OAKVILLE – Team Canada alumnae and LPGA Tour veteran Jennifer Kirby has decided to step away from professional golf.

The news came down as the Paris, Ont. native made the news public via an interview with TSN’s Bob Weeks.   In the article, Kirby cites a lack of passion and enjoyment for her decision to leave the game.

As soon as Weeks shared his article on Twitter Friday, messages and kudos started to pour in for Kirby.  The LPGA Tour veteran showed class, taking the time to respond to each one.

It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to coach @kirbyjennifer @TheGolfCanada. Smart, tough, dedicated – a real winner! Plus many laughs too! With skills like that success in life will follow you! #alwaysadragon ??? https://t.co/mLGQct50bJ

— Derek Ingram (@dingramgolf) March 24, 2018

I admired you as a golfer growing up. And then I got to know you, and beyond a golfer, this is one of the many reasons I admire you as a https://t.co/4cVvm2wLZX listened to your heart and were honest. So excited for what the future holds for you?@kirbyjennifer https://t.co/euWp3s7QS9

— Brittany Marchand (@Britt_Marchand) March 24, 2018

Jen is a fantastic young lady, over and above being a great player. Tour life is hard, JK got a great education at Alabama and will be a great addition to any business! Wish her all the best https://t.co/DuFSO2nO8V

— Tristan Mullally (@tmullallygolf) March 23, 2018

Kirby joined Golf Canada’s Team Canada program as a member of the Development Squad in 2007 before graduating to the National Team in 2010. In 2009, Kirby made history by becoming the first golfer to win Ontario Junior, Ontario Amateur, Canadian Junior and Canadian Amateur titles.

“As an amateur they gave me every opportunity I could ask for,” Kirby said.  “I travelled all around the world representing my country. They gave me all the tools to succeed and all the opportunities to play against good competitors. Every day I’m very thankful to have gone through that program.”

She led the University of Alabama Crimson Tide to a national title in 2012.

In 2013, she won her first event as a professional – Canadian Women’s Tour event in Quebec – and secured her LPGA Tour card on her first attempt, where she finished 5^th.

Her time on the LPGA and Symetra Tour has mixed results.

Kirby doesn’t know what lies ahead for her, but she hinted to Weeks that she may like to pursue a career coaching or mentoring girls just getting into professional golf.

On behalf of all of us at Golf Canada, best wishes Jennifer. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Canadian golf.

The USGA and The R&A have unveiled the new Rules of Golf, to be implemented on 1 January 2019.

The USGA and The R&A finalised golf’s new Rules this month after an extensive review that included a request for feedback from the global golf community on the proposed changes. Golfers can now access the official 2019 Rules of Golf by visiting www.RandA.org or www.usga.org/rules.

The process to modernise the Rules began in 2012 and was initiated to ensure that the Rules are easier to understand and apply for all golfers and to make the game more attractive and accessible for newcomers.

As the National Sport Federation and governing body, Golf Canada worked alongside The R&A and the USGA on the Rules modernisation initiative.

#Golf‘s new rules will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. Here are 5 key changes ??#GolfRules2019⛳️

More ➡️ https://t.co/9pS0gslInt pic.twitter.com/Ct48VVtPvI

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) March 14, 2018

While the majority of proposed Rules remain intact in the final version, several important changes to the initial proposals and further clarification of many Rules were incorporated.

The most significant adjustments made following the review of feedback received from golfers around the world, includes:

• Dropping procedure: When taking relief (from an abnormal course condition or penalty area, for example), golfers will now drop from knee height. This will ensure consistency and simplicity in the dropping process while also preserving the randomness of the drop. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested dropping from any height).
• Measuring in taking relief: The golfer’s relief area will be measured by using the longest club in their bag (other than a putter) to measure one club-length or two club-lengths, depending on the situation, making for a consistent process for golfers to establish their relief area. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested a 20-inch or 80-inch standard measurement).
• Removing the penalty for a double hit: The penalty stroke for accidentally striking the ball more than once in the course of a stroke has been removed. Golfers will simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball.  (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 included the existing one-stroke penalty).
• Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alternative to Stroke and Distance: A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty. This Local Rule addresses the concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Local Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions. (Key change:  this is a new addition to support pace of play)

“We’re thankful for the golfers, administrators and everyone in the game who took the time to provide us with great insight and thoughtful feedback,” said USGA Senior Director of Rules & Amateur Status, Thomas Pagel. “We couldn’t be more excited to introduce the new Rules ahead of their education and implementation.”

