon. 

Provincial Junior Skills Challenge 

Junior Skills Challenge is an online and interactive program that focuses on developing the key golf skills of putting, chipping, and driving. An online leaderboard allows site coordinators to upload players’ scores so they can track their improvement. The National Leaderboard shows the rankings of participants within their age grouping. Courses in NS will host a local competition and we will post those locations once confirmed.

All NS juniors are invited and encouraged to participate in the 2023 GNS Provincial Junior Skills Challenge on July 7th, 2023 at The Links at Brunello. 

Click here to register for the Junior Skills Challenge.

This is going to be a great season!



The GNS Team 

Northumberland Links golf course superintendent John Mills walks by the second hole on May 5. Trees that used to be here were downed by winds from post-tropical storm Fiona in September 2022. The storm began in the Caribbean as Hurricane Fiona. (David Laughlin/CBC)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/northumberland-links-golf-storm-fiona-damage-1.6836205

Patrick Jackson

Patrick Jackson is a proud member of the Nova Scotia golfing community. He was born in Truro and currently resides in Halifax.

Patrick has been playing golf for over 16 years and has competed in various tournaments and events, including club championships, provincial championships, national championships, and collegiate events.

Patrick is a proud member of the Truro Golf Club. He has also worked in the golf industry, serving mostly as a pro shop attendant at various golf courses for the past nine summers.  

In 2021, Patrick completed his Bachelor of Science in Economics at Dalhousie University. Currently, he is pursuing his law degree at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, where he is entering his final year.

Beyond academics and golf, Patrick is actively involved in his community. He served as the Vice President for the Dalhousie Health and Fitness Society and is an Executive Member of the Dalhousie Black Law Students Association. Additionally, he has volunteered for various projects with Pro Bono Dalhousie.

Patrick is excited to join the Board of Directors and looks forward to contributing to Golf Nova Scotia’s vision of “Golf for All.”

Golf Nova Scotia Welcomes Dr. Lori Dithurbide to the Board of Directors

Dr. Lori Dithurbide

My name is Lori Dithurbide, I am originally from Cheticamp and have lived in Halifax for the past 12 years.

I started golfing as a teenager at Le Portage Golf Club and am currently a member at Ashburn Golf Club.

I have been a member of the Golf Nova Scotia’s Sport Development Committee since its inception and look forward to contributing to the Board of Directors.

I work as a professor in Kinesiology at Dalhousie University, teaching and doing research in the area of sport psychology (including golf research!). I also work as a Mental Performance Consultant with the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic and with a number of high-performance athletes, coaches and teams across Canada.

I also sit on the Sport Committee and Amateur National Team Selection Committee for Golf Canada.

I have participated in a number of GNS tournaments including Women’s Provincial Amateur tournaments and Pinehursts, and enjoy fun rounds of golf with friends both at home and abroad.

I’m excited to help GNS move forward in making golf in Nova Scotia accessible to all who want to participate and to help develop golfers of all ages and levels.

“Members,

We hope you are doing well and that you are excited about the upcoming golf season! Before the season begins, the NSGA wants to bring your attention to the 2023 Provincial and National Championships, as well as our competitions calendar which is filled with club events residing in Nova Scotia. Please note that clubs are still populating the calendar with their events, so make sure to keep checking the site.

Provincial Championships

Championship registration is less than two weeks away! Make sure to mark the date on your calendar as we expect some events to fill up fast. All NSGA events will open for registration on April 3rd at 9:00 am. Event Information is live on the NSGA Website now, click any of the events below to see the event information. Click here to see the full schedule.

NSGA Men’s Four-Ball Championship

• Host: Greenwood Golf Club & Eagle Crest Golf Course, June 10-11

NSGA Jaguar Land Rover Halifax Junior Championship

• Host: KenWo Golf Club, July 3-5

NSGA Men’s Amateur Championship

• Host: The Links at Penn Hills, July 7-9

NSGA Women’s Provincial Championship

• Host: Paragon Golf & Country Club, July 14-1

NSGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship

• Host: Yarmouth Links, July 28-30

NSGA Women’s Bronze Championship

• Host: River Oaks Golf Club, August 9

NSGA #GolfBeattieStrong Senior Men’s Championship

• Host: Berwick Heights Golf Club, August 16-18

NSGA Women’s Pinehurst Championship

• Host: Truro Golf Club, August 23

NSGA Men’s Senior Four-Ball Championship

• Host: Digby Pines Golf Resort, September 20-21

National Championships

Registration for Nationals is OPEN! Below are the 2023 National Events taking place this year. The NSGA would like to highlight the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship as it is being hosted by the beautiful Ashburn Golf Club here in Nova Scotia. We are also proud to announce that 3 other Canadian Championships are being hosted in Atlantic Canada. Click the event you want to visit to register or view more information. To view the full schedule click here.

Canadian Junior Girls Championship

• Host: Hampton Golf Course, July 23-27
• Location: Hampton, NB

Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship

• Host: Mad River Golf Club, July 24-27
• Location: Creemore, ON

Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship

• Host: Ashburn Golf Club (New Course), July 31-August 4
• Location: Halifax, NS

Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship

• Host: The Pulpit Club, August 5-10
• Location: Caledon, ON

Canadian Junior Boys Championship

• Host: North Bay Golf & Country Club, Aug 13-17
• Location: North Bay, ON

Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship

• Host: Algonquin Golf Course, Aug 20-24
• Location: St. Andrews, NB

Canadian Women’s Senior Championship

• Host: Mill River Golf Club, Aug 29 – Sept 1
• Location: Woodstock, PEI

Canadian Men’s Senior Championship

• Host: Big Sky Golf & Country Club, Sept 4-8
• Location: Pemberton, BC

Canadian All Abilities Championship

• Host: Kamloops Golf & Country Club, Sept 13-15
• Location: Kamloops, BC

Club Events

Club events are beginning to populate the NSGA Competitions Calendar! Make sure to check the calendar weekly as clubs are still submitting their events to the calendar. Click here to see all the Nova Scotia Club Events!

Additional Junior Events

Calling all Juniors! Make sure to check out additional events such as the Golf Canada Next Gen events, Junior Invitationals, and other Atlantic provinces championships, plus more. See below the junior events near Nova Scotia. To see all Junior events, click here. Click the events below to view registration.

NextGen Atlantic Championship

NextGen Quebec Championship

U19 NB Junior Championship

U13 & U15 NB Championship

PEI Amateur

East Coast Junior

Additional Amateur Events

Make sure to check out additional tournaments happening in Atlantic Canada! Click on the event below to see registration.

Golf New Brunswick Championships

PEI Amateur

We are looking forward to another great golf season and best of luck to all tournament competitors everyone this year!”

Sincerely,

The NSGA Team

The first edition of NSGA News in 2023. Click Here to join our email list.

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