19th Hole CP Women's Open Team Canada

Rheaume’s confidence at a high as she earns berth into CP Women’s Open

Two back-to-back wins has Sarah-Eve Rheaume’s confidence at an all-time high.

The amateur golfer from Quebec City won the Glencoe Invitational in Calgary on June 18 with a tournament-best 65 in the third and final round. Rheaume then almost duplicated the feat on July 1, firing a tournament-best 66 on the final day of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada.

That victory earned Rheaume a berth into the CP Women’s Open, Canada’s national women’s golf championship. It will be her first-ever LPGA Tour event.

“I just had a lot of confidence heading into the final day (of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada),” said the 22-year-old Rheaume. “I’ve been confident over most of the shots, I’m chipping well around the greens.

“Last round of the Glencoe I played really well to get that going, just seeing the putts rolling in.”

Rheaume finished the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada at 12-under 207, three shots ahead of Min-G Kim and eight shots better than Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Markham, Ont., who finished third.

The 22-year-old Rheaume said Wednesday that she wasn’t intimidated by some of the big names at the event.

“There’s a bunch of good players everywhere, so I just kind of stay focused on my game plan and do my thing and then see how it goes at the end,” said Rheaume.

She intends to play in the North & South Women’s Amateur Championship on July 12 and then the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship the week after that.

19th Hole

Golf Canada recognizes member clubs celebrating an anniversary in 2022

In a sport as storied and historic as golf, Golf Canada is pleased to recognize the 63 member clubs celebrating significant milestone anniversaries in the 2022 calendar year.

Highlighting the group are five member clubs who have been in operation since 1897, speaking to the cross-country passion that Canadians house for the sport.

All clubs celebrating an anniversary will receive a display plaque from Golf Canada to mark the occasion. Clubs reaching their centennial anniversary will also receive a commemorative framed letter, and clubs reaching the 125-year mark will receive a framed historical print.

125 Years

Calgary Golf & Country Club – Calgary, Alta.

Napanee Golf & Country Club – Napanee, Ont.

Old Lennoxville Golf Club – Sherbrooke, Que.

Peterborough Golf & Country Club – Peterborough, Ont.

The Riverside Country Club – St. John, N.B.

THe Riverside Country Club

100 Years

Ashburn Golf Club – Halifax, N.S.

Briars Golf Club Ltd. – Sutton, Ont.

Burlington Golf & Country Club – Burlington, Ont.

Cedar Brae Golf Club – Scarborough, Ont.

Cedarhurst Golf Club – Beaverton, Ont.

Cherry Hill Golf Club – Ridgeway, Ont.

Connaught Golf Club – Medicine Hat, Alta.

Dufferin Heights Golf Club – Stanstead, Que.

Dunany Country Club – Wentworth, Que.

Glenboro Golf & Country Club – Glenboro, M.B.

Highland Country Club – London, Ont.

Hollinger Golf Club – Timmins, Ont.

Idylwylde Golf & Country Club – Sudbury, Ont.

Lookout Point Country Club Ltd. – Pelham, Ont.

Marine Drive Golf Club – Vancouver, B.C.

Oakwood Inn & Country Club – Grand Bend, Ont.

Pembroke Golf Club – Pembroke, Ont.

Penticton Golf & Country Club – Penticton, B.C.

Point Grey Golf & Country Club – Vancouver, B.C.

Portage Golf Club – Portage la Prairie, M.B.

Red Deer Golf & Country Club – Red Deer, Alta.

Redstone Golf Resort – Rossland, B.C.

Club de Golf Rosemère (Fontainebleau) – Blainville, Que.

Royal Mayfair Golf Club – Edmonton, Alta.

Sandy Hook Golf Club – Sandy Hook, MB

Club de Golf St-Jean – Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

The Thornhill Club – Thornhill, Ont.

Uplands Golf Club – Vaughan, Ont.

Uplands Golf Club – Victoria, B.C.

Club de Golf Val-Morin – Val-Morin, Que.

Hollinger Club

75 Years

Cowichan Golf & Country Club – Duncan, B.C.

