Team Canada

About The Team

Team Canada, which began its full year integrated men’s and women’s programs in 2003, is an integral part of Golf Canada’s strong commitment to the development of Canada’s best amateur golfers.

Athlete selection takes place in November of each year and is based on objective performance results which are reviewed by committee. Players are selected to two teams, the National Squad and the Junior Squad.

The intention of the program is to provide the best possible support and services to athletes and assist them in attaining their long and short term goals. Quite simply, our mission is to produce the best amateur golfers in the world.

Each player commits to the program through an athlete agreement which is designed to create formal guidelines as to the expected behavior for athletic excellence. Standards for participation, anti-doping, amateur status, behavior and discipline, anti-harassment, travel, equipment and team uniforms are all clearly set out in these guidelines.

The Team Canada program is year-round in scope and encompasses fitness, sports psychology, nutrition, technique, equipment and international competition. Leaders in the field of sport science have been a part of building the program and continue in the ongoing execution of the program from the perspective of mental performance coaching, strength and conditioning, equipment as well as planning and periodization. A full-time national coach works with each team.

Each player receives a personalized program tailored towards his or her needs and in turn each team member is expected to be fully committed to the program with the goal of becoming one of the top ranked amateur golfers worldwide. Competition schedules are reviewed and approved by the national coaching staff and tournament exemptions are sourced. A battery of physical tests is done three times per year, improvement plans are implemented and physical data is tracked on-line in a database. Mental performance evaluations and overall performance analysis are regularly performed in person by the Team Canada mental performance coach and through an on-line log service which tracks trends and increases awareness of performance needs. In addition, team members obtain the latest testing results, feedback and recommendations regarding clubs and balls to suit their swing and launch characteristics.

Members of Team Canada have the ability to be nominated to Sport Canada to become a carded member of the Athlete Assistance program, an initiative of Sport Canada to assist amateur athletes in off-setting expenses to allow them to focus their time and energy on elite performance. Tuition credits are also sometimes available through the Athlete Assistance program.

The Young Pro program is an extension of the Golf Canada’s National High Performance program which incorporates advanced coaching, sport science expertise, training camps and financial support. The intent of the comprehensive Team Canada high performance program – which includes an Amateur Squad, Junior Squad and the new Young Pro Squad – is to aid Canada’s top up-and-coming athletes in all areas of their development, helping Canada produce the best golfers in the world. The Young Pro program was developed in partnership with the PGA of Canada and is funded in large part by the Golf Canada Foundation with generous contributions from founding partners Canadian Pacific and RBC, as well as supporting partners Citi Canada, Bear Mountain Golf Club and the Golf Canada Foundation Women’s Fund.

Coaches

  • Derek Ingram
    Head Coach, Team Canada – Men

    A three-time recipient of the PGA of Canada’s Ben Kern Coach of the Year Award (2003, 2007 & 2020), Ingram has been involved in Golf Canada’s high-performance program for over 15 years.

    Ingram served five years as Men’s Assistant Coach for Team Canada prior to being named Women’s Head Coach at the end of 2009. In 2012 Ingram moved into the role of Men’s Head Coach, where he currently oversees the amateur and young professional squads. Ingram served as coach of the men’s golf team at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

    A seven-time winner of the Manitoba PGA Teacher of the Year Award and three-time winner of the Manitoba PGA Coach of the Year Award, Ingram has been selected as one of the top-10 coaches in Canada by the National Post, Golf Digest and Golf Magazine, and a Top-50 Teacher in North America by Golf Range Magazine.

    He also competed on the Canadian Tour for two years and was twice named Manitoba PGA Player of the Year Award (2003 & 2008).

    A 2011 inductee into the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame, Ingram has also co-authored two books on improving golf mental skills.

    A devoted family man, Ingram is married with two sons.

  • Salimah Mussani
    Head Coach, Team Canada – Women

    Born in Ontario and now residing in Vancouver, Mussani played golf and graduated from Stanford University before competing as a professional on the Symetra and LPGA Tours, as well as the former Canadian Women’s Tour.

    A two-time Ontario Junior champion and two-time Canadian Junior champion, Mussani brings a wealth of competitive experience having won seven professional events worldwide – including an event on the Symetra Tour, two Canadian Women’s Tour events, and the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship.

    Mussani’s first coaching assignment was as an assistant coach of the women’s golf team at Stanford University from 2008-2010. Since returning to Canada, Mussani has served as an assistant coach with the University of British Columbia’s Golf Team and worked as an instructor at a number of established clubs in British Columbia, including the Vancouver Golf Club. 

  • Robert Ratcliffe
    Head Coach, Team Canada – NextGen

    Originally from South Africa, Robert Ratcliffe draws on a wealth of experience having played and coached golf all over the world. A Class ‘A’ member of the PGA of Canada and a Class ‘AA’ member of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, Robert is currently the Head Coach of the National Junior Squad for Golf Canada, a role which has him working with Canada’s top junior golfers.

    Ratcliffe has received several awards for his work over the years, including the 2009 PGA of BC Teacher of the Year Award, as well as the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019 PGA of B.C. Coach of the Year Award. In 2013 the PGA of Canada recognized Robert with the Ben Kern Coach of the Year honour.