David Rickman, Executive Director – Governance at The R&A, said, “We are pleased to be introducing the new Rules of Golf after a collaborative and wide-ranging review process which has embraced the views of golfers, rules experts and administrators worldwide. We believe that the new Rules are more in tune with what golfers would like and are easier to understand and apply for everyone who enjoys playing this great game.”

“The approach and process to modernise the Rules was critical to make meaningful changes that are relevant to all golfers worldwide beginning in 2019,” said Golf Canada Director of Rules, Competitions & Amateur Status, Adam Helmer. “We are confident that the outcome of this important initiative will be well received and we will work closely with our club, provincial and national partners to inform and educate Canadian golfers.”

Major proposals introduced in 2017 that have been incorporated into the modernised Rules include:

• Elimination or reduction of “ball moved” penalties: There will be no penalty for accidentally moving a ball on the putting green or in searching for a ball; and a player is not responsible for causing a ball to move unless it is “virtually certain” that he or she did so.
• Relaxed putting green rules: There will be no penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits an unattended flagstick in the hole; players may putt without having the flagstick attended or removed. Players may repair spike marks and other damage made by shoes, animal damage and other damage on the putting green and there is no penalty for merely touching the line of putt.
• Relaxed rules for “penalty areas” (currently called “water hazards”): Red and yellow-marked penalty areas may cover areas of desert, jungle, lava rock, etc., in addition to areas of water; expanded use of red penalty areas where lateral relief is allowed; and there will be no penalty for moving loose impediments or touching the ground or water in a penalty area.
• Relaxed bunker rules: There will be no penalty for moving loose impediments in a bunker or for generally touching the sand with a hand or club. A limited set of restrictions (such as not grounding the club right next to the ball) is kept to preserve the challenge of playing from the sand; however, an extra relief option is added for an unplayable ball in a bunker, allowing the ball to be played from outside the bunker with a two-stroke penalty.
• Relying on player integrity: A player’s “reasonable judgment” when estimating or measuring a spot, point, line, area or distance will be upheld, even if video evidence later shows it to be wrong; and elimination of announcement procedures when lifting a ball to identify it or to see if it is damaged.
• Pace-of-play support: Reduced time for searching for a lost ball (from five minutes to three); affirmative encouragement of “ready golf” in stroke play; recommending that players take no more than 40 seconds to play a stroke and other changes intended to help with pace of play.

Presented in digital, text-based form today, the new Rules will also now be translated into more than 30 languages and readied for final delivery via print and digital formats, including searchable Rules of Golf official apps developed by The R&A and the USGA. The full version of the new Rules of Golf in French will be available soon and posted on Golf Canada’s Rules of Golf website at  http://golfcanada.ca/rules-of-golf/

Introducing the new Rules of #golf. Effective Jan. 1, 2019 #GolfRules2019

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Mar 12, 2018 at 7:58am PDT

Three important publications, to be distributed this September, will help players and officials, who regulate the game, and provide interpretation and guidance in how the Rules are applied:

• The Player’s Edition of the Rules of Golf: An abridged, user-friendly set of the Rules with shorter sentences, commonly used phrases, and diagrams. Written in the “second person,” The Player’s Edition is intended to be the primary publication for golfers.
• The Rules of Golf: The full edition of the Rules will be written in the third person and will include illustrations. The Rules of Golf is intended to be the primary publication for officials.
• The Official Guide to the Rules of Golf: This “guidebook” replaces the Decisions book and will contain information to best support committees and officials. It includes interpretations on the Rules, Committee procedures (available local rules and information on establishing the terms of the competition), and the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities. It is a “long-form” resource document intended as a supplementary publication.

More than 30 “how-to apply” videos and a summary of the principal changes are now available at www.RandA.org and www.usga.org/rules.  Additional education tools will be released in September.

Players are reminded that the current edition of the Rules of Golf (2016) must be applied when playing, posting scores or competing for the remainder of 2018. The Rules of Amateur Status and the Rules of Equipment Standards were not part of this review process.

