– Golf Canada and RBC will now pivot all efforts towards planning for a celebrated return of the RBC Canadian Open in 2021 – 

TORONTO – With continued public health concerns as well as international travel and government restrictions due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the PGA TOUR, in consultation with Golf Canada and RBC, has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 RBC Canadian Open.

The event was scheduled for June 8-14 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club with Islington Golf Club as the official practice facility. The cancellation of the 2020 RBC Canadian Open also includes the RBCxMusic Concert Series which was scheduled to take place June 12-13 at Richview Collegiate Institute, featuring headline performances by The Chainsmokers and Keith Urban.

“The RBC Canadian Open has always been a rallying point for Canadian golf and while we share in the crushing disappointment with our fans, players, volunteers and many event partners, our primary responsibility is the safety of our people and our communities,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “It is now our full intention to push forward together with RBC, the PGA TOUR, the City of Toronto and our host clubs with the goal to bring the 2021 RBC Canadian Open to St. George’s Golf and Country Club with Islington Golf Club as the official practice facility.”

“Our foremost consideration is the health and safety of everyone in our community, including the players, spectators, our staff and volunteers, the media and the thousands of supporters who contribute to the success of our event,” said Mary DePaoli, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “The international travel restrictions, required quarantine measures and government mandates were critical factors that contributed to the decision to cancel our event this year. We have no doubt that the incredible momentum we’ve built together with our partners will make the 2021 RBC Canadian Open a world-class experience.”

Golf Canada and RBC would like to thank golf fans across the nation for their understanding and in particular, our  many corporate partners, ticket and hospitality purchasers, as well as the countless volunteers for their continued support through this unprecedented time.

Golf Canada, the PGA TOUR and RBC have continued to monitor the guidelines provided by federal, provincial and municipal government health authorities in order to prevent the spread of the virus within our communities. With this decision, Golf Canada and RBC will now turn their focus towards the 2021 RBC Canadian Open.

Dating back to its inception in 1904, the cancellation of the 2020 RBC Canadian Open marks only the seventh time that Canada’s National Open Championship has not been conducted, including wartime cancellations from 1915-18 as well as 1943-44.

All corporate hospitality buyers will be contacted by their Golf Canada sales representative over the coming days to plan forward for 2021 and individual ticket purchases made via Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded within the next 30 days. The same refund policy applies for RBC clients who purchased RBCxMusic Tickets.

For more information, visit www.rbccanadianopen.com.

April 15, 2020

To All NSGA Members:

The NSGA continues to support the public safety guidelines and recommendations of the provincial Government, the Provincial Health Authority, Health Canada, and the World Health Organization. We would like to thank all the front line workers who continue to battle against this deadly pandemic.

Over the past month the NSGA has been working closely with our member clubs and Allied Golf Associations, including the PGA Atlantic, Atlantic Superintendents, NGCOA, Golf Canada and the Provincial Golf Associations. We are collaborating to develop best practices to ensure that golf will be prepared when the time is right. It is important for golfers to remain patient and respect the recommendations from the Nova Scotia Department of Health.

Golf Canada’s COVID-19 Resource Page

Golf Canada is committed to fostering a safe sport environment. Through this difficult and unprecedented crisis, that commitment includes the health and well-being of golfers as well as every Canadian in the communities where we live and play. Our thoughts are with those personally affected by the virus including their families, our most vulnerable citizens and the incredible health care workers who are facing the pandemic on the front lines.

Our industry is fortunate to have a wide-ranging support network of provincial, national and international partners bringing together their expertise to help Canadian golf navigate through the uncertainty of COVID-19.

Collaboration and information sharing are critical during this challenging time and Golf Canada has created the resource page below with helpful links to support our member clubs, golfers and our many industry partners coming together during this crisis. The resource page will be updated regularly as information and updates become available.

Please visit https://golfcanada.ca/covid-19 for more information.

NSGA Men’s 4-Ball Registration Opens

Registration for the NSGA Men’s Four-ball, hosted by Hartlen Point Forces Golf Club, is now open. This season, all competitors will receive a welcome gift from Taylormade upon checking in before your first round at the registration desk.

New this year for all amateur events, competitors will have a chance to win a new car from our Hole in one sponsor Halifax Jaguar Land Rover.

