CN Future Links Eclipses 748,000 Mark for Junior Golf Participation

- Canada’s junior golf program welcomes 112,527 participants in 2008 -

Oakville, Ont. (RCGA) – Canada’s junior program once again welcomed record numbers in 2008 as CN Future Links celebrated its 12th anniversary by eclipsing the 748,000 mark for junior golf participation.

Since the inception of Future Links in 1996, 748,104 Canadian boys and girls have taken part in some aspect of the national, provincial and community-based grassroots golf participation program.

The program – proudly sponsored by CN – enjoyed a banner year in 2008 with a record 112,527 junior participants taking part in more than 3,600 events at 805 sites across Canada.

"CN cares deeply about the communities through which our trains travel, which is why we are proud to support CN Future Links,” said Mark Wallace, CN's Assistant Vice-President, Public Affairs. “CN is committed to helping build stronger communities. We believe young people in these communities should have the opportunity to participate in a sport that can lead to a lifelong passion and that introduces values that will travel with them through to adulthood."

CN Future Links is Canada’s national junior golf development program designed to help more kids enjoy a lifetime involvement in the game of golf. The program is a joint initiative of the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA), the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association (CPGA) and Canada’s provincial golf associations. The program also receives support from official supplier ClubLink.

A driving force behind the program is the CN Future Links grants distributed annually to each of the 10 provincial golf associations. These $15,000 grants help offset the cost to run junior golf programming such as instructional clinics, in-school programs, player camps, skills competitions and a CN Future Links branded vehicle used to deliver a mobile junior golf program. The grants also help fund junior golf supplies such as signage, golf balls, tees, equipment and CN Future Links branded clothing.“2008 was another banner year for Canadian junior golf participation through the CN Future Links program,” said Ian Giles, CN Future Links Advisory Committee Chairman.

“With the generous support of CN and the partnership between the RCGA, CPGA and the provincial golf associations, we proudly celebrate our 12th year knowing that close to 750,000 young boys and girls having been introduced to a game they can enjoy for life.”

2008 CN Future Links Highlights:
- More than 22,000 kids participated in Instructional Clinics hosted by CPGA professionals. - The 10 provincial golf associations ran successful Mobile Clinic outreach programs for more than 57,000 children at various sites including schools, youth groups, day camps, golf courses, etc.
- A network of 65 Kids Club Connection Depots provided golf equipment to 4,450 kids.
- More than 4,600 children participated in Golf Buddy events at 100 sites nation-wide.
- 279 schools ran CN Future Links programs for more than 36,000 children.
- More than 10,000 children tested their abilities at 170 Junior Skills Competitions.- Six high-profile CN Future Links Junior Championships gave almost 600 young golfers the opportunity to play competitive golf at an elite level.- Free junior golf clinics and 'Walk with the Pro' events were conducted at the CN Canadian Women’s Open and the RBC Canadian Open, giving youngsters the chance to meet and learn from some of the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour’s brightest stars.

Total CN Future Links participation (1996 – 2008)1996 – 3,5071997 – 7,5951998 – 19,7361999 – 21,4122000 – 32,6352001 – 39,2822002 – 55,7662003 – 66,7312004 – 78,0782005 – 95,3152006 – 104,4042007 – 111,1162008 – 112,527Grand Total since 1996 – 748,104CN

FUTURE LINKSCN Future Links is Canada’s national junior golf program conducted by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA), the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association (CPGA) and Canada’s provincial golf associations. The program is designed to forge a link between Canada’s youth and golf to ensure the future of the game in Canada. Since its inception in 1996, more than 748,000 young Canadians have taken part in Future Links. Additionally the CN Future Links Championships provide Canada’s best junior golfers a chance to hone their competitive skills in multiple day championships in two age divisions: Junior (boys and girls aged 14-18 years) and Bantam (boys and girls aged 11-13 years). Almost 5,000 top juniors have competed in these premier championships since their inception in 2000. For more information about CN Future Links, please visit www.future-links.org.

NORTH AMERICA’S RAILROAD CN – Canadian National Railway Company – spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For further information please visit www.cn.ca.

ABOUT CPGA: 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 ASSOCIATIONThe 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, CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating 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 contact: Terry LenykCoordinator, Media and Public Relations Royal Canadian Golf Association (t) 1-800-263-0009 x 335(c) 416-407-3893 (e) tlenyk@rcga.org