Pinebrook Golf & Country Club – Calgary, Alta.

Pinebrooke Golf & Country Club

50 Years

Ainsdale Golf Course – Kincardine, Ont.

Beauty Bay Golf Club – Kenora, Ont.

Cedar Glen Golf Course – Williamsburg, Ont.

Kedron Dells Golf Club – Oshawa, Ont.

Club de Golf du Parc Kingsway – Aylmer, Que.

Le Grand Vallon – Beaupré, Que.

Club de Golf Le Loup de Baie St-Paul – Baie Saint-Paul, Que.

Club de Golf Les Saules – Rimouski, Que.

Golf & Academy Longchamp – Sherbrooke, Que.

Murray Hills Golf Course – Brighton, Ont.

Nackawic Golf & Country Club – Nackawic, N.B.

Outlook Riverview Golf Club – Outlook, S.K.

Pine View Golf Course – Gloucester, Ont.

Club de Golf Rivière Rouge – Coteau-du-Lac, Que.

Club de Golf Ste-Flore – Shawinigan, Que.

Club de Golf St-Jean-de-Matha – St-Jean-de-Matha, Que.

Club de Golf St-Jérôme – St-Jérôme, Que.

Cedar Glen Golf Course

25 Years

Bell Bay Golf Club – Baddeck, N.S.

Dragonfly Golf Links Ltd. – Renfrew, Ont.

ElleGolf – Calgary Women’s Golf Club – Calgary, Alta.

Innisfil Creek Golf Club – Cookstown, Ont.

Club de Golf l’Empress – Rimouski, Que.

Lake Joseph Golf Club – Port Carling, Ont.

Métropolitain d’Anjou – Anjou, Que.

Royal Charbourg – Quebec City, Que.

The Meadows Golf and Country Club – Niagara Falls, Ont.

Lake Joseph Golf Club
19th Hole PGA TOUR

At The Masters, some come to see golfers, others to see gnomes

(Photo credit: ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER)

The boxes weren’t flying off the shelves. They weren’t even making it onto the shelves. The Masters has gone gnome-mad.

Yes. Gnomes. The must-have item at the Masters this year isn’t any of the shirts or pullovers or caps with the tournament’s logo that can only be bought by those who are lucky enough to have secured a way onto the grounds of Augusta National.

Instead, the gnome is all the rage. Just ask Tom Frettoloso, who left his house at 4 a.m. on Tuesday to get to Augusta National and was headed back to his vehicle by 8 a.m. – without having seen a single golfer take a single swing.

He had a bunch of souvenirs, including two gnomes. He wouldn’t say how he got two; signage in the store said the Masters was limiting them to one per person.

“I’m self-employed and need to get to work,” said Frettoloso, a house painter, who was weaving his way toward the gates while thousands of people were walking the other way onto the Augusta National grounds. “But I’ve gotten the gnomes just about every year. I got a ticket for the practice round and here I am and now I’m done.”

Gnomes made their Masters debut in 2016 and were a quick hit, though nobody seems to remember them being as much of a phenomenon as they are this week.

There’s a couple different versions of gnomes this year; the one that hundreds of people were lined up to get Tuesday morning was this year’s version of a caddy, standing about a foot high, dressed in a green-and-white striped Masters shirt, khakis, green-and-white shoes, a yellow cap and with a bag of clubs slung over his right shoulder.

Asking price at the Masters: $49.50 USD.

Asking price online: Most were going for somewhere between $150 and $500 on Tuesday, depending on where you looked. The smaller version -a mini-gnome in the traditional white Masters caddie attire – could be had for considerably less.

On Tuesday, a worker at the store tried to reload the shelf with more product. The mission was futile: Shoppers were grabbing them as soon as they went on the shelf, and sometimes right from the worker himself.

“People will buy anything,” someone mused in the checkout line.

That they will, whether it’s gnomes, shirts, belts, hats and anything else they can get with the Masters logo. There’s countless reasons why: not everyone can get to the Masters since the ticket is among the toughest in sports, and the Masters also doesn’t sell merchandise online – except for some images, the Masters Journal and the Masters Annual that recaps tournament week.

