Canadian PGA Centennial - Notes from Day One of Celebrations

Canadian PGA Centennial - Notes from Day One of Celebrations

(AYLMER, PQ) July 10, 2011 - One hundred years after the Canadian PGA was formed following the Canadian Open at Royal Ottawa, the Canadian golf industry gathered to celebrate the historic anniversary of an event that altered the course of the game in Canada.

Among those in attendance were Sandy Jones, Chief Executive of the PGA of Britain; Ian Randell, Chief Executive of the PGA's of Europe; Scott Simmons, Executive Director of Golf Canada, and more than 75 golf professionals from across Canada. Additionally, descendents of three of the founders of the Canadian PGA were also in attendance for a day of golf at the historic Rivermead Golf Club. The second day of the celebrations will see more than 200 pros and industry members tee it up at both Rivermead and Royal Ottawa with a gala celebration following.

Notes from Day One:

• Sandy Jones, CEO of the PGA of Britain since 1991, says he wouldn’t have missed the centennial celebrations, despite the fact that Open Championship week is commencing in the United Kingdom.

“This is bigger than [the British Open],” Jones said between shots at Rivermead. “The Open will be back next year and the year after, but I won’t be around for the next centennial of the Canadian PGA.”

The role of club professionals is increasingly important, says Jones, especially at a time when economic conditions are challenging.

“What I see in the clubs have the chance to better utilize the skills of the golf professional,” he says. “They need to engage the workforce. Our pros are well trained and the clubs can really tap into that knowledge.”

Gary Bernard, Executive Director of the Canadian PGA, says the connection to the PGA of Britain runs deep, especially given the fact many of the Canadian pros that brought the game to Canada came from the United Kingdom. “They did the missionary work for us,” says Bernard. “That makes the connection even more special.”

What’s coming up in the next century? Jones, who led the British PGA when it celebrated its centennial in 2001, says the explosion of golf in Asia could help fuel the expansion of the game in the U.K. and Canada.

“We’re not sure how it will evolve,” he says. “But it has exciting possibilities.”

Bernard says the celebration of the anniversary is, in some ways, indicative of the work the Canadian PGA has done throughout its history.

“The men who created the Canadian PGA started the work of growing the game,” he says. “We’ve been doing that for 100 years since.”

• Scott Simmons, Executive Director of Golf Canada, says he came to Ottawa to celebrate the accomplishment of a significant partner for his organization.

“The Royal Canadian Golf Association has been around since 1895, and we’ve had a very long relationship with the Canadian PGA,” Simmons says. “As the governing body, we recognize the game wouldn’t be as popular or enjoyable without [the Canadian PGA.]”

The members of the Canadian PGA are integral to the growth of the game in Canada, Simmons says, and have been integral to delivering and developing programs like Golf in Schools.

“It is [Canadian PGA] members that deliver these programs,” Simmons says. “Without their participation we wouldn’t be anywhere.”

• Three direct descendents of the group of golfers who created the Canadian PGA in 1911 played on a course designed by two of the founding members – Charles Murray and George Cumming. Ian Murray, the grandson of Albert Murray, and Charlie Murray, the grandson of his namesake, played alongside Robert Emblem, the grandson of James Newman. Both Charlie and Albert Murray were professionals at the prestigious Royal Montreal Golf Club.
“As the grandson of Charles, I’d go to Royal Montreal as a kid and people would pick me up and make a fuss about me,” says Charlie Murray. “He was so well respected and loved by the members of the course.”

Charlie Murray also had a hand in creating the first nine holes at Rivermead, while Canadian PGA founder and Toronto Golf Club pro George Cumming designed the second nine, a fact that was not lost on his grandson.

“It is quite fascinating to come back here,” Murray says.

Ian Murray says his grandfather was a fascinating character.

“He was an everyman,” says Murray. “He loved to teach and promote the game.”

- Robert Thompson - Editor of Canadian PGA Centennial Magazine