About Us
OVERVIEW
Golf Manitoba is the Provincial Sports Organization and governing body for amateur golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario representing over 10,000 golfers and 90 member clubs and leagues. A proud partner of Golf Canada and Sport Manitoba, Golf Manitoba’s mission is to develop, promote, govern and service the game of golf for the benefit of all participants. Our vision is to be a leader in delivering quality, innovative and accessible golf programs and services.
IMPORTANT LINKS
2024 Annual Report & Financial Statements
MISSION
To develop, promote, govern and service the game of golf in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario for the benefit of all participants.
VISION
To be the center of excellence that delivers quality, innovative and accessible golf programs and services.
HISTORY
The game of golf has a proud history in Manitoba. The first golf course in Canada west of Brantford, Ontario was laid out in Stony Mountain, Manitoba in 1889, probably by the warden of the penitentiary, Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Bedson. However, this course closed around 1894. The town of Virden, Manitoba opened a golf course in 1892. Portage la Prairie established a golf course in 1896. Brandon opened its first golf course in 1900.
In 1894, the first golf course in Winnipeg was opened, the Winnipeg Golf Club with a nine hole golf course located in Norwood. The golf course opened for play on July 14, 1894 with seventy-three members, one third of them women. The original site was abandoned later in 1894 for a better site off Portage Avenue and a second nine was added in 1896. Other golf courses followed with St. Charles established in 1905, Pine Ridge in 1912, Elmhurst in 1914 and Assiniboine in 1917. The 1920s are rightly called a “boom” period for golf in Manitoba: in 1919, Manitoba had nine golf courses but by September, 1926, there were 68 golf courses in operation with 16 of these in Winnipeg, including Niakwa and Southwood which had both opened in 1923.
In 1916, the Winnipeg Parks Board approved the construction of an 18 hole municipal golf course. Kildonan Park Golf Course was opened in the spring of 1921 and was immediately popular: in its first season, it rented out 55,000 sets of golf clubs. In order to meet this demand, another municipal golf course, Windsor Park Golf Course, was opened in 1925. Courses have been added over the years and now there are well over 100 golf courses throughout Manitoba from the city of Thompson in the north to the U.S. border in the south.
Manitoba has also had an impact nationally in the early days of golf in Canada. The Royal Canadian Golf Association was formed in 1895 by 10 golf clubs, one of which was the Winnipeg Golf Club. The first Canadian Men’s Amateur held outside of Ontario and Quebec was held at the Winnipeg Golf Club in 1921. The first Canadian Ladies’ Amateur outside of Ontario and Quebec was held at Elmhurst in 1926. The first President of the R.C.G.A. who was not from Ontario or Quebec was Charles Harvey of Elmhurst in 1929.
The Manitoba Golf Association was formed in 1915 with five clubs: St. Charles, Pine Ridge, Norwood, Winnipeg Hunt Club and Elmhurst. In 1922, the Manitoba Ladies’ Golf Association was formed. Effective March 31, 2004, the Manitoba Golf Association and the Manitoba Ladies’ Golf Association amalgamated to form Golf Manitoba.
Manitoba is also home to some of Canada’s finest golfers. George Knudson, arguably the best golfer Canada has ever produced, was born in Winnipeg in 1937, winning the Manitoba Junior in 1954 and 1955 and the Canadian Junior in 1955. Knudson joined the PGA Tour in 1958 but still came back to win the Manitoba Open in 1958, 1959 and 1960. Added to his 8 PGA Tour Victories were the low individual in the 1966 World Cup Matches and winning the World Cup Matches in 1968 when he was teamed with Al Balding. Dan Halldorson of Brandon was on the PGA Tour for more than a decade and had two PGA victories along with four Manitoba Open Championships. Glen Hnatiuk of Selkirk is currently playing on the PGA Tour. Gail Graham of Winnipeg has played on the LPGA Tour for over ten years.
Building on these strong roots, the game of golf appears to have a great future in Manitoba.
PAST PRESIDENTS OF GOLF MANITOBA
*deceased
| 2021 – 2023 | Wayne McWhirter | Southwood Golf & Country Club |
| 2019 – 2021 | Ken Warwick | Niakwa Country Club |
| 2017 – 2019 | Vince Mariani | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 2015 – 2017 | Tammy Gibson | Niakwa Country Club |
| 2013 – 2015 | Kevin O’Donovan | Breezy Bend Country Club |
| 2011 – 2013 | Rob MacDonald | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 2009 – 2011 | Harvey Goehring | Breezy Bend Country Club |
| 2007 – 2009 | Trish Jordan | Southwood Golf & Country Club |