And for the record, many on-site shoppers got bad news once they got into the Masters store Tuesday.

The gnomes were gone.

19th Hole

FootJoy launches all-new FUEL golf shoe

FootJoy Fuel

FootJoy, the long-standing #1 Shoe in Golf, will bring some heat of their own to the game with the new FJ FUEL golf shoes, featuring technology built for the game of golf and innovation that drives the game forward.

Available for men, women and juniors, FJ FUEL features sharp, athletic-defined styles with sneaker-inspired fit and feel, packed full of golf-specific innovation.

Featuring FJ’s latest, and lightest, foam compound called StratoLite Foam, this midsole blend is engineered to deliver lightweight cushioning properties, ensuring ultimate underfoot comfort and max walkability round after round. The FUEL boasts waterproof, performance synthetic uppers that provide a comfortable fit and added durability.

The Power Stabilizer Outsole ensures a secure foundation throughout the golf swing. Featureing Tour-proven traction and enhanced support delivered by an all-new Stability Bridge,providing optimal support and control to keep you grounded.

With vibrant colours, the latest innovation and an athletic look and feel, the all-new FJ FUEL appeals to players at all levels of the game. In fact, even Tour players have made the switch to incorporate FJ FUEL in practice and in play at tournaments around the world.

“I love the spikeless feel, I love how light it is, the comfort is great and am a big fan of the BOA® Technology. It’s everything I’m looking for and am really pumped to be in the shoe this year.”

Jessica Korda

Whatever the swing type, whether your wearing shorts or skorts, whether you’re playing a quick 9 or a glorious 36, it doesn’t matter – FJ FUEL has been engineered to bring the heat to your game.

Prices start at $169.99 CAD.

19th Hole

Titleist introduces new AVX Golf Ball

Titleist new AVX golf ball

Titleist introduces the third generation of its  AVX golf ball, improving upon short game spin and control, increasing driver distance, and providing even softer feel. The original AVX was engineered by Titleist in 2018 as a performance alternative to its flagship Pro V1 and Pro V1x by offering the lowest flight, lowest spin and softest feel of the three premium offerings. The new AVX reflects further advancements in the brand’s industry-leading multi-component technology with additional breakthrough results for golfers who prioritize distance and extremely soft feel in a urethane covered golf ball. 

“Flight, Spin, and Feel are three key performance attributes we evaluate during our green-to-tee fittings and golf ball selection,” said Frederick Waddell, Director of Golf Ball Product Management, Titleist. “AVX provides a low flight, low spin, exceptionally soft feel alternative to Pro V1 and Pro V1x. With these three golf balls, plus Pro V1x Left Dash, every golfer that prioritizes performance can find a precise fit for their game.” 

“With new AVX, we focused on what AVX golfers are asking for: improving upon the already incredible distance and feel that golfers love, while enhancing greenside spin,” added Waddell. “We achieved this by softening the urethane cover to achieve greater short game performance, while adding a new core formulation for speed, and new aerodynamics for flight stability and more distance.” 

AVX is a premium, technologically advanced golf ball, and the golfers who play it choose AVX because it gives their specific game a performance advantage.

“All components of a golf ball are connected when it comes to performance,” said Mike Madson, Director of Aerodynamics and Research Engineering, Titleist. “When we set out to increase distance and enhance greenside spin, we looked at every layer of the golf ball for improvements. New AVX includes improvements to the core formulation, cover and aerodynamics. The dimple pattern is an area of constant innovation.  We continuously design and test new dimple configurations so we can match an aerodynamic pattern specific to the golf ball construction. With AVX, the 348 catenary dimple pattern is optimized specifically for the low flight window of AVX to produce maximum distance.”

The AVX is offered in both white and optic yellow, available in golf shops worldwide starting on Feb. 4, 2022.

19th Hole

Where does the word ‘mulligan’ come from?

Brent Smyth/ Golf Canada

There is considerable debate about this topic, to say the least. There are several clubs and several people who have staked claims about the origin of the term ‘mulligan.’