As an extension of their support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support The R&A and the USGA’s efforts to modernise golf’s Rules. The Swiss watchmaker’s contribution to excellence in golf is based on a rich heritage stretching back more than 50 years, forged through pivotal partnerships at every level of the game, from the sport’s leading professional and amateur competitions and organisations, to players at the pinnacle of their sport worldwide.

Women’s Amateur and Senior Championship
Truro Golf Club
July 6-8
Registration opens on May 1, 2018

MCT Men’s Amateur Championship 

River Hills Golf and Country Club
July 5-8
Registration opens on May 1, 2018

COBRA PUMA Bantam Championship
 Northumberland Links 
July 10-11

COBRA PUMA Junior Championship
Northumberland Links 
July 10-13

MCT Men’s Mid-Amateur 
Hartlen Point Forces Golf Club
July 20-22

• Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championship
• Men’s and Women’s Senior Championship
• Junior Boys and Girls Championship
• Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship

After holding the 54-hole lead at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship Saturday night, Corey Conners let his mind wander.

Conners was in a position to become just the second rookie to win on Tour in the 2017-18 season – and the first Canadian since Adam Hadwin captured the same event last year – and a win for the first-year golfer would go a long way. He’d secure his Tour card for two years, he’d get into the Masters and there would be a US$1.1 million payday.

Those thoughts faded as Sunday’s round wore on. Conners shot his worst round of the week, a 6-over-par 77, and finished tied for 16th well back of Paul Casey’s winning mark of 10-under.

The 26-year-old from Listowel, Ont., is looking at the tournament as a stepping stone as his rookie season continues.

“I always believed that I could contend and get myself in the mix, but to have done it is awesome. I take a lot of confidence from that,” he said Monday from his home in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Conners almost didn’t make it into the field last week, listed as the third alternate because of his status on the PGA TOUR’s priority list.

After a few golfers withdrew, Conners got a call from the PGA TOUR last Monday saying he was in. As he teed off in the first round, he felt he was playing with nothing to lose.

He only got to play one practice round, but Conners – who has a degree in actuary mathematics, essentially the study and analysis of risk – didn’t mind.

“I just tried to take some good notes on how to tackle the course and I feel like it was pretty effective,” he said.

Conners, who moved up 89 spots to No. 519 in the Official World Golf Ranking thanks to his finish, had a number of supporters last week in Tampa, Fla. Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum said he was impressed to see how Conners handled such a big moment so early in his career.

“There is no doubt he can take so much away from this experience and will be better for it,” Applebaum said.

A group from Conners’ home golf course in Listowel, about two hours from Toronto, flew down Saturday morning. Fellow Golf Canada team member (and fellow Kent State University alum) Taylor Pendrith also flew from Toronto to Tampa once it was confirmed Conners would be in the final group of the day.

Another Golf Canada and Kent State teammate, Mackenzie Hughes, had missed the cut Friday, but stuck around on the weekend. He was in the gallery Sunday to cheer on Conners, and, as a PGA Tour winner himself, said Conners has all the tools to eventually win as well.

“It doesn’t surprise me to see that Corey is good enough to win on the PGA TOUR? I knew that as soon as he got out here,” said Hughes. “But it probably takes him seeing that and being there to fully believe it. You always believe that you are (good enough), but until you put yourself there, around a lead, that’s when you fully grasp that you know you’re good enough.”

Conners said he received some words of encouragement from his fellow players and a lot of nice messages from his friends before teeing it up Sunday, calling the support “hard to describe.:

He admitted there wasn’t much for the crowd to cheer for Sunday as he made no birdies and didn’t recover from bogeys two of his first three holes, but what he learned this week will be invaluable moving forward.

“I was able to stay in the game pretty well. I was happy about that, but didn’t play like I wanted to,” he said of his round on Sunday.

“I’ll look back on the experience from the final round and just make sure I’m really focused the next time I’m in that position and make good decisions and commit to shots. It’s definitely an experience I’ll look back on in the future, and something I’ll get a lot of confidence from.”

Mike Weir has been inspiring Canadian junior golfers his entire career.

