Hello, Fellow Members,
It’s hard to believe another golf season has come and gone already. 2022 was a great year for golf in Nova Scotia with 345,022 scores posted by NSGA members. I’d like to take the opportunity to answer some of the most common questions we are asked throughout the year:
Who is the Nova Scotia Golf Association?
Our website states that the NSGA is the ‘governing body of golf in Nova Scotia and represents more than 15,000 members and 58 facilities across the province. Recognized by Sport Nova Scotia as the Provincial Sport Organization, the NSGA’s mission is to develop the future of golf in Nova Scotia while upholding the traditions of the game.’ This is all true but doesn’t really tell you who the NSGA is.
Would you be surprised to know that NSGA only has three employees?
Executive Director, Jason Lohnes leads the day-to-day operations, Technical Director, Sara Wilson executes Sport, Grow the Game, and Player Development portfolios, and finally, social media specialist, Kaydem Al-Samawi is our Marketing and Communications Coordinator. Our employees are supported by more than 50 tireless volunteers who serve on the Board of Directors, provide rulings, assist in clinics, hand out scorecards, rate courses, assist competitors, sit on committees, and the list goes on and on. All are unpaid volunteers who do this because they love the sport and are invested in its future.
What does the Nova Scotia Golf Association do?
The NSGA provides 3 core member services:
- We conduct provincial championships from which we send teams of competitors to national championships conducted by Golf Canada.
- We rate all golf courses in the province. Each course is rated at least once every 10 years by our team of qualified volunteers.
- We maintain the handicap system. All golfers who belong to the NSGA through one of our member clubs or the Public Player Program receive an ‘Official’ Handicap Factor.
Why are Provincial Championships rarely conducted at my home course or near my home course?
As the provincial sport organization for golf, we make a serious attempt to fairly represent all regions of the province every year. The truth is, we rely on golf courses to volunteer as championship hosts. If no course in a specific region is willing to host each year, we, unfortunately, must look elsewhere. If you would like to see one of our championships held at your home course, I encourage you to speak to your course managers, owners, or board of directors and let your desire be known.
Why isn’t the NSGA branded like the rest of the provincial golf associations?
I’m happy to state that the Nova Scotia Golf Association will be rebranding this year and will soon be known as Golf NS.
Feel free to email me your questions if you would like them addressed in future letters at president@nsga.ns.ca.
– Geoff Baker, President
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Geoff BakerPresident (Ashburn Golf Club)