The story most widely accepted focuses on a gentleman named David Mulligan who played at the St. Lambert CC in Montreal during the 1920s. There are several versions of the David Mulligan story.

Story one: Mr. Mulligan was a hotelier in the first half of the century, a part-owner and manager of the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, as well as several large Canadian hotels. One story says that the first mulligan was an impulsive sort of event – that one day Mulligan hit a very long drive off the first tee, just not straight, and acting on impulse re-teed and hit again. His partners found it all amusing, and decided that the shot that Mulligan himself called a ‘correction shot’ deserved a better named, so they called it a ‘mulligan.’

Story two: Mulligan played regularly with a group of friends at St. Lambert, and in the morning he drove to pick up his golfing buddies. The road into the club was reportedly bumpy and windy and just sort of generally poor, with bridge of bumpy railroad ties. An extra shot was allotted to Mulligan, the driver of the car, on the first tee because he was jumpy and shaking from the difficult drive.

Story three: this story again identified a specific moment, citing a day when David Mulligan showed up late to the course, having scrambled to get out of bed late and get dressed and get to the course on time. He was frazzled on the first tee, hit a poor shot, and re-teed.

Another version of the ‘mulligan’ story comes from the Essex Fells CC in N.J. This story is one of the latest, and may therefore be less credible. According to this version, the term was named after a locker room attendant at the club named John A. ‘Buddy’ Mulligan, who worked at the club during the 1930s and was known for replaying shots, particularly on the first tee.

19th Hole

Now on tour: new Vokey Design SM9 wedges

Vokey Design SM9 Wedges

The new Vokey Design SM9 wedges – the next generation of the PGA Tour’s most played wedges – will make their debut this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui. 

Master Craftsman Bob Vokey and Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill, working alongside Vokey’s team of engineers, have spent the last two years designing prototypes and testing them with the world’s best players, pushing forward in their relentless mission to craft better performing and better feeling wedges.

Players in the field this week at Kapalua are getting the first opportunity to game the new models in competition. The tour launch of SM9 will continue at The American Express, when AD is back behind his grinding wheel in the Titleist Tour Truck at PGA West.

Visit Titleist.ca and Titleist’s social channels over the coming weeks for updates as the introduction of SM9 wedges continues on the PGA TOUR and across the worldwide professional tours.

19th Hole Media Release

Lightspeed Golf joins forces with Golf Canada in multi-year agreement

Brent Smyth/ Golf Canada

The golf industry in North America is growing in new and exciting ways. Lightspeed Commerce Inc. (NYSE: LSPD) (TSX: LSPD), the one-stop commerce platform for merchants around the world to simplify, scale and create exceptional customer experiences, today announced a multi-year agreement with Golf Canada, the National Sport Federation representing more than 271,000 golfers and 1,400 member clubs across the country, allowing both participating golf courses and golfers to share certified Golf Canada handicap data across both platforms.

Lightspeed Golf empowers courses to manage an entire facility from a single platform, synthesizing systems for daily operations, tee sheets, on-site hospitality and retail, and online booking. The integration of Lightspeed Golf’s commerce platform with the Golf Canada Score Centre will provide a solution for more Canadian golfers to maintain an Official Handicap Index, leveling the playing field for participants across Canada.

“We are both excited and honoured to be partnering with such a revered Canadian organization,” said Lightspeed Golf GM David Hope. “This platform integration will streamline operations for golfers and course operators alike, enabling improved handicap integrity and reporting. We look forward to working with Golf Canada to grow the game through educational content and putting intuitive technology in the hands of both golfers and golf course operators.”

The platform integration will help more golfers track their scoring history and demonstrated ability on the golf course, allowing both golfers and course operators to see handicap data when booking tee times and navigating tee sheets.

“Golf Canada is extremely pleased to be aligning our Score Centre with Lightspeed Golf,” said Golf Canada Director of Membership Ryan Logan. “This platform integration will open up new opportunities to grow our membership-base across Canada and will further support our member clubs in providing a more streamlined and enhanced golfing experience.”

