The late Dave Matthews named 2009 Volunteer of the Year; Chuck Gage and Bob Mullock honoured with Distinguished Service Award; Gary West appointed RCGA Honorary Life Governor
Vancouver (RCGA) – Jack McDonald of Kamloops, B.C. was inducted as the 107th President of the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) during the National Sport Organization’s (NSO) Annual General Meeting held this weekend in Vancouver.
McDonald succeeds 2009 President, Tom McCarthy of Halifax, N.S., while Karen Rackel of Edmonton becomes First Vice-President and Montreal native Diane Dunlop-Hebert assumes the role of Second Vice-President.
“I am privileged and deeply honoured to be appointed 107th president of the Royal Canadian Golf Association,” said McDonald. “I want to thank the entire RCGA Board of Directors for the trust and confidence they have shown in my leadership and I look forward to great things for the organization in 2010.”
McDonald was born in Rosetown, Sask. and grew up in Swift Current, Sask. where he worked summers at Elmwood Golf and Country Club. While attending the University of Saskatchewan, he played varsity golf for the Huskies.
He has been a member of Prince George Golf and Country Club, where he served as Club Captain and as a member of the Board of Directors. He has also been a member of Kamloops Golf and Country Club and Rivershore Golf Links, where he served as a member of the Board of Directors, President and Chair of the Rivershore Amateur.
His accomplished competitive career saw him compete in several B.C. Amateurs, B.C. Mid-Amateurs, Canadian Amateurs and Canadian Mid-Amateurs. He also represented B.C. at the 1997 Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship.
His dedication to golf eventually led him towards golf administration and an invitation in 1987 to join the British Columbia Golf Association (BCGA) as a Zone Representative. He advanced to the BCGA Board of Directors and the Executive Committee before serving as BCGA President in 1997 and 1998.
McDonald became a governor with the RCGA in 1998 and has since served on several committees including CN Future Links, Greens, Player Development, Amateur Championships and the Executive Committee. He has also served as Tournament Chair for both the 1999 Canadian Amateur and 2001 Canadian Mid-Amateur Championships which were held at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops. As a member of the RCGA Executive Committee, Jack served as 2nd Vice President in 2008 and 1st Vice President in 2009.
He has officiated numerous amateur, professional and Open golf championships both in Canada and internationally. He also served as Chairman of the RCGA’s Rules of Golf Committee from 2005-2008, represented the RCGA on the Joint Rules Committee and became a member of the R&A in 2000.
As a member of the RCGA Executive Committee, Jack served as 2nd Vice President in 2008 and 1st Vice President in 2009.
He and his wife of more than 41 years, Ona, have two daughters, Tracey and Gillian.
Chuck Gage and Bob Mullock honoured as Co-Recipients of RCGA Distinguished Service Award
Created in 1993, the RCGA’s Distinguished Service award has been awarded annually to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the game of golf in Canada. For 2009, the RCGA’s Distinguished Service Award was presented to Chuck Gage and Bob Mullock, both of Vancouver.
Gage has had major impact on golf in Canada, specifically the West Coast and British Columbia.
His desire to become involved as a golf administrator can be traced back to his days as a young member at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, where he found inspiration from Club Pro Jack McLaughlin.
In 1969, he served as Tournament Chairman for the LPGA Tour’s Ladies' Supertest Open (now the CN Canadian Women’s Open) hosted by Shaughnessy. In 1970, he served as co-Chair of the Shaughnessy Charity Invitational, raising more than $700,000 in 30 years, and has volunteered at the 1966 and 2005 Canadian Opens which were also held at Shaughnessy.
He has spent countless hours volunteering with the Pacific Coast Golf Association, the BCGA and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.
Mullock has a history of volunteerism which stretches more than 50 years. Both the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association and BCGA have been fortunate beneficiaries of his volunteer time and efforts.
Contributing to his community came natural to Bob who spent 35 years with the RCMP before retiring from the force as Chief Superintendant in 1985.
He has served as Zone 3 President in 1992, as well as BCGA Director, Vice President of Finance (1996) and President (1999-2000).
His contributions to the BCGA continued well after his presidency. In 2002, following two years of planning, his efforts led to the launch of the BCGA Player Development Trust Fund. Today, the Fund acts as the charitable arm of the BCGA assisting juniors and graduating junior golfers access to playing the game and the opportunity to develop their skills regardless of financial circumstance.
He also served as an RCGA governor.
In 2003, his extraordinary contributions to amateur sport in B.C. were recognized when he was honoured by Sport B.C. with the esteemed Daryl Thompson Award.
The Late Dave Matthews named Volunteer of the Year
The late Dave Matthews of St. Catherine’s, Ont. was recognized as the RCGA’s Volunteer of the Year. 2009 marked the fourth year for this initiative which recognizes individuals in the golf community whose tireless efforts and dedication help to grow the game in Canada.
Matthews was a native of Truro, N.S. and lived in Noranda, Que., Toronto and finally St. Catharine’s, Ont. where he became a proud member of St. Catharines Golf & Country Club.
Throughout the years, Matthews volunteered as Chairman for the Canadian Tour Championship, served as volunteer committee chairman for RCGA professional events since the 2001 Canadian Women's Open at Angus Glen and up until the 2009 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club.
Matthews was diagnosed with terminal cancer three weeks prior to the Canadian Tour championship, an event he worked diligently to pull together. Sadly, he passed away less than a week after the event.
He is survived by his wife, Karen, children Scott and Todd, mother Ruby, sister Donna and brother John.
Garry West appointed RCGA Honorary Life Governor
Congratulations to Garry West of Toronto who was named an Honorary Life Governor by the RCGA. West, a former Chairman of the (RBC) Canadian Open and past President of the Golf Association of Ontario, spent 14 years as a Governor before serving as RCGA President in 2007.
2009 Donation Beneficiaries
As part of the its Annual General Meeting, the RCGA acknowledged several of the programs and services that received funding either directly from the RCGA or through one of the association’s programs or championships.
-$25,000 to assist the Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation
-$152,500 in partnership with the CPGA and Provincial Association partners to support CN Future Links
- $72,000 to the Provincial Grant Program
-$70,200 for the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum
-$10,000 to benefit the CJGA (Canadian Junior Golf Association)
-$652,600 to the Canadian Cancer Society and $116,300 to the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation through the Golf Fore the Cure program
-$1.25 million total for the Mike Weir Foundation and Reach Out Centre for Kids in Halton Region in the name of the 2009 RBC Canadian Open
-CN and the CN Canadian Women’s Open raised a total of $1.6 million through the CN Miracle Match Program in support of the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary
-The RCGA Foundation distributed $240,500 in 2009 and since 1982 has awarded over $2.3 million in scholarships to promising young golfers, landscape architects and turfgrass scientists
ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The 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.
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