During his childhood years, Garrett Rank kept busy with his two biggest passions – hockey during the winters; and golf in the summers.

Today, at 29 years old, not much has changed for the now full-time National Hockey League referee, who also holds the distinction as one of Canada’s top ranked amateur golfers.

“I grew up in the small town of Elmira, Ontario and as a Canadian boy it was hockey in the winter time and golf in the summer,” said Rank, a former member of the national team program from 2012 -2014.

As a child, young Garrett would follow his father, Richard and his older brother, Kyle, to the golf course during the summers.

“My parents thought taking us to the golf course was a good idea because they knew that we wouldn’t get into much trouble on a golf course,” Rank recalled.

During the winters, his focus shifted from the links to the hockey rinks.

“I grew up playing a lot of hockey in the winters and had dreams of playing in the NHL. I was a forward and played centre and played some junior hockey and also played college hockey at the University of Waterloo,” he pointed out.

“As I grew older, I realized a professional career as a hockey player was not going to happen. So being a referee was neat way to stay involved in the game; and lucky enough for me, I had the opportunity to start right away as a referee in junior hockey,” he added.

“I spent four years in the OHL and they saw some potential in me; and before I knew it, I was refereeing professional hockey games.”

The Elmira, Ont., native still clearly remembers his first NHL game on Jan. 15 of 2015.

“It was a game between Minnesota and Buffalo and my first call was overturned after video review… I had to make the announcement to the arena saying that there was a goal being awarded to Minnesota and so the fans in Buffalo didn’t like that too much,” Rank pointed out.

“My boss called me the next day and said ‘look at it this way, you can only go up from here,’” he recalled with a laugh.

Things have certainly trended upwards for Rank who went from refereeing seven NHL games that first season to 40 games the following season.  And just last year, he was promoted to full-time status and officiated over 70 NHL games.

Having recently completed his first full season as an NHL referee, Rank has shifted his focus to his summer sport of choice – golf.

Having recently competed in his third consecutive RBC Canadian Open, the three-time defending Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion is quick to offer his thoughts on the hockey rink design on the seventh hole.

“The fact that they have a rink this year is really neat. It ties in with Canada really well because hockey is huge in our country. It allows the players to have a little bit of fun and joke around with the fans,” said Rank, who made the 36-hole cut last year.

NHL referee Garrett Rank rockin’ the stripes at #TheRink. Amazing.@RBCCanadianOpen #RBCCO
??? pic.twitter.com/THjiNkvD3n

— Rob Leth (@RobLeth) July 28, 2017

Glen Abbey Golf Club superintendent, Andrew Gyba, is quick to acknowledge the favourable feedback in regards to the hockey rink on the seventh hole.

“I think it’s a great idea, especially seeing how much fun the players are having with it through the practice rounds and through the Pro-Ams…Yeah, I’m all for the rink. Let’s keep it going,” said Gyba.

While he didn’t bring his ‘A’ game to the RBC Canadian Open this year, Rank – who shot a combined two-round total of 11 over par at Glen Abbey – is hoping to step up his game for what promises to be an exciting summer ahead.

First, he will be aiming to put in a strong performance at the upcoming U.S. Amateur, which runs from Aug. 14-20 at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.

“I played the U.S. Amateur the last few years and feel that I have a bit of unfinished business there,” said Rank who has yet to advance past the round of 32 at the tournament. “The winner gets to play at the Masters, so I’m definitely looking to have a great week.”

The week after, Rank will be looking to defend his Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title for a fourth consecutive year at the Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask.

“With the Canadian Mid-Am, it’s cool that the winner gets to play at the RBC Canadian Open each year – so that’s the goal to win that and get back here next summer,” he said.

Looking at the bigger picture, the 29-year-old feels that he is truly living the dream in that he remains so closely connected to his two childhood passions.

“Obviously there’s been a lot of hard work and dedication to get to this point, but I feel really fortunate to be where I am today. I’m really living the dream,” said Rank.

“I mean, I’ve got one of the coolest jobs in the world as a hockey official; and it’s just neat that it enables me to spend my summers pursing my other childhood passion at such a high level.”

The golf team for the 2017 Canada Games is set to compete at the Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, MB. The team of six (3 boys and 3 girls) will travel to Winnipeg on August 5^th to compete in the Canada Games golf competition beginning on Aug 8-11.

