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I received this press release from golf communications superstar Tim O’Connor and I couldnt be happier.  I was fortunate enough to have met Tom Jackson years ago when he was head of instruction for Clublink working out of Glen Abbey.  Tom is an outstanding guy and great educator.  I wish him nothing but the best.

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ORLANDO, Florida (June 22, 2010)–About 10 years ago, Tom Jackson had not one but two visions when he began laying the foundation for what would become the Core Golf Junior Academy.

 Jackson, one of Canada’s top instructors, saw the potential for a world-class golf academy in Orlando, Florida.

 And he saw the potential in Sean Foley and Dr. Craig Davies, both of whom have become stars on the PGA Tour.

 ”My feeling was that there was an opportunity for an academy that maintained a healthy ratio of coaches to students, and stressed improvement in all aspects of one’s golf life,” says Jackson, Director of Instruction at the Academy located at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge just west of Orlando.

 That vision has become a reality and a success: The Core Golf Junior Academy enters its fifth year of operations in September as a full-time golf development program offering high-school aged students from around the world comprehensive golf instruction and high quality private school with its education partner Windermere Preparatory School.

 For junior golfers looking to fulfill their golf dreams, it’s ideal. They live in Core Golf’s residences with other students and their house parents; they go to Windermere Preparatory School until mid-afternoon and then work with their golf coaches at the academy until dinner. On most weekends, they play in highly competitive junior tournaments scouted by NCAA coaches.

 Core Golf coaches places a major emphasis on taking their students` games to the next level, which is college golf, and guiding them through the scholarship process. Most graduating Core students receive scholarships. In 2010, Core started a scholarship consulting service called College Golf Connect to help more students obtain scholarships.

 Jackson’s original idea for an academy was hatched after one of his Canadian students was extremely disappointed by his experience at a major U.S. junior academy. The student found the academy overcrowded and the coaching inconsistent.

 Plan went into action in 2006

 In 2006, Jackson put his plan in motion and up-and-coming junior coach Foley and his wife Kate jetted to Orlando in 2006 to start the academy.

 Today, Foley is now regarded as one of the PGA Tour’s best swing coaches, with Stephen Ames, Hunter Mahan, Parker McLachlin, Sean O’Hair, Justin Rose (recent winner of the Memorial), and Canadians Lorie Kane and Lisa Meldrum on the LPGA Tour.

 ”I always thought Sean would get to where he is now, and I think his potential is unlimited,” says Jackson, who has more 25 years experience as a teacher, tour professional and golf administrator.

 Jackson also saw great potential in Dr. Craig Davies, Core’s Director of Fitness and Nutrition for the past four seasons. Along with coaching Core students, Dr. Davies works with Y.E. Yang, winner of the 2009 PGA Championship, and Ames, Mahan, John Rollins and Robert Allenby.

 This fall, Core Golf will introduce a more intensive mental performance program with mind coach Bob Skura, author of How Great Golfer’s Think. Jackson is confident the enhanced mental performance coaching will elevate the on-course performance of Core students.

 ”My goal was to surround myself with the best people in golf instruction, fitness and mental performance and provide them the facility and support to practice and perform what they do best,” says Jackson, who moved to Orlando in August 2009 to run the academy full-time. 

 The junior academy is part of the Core Golf Academy which provides high-quality instruction at Piper’s Heath GC in Milton, Ontario and Willow Valley GC in Hamilton, Ontario.

 As Core Golf continues to grow, Jackson and his colleagues are focused on making their pupils better, both on and off the golf course.

 ”Everyone involved with Core Golf is passionate about what we are doing. Most importantly, we care first and foremost about the kids, their well being and improvement.“

 For more information, visit www.coregolfacademy.com.

The Tiger Woods sex scandal keeps hitting people in the pocket books.  CNBC reported that IMG, the super agency who represents Woods, has claimed that losing major sponsors such as Accenture, Gatorade and AT&T has cost the golfer close to $30 million USD which translates to approximately $4.6 million USD in commissions and fees for IMG. 

That is a lot of money for an agency to lose in this economy.

From our friends at Marketing Mag:

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After operating for 115 years as the Royal Canadian Golf Association, the organization is rebranding as Golf Canada after the expansion of its mandate.

RCGA’s rebranding began in 2005 when the federal government made it the official national sports organization for golf. 

