VOLUME 4 ISSUE 4. $10,000 for junior golf development Club profile: Acton Vale

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1 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 4 $10,000 for junior golf development Club profile: Acton Vale

2 Volume 4 Issue 4 Message from the Executive Director Jean-Pierre Beaulieu Get out, play golf To incite amateur golfers to play more often and seduce new segments of clienteles, we must think outside the box and avoid conventional approaches. This summer, Golf Québec is doing something new and promotes golf with a Misteur Valaire melody. In Québec, golf is a key player of the tourism industry. Over 370* courses are visited every year by a million golfers coming both from here and abroad. Our sport enables participants to develop healthy life habits and contributes to keeping them young in a unique social context. golf is an inter-generation sport after all, as well as with colleagues and friends. A first television advertising campaign Pursuing its golf development mission, Golf Québec drives this trend further and takes action for the benefit of golf clubs and the industry as a whole. For this purpose, this summer, the very first television advertising campaign will unfold throughout the province. It will showcase the great diversity of golf venues and customers. The objective of this communication initiative is to create a buzz, make people talk, encourage discussion, and capture the attention of traditional media while interacting with the community on social networks. According to statistics, our industry is a major economic player generating over 52,000 direct and indirect jobs and representing 2.48 billion of the provincial GDP. Nonetheless, at the very first Golf Summit, the assessment of our situation and raised challenges were very clear. We must step out of our traditional path and restructure our industry to introduce new Québec participants to the pleasure of playing golf and enjoying a splendid day outdoors. Create a buzz In this time where the golf industry needs to promote its attractions from a whole new angle, it is high time to seduce different segments of clienteles. Most of all, it is crucial to break the chain of bad perceptions, stimulate golfers to play more often with their friends, and incite past golfers to come back to their game. We must create a need to get together on the golf course as a family, because We must reconnect with the fun of getting together on the golf course to play with friends To accomplish this major undertaking, Golf Québec retained the services of Oasis Communication. This agency is specialized in sport and tourism and collaborated many times with various associations. Indeed, it is thanks to their help and expertise that we will have the opportunity to appreciate, in the

3 television ad, the intense rhythms of a thriving Québec band: Misteur Valaire. Beginning in June, you will see this advertising spot on TV as well as on our social networks. Facebook: YouTube: A commitment to society In addition, in order to facilitate wider broadcasting, the endorsement of the main Québec television networks will be solicited. Hopefully, they will be able to air this new ad throughout the summer and support our marketing image campaign. As a not for profit organization, we could benefit from the support of television networks and get free 30-second advertising spots, providing inventory is available. Their contribution to the development of a healthy lifestyle by supporting sports participation is, without a doubt, an exceptional value. Golf Québec is proud to share this privilege with the industry as a whole and its members! * Reference: 2015 NAGA Survey Golf-2014-Executive-Summary-FINAL-Report-JUNE- 2_FRE.pdfb Golf Québec promotes playing golf as a family Get out, play golf! Over 300 courses await you.

4 Donations La Vallée du Richelieu supports the From School to the Golf Club fundraiser golfquebec.org/donations With this commitment, La Vallée du Richelieu, its management, and members wish to contribute actively to supporting Golf Québec in its sports development initiatives. By doing so, they will also promote the discovery of this sport towards young participants. Altogether, a total of twenty members are donating $500 each. This is a meaningful way for the club to contribute to the development of golf participation towards youth of the Ste-Julie area. Make a difference This donation is our club s way of contributing to the development of golf participation on two levels. First, by supporting the efforts made by Golf Québec through its successful program. This dynamic sports federation dedicates a lot of time and resources to introduce young children and families to the game of golf. Second, through the donations made by our members, our club will be able to invest at the regional level and give back to our local population within a sports context, mentioned Patrice Forcier, General Manager of the club. A kind gesture for the industry The initial idea of supporting the Golf Québec fundraiser was instilled by Stéphane Dubé, past President and now Governor of La Vallée du Richelieu. He should be credited with gathering his fellow golfers and so many donors. Through our meetings, I quickly understood the impact that such a partnership between our club and Golf Québec could have in the region and on the golf industry as a whole. We share the same vision and common goals, maintained Stéphane Dubé. Together, we can promote the introduction of children to the game of golf and facilitate their transition from school to the golf club, no matter where they come from. I truly hope that others will notice this initiative of the Vallée du Richelieu members and that other golf clubs will follow in their footsteps, added Mr. Dubé. Placement Sports Donations collected within this partnership will be matched through the Placements Sports program implemented by the Gouvernement du Québec. A tax receipt will be issued for all donations of $25 and the Federation will benefit from a 140% matching ratio. As a result, the global donation made by the members of La Vallée du Richelieu is now worth $24,000. By making a donation, individual donors accept that their contribution is used to support the operations of the Québec Golf Federation. La Vallée du Richelieu supports the From School to the Golf Club fundraiser