    Ratcliffe was the first golf professional in Canada to complete certification in the PGA of Canada’s NCCP CDC Coaching program, the first program worldwide recognizing the difference in training and competency between a golf instructor and a golf coach. This certification, along with prior experience, propelled him into the position of Coach for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China.

    Based at the National Team Training Centre at the Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria BC, Ratcliffe is married with three children.

  • Tristan Mullally
    Head of National Talent Identification

    A native of Ireland, Mullally joined Golf Canada as the Women’s Head Coach in 2011.

    Tristan Mullally is a PGA of Canada and GB&I Professional who has worked with Tour professionals and amateurs all over the world.

    A career spanning over 20 years has seen him inspire and motivate players to reach their potential and work in some of the biggest arenas in golf. Tristan was Canada’s Head Coach at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the 2015 & 2019 Pan American Games and to the silver medalists at the World Amateur Team Championships. Mullally has supported players to almost 40 professional victories worldwide, including major champions and No. 1 ranked amateurs.

    In 2013, Mullally was the first golf professional in Canada to earn the Chartered Professional Coach (ChPC) designation with Coaches of Canada. In 2015 he was awarded the PGA of Canada Ben Kern Coach of the Year award to go along with receiving the Petro Canada Coaching Excellence award in 2014—a first for golf in the history of this awards program.

    Prior to joining Golf Canada, Mullally had coached a number of successful PGA and LPGA professionals in addition to elite level amateurs, including 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell.

    A student of the game and former competitor on the Irish and Swedish Professional Tours, he has served as a club professional at many world-class resorts including Royal Portrush Golf Club, The Champions Club at Moyvalley and Vassunda Golf Club Sweden.

    Mullally is a Class “A” member of the PGA of Canada and an Advanced Member of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland.

    Mullally is based out of Dundas, Ont., with his partner Natalie and has three young children.

  • Jennifer Greggain
    Associate Coach, Team Canada – Women

    Originally from California,

    Greggain is in her third year with Golf Canada and has held assistant coach roles with the National Junior Squad and Women’s Amateur and Young Pro Squads. Originally from California, she brings a vast playing experience including nine years as a touring professional, with two years on the LPGA. The Victoria, B.C. resident is a former British Columbia Golf provincial coach and coach with the University of the Fraser Valley.

    Prior to joining Golf Canada, Greggain was the director of instruction at Chilliwack Golf Club and led the B.C. Summer Games Squad on numerous occasions. She’s both TPI and K-Vest certified and currently enrolled in the University of British Columbia’s Master of High Performance and Technical Leadership program. Greggain is the recipient of the 2018 PGA of Canada Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year.

    The PGA of Canada Class ‘A’ member is also a leader of the Golf Canada and PGA of Canada’s Women in Coaching program.

    Greggain is a mother of two and lives in B.C. with her husband.

  • Benoit Lemieux
    Assistant Coach, Team Canada – Men

    Lemieux, a Montreal native, has been a PGA of Canada Class “A” member since 2002 and is trained in Coach of Developing Competitors.

    He was named 2015 and 2018 PGA of Quebec Coach of the Year and in 2019 and 2021 was named CCAA Coach of the Year (Andre-Laurendeau Cegep)

    He is currently the Assistant Coach of the Montreal University Carabins, Head Coach of the Golf-Études Collège de Montréal and André-Laurendeau Cegep, and a personal golf coach at the Academie de golf Performance

    Lemieux and his wife Eve have two children, Justine and Antoine.

  • Louis Melanson
    Assistant Coach, Team Canada – Men

    Originally from Moncton, Melanson brings more than 20 years of coaching experience to Team Canada.

    He is a graduate of the physical education and coaching program at the Universite de Moncton and has been a New Brunswick Provincial Coach since 2005.

    Melanson, who is bilingual, has been owner and operator of the Louis Melanson Golf Academy since 2002.  He is CDC certified with the PGA of Canada and winner of their 2020 Jack McLaughlin Award.

    A three-time PGA of Canada Atlantic coach of the year (2014, 2017, 2018) he was also named Sports NB coach of the year in 2017.

  • Jeff MacDonald
    Assistant Coach, Team Canada – NextGen

    A three-time PGA of Atlantic Canada Coach of the Year recipient, MacDonald was born and raised in Chester, N.S.

    MacDonald brings more than 20 years of coaching experience to the Team Canada program. He was a past provincial coach for the Nova Scotia Golf Association and is currently the Director of Instruction at Ashburn Golf in Halifax.

    A graduate of the Professional Golf Management Program at MacEwan University in Edmonton, MacDonald is CNC and CDC trained with the PGA of Canada.

    When Jeff isn’t coaching players, he can be found spending time with his two young daughters and partner, Emily.

  • Jennifer Ha
    Assistant Coach, Team Canada – NextGen

    Ha has extensive playing experience including eight years on the Golf Canada national team, five NCAA wins as a member of the Kent State Golden Flashes, and four years as a professional including one year on the LPGA.

    Ha is an Associate Professional at Priddis Greens in Calgary, Alta. and is a PGA of Canada Class “A” Professional.