Previously known mostly for its course ratings and rules management, its status as an official national sport organization (NSO) adds amateur training programs to its responsibilities, as well as preparing a national golf team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“We’ve joined a family of brands” such as Tennis Canada and Hockey Canada that are instantly recognizable as authoritative, said Peter Beresford, chief operating officer for Golf Canada.

TBWA\Toronto was hired last autumn to build a new brand framework that would represent the group’s expanded role. It was also put in charge of crafting a consumer-facing campaign that would both advertise the new brand and bring in new members.

The new branding will be unveiled tomorrow at a press event at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Print ads, online videos and televised PSAs will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

Beresford hired TBWA without a formal review. As the former chairman and CEO of McDonald’s in the U.K. and Ireland, and senior vice-president, global brand development for McDonald’s Worldwide, Beresford worked extensively with TBWA\Toronto’s president Jay Bertram, who at the time worked at Cossette.

“I knew that Jay Bertram would be a great addition to the team,” Beresford said. “I also went straight to TBWA. I‘ve worked with TBWA around the world… It has tons of experience in working with multifaceted organizations.”

How do you go about finding the longest hitters in the world?  Simple, you partner with a major golf simulator company and create a global competiton with them.  That is the concept behind the partnership with Full Swing Golf Simulators and Thunderball, the newest and most exciting Long Drive Competition in the world.

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Global Indoor Qualifying At Full Swing Golf Simulators Worldwide

The entire globe is being scoured in a search for new Long-Driving talent with the top performers invited to compete for cash and the coveted THUNDERBALL! Diamond Tags.

“We’ve created a terrific partnership with Full Swing Golf Simulators who have over 200 active locations open to the public worldwide.” says Colin McDougall, creator and owner of THUNDERBALL!  “Guys can buy trial codes on our website (www.thunderball.net), enter them on the simulator touch screen and then give it their best shot under identical conditions worldwide.”

So far, the world has responded with hundreds of competitors visiting dozens of locations from as far away as Holland and England matching their best with players from the United States and Canada. 

“Indoor competition is just the vehicle we need to grow the sport of Long-Drive,” says McDougall “Currently, we have one major event annually and it simply doesn’t generate enough consistent TV exposure to allow it to grow.  With THUNDERBALL!,  the cost to participate is reduced dramatically while still allowing the players to compete at a high level.”

 About Long-Drive

‘Long-Drive’ is a sport in which players compete and succeed through driving a golf ball the farthest within a designated landing area called a ‘grid’.

Much like snowboarding is to skiing or MMA is to boxing, Long-drive is its own sport – it’s easier to learn, younger in appeal and far less complex to understand and appreciate than traditional golf.

 About THUNDERBALL!

THUNDERBALL! is an innovative approach to the sport of Long-Driving. Using a 16-Man Final Field, a Rock & Roll Stage, a shot clock and a “You’re Long Or You’re Gone” philosophy, a champion is crowned in 90 minutes! Toss in some trick shots, cheerleaders, loud music and you have the greatest new show in sport! Website: www.thunderball.net

IJGT Partners with CJGA to Benefit Members

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC—The International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) is pleased to announce a partnership with The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) that will provide playing privileges to members of each organization, giving access to over 160 events across North America.

Full status members of the IJGT will receive a 2010 membership with the CJGA at no charge, giving juniors the opportunity to participate in all open CJGA events during the tournament season.  Along with the membership, all IJGT members that play in an event will receive the full membership benefits of a CJGA membership.

Along with the member benefits, the IJGT will receive 6 male and 4 female tournament exemptions into the Mizuno CJGA National Junior Golf Championship, which will be attached to various events and IJGT championships.

The IJGT and CJGA are no strangers to each other, forming a partnership 7 years ago to introduce the North America Cup, an event that includes 14 of each country’s best junior golfers in a Ryder Cup format. This year’s North America Cup will take place July 5-8, 2010 at May River Golf Club in Bluffton, South Carolina.  The IJGT and CJGA also compete against each other in the annual Euro Junior Golf Cup hosted annually in St. Andrew’s, Scotland along with the Fife Golf Union (Scotland), which is now entering its 6^th year. The Euro Junior Golf Cup will take place July 28-30, 2010.

This just in from our friends at the Canadian Junior Golf Association.  This is great new for Canadian Golf.

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MARKHAM, ON (March 9, 2010) The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is pleased to announce a three year partnership with Nevada Bob’s Golf as an Official Partner of the CJGA.