Click here to register. If you have any questions please contact Bryce at bryce@nsga.ns.ca.

For all other provincial championships registration will now open on May 1. We will be collecting competitors payment information at the time of registration, as per usual. All competitors will then be put into “eligibility pending,” until we are certain the championship is happening.

A notice to competitors will be circulated a minimum of 21-days prior to the event, on the status of the championship. Please note: credit card payments will not be processed until the event is confirmed, and not until the 21-days prior.

BC Golf Junior Education Webinar Series

Join BC Golf for this April and May, as Golf, Fitness, Nutrition and Mental Performance professionals share their expertise with all BC Junior Golfers for the first BC Junior Golf Education Summit via online webinars.

The 2020 Summit will bring together leaders in junior golf development to discuss the pillars of performance along the competitive pathway, centered around this year’s theme of “Resilience and Adaptability.”

The 2020 BC Junior Golf Education Summit is an amazing opportunity for competitive juniors of all ages and ability to come together to learn from some of the best coaches in Canada on how to succeed along the path to becoming the best possible golfer you can be. There has never been an online event that has brought together such a qualified group of presenters who are truly passionate about golf.

Click here to Register  All webinars are FREE of charge!

Schedule:

All webinars will be approximately 45 to 60 min and start at 4:00 p.m. PST (8:00 pm AST)

• Thu, April 16th  – College Golf – the right school for you
• Tues, April 21st  – Adapting Your Fitness Routine
• Thur, April 23rd  – Rules and How to Benefit Part 1
• Tues, April 28th  – Self Awareness and Attentional Control
• Thur, April 30th  – Emotional Control and Stress Management
• Wed, May 5th   – Your Mental Skill Toolkit
• Fri, May 7th   – Rules and How to Benefit Part 2
• Wed, May 12th  – Versatility and Tactics
• Fri, May 14th  – Building your foundation – Nutrition, Hydration, Recovery
• Wed, May 19th  – Being Adaptable and Resilient during Competition

NSGA Player Handicap Webinars

Beginning in May, the NSGA will be hosting player focused World Handicap System Webinars. If you are interested in attending one of these webinar, please contact Anne (anne@nsga.ns.ca).

NSGA Virtual Coffee House

Every Wednesday from 11am-12pm the NSGA will be hosting a Virtual Coffee House. It will be an open forum for members to ask questions on championships, handicapping, rules, or to just chat about golf with people who love the game. To join us in the Virtual Coffee Room, please click here on Wednesday’s at 11am. All are welcome.

Join us for this April and May, as Golf, Fitness, Nutrition and Mental Performance professionals share their expertise with all BC Junior Golfers for the first BC Junior Golf Education Summit via online webinars.

The 2020 Summit will bring together leaders in junior golf development to discuss the pillars of performance along the competitive pathway, centered around this year’s theme of “Resilience and Adaptability.”

The 2020 BC Junior Golf Education Summit is an amazing opportunity for competitive juniors of all ages and ability to come together to learn from some of the best coaches in Canada on how to succeed along the path to becoming the best possible golfer you can be. There has never been an online event that has brought together such a qualified group of presenters who are truly passionate about golf.

Click here to Register  All Webinars are free of charge!

Schedule:

All webinars will be approximately 45 to 60 min and start at 4:00 p.m. PST (8:00 pm AST)

• Thu, April 16th  – College Golf – the right school for you
• Tues, April 21st  – Adapting Your Fitness Routine
• Thur, April 23rd  – Rules and How to Benefit Part 1
• Tues, April 28th  – Self Awareness and Attentional Control
• Thur, April 30th  – Emotional Control and Stress Management
• Wed, May 5th   – Your Mental Skill Toolkit
• Fri, May 7th   – Rules and How to Benefit Part 2
• Wed, May 12th  – Versatility and Tactics
• Fri, May 14th  – Building your foundation – Nutrition, Hydration, Recovery
• Wed, May 19th  – Being Adaptable and Resilient during Competition

For more information on each webinar, and speaker bios, please see below.

 

CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 RULES OF GOLF AND RULES OF HANDICAPPING FAQs

The COVID-19 global pandemic is an unprecedented and difficult time for Canadians and Golf Canada stands with our entire golf community during this unprecedented time.