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6 Fundraiser Birdies for Charity facilitates junior golf introduction This summer, Golf Québec is pursuing its fundraiser called From School to the Golf Club to facilitate the introduction of children to golf. Birdies for Charity is one of the events composing the Golf Québec fundraiser. Our objective is to raise the required moneys to pursue our golf development initiatives specifically designed for children and families. the Québec Golf Federation. Any donation of $25 and over can also be matched by the Gouvernement du Québec as part of the Placements Sports program. By making a donation, individuals accept that their contribution will be used to support the operations of the Québec Golf Federation. Since 2009, many programs were successfully implemented by Golf Québec: Golf in Schools, Golfmobile, CN Future Links, First Drive, She Swings, She Scores, and the Junior Golf Development Centres. In the past, many individuals and corporations have financially contributed to the implementation of these initiatives. Thanks to these generous donors, the program was integrated in close to 600 schools throughout the province. Likewise, other programs must be developed to add more activities to their schedules. For instance, the Golfmobile and CN Future Links field trips could become more active in city parks, driving ranges, and golf clubs to make more children discover the joys of playing golf. Birdies for Charity Golf Québec is organizing the Birdies for Charity fundraiser within the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be held at the Glen Abbey Golf Club, in Ontario, from July 18 to 24. Donors will either commit to donating a lump sum or a specific amount for each birdie made by the golf professionals during the four rounds (Thursday through Sunday) of the tournament. In return, Golf Québec commits to supporting youth programs and initiatives through its programs. For each financial contribution of $25 and more, Sports-Québec will remit tax receipts corresponding to the eligible donation on behalf of Make an online donation on the Birdies for Charity webpage or download the donation form. 88

7 Partnership Pluzyo becomes the official Golf Québec stats application Pluzyo, founded by brothers Mathieu and David Paradis, is a web application for golf statistics that helps intermediate and elite golfers in their development. It enables them to understand easily their greatest strengths as well as other aspects of their game that needs to be improved. The application features over 175 exclusive statistics supported by integrated graphs and tables. In compliance with the PGA Tour, processed data is sorted in various sectors of the game in links with putting, short and long game. For a free 7-day online tryout of Pluzyo, visit: A family history Coach of the Rouge et Or golf team at Université Laval, Mathieu Paradis teamed up with his brother David who is a web design expert. Together, they developed this tool. Supported by a team of computer programmers, they created this application. This new tool is mostly targeting golfers who play approximately 85 and under. Through the years, I noticed that very few products are made available to elite gofers as most of the systems that are on the market are designed for average players. Elite golfers also have specific needs. This is how we came up with this idea, relates Mathieu Paradis. Useful yet fun The main characteristic of this application is that it keeps track of every single stroke played by the golfer. As a result, very detailed statistics are available and we get a better understanding of our game as a golfer. At the same time, we wanted this tool to be fun and easy to use. Data is presented with images and graphs making statistics a lot more fun than the usual boring information we are used to seeing, explains Mathieu Paradis. A win-win situation Pluzyo is offering a 10% discount on all online purchases of the application on when using the golfquebec16 promo code. For each subscription using this promo code, Pluzyo will remit $15 to Golf Québec as part of the fundraiser supporting golf introduction programs such as Golf in Schools. Through this contribution, Pluzyo is committed to supporting the development of future golfers. This is a tangible way for one of our local companies and its founders to contribute to the development of junior golf. For each subscription using the promo code GOLFQUEBEC16, Pluzyo will remit $15 to Golf Québec as part of the fundraiser supporting golf introduction programs such as Golf in Schools.