Golf in Canada continues to show growth and resilience through the past two seasons impacted by the pandemic. In 2021, a record 9.3M scores were posted to the Golf Canada Score Centre, a 19% increase from 2020 and 27.5% increase over 2019, and Lightspeed Golf customers reported a 23% increase in rounds played from 2019 to 2020. Lightspeed Golf customers are growing and modernizing their businesses, attracting younger patrons and more diverse golfers, and re-thinking their business models to diversify their revenue streams.

“Golf is booming right now, but even before that our rounds were continuously up every single year over the past five years,” said Lightspeed Golf customer Jenifer Wright, GM of Westwood Plateau Golf. “We’re making changes to get new people into golf and we’ve been really impressed with every integration Lightspeed has come out with. We can’t wait to see how this platform integration with Golf Canada will benefit our course and players.”

19th Hole

Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer shares a message for Canadian college golf athletes

Kevin Blue, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer, took to twitter yesterday to share a message with Canadian golfers who recently signed NLIs to play U.S. college golf.

“Celebrate your accomplishments with your friends and family,” wrote Blue. “After that, set a new goal. This is just one step in your long golfing journey.”

What followed was a thoughtful thread of both career advice and life lessons from an individual with a wealth of experience in the college golf landscape.

Blue joined Golf Canada in 2020 after serving nearly five years as Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, an NCAA Division I institute.

Read the full thread below:

19th Hole

Haunting tales from Canadian courses

If you ask a golfer about their most haunting moments on the golf course, you might hear about an unfortunate double hit or a bad case of the yips. While a poorly played round is certainly reason to keep a golfer up at night, there are perhaps more chilling tales circulating from the back nine or within the forgotten histories of aging clubhouses that concern the otherworldly.

With Canada’s rich history and vast geography, it’s no surprise that the country also boasts its fair share of spooky tales. There’s an old sanitorium in Kamloops that would look right at home in a Stephen King novel, a haunted lighthouse in P.E.I., and a ghost that goes by the name of ‘Dorothy’ at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

If that isn’t enough, Canada Post created a collection of ‘Haunted Canada’ stamps from 2014-2016 that reveal a whole cast of the country’s ghostly characters such as Gastown’s Headless Brakeman, the Grey Lady of the Halifax Citadel, and the Phantom Bell Ringers of the Kirk of St. James. 

While it might be hard to imagine these eerie spirits lurking on well-manicured and sunny greens, that doesn’t mean that golf courses aren’t devoid of spooky tales of their own. Below you’ll find five courses across the country that are rumored to house extraordinary spirits.

Haunted Lakes Golf Club

Haunting tales From Canadian golf courses: Image of the sign at Haunted Lake Golf Club

Haunted Lakes Golf course in Alix, Alta. is certainly high on the list of Canadian courses with the spookiest names.

As the legend goes, seven Native American hunters camped around the eastern shore of the lake and awoke one morning to discover a magnificent deer trapped in ice.

As the men began to chip away at the ice around the antlers, the still-alive beast crashed through its icy cage and carved a path towards the refuge of the shore. The deer made it to safety and disappeared into the woods, but the men would never set foot in the forest again. All seven plunged into the frigid depths, drowned, and were claimed by the lake. They were never seen or heard from again – alive that is.  

To this day, the spirits of the unfortunate seven are rumoured to haunt the area, giving the lake its name. Locals also claim that every winter when the lake is frozen over, a huge fissure appears tracing the exact path of the deer’s escape – right along the third fairway where Haunted Lake hugs the front right of the green.

Glen Abbey Golf Course

They say the best ghost stories are the ones that hit close to home. Located on the picturesque Sixteen Mile Creek in Oakville, Ont., Glen Abbey Golf Course has played host to the Canadian Open 30 times and also serves as home-base for Golf Canada. While the later have taken up residence at the property since the 1970s, there is – if you believe in such things – a much older tenant who reportedly still roams the corridors.

