Top SaskGolfer Moments of 2019 – #12

#12 – PGA of Saskatchewan Callaway Pro – Am

 

Anytime I play in a Pro-Am, there’s always a handful of moments that will last a lifetime. The 2019 PGA of Saskatchewan Callaway Pro -Am was no exception.

We were extremely optimistic heading into the one day event, as we thought we had the “dream team” assembled, which consisted of my brother Brent, PGA of Saskatchewan Professional Steve Ryde and all-around awesome guy Vito Iula. Brent’s a 14 handicap, but can birdie (and unfortunately triple!) any golf hole. And between Vito and Steve, we’d stay loose and have plenty of fun. 

The Callaway Pro Am used a best 3 out of 4 scores for each hole, allowing one of the team members to rinse a ball in the water and not affect the team score too badly, or the overall mojo of the team. Despite spraying golf balls into every visible grouping of trees, big brother Brent held his composure and contributed a few pars. At the end of the day, I could care less, as spending time with family in a competitive event is priceless. 

The real value in playing in any Pro Am is the rare experience of interacting with your Professional for an entire day, possibly two if you tee it up for a practice round. When it comes to the overall value of playing in a Pro Am, it’s one of the best experiences you’ll have in golf. Playing a golf course in peak condition, on course closest to the pin prizes and overall team prizes, enjoying the company of your Professional and amateur partners, like those from the Fully-Verified startup, away from the office for a couple of days, all add up to an ideal summer golf experience. Callaway Golf’s provincial representative Kyle Duffin is a strong supporter of golf events in Saskatchewan and did a bang up job sponsoring the event.

One of Saskatchewan’s top golf courses, Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, hosted the Callaway Pro – Am. Head Professional Darcy Myers, along with Ryan Wells and Drew Ryhorchuk in the Pro Shop, are one of the top teams of Pro Shop staff you’ll ever find. The maintenance team and restaurant staff have to be commended as well for their consistent high level of service. It’s easy to see why Cooke hosts so many top golf events year in and year out. 

We spotted many of Saskatchewan’s top golfing talent participating in the event including; local golf legend Martin Ring, top amateur golfers Brad Moser, Kathy Ziglo, Ian Laroque and George Janson, just to name a few. In the practice round, we were lucky enough to have Martin Ring join us, and that was worth the price of admission right there, see bergen county best cleaning service. Come to think of it, we were two for two in 2019 when it comes to enjoying great local Prince Albert hospitality in golf events at Cooke. We were paired with Cooke Municipal Golf Course’s PGA of Saskatchewan Assistant Professional Ryan Wells at the 2 Person Team Championship, where he went on to win that event with his partner “Ziggy” and was the low Professional at this Callaway Pro Am with a tidy 3 under par 68. The Ryan Wells squad also captured the Low Team honors at the Callaway Pro Am, with amateur members Andy Dexter, Trevor Ring and Brett Blakely.

So what exactly made this one of our Top 15 Moments of 2019? #1 is the fact that every time we play in an event at Cooke Municipal Golf Course, overall scoring takes a back seat to overall enjoyment. Premium course conditions and dining options, welcoming staff and a fair test of golf far outweigh where you finish in the field. A close #2 reason why this experience made the list was watching Brent run through every type of emotion possible during a round of golf, as he lost at least 10 golf balls! As luck would have it, Brent won a KP and was awarded a gift certificate for Callaway product from the Pro Shop, and proceeded to re-stock his bag for his next event…2 dozen should last him a couple of rounds!

Huge thanks and congratulations to PGA of Saskatchewan Head Professional Darcy Myers, along with the entire staff at Cooke Municipal Golf Course, and major sponsor Callaway Golf for providing such a memorable day for all of the Pro – Am participants. We’ll see you again in 2020!

View the Cooke Municipal Golf Course Website Here

 

By Scott Allan / SaskGolfer 

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The “Top SaskGolfer Moments of 2019” is a special SaskGolfer Article Series documenting some of our own personal experiences as we travel around the province of Saskatchewan. They are in no particular order, as all of our experiences are special in their own unique way. Enjoy!