Golf in our home and native land is booming. According to a recently released Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study, in 2023, Canadians played an estimated 74 million rounds of golf (compared to 57 million rounds in 2019).
The pandemic “bump” narrative is one reason for this rise, but not the sole reason. A couple of years following the COVID-19 pandemic, this growth in the game continues. The study explored golf as an economic driver, employer, environmental steward and outlet for physical, social and mental well-being.
I started writing this latest column in the media centre at the RBC Canadian Open in between following PGA Tour players inside the ropes. After clocking at least 20,000 steps each day – and watching these professional athletes up close – I attest to golf’s physical and mental benefits.
Hamilton Golf & Country Club hosted the 2024 edition of the PGA Tour’s lone Canadian stop. The historic private club opened in 1894. This was the seventh time our national open was held at this Harry S. Colt design in Ancaster, Ont. and it did not disappoint.
This year’s tournament, according to Golf Canada, had the highest attendance in the event’s history, setting a new record of 136,500 spectators over seven days and reaching a worldwide television audience of more than one billion households. There were also a record-breaking 28 Canadians in this year’s field. The fans came out dressed in red-and-white to cheer on all of our homegrown talent.
The build for this tournament was also the biggest ever: 200,000 square feet of hospitality structures, along with concerts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights following the golf, featuring an all-Canadian lineup.
Did you know that our national open is the third-oldest consecutive tournament on the PGA Tour? In the event’s storied history, past Canadian Open champions include Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Lee Trevino, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. The tournament has never been short on drama, especially in recent years. Even if you are not a golf fan, you most likely remember “the putt” from 2023 at Oakdale Golf & Country Club when Canadian Nick Taylor drained a 72-footer for eagle to defeat Tommy Fleetwood on the fourth playoff hole – becoming the first Canadian to win the event since Pat Fletcher in 1954 – and the pandemonium that ensued.
Hopes were high this year for another local hero to win. One fan wearing a red Canada T-shirt and matching ball cap who followed Mackenzie Hughes all day on Saturday, did his part to get the crowd cheering for a repeat. He carried a sign reading: “Go Canada Go For Two in a Row!!” For most of the weekend, this looked like a possibility. Hughes entered the final round four shots back in a tie for second, but faded on Sunday.
While a Canadian did not win, a pair of our own still finished inside the Top Ten with Corey Conners overtaking Hughes with a great Sunday to finish in sixth place; Hughes was right behind him, tied for seventh. In a nice touch and a nod to the fans, Conners waved the flag on the 18th green (appropriately featuring a maple leaf) to the throngs in the corporate skyboxes and clustered on the hillside before walking off to the scorer’s tent.
While Canada did not produce a homegrown winner two years in a row, Sunday’s outcome was still a feel-good story. The champion was a first-time PGA Tour winner – 27-year-old Scotsman Robert MacIntyre – whose father Dougie caddied for him. MacIntyre was speechless in his post-round interview with CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis; his pops was also choked up, simply saying, “I’m a grasscutter, not a caddie!” in reference to his full-time job back home in Oban, Scotland.
THE RINK
Hockey is still Canada’s sport of choice, so it was a natural for Golf Canada and RBC marketers looking for a way to inject more fun into the Canadian Open – and to also give it a unique Canadian flavour – to turn to our national pastime. One of the coolest fan activities at the tournament is The Rink. This concept – where a par 3 on the back 9 of the host course is transformed into a pop-up party – debuted in 2017. Boards surround the tee. Fans bang these and the sound is deafening. The volunteers assigned to this hole are all dressed in black-and-white striped referee jerseys. The tee blocks are hockey masks. As the vodka sodas and libations flow, the crowds get louder and louder, singing and chanting to the players as they arrive on the tee.
For the Canadians, The Rink hole was extra special; they were treated to a full rendition of our national anthem. Even McIlroy, a two-time winner of the event who loves this tournament, told the press that he “feels like an honorary Canadian” for the amazing reception and support he receives in Canada. The rink hole is definitely a highlight of the RBC Canadian Open each year for both players and fans.
STORIED HISTORY
Golf in Canada has a rich history. Since the Scots invented the game – and many immigrated to Canada in the late-nineteenth century – it’s no surprise that they brought with them “the Royal and Ancient Game.” According to a report from the Montreal Herald dated December 25, 1826, a group of Scottish immigrants gathered at Priest’s Farm just outside of Montreal, to golf. This is the first recorded instance of golf in this country. Not long after, and near this historic first tee shot, the oldest private club was founded when, in 1873, eight gentlemen led by Scotsman Alexander Dennistoun, founded The Montreal Golf Club.
The Club started as a nine-hole course on Fletcher’s Fields in Mont Royal Park. The course has moved locations twice and today is perennially ranked as one of the top courses in Canada. In 1901, the Club held the inaugural Canadian Women’s Amateur and since, has held 10 Canadian Opens (including the first event in 1904) and two Presidents Cups.
From September 24-29 this year, the Presidents Cup returns to Royal Montreal. Canadian Mike Weir captains an international team looking to take back the trophy from the United States with a group of players sure to feature a handful of Canadians.
As we celebrate Canada Day and get ready to show our national pride for the Olympics this summer and the Presidents Cup this fall, I leave you with three fascinating facts about the rich history of golf in this country.
In 1904, in St. Louis, Miss., George S. Lyon won the Olympic gold medal in golf at 46 years old, shocking the American favourite Chandler Egan. Lyon “celebrated his victory by walking through the clubhouse on his hands.”
In August 1945, at The Thornhill Club, Byron Nelson made golf history and set a record that still stands. At the Canadian Open, shooting a cumulative four-round score of 19-under par, the American won his 11th straight tournament.
Finally, never forget the incredible amateur queen Marlene Stewart Streit, who is the only Canadian inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The 90-year-old was in attendance at this year’s RBC Canadian Open on Tuesday, flashing her warm smile to everyone. Her achievements on the golf course are unsurpassed and hard to fathom. Streit is the only player to have won the Canadian, U.S., British and Australian Amateur Championships.