We all love the game for the escape it provides and its positive impact on our physical, social and mental well-being. We look forward to better and healthier days and when the time is right for Canadians to return to recreational normalcy, clubs and courses will be ready to welcome golfers back to the tee.

We continue to urge golfers to follow the guidelines from health and governmental officials to keep you and those around you safe, and to minimize any possible exposure to coronavirus. This is especially true on a golf course, where golfers, workers and operators should heighten their level of awareness on exposure to surfaces like flagsticks, golf balls, bunker rakes, tees, carts and scorecards. We all need to do our part to respect expert advice and make the right decisions to protect each other.

It is not the intended purpose of the below guidance to either encourage or discourage anyone from playing the game, but rather, in our governance role, to help golf course operators, committees and golfers better understand how the Rules of Golf and Rules of Handicapping apply to the various questions received by the governing bodies.

The Modernized Rules of Golf were drafted to offer each Committee the flexibility to make decisions as to how golf is played at their course or in competition and the Committee Procedures section of the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf (available online here) offers a significant amount of guidance and recommendations on how to address circumstances unique to each course or competition.

This flexibility will prove to be very helpful as Committees look to address many of the challenges they are facing within the current environment. While the Committee Procedures section is a tremendous resource and has much to offer, many of the current questions were not originally contemplated under the Rules of Golf and therefore there is no history or guidance provided. To better address the questions that have come about because of these unique circumstances and the related challenges, additional guidance can be accessed by clicking here. This will continue to be updated as additional questions are received.

As active seasons start to open across the country, we would like to discuss impacts on Handicapping.  From the perspective of the Rules of Handicapping, the most frequent questions received are primarily related to the acceptability of scores for posting to a player’s scoring record. In particular, to modifying the hole and not requiring the player to “hole out” as required under the Rules of Golf. These are founded in a desire to minimize the possibility of exposing golfers to coronavirus and have included leaving the hole liner raised above the putting surface or placing various objects into the hole so the ball can be more easily removed. In these specific cases, ensuring guidance from health and governmental officials is being followed, a temporary measure is in place in Canada to accept scores played under these conditions for handicap purposes using the most likely score guidelines (Rule 3.3, Rules of Handicapping), even though the player has not holed out.

Please remember that this temporary measure is now in effect within Canada until advised otherwise by Golf Canada.

For more information and detailed guidance, please contact your Provincial Golf Association or Golf Canada.

To All Golf Canada Members and Member Clubs,

Along with the rest of the globe, Canada is dealing with a debilitating health crisis with COVID-19.

Golf Canada is committed to fostering a safe sport environment. Together with our partners at the Provincial Golf Associations, that commitment includes the health and well-being of golfers as well as every Canadian in the communities where we live and play.

I think constantly about those personally affected by the virus including their families, our most vulnerable citizens and the incredible health care workers confronting the pandemic on the front lines. I worry about the impact to the golf community—owners, operators, PGA of Canada professionals, club managers, superintendents, industry stakeholders, fans and supporters of our championships and every Canadian golf enthusiast that just wants to get out and play. I also applaud the superintendents and their teams, who are taking the strictest precautions to maintain our essential golf properties during this crisis.  

Golf Canada fully supports the recommendations and guidelines of Health Canada, the World Health Organization and regional public health experts to prevent the community spread of COVID-19. Currently, most provinces have enacted complete suspensions on all recreational activities and gatherings, including golf facilities. Many clubs throughout Canada have, on their own initiative, instituted temporary suspensions of operations for the wellness of their staff, their golfers and their community at large. I know that those not yet mandated to close are taking every precaution and I respect the pressure felt by those with that immense responsibility.  

Golf Canada continues to evaluate all aspects of our business and take measures to protect  our athletes, staff, coaches, partners and volunteers. Severe cost controls and risk mitigation protocols have been enacted and we are in constant consultation with provincial, national and international experts along with our member clubs to gather the information we need to make informed and responsible decisions through the crisis.  

You will find a toolkit of information here in our COVID-19 Resource Page, which we hope will serve as a  reference for everything that can be done today and, in the future, when it is safe to return to golf. I am incredibly proud of the work done by our team, our partners and global stakeholders to put this compendium of information together for all golfers.

This is a turbulent moment and Golf Canada is committed to supporting the golf community through these challenges to the best of our ability. I am encouraged to see the resiliency of our industry—people and facilities engaging to share ideas and best practices, further professional development and provide levity and support for each other through this difficult period.