Now the former Masters champion and eight-time PGA TOUR winner will deliver the golf experience of a lifetime to four aspiring young golfers who will participate in the inaugural Major Champions Invitational.

Led by Sir Nick Faldo, the 2018 Major Champions Invitational invites Major champions to sponsor a team of junior golfers and provide the unforgettable experience of being mentored by world-class champions and renowned golf professionals.

The inaugural event will be played at Bella Collina, in Montverde, FL near Orlando from March 11-14. Teams consist of four (4) top-tier junior golfers (male or female) sponsored by a major champion, their sponsor or an affiliated non-profit organization.

For Weir, sponsoring juniors from his home and native land to play alongside competitors from around the globe was a natural extension of his commitment to help support and develop the next generation of golfers.

“I am excited to support this great event put on by Sir Nick Faldo and to give this experience to the next generation of Canadian golfers,” said the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member and recent inductee into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. “I hope these junior athletes will be exposed to lots of great talent and quality people in the golf world, all while raising funds for a great cause.”

Team Weir will include sponsored Canadians Jeevan Sihota, of Victoria, BC (13), Taylor Kehoe of Strathroy, Ont. (14) and Luca Cimoroni of Toronto (13) along with 14-year old Berlin Long of Lehi, Utah, the state where Weir currently resides.

The Major Champions Invitational is an extension event of the Faldo Series, whose mission is to provide global opportunities to young people through golf and help identify and nurture the next generation of champions.  Past participants of the Faldo Series include Rory McIlroy, Yani Tseng, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley.

Participating and/or represented Major Champions supporting the inaugural Major Champions Invitational include:

• Seve Ballesteros
• Tony Jacklin
• Jerry Pate
• Henrik Stenson
• Keegan Bradley
• Dustin Johnson
• Justin Rose
• Payne Stewart
• John Daly
• Nancy Lopez
• Adam Scott
• Tom Watson
• Nick Faldo
• Rory McIlroy
• Annika Sorenstam
• Mike Weir
• Jim Furyk
• Jack Nicklaus
• Jordan Spieth

Led by Faldo, a six-time Major winner who will be onsite all three days to host the junior participants, the legends of golf will share advice from years of experience at the highest level of the game.

All net proceeds will go toward the Faldo Trust for Tomorrow’s Children Inc., a U.S. 501c3 organization.

The Major Champions Invitational will also be featured in a one-hour special on CBS leading into Saturday’s coverage of the PGA Championship with a focus on players and their foundations giving back through the game of golf.

For more information visit www.majorchampionsinvitational.com.

The USGA and The R&A have unveiled the new Rules of Golf, to be implemented on 1 January 2019.

The USGA and The R&A finalised golf’s new Rules this month after an extensive review that included a request for feedback from the global golf community on the proposed changes. Golfers can now access the official 2019 Rules of Golf by visiting www.RandA.org or www.usga.org/rules.

The process to modernise the Rules began in 2012 and was initiated to ensure that the Rules are easier to understand and apply for all golfers and to make the game more attractive and accessible for newcomers.

As the National Sport Federation and governing body, Golf Canada worked alongside The R&A and the USGA on the Rules modernisation initiative.

The process to modernise the Rules began in 2012 and was initiated to ensure that the Rules are easier to understand and apply for all golfers.#GolfRules2019⛳️ pic.twitter.com/q0qbAZ9GLa

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) March 12, 2018

While the majority of proposed Rules remain intact in the final version, several important changes to the initial proposals and further clarification of many Rules were incorporated.

The most significant adjustments made following the review of feedback received from golfers around the world, includes:

• Dropping procedure: When taking relief (from an abnormal course condition or penalty area, for example), golfers will now drop from knee height. This will ensure consistency and simplicity in the dropping process while also preserving the randomness of the drop. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested dropping from any height).
• Measuring in taking relief: The golfer’s relief area will be measured by using the longest club in their bag (other than a putter) to measure one club-length or two club-lengths, depending on the situation, making for a consistent process for golfers to establish their relief area. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested a 20-inch or 80-inch standard measurement).
• Removing the penalty for a double hit: The penalty stroke for accidentally striking the ball more than once in the course of a stroke has been removed. Golfers will simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball.  (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 included the existing one-stroke penalty).
• Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alternative to Stroke and Distance: A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty. This Local Rule addresses the concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Local Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions. (Key change:  this is a new addition to support pace of play)

“We’re thankful for the golfers, administrators and everyone in the game who took the time to provide us with great insight and thoughtful feedback,” said USGA Senior Director of Rules & Amateur Status, Thomas Pagel. “We couldn’t be more excited to introduce the new Rules ahead of their education and implementation.”