| 2005 – 2007 | Lou Spado | St. Boniface Golf Club |
| 2003 – 2005 | Don MacDonald | Rossmere Country Club |
| 2002 – 2003 | George McLeod | Wheat City Golf Course |
PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE MANITOBA LADIES’ GOLF ASSOCIATION
| 2001 – 2003 | Ms. Lezlie Parker | |
| 1999 – 2001 | Mrs. Carol Doerksen | |
| 1997 – 1999 | Mrs. Anne Liebl | |
| 1994 – 1997 | *Mrs. Joyce Collier | |
| 1992 – 1994 | *Mrs. Valerie Spencer | |
| 1990 – 1992 | *Mrs. Allie Lumsden | |
| 1988 – 1990 | Mrs. Phyllis Bell | |
| 1986 – 1988 | Mrs. Lorraine MacLeod | |
| 1984 – 1986 | *Mrs. Ethel Calnek | |
| 1982 – 1984 | *Mrs. M. L. (Phylles) Wotton | |
| 1980 – 1982 | *Mrs. T. J. (Colleen) Hutchison | |
| 1978 – 1980 | *Mrs. G. D. (Aihlin) Walker | |
| 1976 – 1978 | *Mrs. J. (Connie) McCrindle | |
| 1974 – 1976 | *Mrs. A. (Peggy) Colonello | |
| 1972 – 1974 | *Mrs. H. (Bea) Sharpe | |
| 1970 – 1972 | *Mrs. D. H. (Lavonne) Pitts | |
| 1968 – 1970 | *Mrs. J. W. (Melba) Darracott | |
| 1966 – 1968 | *Mrs. J. C. H. Blackburn | |
| 1964 – 1966 | *Mrs. N. H. Greenberg | |
| 1962 – 1964 | *Mrs. O. L. Robinson | |
| 1960 – 1962 | *Mrs. H. L. Hallett | |
| 1958 – 1960 | *Mrs. R. S. Pearce | |
| 1956 – 1958 | *Mrs. T. H. Clarke | |
| 1955 – 1956 | *Mrs. P. H. S. Campbell | |
| 1953 – 1954 | *Mrs. E. J. MacKenzie | |
| 1951 – 1952 | *Mrs. L. P. Mason | |
| 1950 – 1951 | *Mrs. J. L. Peterson | |
| 1949 – 1950 | *Mrs. D. P. Allen |
PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE MANITOBA GOLF ASSOCIATION
| 2002 | George McLeod | Wheat City Golf Course |
| 2000 – 2001 | Rob MacDonald | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 1998 – 1999 | *Ken MacCharles | St. Charles Country Club |
| 1996 – 1997 | *Syd Cohan | Glendale Golf & Country Club |
| 1995 | Rick Thain | Winnipeg Municipal Courses |
| 1993 – 1994 | Dave Morison | Breezy Bend Country Club |
| 1991 – 1992 | *Jim Scollan | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 1990 | Ted Chop | Northernaire Golf Course |
| 1989 | Bob Forcand | Breezy Bend Country Club |
| 1988 | *Rudy Boivin | Southwood Golf & Country Club |
| 1986 – 1987 | Jim Bristow | Breezy Bend Country Club |
| 1985 | *Al Macatavish | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 1984 | *Keith D. Armstrong | Niakwa Country Club |
| 1982 – 1983 | Michael Averbach | Glendale Golf and Country Club |
| 1981 | *Donald L. Nutley | Bel Acres Golf & Country Club |
| 1980 | P. M. (Peter) Kremer | Charleswood Golf Club |
| 1979 | *E. K. (Bud) Foster | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 1978 | *Gordon Pattison | St. Boniface Golf Club |
| 1977 | D. R. (Don) Craig | Wpg. Municipal Courses |
| 1976 | R. B. (Bob) Goodwin | Niakwa Country Club |
| 1975 | *W. J. (Bill) Doyle | Southwood Golf & Country Club |
| 1974 | John C. Brown | Winnipeg Canoe Club |
| 1973 | *Manuel Bricker | Glendale Golf & Country Club |
| 1972 | *H. E. Caldwell | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 1970 – 1971 | R. E. Galloway | Pine Ridge Golf Club |
| 1968 – 1969 | *Dwight Parkinson, M.D. | St. Charles Country Club |
| 1966 – 1967 | *J. P. Vinet | Assiniboine Golf Club |
| 1964 – 1965 | *Herbert A. Foster | Pine Ridge Golf Club |
| 1962 – 1963 | *J. W. Abbott | Southwood Golf & Country Club |
| 1960 – 1961 | *Charles L. Jones | Niakwa Country Club |
| 1958 – 1959 | *J. A. Swanson | Assiniboine Golf Club |
| 1956 – 1957 | *W. Arthur Johnston | Pine Ridge Golf Club |
| 1954 – 1955 | *J. M. Blair | St. Charles Country Club |
| 1952 – 1953 | *C. M. Thompson | Niakwa Country Club |
| 1950 – 1951 | *Fred J. O’Malley | Southwood Golf & Country Club |
| 1948 – 1949 | *W. S. Bickell | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 1946 – 1947 | *Harold Parker | Pine Ridge Golf Club |
| 1944 – 1945 | *H. Bruce Boreham | Tuxedo Golf Course |
| 1942 – 1943 | *Dr. N. C. Carmichael | St. Charles Country Club |
| 1940 – 1941 | *Gordon L. Leggo | Southwood Golf & Country Club |
| 1938 – 1939 | *R. G. Murray | Assiniboine Golf Club |
| 1936 – 1937 | *R. J. Gallagher | Norwood Golf Club |
| 1934 – 1935 | *J. L. M. Thomson | Niakwa Country Club |
| 1932 – 1933 | *Judge J. E. Adamson | Sandy Hook Golf Club |
| 1930 – 1931 | *Robert Jacob | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 1929 – 1930 | * C. W. Jackson | St. Charles Country Club |
| 1928 – 1929 | *D. E. Clement | Brandon Golf & Country Club |
| 1927 | *C. E. Harvey | Elmhurst Golf & Country Club |
| 1926 | *T. J. Lytle | Assiniboine Golf Club |
| 1925 | *R. H. Baird | St. Charles Country Club |
| 1924 | *G. B. Saunders | Southwood Golf & Country Club |
| 1922 – 1923 | *R. C. S. Bruce | Norwood Golf Club |
| 1920 – 1921 | *T. K. Middlemass | Winnipeg Golf Club |
| 1918 – 1919 | *C. P. Wilson | St. Charles Country Club |
| 1915 – 1917 | *F. L. Patton | St. Charles Country Club |