The competitors will compete in as a team and as individuals with medals up for grabs in both categories. In the team and individual competition will be played over 72 holes.

Representing Nova Scotia at the Canada Games:

Heather McLean, Haley Baker and Meghan McLean

Ben Chasse, Matthew Chandler and Shaun Margeson

Coach: Jeff MacDonald and team manager: Anne Balser

To follow the results from the 2017 Canada Summer Games please CLICK HERE

Hammonds Plains native, Brad Curren continues to perform well after moving from the amateur to the professional ranks this past year.

The 24 year old Oakfield member has had strong finishes in a number of Professional Championships this summer including his most recent T13 at the Omnium du Québec Canam at the St-Georges Golf Club in St-Georges, PQ.

He was recently awarded an exemption into the 2017 Cape Breton Open, which is a stop on the MacKenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada) and will take place on Sept 1-4 at the Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck, NS.

The NSGA will be hosting a U15 NEXTGEN Training Camp presented by Newbridge Academy at the Links of Brunello on Aug 7 & 8.

A total of 16 U15 junior golfers (12 boys & 4 girls) will take part in the two day training and testing session which will include:

• Standardized age appropriate testing
• Competitive pathway education
• Introduction to golf coaching
• On course evaluation
• Benchmarking performance in the Golf Canada database.

“The goal is to provide a positive and valuable experience for all those attending the camp. We want to help educate both golfer and their parents on the principles of the Long Player Development Plan. We are working with our U15 golfers and providing them with the tools and resources to achieve their goals in golf. This age group will be vying for spots for the next Canada Games team that will be held 2021 and we want to set them up for success.” said Andrew Noseworthy, Director of Sport Development for the NSGA.

Calvin Ross shot a 1-over-par 71 to claim the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys title at Cataraqui Golf & Country Club on Thursday becoming the first New Brunswick native to capture the event.

With the win, Calvin Ross becomes the second New Brunswick male golfer to win a national amateur championship, joining Darren Ritchie who won the Canadian Men’s Amateur in 1992.

Ross catapulted to the top of the leaderboard after setting an amateur course-record 62 on Wednesday which allowed the 18-year-old from Fredericton, N.B., to cruise to a seven-stroke victory and finish at 9 under par for the tournament.

“I’m feeling great,” he said, standing on the 18th hole after his final putt. “I can’t really explain the feeling right now. It’s probably the most excited I’ve ever been.”

As Ross came down the final stretch in front of the large group of spectators who had been following his group for the round, he was greeted by even more people waiting at the 18th green for the champion to sink his final putt.

From over 20 feet out, Ross missed his birdie putt by a few inches and tapped in for par to claim his title in front of friends, fans and family.

“A lot of nerves,” he said, about heading down No. 18. “A lot of people out there watching. A lot of my friends, a lot of people cheering me on and with what was on the line I was quite nervous.”

His friends didn’t take long to express their excitement as they rushed him beside the green, dousing him in water in celebration.

“I’m soaked right not but it really pumped me up,” said Ross. “I’m happy to have friends that are cheering me on.”

Along with having his named engraved on the Silver Cup as the events 79th champion, Ross earned an exemption into the 2017 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at The Toronto Golf Club and Islington Golf Club in Toronto from Aug. 7-10.

Tristan Mandur, an 18-year-old from Mill Bay, B.C., earned silver medal honours after he carded a 1-over-par 71 in his final round to bring him to 2 under par for the tournament. Mandur managed to cut the lead to four strokes with five holes to play, but bogeys on holes 14, 16 and 18 saw him drop back to seven shots behind Ross.

Finishing one stroke back of Mandur, 15-year-old Christopher Vandette registered a final-round 70 to claim both bronze medal honours and the Jack Bailey Trophy for winning the juvenile division. The Beaconsfield, Que., product finished 1 under par for the tournament to claim the 16 and under division by two strokes.

“It feels pretty great,” said Vandette. “I’m so happy with my week and hopefully I can keep it going in the years to come.”

Christopher Vandette with all his awards from the #CDNJrBoys this week.

Finished third overall and won the juvenile division

🎖️🏆🎖️ pic.twitter.com/DaLqjjbnSS

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) August 3, 2017

Nolan Thoroughgood from Victoria, B.C., earned the silver medal in the juvenile division after he finished at even par for the championship, and Ethan Choi was awarded the bronze medal after his 1 over par performance during the course of the week.

For full results click here.