David Rickman, Executive Director – Governance at The R&A, said, “We are pleased to be introducing the new Rules of Golf after a collaborative and wide-ranging review process which has embraced the views of golfers, rules experts and administrators worldwide. We believe that the new Rules are more in tune with what golfers would like and are easier to understand and apply for everyone who enjoys playing this great game.”

“The approach and process to modernise the Rules was critical to make meaningful changes that are relevant to all golfers worldwide beginning in 2019,” said Golf Canada Director of Rules, Competitions & Amateur Status, Adam Helmer. “We are confident that the outcome of this important initiative will be well received and we will work closely with our club, provincial and national partners to inform and educate Canadian golfers.”

Major proposals introduced in 2017 that have been incorporated into the modernised Rules include:

• Elimination or reduction of “ball moved” penalties: There will be no penalty for accidentally moving a ball on the putting green or in searching for a ball; and a player is not responsible for causing a ball to move unless it is “virtually certain” that he or she did so.
• Relaxed putting green rules: There will be no penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits an unattended flagstick in the hole; players may putt without having the flagstick attended or removed. Players may repair spike marks and other damage made by shoes, animal damage and other damage on the putting green and there is no penalty for merely touching the line of putt.
• Relaxed rules for “penalty areas” (currently called “water hazards”): Red and yellow-marked penalty areas may cover areas of desert, jungle, lava rock, etc., in addition to areas of water; expanded use of red penalty areas where lateral relief is allowed; and there will be no penalty for moving loose impediments or touching the ground or water in a penalty area.
• Relaxed bunker rules: There will be no penalty for moving loose impediments in a bunker or for generally touching the sand with a hand or club. A limited set of restrictions (such as not grounding the club right next to the ball) is kept to preserve the challenge of playing from the sand; however, an extra relief option is added for an unplayable ball in a bunker, allowing the ball to be played from outside the bunker with a two-stroke penalty.
• Relying on player integrity: A player’s “reasonable judgment” when estimating or measuring a spot, point, line, area or distance will be upheld, even if video evidence later shows it to be wrong; and elimination of announcement procedures when lifting a ball to identify it or to see if it is damaged.
• Pace-of-play support: Reduced time for searching for a lost ball (from five minutes to three); affirmative encouragement of “ready golf” in stroke play; recommending that players take no more than 40 seconds to play a stroke and other changes intended to help with pace of play.

Presented in digital, text-based form today, the new Rules will also now be translated into more than 30 languages and readied for final delivery via print and digital formats, including searchable Rules of Golf official apps developed by The R&A and the USGA. The full version of the new Rules of Golf in French will be available soon and posted on Golf Canada’s Rules of Golf website at  http://golfcanada.ca/rules-of-golf/

Introducing the new Rules of #golf. Effective Jan. 1, 2019 #GolfRules2019

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Mar 12, 2018 at 7:58am PDT

Three important publications, to be distributed this September, will help players and officials, who regulate the game, and provide interpretation and guidance in how the Rules are applied:

• The Player’s Edition of the Rules of Golf: An abridged, user-friendly set of the Rules with shorter sentences, commonly used phrases, and diagrams. Written in the “second person,” The Player’s Edition is intended to be the primary publication for golfers.
• The Rules of Golf: The full edition of the Rules will be written in the third person and will include illustrations. The Rules of Golf is intended to be the primary publication for officials.
• The Official Guide to the Rules of Golf: This “guidebook” replaces the Decisions book and will contain information to best support committees and officials. It includes interpretations on the Rules, Committee procedures (available local rules and information on establishing the terms of the competition), and the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities. It is a “long-form” resource document intended as a supplementary publication.

More than 30 “how-to apply” videos and a summary of the principal changes are now available at www.RandA.org and www.usga.org/rules.  Additional education tools will be released in September.

