Kristen Maclaren
About
Golf has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Belleville, I competed across the Bay of Quinte, Kingston, and Ontario from the early 1990s through the late 1990s, collecting wins at the Bay of Quinte Junior Girls’ and Women’s Club Championships, the St. Lawrence Junior Tour, and multiple Kingston District Championships. In 1998, I achieved one of the biggest highlights of my amateur career—winning the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and helping lead Team Ontario to a National Team title.
My junior and amateur success gave me the incredible opportunity to attend the University of Texas at El Paso on a golf scholarship. Competing in NCAA Division 1 golf shaped me both on and off the course. I won three individual NCAA titles, played in two NCAA National Championships, earned All-Conference honors twice, and became a four-year letter recipient. In 2000, I was honored to be inducted into the El Paso Golf Hall of Fame.
After graduating, I pursued my professional path with the PGA of Canada. Early in my career, I earned a win at the PGA of Ontario Playability Tournament (2004), and over time I found my true passion—coaching, teaching, and giving back to the game. I’ve supported Golf Ontario player development programs and have been fortunate to serve as Head Coach for the Queen’s University Men’s and Women’s golf teams, where we captured an OUA Men’s Team Gold in 2021.
Throughout my career, I’ve been recognized with honors such as Belleville High School Athlete of the Year, the Robinson Kelleher Memorial Award as Belleville’s Top Athlete, induction into both the Centennial Secondary School Sports Hall of Fame and the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame, as well as being named Ottawa Zone PGA Professional of the Year twice and Junior Teaching Professional of the Year.
Today, I’m proud to call Cataraqui Golf & Country Club home, where I’ve worked for over 16 years. For the past 3 years, I’ve moved fully into my role as a Teaching Professional with the Kevin Dickey Academy at Cataraqui. Alongside my private coaching, I also lead our Learn to Golf program, which has seen tremendous success in introducing women to the game and helping them grow into confident golfers and active members of our club community.
Golf has given me so much, and it’s my privilege now to share that same gift with my students.