8 Competitions 87th edition of the Spring Open The event had more than its share of twists and turns compared to past years. While the first event of the Turkish Airlines Men s Provincial Tour begun quite traditionally at the Beaconsfield Golf Club, its ending took everyone by surprise. Complete results: golf/quebec16/event/quebec161 4/contest/4/leaderboard.htm Photo album: m&album_id= Those who earned their participation through one of the six qualifying rounds held throughout the month of May. Amateur player Joey Savoie of Pinegrove, who was the defending champion, as well as Marc-Étienne Bussières of Longchamp, who had been crowned amongst professionals in 2015, were the last ones to tee-off at 2:00 pm with Dwight Reinhart of Eagle Creek. Kevin Senecal, winner of the professional division Olivier Daneau, Spring Open champion All competitors bravely faced a scorching day as the humidity level kept on increasing, becoming harsher and harsher by the hour. Nonetheless, they were all able to complete their first nine holes and, at that time, James Davis of Whitlock was seen as the leader of the day with a final score of 67 (-4). Unfortunately, at 4:19 pm, the siren sounded one long blast indicating that a lightning storm was on its way and everyone had to take shelter. Even if the play eventually resumed, the same scenario repeated itself within the hour and it became clear that many would never be able to finish their round. Based on the weather forecast, this kind of situation was to be expected and it was already agreed that, in such case, the champion would be identified with the front nine scores. Amateur golfer Olivier Daneau of Le Continental was very proud to find out that his score of 33 earned him the grand title of the day. In the professional division, three players were tied with 34 strokes. Based on the retrogression method, Kevin Senecal of Le Maître was victorious in his category. He will share the purse allocated for the first place of the professional competition with Dave Lévesque of La Vallée du Richelieu and Lee Curry of Hylands.

9 Crowned in a sudden-death playoff Québec golfers of the pee-wee (11-12 years old) and bantam (13-14 years old) categories begun their competitive golf season with the Pee-Wee and Bantam Classic held at the Cornwall Golf Club. The youngest athletes played one round to crown Annabelle Chapleau and Malik Dao. The bantam competition was comprised of two rounds of 18 holes presented over two days. Christopher Vandette and Lory Paradis captured the victory in their respective division. Katherine Gravel-Coursol and Hélène Chartrand Amateur results: ebec16171/contest/1/leaderboard.htm Senior results: ebec16171/contest/10/leaderboard.htm Photo album: m&album_id= Christopher Vandette, Lory Paradis (bantam) Annabelle Chapleau, Malik Dao (pee-wee) Complete results: ebec1615/contest/4/leaderboard.htm Photo album: m&album_id= Provincial Mid-Amateur Championships With an overall score of 217 after three rounds (73, 72, 72), Sébastien Levasseur of Godefroy defeated his closest competitor and captured the victory of the men s competition with a 1-stroke advance. 7th edition of the NIVO Debbie Savoy Morel Cup For the first time since its inception, the amateur champion was successful at defending her title in this first leg of the Jocelyne Bourassa Series. With two rounds of 74 for a cumulative score of 148 (+6), Katherine Gravel-Coursol of Le Blainvillier captured the victory for a second consecutive year. Crowned as an amateur in 2013, Hélène Chartrand of Summerlea captured the senior. Sébastien Levasseur and Marie-Thérèse Torti

10 Following a very impressive putt on the last hole of the second round, Marie-Thérèse Torti of La Vallée du Richelieu won the NIVO Women s Provincial Mid-Amateur Championship with a cumulative score of 150. She added this victory to her collection comprised of the 2004 and 2007 titles. Men s results: ebec1628/contest/4/leaderboard.htm Men s photo album: m&album_id= In addition, Dwight Reinhart of Eagle Creek played five matches in the men s division before earning the amateur title. Finally, Serge Dagenais of Summerlea faced his fourth and final opponent in a sudden-death playoff to be crowned in the senior category. Video clip: Women s results: ebec1629/contest/1/leaderboard.htm Women s photo album: m&album_id= Provincial Match Play Championships In the amateur division, Annie Lacombe of Le Blainvillier had to work overtime to sweep the victory from Océane Jacques of Lorette has they went head to head in a 2-hole suddendeath playoff. Meanwhile, Hélène Chartrand of Summerlea defeated Bonnie Wolff and Marie- Thérèse Torti to win the senior competition. Serge Dagenais (senior) Hélène Chartrand (senior), Dwight Reinhart (amateur) Photo album: m&album_id= Women s amateur results: ent/quebec1621/contest/13/leaderboard.htm Women s senior results: ent/quebec1621/contest/19/leaderboard.htm Men s amateur results: ent/quebec1619/contest/16/leaderboard.htm Annie Lacombe Men s senior results ent/quebec1619/contest/31/leaderboard.htm

