Canadian PGA and RCGA to Combine Forces in Rules of Golf
Canadian PGA and RCGA to Combine Forces in Rules of Golf
ACTON, ON (September 10, 2008) – The Canadian PGA and the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) are pleased to announce their latest partnership in national education. It is now a requirement for all Canadian PGA Apprentices to complete their Level 2 Rules of Golf online through the RCGA.
“This new initiative of our two associations will ensure that there is accessible and consistent learning across the country, available to all of our golf professionals,” states Gary Bernard, Director of Education at the Canadian PGA. “The RCGA Rules of Golf program demands strong results in order to move through each level and this partnership will ensure that our Members at the Canadian PGA receive the highest standard of education.”
The RCGA holds the exclusive rights to publish and distribute the Rules of Golf in Canada. In addition to publishing the Rules, the RCGA monitors and administers the national rules education program that leads to national certification as a rules official.
“As the governing body of golf in Canada, we see this partnership as a tremendous opportunity to expand our Rules of Golf education program across the country,” said Brent McLaughlin, RCGA Director of Rules, Competitions and Amateur Status. “Canadian PGA members are key stakeholders in growing the game and this consolidated initiative will help to ensure a consistent level of Rules education and officiating nationally.”
Rules are updated every four years through a joint committee of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Scotland and the United States Golf Association. Canada is the only country outside the US and the UK to have a seat on the committee charged with revising, modernizing and improving the Rules of Golf and the Decisions on the Rules of Golf. These two documents form the complete Rules of Golf that are used universally throughout the world of golf.
Becoming a Canadian PGA Professional is an exciting and rewarding career path in which the steps to becoming one are designed to support and assist candidates in achieving his or her goals. The Canadian PGA's philosophy is to provide the Canadian golf industry with the highest quality professional administrators, teachers, players and promoters of the game, through superior training, education and member development.
The Canadian PGA ELITE (Enhanced Learning and Innovative Training and Education) is the Canadian PGA's Apprenticeship Program. It involves an intensive eight stage process that will provide aspiring Canadian PGA Professionals the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the golf industry through formal education studies, teaching certification, professional development and golf-specific workshop studies.
The addition of this new requirement through the RCGA is another example of how Canadian PGA Professionals remain the highest quality golf professionals in the industry.
About the Canadian PGA:
Established in 1911, the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association is a non-profit association comprised of approximately 3,500 golf professionals across the country with a mandate to promote and advance the game of golf, serving the needs of both its membership and the golf public through professional and junior golf development programs and high-calibre competitive events. The National Office is located in Acton, Ontario with nine Zone Offices across the country. For more information, visit www.cpga.com
About the Royal Canadian Golf Association:
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, the RCGA’s mission is to grow participation in and passion for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum and CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program, are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships showcase the best in Canadian golf.
For further information on what the RCGA is doing to support golf in your community please visit www.rcga.org.
For More Information:
Erica Duffy
Communications Coordinator
Canadian PGA
Office: 519.853.5450 x234
Email: erica@cpga.com
Dan Pino
Director, Media and Public Relations
Royal Canadian Golf Association
Office: 1-800-263-0009 ext. 406
Mobile: 416-434-5525
Email: dpino@rcga.org