Nevada Bob’s Golf, a corporate banner of the Forzani Group Ltd., will become an Official Sponsor of the Clinics for Kids Program as well as the Official Sports Retailer of the CJGA. The new partnership will see the expansion of the Clinics for Kids Program, a program that will be offered on a national scale.  The clinics will take place at every CJGA Junior Linkster and Junior Tour event across Canada, a number that exceeds 80 events in 2010.  The clinics will be free of charge to all junior aged golfers covering all facets of the game and introducing the game to juniors across Canada.

“We’re committed to getting and keeping more Canadians moving, and we know that this starts at the grassroots level. Getting kids involved with golf at either a recreational or competitive level is a surefire way to influence them toward adopting an active lifestyle forever,” says Mark Hindman, Vice President of Marketing at The Forzani Group Ltd. 

The partnership builds on the CJGA’s goal of giving junior golfers in Canada an opportunity to develop their professional skills, while honouring Nevada Bob’s Golf’s mandate to involve more Canadians in an active lifestyle.

“We are thrilled to have Nevada Bob’s Golf as an Official Partner of the CJGA” said Earl Fritz, Executive Director of the CJGA.  “With their support, the CJGA is enabled to expand its programs on a national scale which are designed to create interest in and awareness for the game of golf at the introductory, development stages.”

Nevada Bob’s Golf shops are currently found inside over 30 Sport Chek stores across Canada and will be expanding to over 60 locations by the end of April. 

About The Forzani Group Ltd.
The Forzani Group Ltd. is Canada’s largest national retailer of sporting goods, offering a comprehensive assortment of brand-name and private-brand products, operating stores from coast to coast, under the following corporate and franchise banners: Sport Chek, Coast Mountain Sports, Sport Mart, Athletes World, National Sports, Sports Experts, Intersport, Econosports, Atmosphere, Tech Shop, Pegasus, Nevada Bob’s Golf, Hockey Experts, The Fitness Source, and S3. The Forzani Group Ltd. also has websites for several of its corporate and franchise banners which can be accessed through its main website at www.forzanigroup.com.

About the CJGA
The Canadian Junior Golf Association is a “registered Canadian amateur athletic association” (RCAAA) not-for-profit registered federally with Revenue Canada. The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is dedicated to providing Canada’s junior golfers with the necessary skills and knowledge required to lay a foundation for a future in competitive golf. Through its six-stage competitive development program that focuses on tournaments, clinics, international competitions, and mentoring programs with PGA Tour professionals, the CJGA introduces the game to juniors as young as five and offers competitive multi-day events for the more advanced golfer. The CJGA acts as a feeder system to provincial and national competitions, collegiate and university golf, as well as professional and recreational golf. For more information please visit www.cjga.com.

The Canadian Junior Golf Association is generously supported by its National Founding Partner, LEXUS.

YouTube Direkt

Wait for it, wait for it…BOOM!  Hidden Lake Golf Club is open!  The weather has been great and I have been waiting for the first email alerting golfers that a course was open.  So today at 1:12PM, I got the magical email.  I assume the course will be very wet but hard-core Canadian golfers should still be lining up to get in on this!  Lets see who else follows suit!

Now Open

We are now open on temporary greens.

There is still snow covering spots, so if you have colored golf balls bring them along. The range is open now on artificial tees.

Green Fees

…of a golf cart.  Yes, we love these stories and this is a great one.  Usually these stories involve a drunk weekend duffers causing havoc on the course or around the local neighbourhood…but not in the case of Andy Powell, a Wales Rugby International.  Powell was given a 15-month driving ban after being caught driving on the highway – in search of “munchies” for him and his drunk friends and teammates.  Gotta love Rugby players…they are as close to hockey players as you will find out there!

Powell, the British Lions and Wales forward, was spotted by other motorists on the hard shoulder of the M4 behind the wheel of the 20mph buggy taken from his team’s hotel.

Cardiff magistrates heard the 6ft 4in player had decided to go to motorway services at 5.45am for “munchies” after a late-night party with team mates to celebrate a dramatic Wales victory over Scotland.

I have long been a fan of both the Summer and Winter Olympics.  Great to see people accomplish great things after training for 4 years often for a single moment.  So…maybe it is time for me to renew my dedication to this blog.  I started this blog Decemver 2005!!  I had enthusiasm and excitement.  Life changes happened, I became bored and I moved on to other projects…but Golf Blogging was also there in the back of my mind.  SO…after a year of pathetic attempts, I am back baby!  Expect to see more from me and the web site – I promise!