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12 Coach s profile Fred Colgan, Golf Québec Provincial Coach To young players who dream of becoming golf professionals, I would say to maintain their passion for the game of golf and always enjoy themselves when they play. Golf is such an amazing sport. I believe that the passion we feel for it is directly instilled by the fun of playing. GQ - Why do you love golf so much? How would you explain your passion for this sport? FC - I would say that golf is not just a sport. For me, it s a lifestyle. Through golf, young participants can develop so many skills that are useful in their daily life. As well, golf is a sport that can be played with anyone, such as members of our family and friends of all ages. Golf always had a social aspect that is very appealing to all as it provides a great opportunity to play in good company. GQ - How long have you been involved in the game of golf? FC - I started playing when I was 15 years old and I played in my first competitions at 18. I ve been a golf coach for 25 years. Time flies! I hold an undergraduate degree in Physical Education from Université Laval in Québec City. I also obtained a master s degree in sports training and completed the training sessions provided by the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC - In addition, I attended workshops of the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI - in golf, coaching, and biomechanics. GQ - Nowadays, what are you doing in the golf industry? FC - Currently, I am the Provincial Coach appointed by Golf Québec to supervise the development of athletes on the path towards excellence. I also coach the St. Lawrence Lions, a college team. As well, I am one of the coaches in the competitive program offered at my golf academy (Académie de golf Fred Colgan - AGFC) where I am the full swing specialist and I organize training camps in the United States. Fred Colgan GQ - What does a golf coach do in the wintertime? FC - I am actually very busy during winter. At AGFC, we offer an annual training program for students at the elementary, high school, and collegiate levels. From November to December, I hlep these young athletes prepare physically and mentally. By January, they begin their actual training to get ready for the upcoming competitions.

13 Club s profile Acton Vale: it s worth a visit! Recipient of the 2015 Most Appreciated Golf Club award and inspired by the presentations made at the Golf Summit, Acton Vale innovates to offer new services that will make the golf experience even more fun and casual for their visitors. According to Geneviève Dion, owner of the Acton Vale golf club located in the Montérégie area, implemented changes will give a younger, fresher image to her facility. She began with updating the club logo and slogan. The logo is now representing the Ying and Yang of the game with stylized clubs. It shows the perfect balance between competitive excellence and the fun of playing. We all know that the secret of life resides in balance, explained Mrs. Dion. With this in mind, the club slogan was also updated in order to attract new clientele. Life is simple: Sleep, drink, eat, and play golf. instance, hole #6 of Le Renne course is a par 4 of 400 yards that will surely annoy quite a few. It features a majestic green that is shaped like a peninsula and a breathtaking panorama. Playing the par on that hole will actually be quite an achievement. The green of hole #9 was also modified to make it larger and reverse its slope. This year, Acton Vale acquired a free mobile app that golfers will use to get a GPS view of the distance between each holes. This application also enables them to enter their score and see other players scores for peer review. This is a nice tool that is very easy to use. It simply needs to be downloaded on a smart phone. Changes that are much appreciated by golfers A major investment was allocated to the course itself in order to redesign some of the holes. For Tee markers are now identified with numbers that make it easier to choose where to play from depending on one s skills level. This new presentation also makes teeing off a lot less intimidating. For example, a beginner player does not feel that he must play from the men s tees any longer. He will feel comfortable to play from tee #4, which is the closest to the green. In addition, golfers will have the choice to play 9 or 18 holes at their convenience.

14 A younger vision To appeal young golfers, Mrs. Dion distributed 30 season passes to a local hockey team of Acton Vale during their midget tournament. Instead of a sponsorship in cash, she preferred to give them memberships and incite them to discover the game of golf. I also wanted to break the popular belief that golf is not accessible to younger players, added Mrs. Dion. On the same train of thoughts, the club is now presenting DJ Fridays for teens of 12 to 18 years old. Daycare services will also be available for younger families. As well, the club offers them outstanding discounts so they can have a good time. Furthermore, Mrs. Dion took an Acton Vale athlete under her wing and helps him participate in competitions. A client of the club for many years, Anthony Demers who is a university golfer shows amazing golfing talent. Mrs. Dion wants to support him so other young players can get inspired to follow in his footsteps. She believes that children often need a role model to persevere and find encouragement. Once again, this initiative is part of attracting more young players to the club. In the long term, Mrs. Dion hopes to maintain these updates to keep her clientele satisfied. We must dare to be different and diversify our business, she said. She believes that these new initiatives will help her build a new clientele. With 90 new members in the 2016 golf season, she is confident to be on the right track. Her expectations? An amazing summer! Golfers will not only be happy. They will also be impressed and proud. I want to show them that I share their passion for golf, explained Mrs. Dion. For more information, visit or the Acton Vale Facebook page /?fref=ts. The Acton Vale golf club developed a partnership with the coach of the Espace pleine forme training center who is conducting clinics on injury prevention for golfers. He also gives yoga and aerobic lessons that are open to all.