When the time is right for Canadians to return to recreational normalcy, golf will be well positioned to emerge and thrive, with possible attributes recommended by the appropriate authorities including physical distancing, exaggerated tee-times, personal protective equipment, and the many precautionary health measures that club operators will have in place. I also know that when that recovery comes, courses will be ready to safely welcome golfers back to the tee. Golf will bring us closer together.

For now, as we all make our way through a time of unprecedented uncertainty, let’s commit to what is in our control—to take every precaution to ensure our physical and mental health; to protect our families, staff, volunteers and golfers; and to rally as a community to keep each other safe.
—
Laurence Applebaum
Chief Executive Officer
Golf Canada

With heightened uncertainty and global concern related to COVID-19, Golf Canada continues to evaluate all aspects of our business to operate and make informed and responsible decisions within the best interests of our athletes, staff, volunteers, host clubs, partners and other stakeholders health and well-being.

Today (March 30, 2020), Golf Canada is announcing its decision to cancel or postpone the events listed below.

Golf Canada has cancelled the following 2020 NextGen Championships: 

• NextGen Pacific | May 14-17 | Pheasant Glen Golf Resort, Qualicum Beach, B.C.
• NextGen Ontario | May 21-24 | Listowel Golf Club, Listowel, Ont.
• NextGen Western | May 27-30 | River Spirit Golf Club, Calgary, Alta.
• NextGen Québec | June 4-7 | Owl’s Head Golf Club, Mansonville, Qué.

Golf Canada has postponed the following 2020 RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifiers: 

• Ontario Qualifier | May 14 | TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, Caledon, Ont.
• British Columbia Qualifier | May 19 | Meadow Gardens Golf Club, Pitt Meadows, B.C.
• Québec Qualifier | May 21 | Club de golf Pinegrove, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué.

Golf Canada has also decided to postpone the 2020 Canadian University/College Championship:

Canadian University/College Championship | May 24-28 | Club de golf Les Quatre Domaines, Mirabel, Qué.

Golf Canada has cancelled all National Rules and Course Ratings Seminars:

• National Rules Seminar (BC) | March 27-29 | Marine Drive Golf Club, Vancouver, B.C.
• National Rules Seminar (NB) | March 27-29 | Royal Oaks Golf Club, Moncton, N.B.
• National Rules Seminar (ON) | April 3-5 | St. George’s Golf & Country Club, Toronto, Ont.
• National Rules Seminar (QC) | April 24-26 | Elm Ridge Country Club, Montreal, Qué.
• National Rules Seminar (SK) | April 24-26 | Riverside Country Club, Saskatoon, Sask.
• National Course Rating Seminar April 26-27

The USGA previously announced the cancellation of local (first stage) qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Open in its current form. They are working with their Allied Golf Association (AGA) partners and International Federations to redesign qualifying going forward.

The decision to cancel or postpone these events was not taken lightly, but given unprecedented times, we believe it is the best course of action. The safety and well-being of our championship competitors, tournament staff and volunteers along with our host site members and staff are paramount to Golf Canada. We also appreciate that all Canadians are dealing with health and travel concerns along with more pressing matters of uncertainty.

We share in the disappointment of those affected and thank all for their understanding during this extraordinary time.

A complete list of Golf Canada’s competitions is available here.

We Are Golf (The National Allied Golf Associations/NAGA) are committed to ensuring the health and safety of our members, golfers, staff, volunteers and industry stakeholders as well as every Canadian in the communities where we live, work and play.

The COVID-19 crisis is an unprecedented and difficult time for Canadians. We Are Golf fully supports the recommendations and guidelines of Health Canada, the World Health Organization and regional public health experts to stop the community spread of the virus. As leaders in an industry that employs more than 300,000 Canadians and includes nearly six million golfers from coast to coast, our priority above all else is the health and safety of our people and our communities.

Where governments have not mandated the temporary closure of golf courses, operators of those facilities should take every health and safety precaution. We Are Golf also advocates for the essential need for golf course property maintenance during any of the temporary closures to be ready for operation while taking every health and safety precaution.

We look forward to better and healthier days and when the time is right for Canadians to return to recreational normalcy, clubs and courses will be ready to welcome golfers back to the tee.