Originally built by mining magnate Andre Dorfman in 1937, the sprawling country estate was sold in 1953 to be used as a retreat and monastery by the Jesuit Fathers of Upper Canada. The property was again sold in 1963 by a group of businessmen with a vision to build a golf club. The men named their new course ‘Glen Abbey’ as a nod to the previous occupants, but as the story goes, one of those occupants never left.

Since then, there have been reports of cupboards inexplicably slamming, heavy footsteps in the hallway and the mysterious feeling of being watched. One eyewitness claims to have seen the specter glide through solid wall, and all accounts seem to agree that the spirit takes the shape of a Jesuit Priest.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club

Charming little Niagara-on-the-Lake in Southern Ontario is often referred to as Canada’s most haunted town. It therefore comes as no surprise that Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club, with its 140-year history, would be just as populated with ghost stories as the town is with visitors.

Located toward the back of the scenic course you’ll find Fort Mississauga – a defensive structure built after the War of 1812 to defend against the nearby American Fort Niagara. While the Fort was garrisoned until 1826, rearmed after the Rebellion of 1837, and manned during tense periods of the American Civil War, it never saw battle. However, the structure was erected using salvaged pieces from an old lighthouse and bricks from the crumbling Fort George which could perhaps account paranormal activity surrounding the historic site.

It is said that sounds of violence can be heard issuing from the Fort and multiple accounts have reported a man yelling in pain from within the structure. A young soldier even confided to his journal in 1871 that he and another officer saw a tall, gliding figure in a black robe while on watch one evening.

Fort Mississauga is now a National Historic Site and serves as a striking reminder to golfers that the land they putt on is steeped in history.  

Jasper Park Golf Course

At Jasper Park Golf Course in Jasper, Alta. you’re more likely to come across a wandering elk than a wayward spirit. Still, a medley of ghostly characters have scared their way into the lore surrounding this jewel in the Canadian Rockies.

Construction for the resort property began in 1921 with renowned course architect Stanley Thompson joining the project in 1924. It took 50 teams of horses and 200 men before Thompson’s design became a reality and opened to the public in 1925.

As far as ghost stories go, past staff suggest that the clubhouse – particularly the kitchen – is frequented by spirits moving objects or banging pots. Multiple witnesses claim to have encountered an elderly woman who mysteriously vanishes when spoken to, and there’s even said to be a photo of her hanging outside the restaurant.

Another spooky story involves Point Cabin where a young maid took a tumble down the stairs and broke her neck. To this day her spirit is said to slam doors, turn lights off and appear to unsuspecting guests.

Victoria Golf Club

Over on the West Coast, Victoria Golf Club boasts an impressive history and a dramatic tale that has become a local legend.

The story surrounds Doris Thompson who immigrated to Canada in 1906 and married local sports reported Victor Gravlin. Victor, however, was not a good husband to Doris and spent countless hours at Uplands Golf Club where is brother was head pro. When her husband lost his job and began drinking heavily, Doris left him and found work as a private live-in nurse.

Not long after, Victor sent a letter to Doris which historians believe was a plea to meet and reconcile. On the ill-fated night of Sept. 22, 1936, Doris and Victor left their respective residences and were seen together on Runnymede Avenue. What happened next remains a mystery as neither were seen alive again.

The couple was reported as missing and a search ensued. Days later a caddy searching for a lost ball at Victoria Golf Club discovered Doris’ corpse near the 7th green. The 30 year old had been strangled with her hat, belt and shoes missing.

The local gossips believed that Victor, the number one suspect, had escaped. However, they were wrong. One month later a fisherman found Victor’s body floating in the kelp beds off the 9th fairway with a rope in his pocket and in possession of Doris’ missing attire. The police concluded he had strangled his wife and then committed suicide by walking into the water.

It’s no surprise that the traumatic tale has given rise to haunting stories at the property. To this day, visitors to the area report floating orbs, disembodied screaming, strange unexplained pockets of mist, and even full-bodied apparitions of a sad-looking woman believed to be Doris.

The spooky tales arising from these properties add to the character that makes each course unique. Whether you’re a believer in ghosts or a skeptic of the spirit world, the next time a strange wind results in a bogey you have someone – or something – to blame.