Players are reminded that the current edition of the Rules of Golf (2016) must be applied when playing, posting scores or competing for the remainder of 2018. The Rules of Amateur Status and the Rules of Equipment Standards were not part of this review process.

As an extension of their support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support The R&A and the USGA’s efforts to modernise golf’s Rules. The Swiss watchmaker’s contribution to excellence in golf is based on a rich heritage stretching back more than 50 years, forged through pivotal partnerships at every level of the game, from the sport’s leading professional and amateur competitions and organisations, to players at the pinnacle of their sport worldwide.

If ever there was a right person at the right time, it must be Leslie Dunning.

Dunning, Golf Canada’s new president, couldn’t have constructed a more appropriate resume for the position if she had started with it in mind all her life.

Golf credentials? Check.

She was introduced to the game by a forward-thinking teacher at her high school in Mississauga, Ont., who wanted to provide her students with skills they could use throughout life. Unlike team sports, golf could be enjoyed as an individual.

“That gave me confidence,” she recalled during a conversation following her ascendance to the presidency in February. “I don’t think I would have ever stepped on a golf course if I hadn’t had that early exposure to the game.”

Based on her experience, Dunning understandably is a strong proponent of Golf Canada’s Future Links and Golf in Schools program. “I would like to see a [Golf in Schools] kit in every school in the country and that every golf course is connected to at least one school.”

After moving to Calgary with her husband Neill in 1991, she became involved in the junior program at Earl Grey Golf Club where they are members.

Appropriate related background? Check.

Dunning holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from Queen’s University. She is a chartered professional accountant and certified management accountant. She was selected to the Governor-General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, was Canada’s representative on the World Health Organization’s study to the Navaho Reserve, and was named an honoured alumna by the University of Waterloo.

Volunteerism? Check.

Dunning first volunteered with the Canadian Red Cross as a high-school student. That continued as she moved on to the University of Waterloo. After graduation, she joined the international humanitarian organization full-time, serving more than 36 years in various senior positions. When she retired in 2014, she was Director General, Violence and Abuse Prevention, for Canada.

Her involvement at Earl Grey led to positions on the club captain’s committee and subsequently various roles as a volunteer with Alberta Golf, including serving as president in 2007 and 2008. It was during 2008 that she was asked to assist in Golf Canada’s governance reform efforts. The following year, she was elected to Golf Canada’s Board of Directors as the first Provincial Council Chair. Since then, she has served on and chaired many of the national association’s committees.

Since achieving her national Rules of Golf certification, she has officiated at numerous local, provincial and national events.

Understanding of golf’s challenges? Check.

While with the Canadian Red Cross, Dunning championed significant initiatives such as Indigenous engagement and cross-cultural training. That experience stood her in good stead as she was selected to lead a Golf Canada working group to develop the association’s new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

“There is tremendous diversity among golfers and there are numerous diverse groups that have organized themselves to play golf,” she said in her speech to the Golf Canada annual general meeting in Calgary.  “We want to engage with these groups, learn what they are doing, how we might support them and what we might do together. As we identify these groups, we will reach out to build relationships with them, helping us to understand their needs and interests.  It is our aim to create greater relevancy to more golfers and ensure welcoming environments for all.”

This outreach is not just to golfers, prospective Golf Canada members who want to play the game, Dunning said in our interview, but to welcome those who would like to get involved as volunteers, officials, on provincial and national committees and Boards, etc.

“Two of our Board’s main objectives are to make sure that Golf Canada is relevant and sustainable. Inclusion will help to ensure that programs and services are relevant to all golfers and financial health will help to ensure sustainability for the future.  We understand that our focus on priorities such as diversity and inclusion isn’t just like flicking a light switch. It’s a real cultural shift. And we are committed to that purpose.”

When we spoke, Dunning was in Florida getting ready to head to a meeting. When asked if that meeting was on the first tee at a nearby golf course, she chuckled. “No, it’s not.”

Actually, she was heading out to tour a golf development centre and then attending the annual meeting of the United States Golf Association.

“You’re the president for only one year so I am trying to make sure that every day I’m doing something to grow the game of golf in Canada. That’s my mantra.”

Dedicated? Driven? Absolutely.