Top foot soldiers in Alberta golf resign
AGA’S Brent Ellenton, APGA’S Phil Berube leaving their posts
Alberta golf is losing two of its top soldiers.
Both Brent Ellenton, executive director of the Alberta Golf Association (AGA) and Phil Berube, executive director of the Alberta PGA (APGA) have both tendered their resignations.
Both organizations have made huge strides under Berube’s 15-year watch and Ellenton’s 25-year tenure.
The AGA, for instance, has grown from six tournaments to more than 30 while the APGA has made major leaps in brand awareness.
“Our organization is so much more professional in all its offerings — whether it’s tournaments, seminars or our magazine and membership offerings,” Ellenton said.
The AGA also gives out $60,000 a year in scholarships — $550,000 in total since the AGA Foundation began in 1989 — and has spent $272,000 on turf grass research for the betterment of playing conditions in the province.
“The scholarship money is more than even Golf Canada gives out while the turf grass research is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else in Canada,” said Ellenton, who also noted that, among several other things, the AGA has provided more than $100,000 to the Alberta Children’s Hospital through the Alberta Open, developed an association that has more than $2 million in assets and created beginner golf in schools opportunities and elite player development initiatives.
As for the AGA, Berube said, “we are now recognized nationally as well as in this theatre. Since I’ve been here, 16 of our members have won national awards.
Last year alone, Windermere’s Cam Martens, The Ranch’s Shawn Piercey and the Derrick’s Trevor Goplin were all recognized nationally: Martens as teacher of the year, Piercey as Canada’s top retailer and Goplin as professional of the year.
“We’ve come a long way since we used to just roll up in a van for a tournament and use the home course’s scorecards. We’ve got our own building now and a website,” said Berube.
But Berube said the most important thing is what hasn’t changed.
“Our membership still supports one another like a family.
“It’s been a lot fun,” said Berube, who is leaving so he can move to Oakville, Ont., so as to be closer to his family.
While Matt Rollins, Ellenton’s assistant, will take over the reins of the AGA, the APGA is accepting applications until late July.
Scene
❚ Keith Whitecotton, head pro at the Edmonton Petroleum Club, shot a 3-under 68 in the Alberta PGA’s Tour stop at Lacombe. But it wasn’t quite enough as he finished one stroke back of Kevin Broderson, Lacombe’s head pro, who obviously used his home-course knowledge to his advantage. ❚ St. Albert’s A.J. Armstrong is back at it. The winner of last year’s Alberta PGA Junior Masters — by 13 shots no less — Armstrong, 15, won the juvenile division of last week’s Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour Bow Valley Credit Union Classic at Banff Springs. Armstrong shot even par rounds of 72-72 to edge another St. Albert golfer Noah Lubberding, also 15, by three shots. Camrose’s Andrew Harrison (73-75) was third.
“I hit my irons good all weekend and putted very well,” said Armstrong, whose win shortlisted him for a spot on the MJT Canadian team which will play in Australia in October.
Noted
❚ The holes-in-one continue to flood in — especially at the Highlands where Brian King aced No. 3 en route to shooting a 2-under 69. Playing with Scott Kinsman, Brian Futoransky and Bob Butler, it was King’s third hole-inone and the seventh already this season at the Highlands. King used an eight-iron from 152 yards. ❚ Marlene Klemick had a holein-one on No. 11 from 114 yards at The Links in Spruce Grove during a NASA (Northern Alberta Senior Amateur) ladies event. ❚ Carry Stickney got Glendale’s first hole-in-one of the year when she aced No. 4 from 102 yards with an eight-iron while playing with her husband, Keith. ❚ Camrose marked its second hole-in-one of the year with Steve Petz recording his sixth career ace. Petz aced No. 11 from 119 yards with a pitching wedge. ❚ At the Derrick Golf Club, Keith Kendrick used a 54-degree wedge to get his hole-in-one on No. 7 from 101 yards while playing with Al Hope, Bruce Kirk and Wayne McDaniel. ❚ In Victoria Golf Course ladies club play, Carole Vigsbol aced No. 12 with an eight-iron while playing with Sharon Maybroda, Val Scoffield and Brenda Jackson. ❚ At Coloniale, Alan Kirkelund used a nine-iron from 142 yards on No. 3 while playing with Bernard Goudreau. ❚ Riverside Golf Course men’s club member Don Jerchel aced No. 17 from 190 yards using a four-hybrid for his third holein-one. ❚ Another Riverside “rat” Robert Huang bettered Jerchel. After also getting a holein-one on No. 17, Huang then went out and aced No. 3 at Raven Crest using a six-iron from 135 yards. ❚ Meanwhile, Shawn Welsch also didn’t settle for just a single hole-in-one.
In the space of just six days while vacationing near Puerto Vallarte, Mexico, she got two of them.
Playing at the Flamingos Golf Course, Welsch’s first ace came on a 98-yard hole when she used a five-hybrid; the second ace came on an 89-yard hole when she said she choked up on a seven-hybrid that was playing into the wind.
“The second one was a lot like the first one. They both just caught the right slope and rolled right into the hole,” said Welsch, who plays in the ladies leagues at both Millwoods and the Sherwood Golf & Country Club.
Welsch’s third hole-in-one cam in the same place as her first her first — the Flamingos Mexican resort course.
Meanwhile, her husband Uwe, a regular at the Victoria Golf Course and who has been playing golf for 20 years, is still looking for his first.
“You never think it’s ever in the cards,” said Shawn. “It just happened.” ❚ And I see that Daryl Ingram is back at it. Ingram got his third hole-in-one when he used a nine-wood from 180 yards on hole No. 13A at the Edmonton Country Club while playing with Ian Baker, Bog Romanko and Cam McGinnis. But that’s not the story. Remarkably, Ingram has now been in 14 groups where a holein-one has happened, so obviously if you are desperately craving a hole-in-one, Ingram is the guy to play with.